Traveling eastward, once I hit Texas, the influence of the oppressive humidity coupled with an invitation from friends in Austin who have a beautiful air conditioned home, a pool, and a fantastic real bed made me rethink my tent camping strategy. From Austin, I headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where I planned to camp. I remembered that my friends Drew and Robin Patty lived there. I hadn't seen them in perhaps 20 years and I reached out to see if they wanted to have dinner.

The first time I went to Esalen, I was 14 and since I moved back to California in 2008, this sacred and beautiful ground has become a place of great refuge for me. I left my car in Austin to fly back to California to attend the Esalen Writer's Camp. I was there for 5 days with an all-star faculty (Cheryl Strayed, Steve Almond, Alan Heathcock, Pam Houston, Sam Dunn, and Faith Adiele). I arrived, thinking I had a lot to write about. And, I do. But I couldn't seem to produce