The Adventuring Duo

Little adventures never hurt anyone. So why not enjoy them!

Adventuring Duo

My friend Karen and I have always gone out to seek adventure. During the pandemic, it has gotten harder to seek adventure. Nevertheless, we persevered and did many things, from hikes to beach days to bike riding.

“Sharing adventures means enjoying them 100% more.”

First Contact

It all started with meeting my friend Mylyn through a childhood friend, Kacie, during my college orientation days. Once getting acquainted and quickly becoming good friends, we found out that we both wanted to be Nurses and took the same classes, meaning that I will hang out with her more. When the semester started, we took to our first two classes, which was a mistake since they were one after another. When taking a break afterward, she invited me to relax in her dorm, and from there, I met her roommates, Karen and Megan.

The first night was eventful as all of us were still getting to know each other, but it was nighttime when the entire Santa Rosa forming complex arose in laughter and screaming of memes and overall funny contexts. If I can find some videos from that day, I will certainly post them below as it was chaotic, to say the least, haha.

Video: Someone started the Spongebob memes, and it just took off from there.

Video: The Office theme song was blasting throughout the complex, and we were all just vibing to it. Annnnd I was annoying Mylyn at the time, too, haha.

And as you can see, it was very, to say the least, an eventful night, haha.

The Duo's Beginnings

From there, our friendships had gotten stronger. Karen, Mylyn, Megan, and our new friend, Joanne, along with Kacie and others, usually had lunch together and started getting to know each other a bit more each time. When the crew was busy and such, Karen and I were typically available or, to the least, a bit less active. It wasn't until mid-November when this duo began their journey.

Our first adventure was me showing the Ventura County coastline at the county fairgrounds. We found a cute little path to take photos and even eat a little dinner while watching the sunset on the horizon. This was only the beginning for the adventuring duo, but it is a fantastic start to how things will end up in the future.

Later in the spring semester, both of us decided to explore our campus a little bit more. To add a little background, CSU Channel Islands was originally the Camarillo State Hospital, housing mental patients in the 1900s. CSUCI only came to be in the late 1990s when the CSU Chancellor and the State of California decided to remodel it as a state college, which it is now since the first classes in 2002.

Not only was our institution a former mental hospital, but it was also on Chumash land on which has now turned into farmland. A dairy farm used to be housed right next to the now CSUCI Campus Park in the past. Since the school's acquisition of the land and its abrupt abandonment in 1997, it is rumored to be "haunted" by its past occupants. Rumors only surfaced with the connection of it being a state mental hospital and the farm being abruptly abandoned early on in its day.

With this knowledge, Karen and I decided to take a look at "Scary Dairy," as it is informally known as. Being a local, I never visited this area, so this was an adventure for me as well. Around noon time was when we embarked on this little adventure. Once getting there with a few security gates preventing me from driving further, we trekked through the dirt path to the run-down barn in front of the compound. Upon exploring it, we decided to venture up the road a little more to the cattle area. It was still gated up, though, with small entries that allowed us to squeeze through. If I can find some photos of Karen in the complex, I will certainly post them below.

Into The Future

Since then, our adventures have only continued. From hiking to going on random road trips to even beach days. Our duo never shied away from a little adventure. Whether close or far, it's never a problem for us. We'll even invite our other friends along to share with them our excitement and joy for these things! Only the future can tell for this adventurous duo!

Below I'll have a little gallery of photos taken from our adventures throughout the years. I wish I could provide more context to each photo; however, I do not want to make you read a lot, haha, but please, enjoy them! I hope this reaches out to you and inspires you to #SeekDiscomfort and explore the world, whether by yourself or with others! :D