Dreaming of Normalcy

Who would have ever thought we'd crave normalcy and routine?

That we would lust over getting on an airplane without thinking about contracting a virus?

Or...

That we'd dream of stepping outdoors without masks on our faces and fear swarming inside our chests?

The fact of the matter is, we all need to believe in something right now. We don't have normalcy and routine...we have despair and agony over the state of the world.

What's getting me through?

Dreaming of life post-COVID-19 and planning a solo trip to Redding, California.

Wait! What about the Bahamas? Or France? Aren't places like Turks and Caicos and Italy a bit more exciting?

...Not if you're looking for a quiet, serene, and relaxing getaway.

If you want to take a solo trip to find yourself, to remember the important things, and to be alone with the quiet of your mind...Redding, California is where it's at.

What's So Special About Redding?

The ability to just be.

Redding is home to some of the most brilliant slices of untouched nature you can still find. It's rare to be able to go somewhere that's as gentle, beautiful, and serene as Redding without there being endless hoards of tourists.

The Must-See Sites in Redding

Let me take you on a journey. I'll be your mock tour guide for the remainder of this article. Kick back and relax, let me tell you all of the places you can't miss on your solo trip...

Stop One: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Forests full of wildflowers, pristine lakes, and volcanoes. What more could the wanderlust inside of us all want out of a solo trip?

Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to 100,000 acres (yes, you read that right) of untouched nature.

The list of things you can do while at Lassen is probably longer than the things you can't do. You can bike, hike, backpack, fish, and go boating. You can even stargaze (the mass amount of nature is a perfect place to look up at the stars) and go snowshoeing in the winter!

Lassen is home to eight campgrounds as well as a ranch for lodging. This makes it easy to plan ahead and book accommodations that are on-site, should you wish.

Stop Two: McCloud River Falls Trail

Are you even living if you don't stop at McCloud to see the gorgeous waterfalls?

I think not.

This trail winds around, you guessed it, The McCloud River. In total, it's four miles of breathtakingly beautiful nature that passes three waterfalls and at the completion of the trail, you are surrounded by a peaceful meadow.

This is the perfect place to find yourself. The trail is an easy four miles of flat land with picnic areas to rest and the option to only complete a partial trail. McCloud is one of the best sites to visit while in Redding if you want to have time to yourself to reflect. It isn't a rigorous hike and there isn't a lot of thinking involved...you can just simply walk and take in the beauty that surrounds you.

Stop Three: Sundial Bridge

You're about to make your friends on social media very jealous with the photographs you're going to get at the Sundial Bridge.

Can you say...

#beautiful #sundialbridge #solotrip #bejealous

Sundial Bridge is one of the world's largest still-working sundials. This beautiful piece of architectural heaven was designed by Santiago Calatrava and is glass-decked with a cable-stayed suspension bridge. It spans an impressive total of 710 feet over the Sacramento River. One of the most awe-inspiring parts of this bridge is the translucent glass of the deck. At nighttime, it glows aquamarine, lighting up the salmon habitat directly below the bridge in the water.

One of my favorite features of this design is the "Bird in Flight" design. It's said to symbolize overcoming adversity.

How beautiful is that?

Let's Talk Places to Stay...

You can opt to stay on-site at Lassen Volcanic National Park, but if you're thinking about venturing out to other places in the Redding area, you know, like the ones I mentioned above...

Why not stay in this perfect little hole-in-the-wall Airbnb I found?

Less than $100.00 a night gets you this quaint little beauty underneath the stars. It's the perfect amount of space for one person (although it accommodates two).

One of the best reasons to stay? The owner is a superhost and we all love a good superhost, don't we?

Look, the thing is...you aren't going to travel to Redding to sit inside all day. You'll want to visit all of the places mentioned above, so you don't need some grand, extravagant lodging that'll cost you hundreds a night.

I'm just trying to be your helpful tour guide here...don't @ me.

What You'll Get Out of This Trip...

Sure, I'm your helpful tour guide, but now that I've dug a bit deeper into Redding, I can confidently say that this is a trip I'm adding to my bucket list once this pandemic is over.

I can almost picture it now...

It's been an amazing five days of exploring the vast wilderness on my own.

I initially started this solo trip to clear my mind. It's been one hell of a year and I knew traveling to Redding, California would help me wipe my slate clean and do a nice reset.

I was nervous, at first. I've never traveled alone but I knew this was something I needed to do. I could feel the calling in my bones, the need to get the hell out of the city and head West.

It was lonely, I won't lie. The flight sent fire to my nerves and I had second thoughts.

The minute I left my bags in the AirBnB and started my journey at Lassen Volcanic National Park, I knew I had made the right choice. The never-ending sea of nature was unbelievable. It's unlike anything Chicago has to offer. I can actually hear the birds chirpping in the trees. It's quiet enough that if I stand still, it envelopes me and a rush of peacefulness blooms to life inside of me. There's no incessant honking of horns. It's just...

Calm. Quiet. Serene.

Perfect.

That's what this trip is. Perfection.

When my plane starts to ascend into the sky, taking me away from Redding and all the wonder this place has to offer, I realize how much I've changed in these five short days.

I started this trip because I needed time away, time alone, and time to myself.

I think, for years, I've been wrapped up in my constant flow of being busy and moving from one thing to the next, never taking a moment to stop and breathe...I've been so overworked and underappreciated that even I didn't see value in life anymore.

This trip changed all of that for me. I didn't know who I was anymore when I left Chicago and headed here. But Redding has given me a fresh perspective on my life.

I'm not even fully gone and I already can't wait to come back...I can't wait to lose myself and find myself all over again in the solemn solitude this beautiful place has to offer.

You can check out all of the places mentioned above at the following links:

Lassen Volcanic National Park

McCloud River Falls Trail

Sundial Bridge

Airbnb Home