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Cheryl Friedman can't hold the same job for more than three years.
This isn't because she's irresponsible, or untalented, it's because
she can't let three years go by without taking a long trip. Cheryl
has visited 26 different countries, drove from Canada down the entire
East Coast to Key West Florida, drove across the United States,
and most recently, visited the National Parks of the West. But unlike
most vacationers, she travels alone.
"It was a Tuesday night around this time last year," Cheryl says,
"And it had been raining, I was stressed at work and I was so unhappy,
and I asked myself, 'What is it that makes me truly happy?' And
I realized that it was travel and photography."
The
Double O Arches at Arches National Park |
So she pulled out her journal from her last trip down the east
coast and read it from cover to cover. "I was laughing and laughing
as I read about all of the crazy adventures I had on my last trip
and I thought to myself, 'This is me. The girl in this journal is
who I am. And this life that I'm living right now, is not me.' So
I knew what I had to do. Quit my job and travel. I had to reconnect
with my soul."
A friend who had just published a travel guide suggested that Cheryl
visit the national parks of the West. She then did some research
online, bought some maps, and with all the camping equipment and
photography gear that she could fit in a little Miata, she was off.
Always driven by curiosity, Cheryl "wandered" through her trip.
"I look at a map to make sure I'm not taking a main highwayÉthat
it's either a two lane road, or a limited highway. I purposely take
the road less traveled. And I'm always fascinated with what I find
there. I take my best shots at the most unexpected places. And if
it takes 5 to 10 times longer to get somewhere, that's fine because
my purpose is not to get to the destination, my purpose is to capture
the journey."
Omar
in front of his antique store in Wickenburg, Arizona. His philosophy
was to simply enjoy life. |
And her 8,000 mile journey was an enriching one. She recalls meeting
a 70-year old man named Omar, who owned an antique store in Wickenburg,
Arizona. His father opened the shop in the thirties, so Omar spent
his entire life there. "He made the store sign himself, and smiled
a lot, even though he had no teeth. His philosophy was to simply
enjoy life, and I found it so amazing that someone could live here
and do the same thing day in and day out, and still love life so
much. I learned from him that it's important to enjoy the simplicity
of life."
And locals and travelers alike were equally fascinated with Cheryl.
"I would always be writing in my journal, dining alone anywhere
from a dive bar to a fancy restaurant, and people would be staring
at me." She remembers one woman in particular, who approached her
and asked if she was a famous writer. "That would be 'NO,'" she
laughed.
Most people were surprised to meet a young woman traveling alone.
"Aren't you afraid?" "Why are you alone?" "Isn't it dangerous?"
people would ask.
But Cheryl was never afraid. "I believe in the law of attraction.
If I emanate positive, I get positive, if I emanate negative, I
get negative. And there's a big difference between being afraid
and being street smart. I take all of the necessary precautions,
and so far, I've never had any problems."
It was this positive and adventurous spirit that took her to some
spectacular places. She camped at Joshua tree, woke up before dawn
to capture a shot of Utah's Delicate Arch at sunrise, hiked the
Indian Gardens of the Grand Canyon, visited a ghost town, hiked
to Angel's Landing in Zion, caught Telluride's Mountain Film Festival
and took a ride on America's last steam engine in Durango.
"I really have no expectations or agendas when I go to a new town.
I usually park my car and just talk to people. I find out where
the locals hang out, or I just talk to a cashier at a diner, and
that's how I get a real feel for the place."
And the people she met along the way made a huge impact on her
passion for travel. She recalls meeting the Bodin's on a mining
tour in Bisbee, Arizona. "They were a family from Waco, Texas who
took an entire year to travel through the United States. The couple
and their three kids would stay in one city for a month, then move
on to the next city. The children were being home-schooled while
absorbing a whole new city every month."
Like many of the people she met on her adventures, the Bodin's
instantly befriended Cheryl and invited her to dinner the following
evening. "We shared travel stories, talked about travel movies,
the kids did magic tricks at the table. We totally bonded. And it
was such a great experience for me. All this time, I thought my
extended trips would have to stop if ever I wanted to get married
and have kids, but now I know that traveling with a family can work."
But for now, Cheryl is back in San Francisco dreaming about her
next extended trip, either an excursion to Vietnam or a Canadian
cross-country drive. And of course she can hardly wait. "I find
that when I'm doing what I love, traveling, taking pictures, and
all the while having great conversations with people, what I'm really
doing is honoring my soul."
*Watch for Cheryl Friedman's photo pictorial
in next month's issue of The Argonauts!!!*
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Joshua
Tree, California. The site where Cheryl first pitched her own tent
and camped alone. 
