This past summer Zoe Loza spent 7 weeks touring 14 national parks across 9 states with a helping hand [paw?] from their 15 lb adventure cat Flint.

Over those 7 weeks, Zoe and Flint visited national parks in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, and Oregon and learned a little about themselves along the way. Here is my interview with Zoe talking about their paw-sitively awesome experience.

*All photography has been provided courtesy of Zoe Loza.

Can you tell me what national parks you hit?

Let’s see if I can do it. I know it was 14. They're all on stickers on my water bottle so that helps at least. Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Zion, Grand Canyon, Arches, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, North Cascades, Olympic, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake. There were a couple in Southern Utah that I skipped over since Zion and Arches are on opposite ends.

I also ended up staying at a state park in Southern Utah that was so beautiful. I didn't want to leave. I spent an extra day there and took off one of the Utah national parks to stay there because I was having such an inspired day. I wrote like six chapters of a novel at this campsite so I knew I had to stay. I also spent a lot of time in Oregon driving down the coast. From Crater Lake, I drove home, which wasn't the initial plan. I was supposed to stop in Lassen National Park but in the end, I was exhausted and broke and ready to head home. I can add some more insight into that later.

So how long on average did you spend in like the different parks?

I spent four days in Yosemite. It's my favorite park. It's the park I grew up near and I hadn't been there for a long time so I knew I wanted some extra time. From then on it was a day or two for the first few parks. I spent 2 days at Kings Canyon. I just drove through Sequoia. I didn't even stop cause they're basically the same park.

I only spent 1 night in Joshua Tree. In the summer, Joshua Tree closes due to heat so it was free to get in and it was free to camp because there was no one there. I got there around eight o'clock at night for sunset, but Joshua Tree gets incredibly hot and I’m camping in my car, which is black, and I have my cat with me. There is no escaping that heat. So I set multiple alarms and left at 6 AM since it was going to be 120 degrees the next day and there was no shade. So I didn’t even spend 12 hours in Joshua tree. It was 2-3 days in the rest of the southern parks, but when I went to the northern parks I was able to spend a much longer time. Around 3 days minimum.

So when did you first kind of get this inspiration to go on this trip?

When I was in college, I went through a breakup and went into this mode where I wanted to do a crazy adventure, something I could do just all by myself and I don't need anybody to do it with me because I'm a strong independent woman [heck yes girl!]. So I decided to spend the rest of the school year saving up to go see national parks and to travel and see my friends over the summer.

It didn’t work out, but I thought about it for a long time and I kept it on the back burner. Fast forward a bunch of years and there's this program Adobe does every year called the Adobe Creative Residency where they select a couple of people to follow a creative project of their choosing. I pitched them a new variation of this trip where I hit every national park in the continental United States and film a docuseries of the trip.

“Day 1 of the trip, Flint spent most of the drive to Yosemite asleep in my lap. Not the safest move…”

At the time, I was going through a divorce, and jokes aside I had been with this person for so long that I had a hard time kind of differentiating myself from the relationship. I wanted to spend some time by myself just getting to know myself again and what better way than spending a year completely isolated in a car living on the road? When I found out I didn’t get Adobe, I knew I wanted to do an abbreviated version of the trip anyway. I put in two months notice at work and I saved up about $5,000 [which was not enough money]. I just left and I decided I was going to film everything. I took thousands of photos. I was filling up 128 gigabyte SD cards once a week with footage and photography.

Why did you specifically choose to focus on national parks?

I grew up right next to a state park and so I grew up spending a lot of time in open spaces. When I went to Yosemite as a kid in awe of everything I saw. I had never seen anything like that before. It was breathtaking. That was the only national park I'd really been to. And so I kind of picked it because I really liked the idea of doing this as like a road trip/camping trip and being surrounded by nature and national parks just felt like a good anchor point for the trip. Also, I noticed that anywhere you live in the continental United States, you're pretty much never more than 8 hours from a national park. For $80 bucks you can get a year-long pass to the parks. You can go as many times as you want and it's the most beautiful parts of the United States, just right there for anyone to see.

So what sort of preparation did you do for this trip?

I made a pretty extensive plan in terms of like where I was going to go, how long I was gonna stay in each place, but I also wanted to keep have a lot of flexibility. Since my cat was with me I had to look up places I could camp with the cat, places I could hike with the cat, things like that. A lot of national parks don't let you take animals on trails. When I was at a campground I would ask the camp host for suggestions of where I should go and some of the coolest things I saw on the trip were suggestions from the camp hosts.

But I probably did about like, like 20% of the planning that I probably should have done which led to a lot of interesting things that happened. My whole plan was to camp in national forests because every national park is surrounded by national forests and national forests are free and national parks are not. So I looked up some spots that were good spots to camp for my first few nights and I looked them up on Google maps, but I didn't download the maps because never once did it cross my mind that I wouldn't have cell service.

I get to Yosemite, no cell service at all. And I was like, “Oh no, like I don't know where to go. I don't remember where this camp site was.” And it was just like this panic. What if I pull over to sleep and its not safe?? I'm by myself I don't know what I'm doing. I ended up spending that night in a hotel parking lot. I was really stressed out.

Were there any other times that you felt scared or uncertain?

“This is a pullout on the side of the road just outside Yosemite where I slept for two nights with a bunch of strangers. People were pulling out fire pits and bbqs and all hanging out together, it was a cool spot but I was too afraid to talk to anyo… — “This is a pullout on the side of the road just outside Yosemite where I slept for two nights with a bunch of strangers. People were pulling out fire pits and bbqs and all hanging out together, it was a cool spot but I was too afraid to talk to anyone.”

I got so scared about the sleeping situation that after Joshua Tree I went to Vegas and I got a hotel room. I spent 12 hours in front of the computer just booking camp sites for the rest of the trip because I didn't want to feel like that again.

Another time I was somewhere in Washington and I was asleep and all of a sudden I start hearing what I thought were gunshots. I was scared someone decided shoot up a crowded campground. It wasn’t until a bit later I realized it was fireworks. It was the 4th of July and I had no idea. Another time I was sleeping in a national forest near private land and I could definitely hear gunshots but someone was probably hunting. It was scariest at the campgrounds where it was me and like just one other person.

How did you feel as a young woman traveling by yourself?

I was really careful about letting people know I was alone. I was kinda careful about booking campsites. What I didn't like was camping in places where I was a little bit alone. Completely alone was okay and crowded was not ideal but fine. What I didn't like was camping in places that were empty except for me and one other person, who knew I was alone. I tried to get to my campsite as early as possible so that usually there was no one else around. I had all the windows blacked out so that you couldn't see into my car. I carried a gun in a gun safe. I kept bear spray right next to my pillow every night.

You've talked a little bit about having like blackout curtains on your car, but how else did you prepare your car?

In the passenger seat on the floor, I had a top entry litter box that was really tall and I had a five gallon water jug with a pump on top. In the back behind the passenger's seat I had my 8mm camera and toilet paper to fill the gap on the floor. And then I put down a camping pad and then like a bunch of foam, a big thick comforter, a sleeping bag, and I wrapped all of that in a twin bed sheet, put a blanket on top of it to make a makeshift mattress. Behind the driver seat I had a litter genie (which is a diaper genie for cats) so my car wouldn't smell from the litter. I had an ice box and a box of food and a camping stove. I had a three plastic drawers [things that you put in like a kid's closet] where I kept like my first aid kit, tape, bear spray, books, camera equipment, cat food, clothes, etc. Behind that I had a lantern, and a pot and pan. And that was kinda my set up.

So you've talked about bringing Flint. Why did you decide to bring your cat on this trip and how did he deal with it?

There was no way I was going to do this trip without him because there was nowhere else for him to go. So either I take him with me or I don't do the trip, you know? Plus like he’s my best bud, I wanted him to experience the outdoors.

I spent a year trying to harness train him, which he wasn’t a huge fan of at first, but it was time to go and I knew he would adjust, plus I had a cat backpack for when we were outside the car. I started to learn that if I put the leash and harness on him in the car before I opened any doors he would jump out of the car and explore on his own. It just had to be on his terms and he became quite comfortable being on a leash while hiking. He would hike a mile and a half or two before he was like, “I'm tired. I'm done.” Then I would put him in his backpack and I would hike back because he's heavy. He's 15 pounds. I'm not trying to carry him for miles. Now he loves being outside. He would want to go outside when it was snowing, which is absurd.

There was one place we were at where like we were near a bunch of flowers that were like attracting bees and stuff and he wanted to chase the bees, which obviously I wouldn’t let him do and he wasn’t very happy about that. But yeah, he just wanted to be outside all the time. It was really funny.

Was there any moments that was like about traveling with a cat or anything?

Being in some of the hotter states was kinda rough. I brought this like cooling pad with me and a kitty tent, basically a playpen for a cat. And I would put that down like in the shade and then I put the cooling mat in there to keep him cool. I would try and make sure he was constantly hydrated. The hotter states were stressful. But other than that, it wasn't too bad. There were a couple times where he kept trying to eat plants, which was scary since I wasn’t sure what they were. I should've bought a book on like plants before I left. I kept thinking everything was poison oak.

What park surprised you most?

Grand Teton surprised me a lot because it's right next to Yellowstone and it doesn't get a lot of attention. I think a lot of people overlook it. I have to say, I didn't like Yellowstone that much. I was very disappointed in Yellowstone. It was really crowded, I didn’t feel like it was worth the hype. But Grand Teton was just south of there and it was completely different. It was so beautiful and it was way less crowded. On the other side of Yellowstone up in Northern Montana was Glacier and, I've never seen more crystal clear, beautiful blue water in my entire life. Both of those two parks I think really surprised me.

And Wyoming in general actually was amazing. I’d been driving through a thunderstorm in Idaho and I get into Wyoming and it's these like rolling hills of like farmland. You know in Disney movies when there’s like a farmland the grass drapes over into a stream? That’s what I'm talking about. The storm clouds were parting this really beautiful golden sunlight hitting these bright red barns that looked like they were painted that morning. There were these green lush Hills flowing into the creek and I was like, “Where the heck am I?”

I felt like I straight up just like drove my car into Cinderella. It was insanely beautiful for this hour long stretch through Wyoming farmland. I'd probably go back and it won't look anywhere near as beautiful because I was probably deliriously tired. Who knows, maybe the barn had been painted that morning? But it was a beautiful surprise.

Are there any specific moments from the trip which stand out to you?

So there was this morning I got up at four in the morning so that I go watch the sunrise. There's this spot called tunnel view, which is a very popular spot for watching the sunrise. I was very much not alone in that spot. It was like me and about a hundred other people with cameras on tripods. Everyone was ready. It’s that iconic Yosemite picture, the Ansel Adams one that's a background option on the Mac. It was like a perfect morning and it was just insanely beautiful. It was watching that sunrise and that was kinda the first time where I was like, “Man, I'm out here. I'm doing this.” I had a couple of those moments throughout the trip where I just I would kind of just stop and take it all in.

There were also definitely moments of realizing how independent I needed to be. One of my first nights at a campground all of a sudden I realized, “Oh my God, I don't even know how to start a fire.” I've always had lighter fluid and it never crossed my mind to take lighter fluid with me. I had to figure it out by myself and constantly learn how to figure stuff out as I went.

How did the logistics work for you?

So on this trip I brought three pairs of shorts and three t-shirts, one pair of jeans and like a jacket and a hoodie. Like that's it. Like a week's worth of clothes. I got cold and ended up buying a couple things on the road, but not much. I just decided to embrace it, wearing the same thing over and over and just being okay with it. I'm embracing the dirt. My bed had dirt in it. There were ants in my car. There was no way I was getting around it and so I just learned to be okay with it. Camping is a dirty business. I would shower when I could, wash off in rivers to get the sweat off. I took dry shampoo with me because I needed to do something, or I would wear a hat every day.

What was the hardest part of the trip for you?

I think the hardest part was actually doing what I said I was going to do and taking the time to spend time with myself. My therapist asked me [we were doing remote sessions] if I was taking any time to just be quiet and be present. She made me think about it and the reality was, not really. I had set out to spend time with myself to be alone with myself and I wasn't letting myself be alone. I was reading, listening to podcasts, listening to music, etc.

The mess I made trying to get my spare tire

However one day at a state park in Utah there was this just beautiful lake and I just went and just sat by that lake for an hour in complete silence and stared at it. That day was a really big day for me emotionally on that trip. I felt I had finally taken that moment to do some self reflection and be present since I had been go go go the entire trip. I struggled with that really hard on the front end. But after that I made more of an effort to be present. If you watch the docuseries, you’ll see there’s a lot more footage of the front end of the trip because I got more into being present, I filmed less.

Another thing was my lack of preparedness in general. I never once thought to double check that the spare tire had air in it. It didn't even cross my mind to double check. I went and got the highest tier of AAA. The plan was no matter where I am AAA would be there for me….Except when you get a flat tire in the middle of a state forest, 45 minutes away from cell service, you can't call AAA. I had to change my tire.

I had a basic understanding of how to change a tire, but I was alone, it was raining, it was a gravel road. It took me about an hour to change this tire. I put the car back down and realized that my spare was pretty much flat. I didn't have a choice but to drive a flat tire for 40 miles since the other one was blown out. I got to a tire shop and then I had to get two new tires [since another one was about to blow] and to put more air into my spare.

What other stuff do you wish you had known before you and taken the trip?

The cell service for sure. T mobile was my phone provider and I got a SyncUp so it would put wifi in my car. My thought was that I would always have a connection. I didn’t connect that if my phone didn’t have service, which I didn’t in most of the parks, I wouldn't have wifi. I wish I'd looked more into that and I wish I had done a little more research on some of the parks. Some of them i was really winging it.

I also wish that I had been a little more confident and a comfortable connecting with other people. There were a lot of people who were doing similar travels and I wish I had gotten out of my comfort zone and talked to people a little bit more. It was hard though. I was scared of people knowing I was traveling alone, but who knows, I may have made some cool friends if I was more out of my comfort zone.

How did you pass the time when you didn't have wifi or cell service?

Editing in the car outside of the grand canyon

I read a lot. Between books and audiobooks I probably read over 17 books. I did a lot of writing blog posts. I was working on this novel. I was also getting shots for my docuseries so I wanted to get interviews with myself, but I also needed just B roll of me sitting around doing things, me reading, cooking, etc. Anytime you're going to do an activity on camera, it takes twice as long because you need to set up a bunch of angles. I made a couple of YouTube videos. I was also working with some freelance clients which was hard because I'd have to go find wifi at some point so that I could communicate with people.

On a more fun note, about halfway through the trip I decided I wanted relearn guitar. I had played when I was in middle school and I wanted to start again. I went and bought a guitar halfway through the trip and just decided I to teach myself. Like isn't that most camping thing ever? I only knew one Green Day song so I'm sitting there just playing the same song on it over and over and over. And everyone around me is probably like, “What the heck? Why doesn't this girl know any other songs?” I had this app that I was learning to play guitar but once I lost service it stopped working.

I also downloaded movies and shows on Netflix. When Season 3 of Stranger Things came out, I could only download the first 2 episodes with the bad data connection and I ended up watching those episodes like 10 times until I had service again. I also download Into the Spider Verse and I think I watched it 12 times. Finished it, started it again.

You mentioned filming yourself for a docuseries. What's your experience with video and YouTube?

I started a YouTube channel in 2015 documenting my then husband's journey joining the Air Force from a spouse perspective and it essentially became the number one source of military spouse information on YouTube at the time. I created over 400 videos for that channel. After my divorce, I transitioned that channel into doing vlogs and travel content. When I finish my docuseries it will be released on that channel and I plan to continue to create content as I continue my journey of growth.

How did this trip change you?

I think the most important thing I took away on this trip was the difference between being alone and being lonely. There were very few moments on that trip where I was lonely despite the fact that I was completely alone for seven weeks. I'd go days at a time where I didn't have cell service. I got so comfortable with that feeling of doing everything for myself and relying on myself. I didn't know how to build a fire. I had to figure it out or I wouldn't be warm. I didn't know how to use the camp stove but I had to figure it out or I wasn't going to eat. I changed my first tire. I drove 6,000 miles in seven weeks. I slept on the side of the road. I bathed in rivers. I was homeless by choice for seven weeks. I realized I don’t have a problem being alone. I can be completely happy all by myself. I don't think that's a thing I really had before the trip. Before the trip, I think I was really dependent on other people for my happiness. I constantly wanted to be around people and I still love to be around people, but I'm comfortable alone now. I love all my friends, but if everyone abandoned me today, I'd still be okay. I'll be okay, I'll figure it out. I can get through it.

Photo taken inside Joshua Tree National Park

How was it coming home after out on the road for seven weeks?

It was kind of funny because I was getting so comfortable being alone, right? I was happy in this aloneness and then I got to Portland where I was visiting a friend and his wife. They took me to a soccer game and for drinks and a bbq and invited me into their community. That was the first time in the trip where I felt lonely and it was really interesting to me because that was the first time I was really around people. But what I realized is that is what I was missing in my life back home - a sense of community. I have friends all over, but I hadn’t really set down roots. I'm always looking for what's next, so I'm not living in the now. I moved from Walnut Creek to Chapman for college. I moved back to Walnut Creek to Maryland, to Walnut Creek again to Idaho, etc. I moved around a lot. I always thought, “ I'm only gonna be here temporarily, so why bother to make friends now? Why bother to sit down and reach out?”

After I left Portland and went to Crater Lake, I decided I wanted to go home and make that happen. I'm not going to just hole up and wait for next thing. I was at home for the past two years, not really making any new friends, not making an effort to date since I didn’t plan to stay there. I avoided that for a really long time and it wasn't great for me. It didn't make me happy. So when I got back, my number one priority was to commit to living in the moment.

Anything else you want people to know when it comes to National Parks?

If you are going to get out in nature, which you should, don’t be an idiot. Don’t feed the animals. I saw so many people trying to take selfies with bears. I saw a parent push a kid closer to a bear to get a photo of their child with a bear. That's ridiculous. On a positive side, one of the things I really appreciated was that I took a trashbag on all my hikes in order to help clean up and I didn’t find any trash when I was out. So keep up disposing of your trash properly.

Where can people find more about you?

Well I will be releasing my docuseries on Youtube and you can see some of my videos from my trip there. Check out my site in order to read my blog or if you are interested in hiring me as a freelancer. I am currently selling some of my photography from my trip [Note from Cambria: I bought their photo book, it is amazing]. Finally, connect with me on Instagram, I’m always down for new friends! Flint also has his own Instagram.

UPDATE: The final compilation of “Finding Home” has premiered on Youtube. Watch it today!