By Leonardo Rodriguez Carrion
From East Coast to West Coast
This trip begins unlike any other. My grandparents, mom, and I will all go on a mystical tourist trip to Mt. Shasta, the Grand Mountain in California!
My mom invited me and my grandparents to Mt. Shasta a few months after my Arizona trip. Mt. Shasta is a very energetic mountain located far up north in California, very close to Oregon.
I had heard of Mt. Shasta for a long time, I think longer or just about the same as Sedona. They’re both out west but very far apart, especially if you’re driving.
I want to say we left Philadelphia early in the morning, probably around 7. This trip was relatively relaxed. It was a direct flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco. We still had to wear masks, but there wasn’t much to get around it. It is strange thinking we were all doing this back in 2020-2023, but we were. Nevertheless, I remember sitting in the back again next to my grandmother.
We arrived in San Francisco around 1 in the afternoon, a little before the buses would pick us up to drive to Mt. Shasta. We had trouble finding the meeting point because it was located at a Starbucks. There were multiple Starbucks, but we found it on the first floor! Starbucks and a few other places in the terminal were still closed.
Familia reunited
When we got to the meeting point, most people were already there. A few more people began to show up, but I remember my mom, grandparents, and I just wanted to rest after a long flight and walking up and down all over the San Francisco airport. Before I continue, forgive me if I do not mention you in my writing. Your impact on me is remembered dearly, as Mayk and Mabel would always say to us: somos una familia en un circlo. We are a family in one circle. This was the first time I would meet Mabel Katz, Maykert Gonzalez, and my dear old videographer and cameraman, Kevin, whose last name escapes me. There are more people, of course, whom I will tell you about soon.
A group of women giggled, laughing as we waited for everyone else to arrive. A mom and her daughter would show up. I must say, writing about this experience feels surreal. Three years have passed, but my heart still remembers. That is what matters. We all loaded our luggage and bags onto our bus. The bus would take us north to Mt. Shasta and the surrounding area in the town and mountain known as Mt. Shasta.
We began our journey north once we were all settled and had our bags ready. I took some pictures of us leaving the city. I was a bit impacted by the homeless encampments in and around the city. Many people were living under the bridge. We did not cross the golden gate bridge, not yet. We headed north and stopped at a small-town rest stop. We would eat here, and I remember we started to talk more to one another. Look at how fickle the mind works. My mom was stressed out because one of her clients was having trouble. Trouble with a closing. My mom will primarily be a focal point of these trips she and I went on together.
The First Day
This was our first day, September 28th. We arrived at Mount Shasta early in the evening. This gave us enough time to settle in at the Shasta Inn (literally the name of it), where we would stay. It was like a giant lodge right when you entered the town at the bottom. For most of the town, you had to walk uphill to see it. Not on the first day, but even here, you would see 1 or 2 homeless people. I remember seeing a young blonde man with a giant speaker he would carry on his right shoulder, blasting music. He saw my mom and me a few times and looked at us with a genuine smile. I joked with my mom and called him our “friend.” We were all tired at night and didn’t have a chance at this “game” where we would all pull out cards with a word on them. We did eat dinner, but the night ended so soon. We all were ready to go to bed and start the next day fresh. The second day, September 29th, finally settled in.
There was a diner nearby called the Black Bear Diner. The food there was unique and delicious! They gave us each a $100 stipend to use for whatever food we wanted. The place was open until early afternoon, so we would only go there for breakfast. We ate a great breakfast. The food in Northern California is quite good, I must say. I had no complaints. Forget about the prices, though.
After breakfast, we returned to the front of the inn, where the driver awaited. We would go to this nearby park, where we all would sit in a big circle. We introduced ourselves, and we each pulled out a card. My card was guilt. I felt guilty at the time, even though a year had almost passed since a great friendship had ended. Mabel said something to me about it. She told me I have the power to change it.
After introducing ourselves, I remember walking to a nearby area with benches and a table. We would eat lunch here in a moment. Before doing so, this was when I started to talk to the wonderful people on this trip. Anna, Randa, Salvador, and I think a few more joined in on the conversation. What captivated them was how young I was and the fact that I was talking to them about my past lives. Yup, you read that right. I remember my past lives. For a long time, I had a fear of disclosing this. This is my way of telling you. I have so much more to write about each life, in any case. Let’s focus on the trip for now, shall we?
