PROLOGUE

First thing that inspired this trip was a good friend of mine extending an invite years prior when they initially moved out West from Brooklyn. At that time, a visit to Cali felt right, but my money didn't. The idea of traveling, and trusting the universe to carry me, is something I can subscribe to, but due to some past experiences, I've come to appreciate establishing footing before jumping. I'm now at a point in my life where my art has started to pay me well. It's been a slow transition into full acceptance, but I am grateful to have this level of freedom.

The second motivator was a series of conversations I had with my partner about exploring how we navigate our traumas and the ways in which we could potentially rewire our brains in response to them.

I had heard about psychedelic experiences, specifically ones on mushrooms, that provided a "fresh coat of snow" over the deep trenches of our minds. In theory, it would make it easier to traverse those deeply rooted lines of thinking we slip into when triggered by something or someone. My partner and I were interested in that level of grounding. So, knowing that an open invitation had been extended, planning for the Oakland trip was in motion. Coordinating schedules, buying tickets, booking Airbnbs, and creating an itinerary went as smoothly as it could. Next thing I knew, we were on a plane headed towards a week of nature and exploration.

Overall, Oakland was a celebration of life and how far we had come. My homie was turning 41, and it was inspiring to witness him finally living the type of life he wrote about in some of his work. For my partner and I, we were marveling at how all of our choices, work, and love brought us to such a beautiful city. The hospitality we were shown out there forged stronger bonds and new friendships that made leaving that much more difficult for us. But before I jump too far ahead, I’ll bring it back to the beginning of the trip just after a day of rest from our flight.

On day one of my friend's birthday festivities, we took shrooms by a stream somewhere between Blue Tent and North Columbia. Our own private oasis where we were free to be in the water and trip out watching the trees breathe. I can't remember the last time I heard that much hearty collective laughter amongst Black folk. It was healing in its own way.

The following day, we hit up the South Yuba River to soak up some sun in the middle of the water. This was when the tan, that I'm desperately clinging onto, came into full effect.

We dedicated a day to San Francisco's hilly residential streets and Fisherman’s Wharf to see a different part of The Bay. I appreciated the level of preservation from the infrastructure of the piers to the vintage build of the trams. Walking along the water brought some peace and an unexpected windchill reminding me that Northern California is different from the more southern parts. Even with that, San Fransisco offered some memorable photo opportunities.

While this trip was mostly for rest and recalibration, there was also work to be done. On top of celebrating his birthday, my homie wanted to create a lookbook for the next capsule release in his clothing line. So, after some last minute talent scouting, we headed up to the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. The weather turned quickly as a thick fog rolled in and covered most of the terrain, but we rolled with it while we still had visibility. Despite these photos not working for the lookbook, these are still some of my favorite photos to date.

On the last day, we got to take a quick trip through Japantown. I absorbed what I could in the short span of time, but I told myself I would return. With some Hi-Chew and a new set of chopsticks in tow, we headed to the airport and flew back to NYC.

EPILOGUE

This was a long one. If you made it this far, know that I appreciate you.

Believe it or not, I condensed things into a Spark Notes friendly recap as this would've become a novel. I also wanted to hold some parts close to the chest. Certain moments were for me and me alone. Upholding that sanctity with myself is key these days.

I didn’t mention this in the body of the post, but today is my 30th birthday. I feel like I need the day, and maybe a few more after that to really take in what crossing this threshold means. Maybe I’ll circle back and share some findings about no longer being in my 20s.

With all that said, I do hope to catch you on the next one. Be good…