The Numbers

Days on the road: 32
Miles Driven: 7500
National Parks visited 12
States entered 18
Money Spent ~$2000
Tolls $4.65 (Mostly WV oddly enough)
Towns named Fruita visited 2
Photos taken ~2000
Bears seen 2
Coytes seen 1


See all the photos at the link below
http://wisertime.zenfolio.com/

Rocky Mt. High: Rocky Mtn NP to Boulder

Leaving Arches was a welcome thought to escape the sun. I drove up the scenic byway along the Colorado River and passed ranches, wineries and historic places. A very wild and remote place along Eastern Utah. I reached Grand Junction and grabbed some quick food and a refreshing ice cold drink. Being in the desert really makes you appreciate ice even more than normal. I love my cold drinks. I stopped at the welcome center and got some brochures, since I wasn't completely sure what I was going to do in CO. There was a lot to choose from. I noticed Colorado National Monument was only 2 miles to the South and since I had an annual pass, I figured I could check it out and leave if it was nothing special. I am not sure I ever heard of it before. It is a national park, but the name is slightly decieving. I drove up some more windy roads from the valley floor and reached another high plateu. It was hot again, but not quite as intense as Utah, but still uncomfortable and I was trying to rehydrate. I decided to keep this a mostly air conditioned quick venture. It was about a 25 mile detour and ran from Fruita (note I also stayed in a town named Fruita in Utah) to Grand Jct. where I could pick up 70 again. It was mostly a drive along canyon rims with more stone monuments sticking up from the basin floors. An otherwise impressive view/park, but I was a little canyoned out and had seen so many over the last week or two, I didn't find it that exciting anymore. I made a few quick stops and took just a few photos.
I drove on to Central Colorado on 70 again. A very impressive highway that winds along and crosses over the Colorado River occassionally. The width and rapids vary as you travel along the many miles of the mighty river. The areas get quite narrow in places and the opposing Westbound lanes are often elevated and slightly overlapping the Eastbound lanes. I assume these were added later or they just could not carve deeper into the wall without creating rockslides. Several tunnels are encountered along the way, none as impressive as the Eisenhower tunnell that penetrates the Loveland pass and is about a mile long. I stopped at Glenwood Springs. A town built around the Glenwood springs pool and hotel. It has a massive pool and adjoining pools, water slides etc and a historic hotel next to the property. The pools are about the length of a football field or more and of varying temperatures 91-104F. The town accross the river looked quaint and bustling with some kind of festival and many restaurants and shops. Its interesting how the towns make use of the limited space of the mountain river valleys. Most of Central Co is like this from what I've seen. Nothing but peaks and narrow slots between. I needed some relaxation and it was a beautiful day here, so I decided to visit the springs and soak for a few hrs. Afterwords, I noticed a camping sign at the next exit up and it was early eve. I had considered driving up to Dillon lake near the major ski areas of Summit county, but was not sure of the camping situation there. I thought I would check this out anyway and maybe spend the night here. The campsites were right along the Colo River...this time really along it. Right up to the banks with trees to shade you, showers, wifi, laundry etc. Seemed good. They had one spot left and it was the one I noticed. At $38 w tax, it was a bit steep for a tent site, but it seemed like a cool place to bed down and let the rapids lull me to sleep. You only live once right?
Well, I set up camp and went back to the springs for another visit since I had paid for an all day pass. I came back, uploaded some pics from the previous days, charged up my phone, batteries and then went to bed. This was a nice little resort, and the river was very calming. Just one little hitch that would change my feelings about this place. At 115 am a train came barrelling down the tracks on the other side of the river, which is approx 30-50 foot wide at this point and meanders along the steep canyon walls, shaped by the strong currents. The train was louder than normal due to the bouncing off the opposing wall and the campsite took, was down at the bottom of a steep hill, so all the sound waves were compressed. The chug-a-chug-a, was almost bearable, but the screaching and whining of the steel wheels grinding on the bends of the steel tracks (or maybe that was the brakes?) was unbelievably loud and deafening and created a weird sorta harmonic effect like the reverb of an electric guitar amplifier. This woke me up, started my heart jumping and forced me to cover my ears. The aftershock made falling back to sleep a challenge. This repeated at least twice more during the night before the sun came up. I was also woke up early by some loud talking girl next door and couldnt sleep, as she would not shut up, shouting almost at the people who were standing next to her. This is a recurring theme. I would be a tired mess the rest of the day.
I can imagine, being the train conductor at night along those mountain routes must be scary. One false move and you could be in the river. Its also rather amazing how some of these routes must have been constructed initially and in such remote areas.
I got to Rocky Mtn. Nat. Park later that morning and drove in the west entrance. The windy roads take you up to 12,183 ft eventually with some stunning views of partially snow capped peaks, melting glaciers and melted tundra. Storms are off in the distance often. I really didn't know much about this park, prior to this trip, but it is pretty impressive. After passing the summit, I felt overcome with exhaustion after a few photo stops and took a short nap in the car. I felt like I was gonna pass out any minute. I was pressed for time to get a campsite, or I would have just taken my time. There was only one on the west side and it was being cleaned up with downed trees and looked a mess. I flipped a coin in my head and went to Morraine campsite. Sign said full. Sigh. I drove up anyway just to check it out. I asked the girl at the booth if she had some recommendations for other campsites, since this was full, and to my amazement she had one site left, just inside the entrance. I checked it out quick and settled on it for 2 nights. It was perfect. A 200 ft walk from the car up a hill but, nicely secluded as you can expect to get in a NP with amazing views of the peaks and meadow below and Sheltered slightly with trees too. I felt very fortunate to land this one.
After setting up camp and having a meal, I did a 2 mi hike to Dream lake. A beautiful mtn. lake, but the mosquitos and flys were so bad, I couldn't relax and enjoy the view. I had to keep moving or get bit. I stopped at Bear lake and one other lake on the way back. Still some snow remained on parts of the trail. I got to bed early and enjoyed a campfire. Once again I was woke up at 730am by some French woman who sounded like she was bitching up a storm. Sitting accross from her husband at a picnic table, you wouldn't think it was so necessary to talk so loud (her site was a good 40ft or more away. This went on for two hrs and later included a cell phone conversation that got even more emotional. What the fuck is with these people and their total lack of consideration every campsite I have been to? Kids run loose, screaming and shouting all hrs of the day and night. With all the parkspace you would think you could get some peace and quiet.
I did some longer hikes today and saw some beautiful raging waterfalls and more mountain lakes. This time closer to the glaciers and much higher elevation. Upon reaching the summit of my hike, it cooled off from being an otherwise hot day and started to rain lightly. I did not mind, since the heat was sapping my energy and I headed back downhill briskly. Once I got in the shuttle bus, I was again hit by extreme exhaustion, thirst, hunger and a severe headache. Maybe it was the altitude (close to 10,000 ft), but I also don't think I ate enough last night or this am. I was a little foggy headed and slow to get going this am. I had no mt. dew or coffee to perk me up either.
I came back and napped for a few hrs, though I was in and out of sleep as it rained on and off and had a slight leak in the tent that hit me in the eye a few times, plus I had to block out the light to have a chance to sleep, then the kids started running and screaming around me again. I was super hungry, thirsty, head killing me. I did not want a camp meal in the rain again, like I had this afternoon. I instead headed for Estes Park to see what it had to offer. It was just a short driver from the east entrance and was a stunningly beautiful place. Rock outcropped peaks everywhere and views of the white peaks inside the park, from the center of town. A picture perfect town. Lots of shops and ice cream/candy places and restaurants were all along the main road. Plenty of hotels and cabins too. The famous Stanley hotel I stumbled onto as well. It reminded me of the Pinehurst Hotel, but with a red roof instead of Copper/green. I would guess it was the same architect. Gorgeous mountain homes were all along the surrounding slopes, with views to die for. What a place to live with the park just a few miles away and endless skiing options in the winter. The rain did not subside and was unusual again, which has been the theme of the trip. I was ok with it, other than taking down and packing a wet tent really sucks. Mud is splattered all over it and the rain will probably not stop anytime soon. Estes Park, from what I have seen so far, is an enviable place to live. I guess it is kind of a getaway spot for the locals.
Tomorrow I will check out Boulder on the way to see my old HS friend Sean in Denver for a few days.
Oh, I almost forgot. I finally got to see some elusive black bears today. A momma bear and cub, that couldn't have been more than 20-30 lbs They were brown in color and very cute walking along the road. The shuttle bus stopped to view them, but before I could get a picture they scurried along down the hillside. It was very exciting, considering how rare bear sightings are in RMNP, let alone the other parks. I also saw a coyote, walking through my campsite, as I was getting my stuff out of the car. Of course, when I grabbed my zoom lens camera, I forgot I had taken the battery out to charge and not replaced it. He was gone quickly.

I stopped in Boulder, CO and took a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory, which was fun and impressive. I really love their teas and it was just a very short detour. The neat thing about it was that as you walked past the different herbs, you could smell each new scent and it was quite pronounced. Hibiscus especially is a favorite ingredient. Then they had a closed off room just for the mints (spearmint, peppermint and one or two other). Wow those were so strong you could feel it in your nose and lungs. If you had a stuffy nose going in, it would surely clear up in just a few minutes. It must be kept behind closed doors to prevent it from permeating all the other herbs. Then the rain and lightening came and pelted me all the way to Denver.

Rocky Mountain High: Colorado

Leaving Arches was a welcome thought to escape the sun. I drove up the scenic byway along the Colorado River and passed ranches, wineries and historic places. A very wild and remote place along Eastern Utah. I reached Grand Junction and grabbed some quick food and a refreshing ice cold drink. Being in the desert really makes you appreciate ice even more than normal. I love my cold drinks. I stopped at the welcome center and got some brochures, since I wasn't completely sure what I was going to do in CO. There was a lot to choose from. I noticed Colorado National Monument was only 2 miles to the South and since I had an annual pass, I figured I could check it out and leave if it was nothing special. I am not sure I ever heard of it before. It is a national park, but the name is slightly decieving. I drove up some more windy roads from the valley floor and reached another high plateu. It was hot again, but not quite as intense as Utah, but still uncomfortable and I was trying to rehydrate. I decided to keep this a mostly air conditioned quick venture. It was about a 25 mile detour and ran from Fruita (note I also stayed in a town named Fruita in Utah) to Grand Jct. where I could pick up 70 again. It was mostly a drive along canyon rims with more stone monuments sticking up from the basin floors. An otherwise impressive view/park, but I was a little canyoned out and had seen so many over the last week or two, I didn't find it that exciting anymore. I made a few quick stops and took just a few photos.
I drove on to Central Colorado on 70 again. A very impressive highway that winds along and crosses over the Colorado River occassionally. The width and rapids vary as you travel along the many miles of the mighty river. The areas get quite narrow in places and the opposing Westbound lanes are often elevated and slightly overlapping the Eastbound lanes. I assume these were added later or they just could not carve deeper into the wall without creating rockslides. Several tunnels are encountered along the way, none as impressive as the Eisenhower tunnell that penetrates the Loveland pass and is about a mile long. I stopped at Glenwood Springs. A town built around the Glenwood springs pool and hotel. It has a massive pool and adjoining pools, water slides etc and a historic hotel next to the property. The pools are about the length of a football field or more and of varying temperatures 91-104F. The town accross the river looked quaint and bustling with some kind of festival and many restaurants and shops. Its interesting how the towns make use of the limited space of the mountain river valleys. Most of Central Co is like this from what I've seen. Nothing but peaks and narrow slots between. I needed some relaxation and it was a beautiful day here, so I decided to visit the springs and soak for a few hrs. Afterwords, I noticed a camping sign at the next exit up and it was early eve. I had considered driving up to Dillon lake near the major ski areas of Summit county, but was not sure of the camping situation there. I thought I would check this out anyway and maybe spend the night here. The campsites were right along the Colo River...this time really along it. Right up to the banks with trees to shade you, showers, wifi, laundry etc. Seemed good. They had one spot left and it was the one I noticed. At $38 w tax, it was a bit steep for a tent site, but it seemed like a cool place to bed down and let the rapids lull me to sleep. You only live once right?
Well, I set up camp and went back to the springs for another visit since I had paid for an all day pass. I came back, uploaded some pics from the previous days, charged up my phone, batteries and then went to bed. This was a nice little resort, and the river was very calming. Just one little hitch that would change my feelings about this place. At 115 am a train came barrelling down the tracks on the other side of the river, which is approx 30-50 foot wide at this point and meanders along the steep canyon walls, shaped by the strong currents. The train was louder than normal due to the bouncing off the opposing wall and the campsite took, was down at the bottom of a steep hill, so all the sound waves were compressed. The chug-a-chug-a, was almost bearable, but the screaching and whining of the steel wheels grinding on the bends of the steel tracks (or maybe that was the brakes?) was unbelievably loud and deafening and created a weird sorta harmonic effect like the reverb of an electric guitar amplifier. This woke me up, started my heart jumping and forced me to cover my ears. The aftershock made falling back to sleep a challenge. This repeated at least twice more during the night before the sun came up. I was also woke up early by some loud talking girl next door and couldnt sleep, as she would not shut up, shouting almost at the people who were standing next to her. This is a recurring theme. I would be a tired mess the rest of the day.
I can imagine, being the train conductor at night along those mountain routes must be scary. One false move and you could be in the river. Its also rather amazing how some of these routes must have been constructed initially and in such remote areas.
I got to Rocky Mtn. Nat. Park later that morning and drove in the west entrance. The windy roads take you up to 12,183 ft eventually with some stunning views of partially snow capped peaks, melting glaciers and melted tundra. Storms are off in the distance often. I really didn't know much about this park, prior to this trip, but it is pretty impressive. After passing the summit, I felt overcome with exhaustion after a few photo stops and took a short nap in the car. I felt like I was gonna pass out any minute. I was pressed for time to get a campsite, or I would have just taken my time. There was only one on the west side and it was being cleaned up with downed trees and looked a mess. I flipped a coin in my head and went to Morraine campsite. Sign said full. Sigh. I drove up anyway just to check it out. I asked the girl at the booth if she had some recommendations for other campsites, since this was full, and to my amazement she had one site left, just inside the entrance. I checked it out quick and settled on it for 2 nights. It was perfect. A 200 ft walk from the car up a hill but, nicely secluded as you can expect to get in a NP with amazing views of the peaks and meadow below and Sheltered slightly with trees too. I felt very fortunate to land this one.
After setting up camp and having a meal, I did a 2 mi hike to Dream lake. A beautiful mtn. lake, but the mosquitos and flys were so bad, I couldn't relax and enjoy the view. I had to keep moving or get bit. I stopped at Bear lake and one other lake on the way back. Still some snow remained on parts of the trail. I got to bed early and enjoyed a campfire. Once again I was woke up at 730am by some French woman who sounded like she was bitching up a storm. Sitting accross from her husband at a picnic table, you wouldn't think it was so necessary to talk so loud (her site was a good 40ft or more away. This went on for two hrs and later included a cell phone conversation that got even more emotional. What the fuck is with these people and their total lack of consideration every campsite I have been to? Kids run loose, screaming and shouting all hrs of the day and night. With all the parkspace you would think you could get some peace and quiet.
I did some longer hikes today and saw some beautiful raging waterfalls and more mountain lakes. This time closer to the glaciers and much higher elevation. Upon reaching the summit of my hike, it cooled off from being an otherwise hot day and started to rain lightly. I did not mind, since the heat was sapping my energy and I headed back downhill briskly. Once I got in the shuttle bus, I was again hit by extreme exhaustion, thirst, hunger and a severe headache. Maybe it was the altitude (close to 10,000 ft), but I also don't think I ate enough last night or this am. I was a little foggy headed and slow to get going this am. I had no mt. dew or coffee to perk me up either.
I came back and napped for a few hrs, though I was in and out of sleep as it rained on and off and had a slight leak in the tent that hit me in the eye a few times, plus I had to block out the light to have a chance to sleep, then the kids started running and screaming around me again. I was super hungry, thirsty, head killing me. I did not want a camp meal in the rain again, like I had this afternoon. I instead headed for Estes Park to see what it had to offer. It was just a short driver from the east entrance and was a stunningly beautiful place. Rock outcropped peaks everywhere and views of the white peaks inside the park, from the center of town. A picture perfect town. Lots of shops and ice cream/candy places and restaurants were all along the main road. Plenty of hotels and cabins too. The famous Stanley hotel I stumbled onto as well. It reminded me of the Pinehurst Hotel, but with a red roof instead of Copper/green. I would guess it was the same architect. Gorgeous mountain homes were all along the surrounding slopes, with views to die for. What a place to live with the park just a few miles away and endless skiing options in the winter. The rain did not subside and was unusual again, which has been the theme of the trip. I was ok with it, other than taking down and packing a wet tent really sucks. Mud is splattered all over it and the rain will probably not stop anytime soon. Estes Park, from what I have seen so far, is an enviable place to live. I guess it is kind of a getaway spot for the locals.
Tomorrow I will check out Boulder on the way to see my old HS friend Sean in Denver for a few days.
Oh, I almost forgot. I finally got to see some elusive black bears today. A momma bear and cub, that couldn't have been more than 20-30 lbs They were brown in color and very cute walking along the road. The shuttle bus stopped to view them, but before I could get a picture they scurried along down the hillside. It was very exciting, considering how rare bear sightings are in RMNP, let alone the other parks. I also saw a coyote, walking through my campsite, as I was getting my stuff out of the car. Of course, when I grabbed my zoom lens camera, I forgot I had taken the battery out to charge and not replaced it. He was gone quickly.

Arches and Canyonlands

I got to arches after a long desolate drive through desert and very isolated places with some very interesting scenery of what, like most of this stuff, was once seabed. Its hard to believe and you are just in awe at every turn and straightaway at the incomprehensible power of nature. The desert too proved to be as unforgiving as advertised on TV. It was still free weekend at the national parks, so I had to deal with the crowds on Sunday, but Monday was just as bad, if not worse, but manageable anyway. I did luck out and got a free night camping thanks to some nice bikers who had enough of the desert themselves I think. I camped on BLM land alongside the Colorado river within the canyon walls of 200 feet or so high. A neat surrounding, so I jumped on it and I was only 6 miles from the park. I found out at the gate the campsites fill up by 7:30!! WTF? Ok, no problem, turns out that campsite is like 30 miles into the park anyway. I was closer to Moab, which is a nice little oasis town full of adventurers (rafting, biking, ATV, off road Jeep rides, speedboats, mountain bikes, skydiving, you name it). Some nice looking restaurants, boutiques, hotels and resorts. If this was a destination vacation, I would have chosen one of the nice hotels over camping, but again this is about going as cheap as possible 95% of the time.
Well the campsite was nice, but it had its issues as I found out. First off it was so windy I couldn't put up the tent without a little help and without staking it down first on all 4 corners. INsane. That was just the first day. There is also some night tours that come by and shine real bright lights up on the walls of the canyon. No problem, kinda interesting and not invasive. There was however alot of in and out traffic along the gravel road all night, which was annoying. Only one way out too, so often people came in and out and floored it going out making more noise and dust. There was no shade. The sun was unrelenting both days. Intense as I have ever felt. I drank plenty of fluids and sought shelter on short hikes, but nothing was enough to keep you cool and hydrated. It would get to the point of feeling kinda nauseaus after a while. From 745am to 845 pm the sun would beat on you and you could feel the rays through your shirt even. Arches was quite interesting, but I wouldn't recommend visiting in the summer (on the solstace no less!). You do have to drive around alot, but you can see alot if thats all you chose to do, other than the two best arches. Those you have to hike 1-3 mi Round trip. I felt the deserts wrath here like no where else on the trip so far. Capitol Reef was quite pleasant, but I lucked out on weather I think. But having written this after crossing into Colorado, I still back that statement up. Much more pleasant here. Same altitude and longitude roughly. I am curious what the winters are like here. I do think they get down to 0-20F at night if I recall correctly. Id like to see arches with a dusting of snow.
After two half days at Arches NP, I had enough and really just wanted to sit in the shade, inside or swim in a cold pool, but I did not have those options. I was also missing the US Open final pushed back to Monday. I decided to use the balance of my time to see Canyonlands NP since I had a pass and it was just 9 or so miles up the road if that and it seemed like the type of place you didnt have to walk much. I was able to drive with the AC on to keep cool and its a long trek into the park down and up canyons to higher grassland plateus and then out to the farthest end of it for a fantasic view that probably rivals the Grand Canyon. This is just a higher elevated portion of the Colorado Plateu and flows down to the Grand Canyon. You can see where the Green River and Colorado merge. Its an amazing spectacle. There are two more parts to the park, but you have to circumnavigate to get to the needles section which also has two separate one way in/out entrances, divided by unnavigable terrain. Then there is the mazes which is not reachable by paved road. You have to drive dirt and hike to get to it. Its rough challenging backcountry that is one of the most remote areas of the continental US. Both look interesting, but to be honest a few days of desert and I had enough. All I can think about is ice cold drinks and getting wet. I had to keep buying ice to keep my drinks/groceries cold. I was lucky to get 8 hrs before it melted inside the coolers. Never had to buy ice at the other parks. Canyonlands is much less popular, so you can get some solitude if you want.
That eve, I could not wait for the sun to go down and til morning to leave this dry hot place and head for more hospitable locations. I could not even enjoy my dinner with the low sun beaming on my back. It would not really cool down til well into the night. Of note though, the night skys were spectacular like Capitol and Bryce and you could catch shooting stars pretty often and again see the milky way. A real treat for us east coasters. I was happy for what I have done on this journey, but I preferred the cool nights of the higher elevations and north country. Oh and I almost forgot. The Gnats here are ridiculous. Some kind of flys too, but the gnats would not leave you alone. That just added to the uncomfort.

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos

Bryce
I am playing catchup as I have had limited access to blog or type with precious battery power. Bryce was basically what I expected. Zion was a tough act to follow. I had only planned to spend one day/night there, but because I was so exhausted from too much activity and the strenuous Angel's Landing hike I needed an extra day to just relax and take it easy. I did take a lot of photos, but found it difficult to get really great shots at Bryce. The lighting dynamic range was often too wide to capture as I wished, the angles were not just right and part of the second day was driving alot to see the various areas along the 16 mile or more drive. Most were not as impressive as the main sections near the entrance. I did not hike the first day, I caught up on some things and met some interesting people that I spent time talking/socializing with, one of which was even from Durham and working at the campstore. Small world indeed. I compared trip notes with a man from Germany (currently living in LA), who was seeing many of the same places and also doing alot of photography, and we each suggested other places to see and visit. In trying to find the astronomy talks and stargazing centers, I also stumbled into another Bryce employee who was also lost in the pitch black star filled night trying to find the same thing and we teamed up to located the telescopes and shared alot of intersting conversations along the way. It was nice to finally have some interesting company on the long solo journey and get some insights into seasonal working and share some snarky humor too.
Finally, after weeks of waiting I was able to see the Milky Way Galaxy at Bryce, far from the polluted city skies. What an amazing site. Now I can get just a little incling what it must have been like for the ancients and native americans to stare at the beautiful star filled night sky. I hoped to get some long exposure photos done, but got too tired and cold late at night after the activities to give it a go, knowing it is a trial and error kinda process. I may try tonight at Capitol Reef. Now proclaimed the best stargazing site in the Continental US according to the Ranger at the Visitors center.
I had pretty good weather at Bryce. Just a little of the shadowing rain that I can't shake, but nothing severe. IT does get cold there after midnight, but I kept warm in my sleeping bag. Bryce was somewhat reminiscent of the Badlands, but on a bigger scale maybe and you could not drive through it like you could in SD, which is a really cool experience. You can see for over a hundred miles in places though. Sadly I had the most obnoxious campers nearby. One foreign couple with a child that just never would stop crying/whining and they never seemed to try to stop it. A family of five with 3 kids, 5 bikes, 5 chairs, 3-4 tents and buttloads of stuff packed in and on top of their king sized SUV. I saw their pack laid out the day I left and don't know how they ever fit all that crap in one vehicle. Then hordes of kids running and screaming like mad. It is becoming epidemic lately with crying and misbehaving kids everywhere. Not to mention the tour busses that pour into the parks and clog everything up immediately like a flash flood of senior citizens.

The Grand Wash

6/20/09

Well I wish I could say I got to take a nice long hot shower, but no such luck and its been a few days, since I have, but who's counting? No after two nights camping in Bryce Canyon, I got up early (thanks to the loud people around me and the non-stop crying toddler nearby both days) and headed for Arches NP, but a funny thing happend on the way. I keep joking that they should just call Utah "Utah National Park" instead of having all these different ones. Every drive is an adventure and constant change of dramatic scenery. I took the well regarded scenic route 12 and it was no disappointment. The scenery was unbelievable on the way. Canyon butrised farms and ranches, molded and weathered limestone and sandstone mounds, buttes, canyons, monuments, ridges-you name it. Breathtaking the further along you got away from Bryce and ever changing. Escalante was especially nice and then over the spine to Boulder, which as a cute, but very remote town in a hole between ranges of limestone or sandstone domes and ridges. I saw the Calf Creek, which I hope to return to someday. It was not a place I was aware of but did have a campsite, coffee shop overlooking the valley and some intersting sounding hiking trails. There is a 5.5 mi trail along the creek that carves into the surrounding rocks and is lined with trees, leading to a 120 ft waterfall at the end and a turquoise plunge pool. It was very cold, rainy and windy in that area today, but surely unusual. I will someday return here to do that hike and take in the otherworldly landscape.
Passing there it seemed like I was finally heading to the desert areas like I had expected in Arches and for a while it was a little desert like, with the occassional contrast of green pastures enveloped in brown sandstone canyon walls, with houses perched on the upper ridges of these 15-50 footish mesas. The climate turned sunny and warm too. A microclimate. That didn't last long, as I entered the Dixie National Forest it began to cool down and rain. The forest was something I have never seen before. It was exclusively tall white Aspen trees, well spaced out and green leaved. IT was a beautiful magical looking forest unlike any I had seen. I stopped to take in a panorama as I got up to 9600 feet and it was very windy, raining slightly and the wind chill must have been 30F. The parkland was dotted with campsites that made me once again envy Utah residents multitude of naturistic escapes. Accross the way was again, green strips of land surrounded by desert walls dotted with pines and sagebrush and behind that a 10,000ft+ range of the Henry mountains as a backdrop that was obviously getting rain as well. It was a small range though 3-4 peaks, but jutting up from the floor pretty abrubtly. After the steep descent though and out of the forest there were some other trees mingled with the Aspen and the rain ceased and again warmed up as I got into lower altitudes.
Not long after the climate and landscape changed yet again. Still cloudy and cool, but dryer and less windy. I stopped for a coffee and Mint truffle, instead of lunch (I couldn't bear Subway again and they charged $9 for a footlong in Bryce, so I thought it might be the same). The coffee was a pick me up, but the truffle wasn't up to my expectations. I think they used peppermint, which just didn't seem to gel with the chocolate flavor, but otherwise ok. I then entered the towering and eroding red canyon bluffs and the chimney rock at the entrance to Capitol Reef NP. I planned to see what it was like, but had low expectations, besides the fact that it was narrow from West to East and long from North to South. The scenry was breathtaking though and the weather warm. There were orchards within the warm confines of the canyon floor, deer walking about the picnic area, ancient wide oak trees, towering monuments and cliffs of various colors and a campsite among these treasures of a desert oasis like I had never seen. My curiosity was piqued. I went in the visitor center and got some info, but just then another damn tour bus of old people was unloading into the small, spartan visitor center (way smaller than any of the NP's I have been to). The movie was a 10 min wait so I figured I would drive into the park a few miles and see what it was all about. A picture of some people in a dried out canyon called The Great Wash caught my attention, so I decided to investigate, since I had wanted to hike a "narrows like" trail that I missed at Zion. This wasn't so narrow but huge in scale. The drive in was awe inspiring. I figured I could do a short hike and catch the movie and drive on to Arches, since I was making good time. Was I ever wrong on that plan.
It was about a mile + drive down a gravel riverbed road shouldered by towering weathered cliffs. I started to wonder if this was a trail or a road. Finally a parking lot. The hike was amazing. The canyon was about 40-100 foot wide as it meandered and winded through the steep, torn rock walls. There were holes and crevices everywhere and overwhelming evidence of erosion on a massive scale. The possibilities for exploration of the side canyons and bluffs was endless. Relatively easy climbs up rubble and carved slopes made it possible to make climbs to the upper reaches of the canyon, but I was just here for a short walk right? I thought this was a 1.3 mile trail, but I just kept walking and taking photos and taking in the amazing scenery. After what felt like a few miles and more than an hour I encountered some women walking the other way. The informed me I was just 5 min from the end of the trail that came back out on route 24 which is the road I came in on. After a few min more the walls got shorter, so I turned around rather than take the longer circuitous and unknown route back along the highway. Going the opposite direction also provided a new perspective of what I just saw. It was a realy neat experience to see this. Legend has it Butch Cassidy and his gang used this area as a hideout and you could just imagine them riding horses into this remote and safe place. You got the feeling you could realy hide out here for a long time without being located (for better or worse). I felt as far away from civilization as I have ever felt. With a little more time, I could definitely enjoy climbing some of the side routes and exploring the hidden canyons and slots along the main valley. Luckily it wasn't sunny and hot, as I imagine it normally is and you could really bake in this place on a hot day. The sun did come out for a while as I neared the parking lot on the way back and was a welcome sign. I drove down to the far end of the main road to another canyon, but it was closed for flash flood possibilities. The erosion and deposits of rock, sand, mud along the way was like mass destruction on an epic scale. I went back, got a campsite, set up camp and caught the short film. Then had a picnic in the beautiful orchard surrounded picnic area, where a deer walked right by and grazed with me as I ate my soup and had a long awaited cold beer. I later noticed her doe and another adult wandering around the field and are obviously quite used to humans. They say Capitol Reef is among the least visited National Parks, and after having visited, I have to wonder why. What a beautiful Oasis (literally). It is what they call a waterpocket fold. Surrounded by desert on all sides with the Virgin river running through it. This weekend is Free entrance to all national parks, so the full campground and surprisingly many cars may be unusual. I get the impression its usually a little less crowded. I think it is a well kept secret treasure and the surprise of my trip thus far. OF course, like clockwork I am getting rained on as I speak and have obnoxiously loud foreginers with screaming kids and loud music accross the street. The rain and annoying people keep following me. Tomorrow on to Arches?

Zion NP

Zion is an amazing place. I will leave out the boring details. Suffice it to say Utah has a lot of open space and dramatic scenery. THe entrance into Zion was beautiful. Towering cliffs eroded with time, similar to what you would expect at the Grand Canyon I assume. There are some residential towns around and outside Zion, which is interesting, since it is pretty remote. Nice climate and very dry (though of course the rain found me again on two days). It was a refreshing cool down anyway. The canyon walls and monuments are beautiful and awe inspiring. Camp is situated right inside the canyon, with great views and shelter, though a breeze blows pretty constantly. On my last day I decided to attempt the Angel's Landing hike. It is world famous, strenuous and steep with a climb of 1400 vertical feet in 2.5 miles, with views of the entire canyon valley. There is one section of 21 short steep switchbacks to get up to scouts lookout. It was tiring to get there along, but there is still another trecherous half mile climb to the summit, which sits alone in the middle of the valley floor with 1200 foot drops to the floor. At one point about 3 feet wide you have 900 and 1200 drops on each side, with a chain to hold on to. This is where most people turn back.

The view ahead is intimidating and fearful to say the least. As I said to some fellow hikers (or should I say climbers?), I don't have a fear of heights, but I do have a fear of falling. I got over to the thin crescent shaped monolith and seriously considered turning back myself, but the hike up was work and I made a good pace and thought this was a once in a lifetime experience and decided to push on and take the risk. It looked like it would be harder coming down actually. Fine powdery dust on sandstone and limestone rocks, small footholds and lots of chains to hold on to. I held on to them with dear life and sweaty hands going all the way up. All the while asking myself, "am I crazy for doing this?". It was a slow climb, with people coming down, people changing their minds and unsure of themselves. Even some small kids made the trek, as well as older people. Stopping to wait for people to pass was a good excuse to catch your breath or take a drink of water. It was in the 90s and sunny with a stiff breeze all day. I think it was best to go early or late for this hike to avoide the crowds. The views were spectacular and of course, once you are up there, you can say it was worth it and highly recommend it to those without a fear of heights. On every edge you can stare down at the valley floor and river with dizzying stares. I took a well deserved rest, had a snack and shot some pictures and talked with some others I met on the way up. The hike down was surprisingly easy comparitively and I made the entire trip in about 3.5 hrs. My legs got wobbly and I am sore today from alot of activity. Of course, I forgot my walking sticks I got for xmas, which would have made the walk down easier on the lower half. I took the shuttle back to my car and headed on to Bryce Canyon. The first leg of the trip took me through a pitch black mile long tunnel, with occassional windows. It was hard to see without brights on after coming from the bright sunlight. The east side of Zion was just as spectactular, but different types of formations. I wish I had budgeted time for a hike on that side, but I had my mind made up already.

More Images

Beartooth pass Mammoth Hot Springs

West Thumb Geyser area

Yellowstone & Tetons

Well, this is in hindsight, so I will write an abbreviated version, as I have been offline for 5 days and turned Grizzly Adams, beard and all (now gone finally). After a rainy night in Meteetsie camping, I got up early and headed to Yellowstone. I found a great 25F sleeping bag at Kmart in Cody, WY for $20. Best $20 spent yet on the trip. Now I no longer get cold camping and its actually quite cozy, so I am able to sleep later in comfort. The drive up was pretty (despite what some woman told me). I had to bypass going the beartooth hwy as it was closed due to snow. This drive was nice. I stopped at the Damn, which was quite impressive and spewing lots of water due to the heavy rains and snow. It was cloudy and drizzly coming into Yellowstone and many RV's ahead of me. It was not intially impressive, since I couldn't see the peaks. The lake was ok, with thermal areas on the shore, but not unlike any other lake I have seen. Once I got near the Canyon area to the North, things got more interesting. I saw lots of Bison and that was a continuing theme throughout the park. Many near the roads. I stopped at some smaller geysers and mud pots and went to check out the campsites. I also took a side route to view the upper falls. The close up area was closed due to a rockslide as were many other trails due to high water. The falls were gushing for sure though. As I passed Canyon I passed some high peaks above the pass. The views were great and all the peaks were covered in recent snow.

I ended up in Tower campsite, which worked out nicely. Primitive, but I had a great campsite with a bit "lot" in the woods, with plenty of firewood around and overall quiet area on a hillside. Just down the road was a general store and trails to view the Tower falls, tower, and the beautiful canyon. Also close by was Roosevelt lodge, which had showers and a cute dining room. I didn't eat there, but did "borrow" their shower a few times, which was nice. I ended up staying 3 nights since I had one of the two best campsites and location was convenient, weather was sunny and warm (relatively) and most importantly DRY! I was also close to Lamar valley for wildlife viewing, but I am not patient enough to sit around with a scope to view it hrs on end.

2nd day I went over to Mammoth springs. Just 18 miles West it was a whole different climate and scenery (a common theme here). It was sunny and dry and warmer than the other areas. Slightly lower elevation and in a rain shadow apparently. Most of the springs were dried out, but still some impressive sights. I stopped in Gardiner MT just 4 miles down the canyon and Yellowstone river to grab some groceries and check out some of the shops and get a picture of the famous North Entrance, inspired by T. Roosevelt. I did the upper loop (70 miles), checking out some geysers, hot springs etc. There is a lot of beautiful scenery all over, but its a little exhausting having to get in the car and drive/stop, drive stop, etc. Everything is spread out here and most of it is "roadside". There are alot of restrictions on where you can walk too. Less trails than most parks, but if you look hard enough you can find them.

Day 3 I heard the beartooth pass was open and decided to see the NE entrance and drive to the pass summit, which was approx 75 mi each way though contruction delays and torn up roads. This part of the park was full of wildlife and high peaks. Prob fewer people view this part of the park then most areas too. The drive to the pass was pretty and varied in terrain, climate, scenery. I started to wonder if I was wasting my time though, but then finally I started to get to the upper elevations, I had pictured in my mind. Everything was blanketed in snow. Lakes frozen over still, but beginning to melt with circles and ovals of aquamarine showing through the snow. Then to the pass itself, a series of switchbacks up to a white heaven. The views from the middle section to the two summits were nothing short of spectactular. You could see in all directions as far as the horizon would allow. Mt Ranges far east and south in WY, West in MT and the lower, warmer sections of Montana near Billings. I hiked up to one of the summits in 2 feet of snow, where there was a weather station to get the full view not seen from the road. Stopping often to catch my breath and eat some refreshing corn snow. The pass itself is 11,000 ft. It looks like you are in the himalayas. White peaks stretching all over. Barren rock and snow, 4-10 foot walls of freshly plowed snow on the sides of the road and to my surprise a ski lift at the summit! I had read about skiing up here, but that was walking uphill to ski from what I read. I had no idea they had a ski lift up there. Turns out they use a portable generator to power it. It is only open a little over 2 mos a year for the die hards to ski in June & July.

Anyways, pictures cannot do this place justice. I stopped often to admire the views and had a great day with sun and scattered clouds. This is the most beautiful scenic hwy I have ever driven. It is listed as one of the best. The other I did last summer, also in MT. at Glacier called the Going to The Sun Road (GTSR). Both were fantastic, but this one was even more amazing and twice as long (and I didn't even drive the lower MT half). This is a drive you must take in your lifetime. Once I am home I will try to stich together some panorama photos, but I doubt they will replicate what I saw.

On the last day I visited Lower falls, that I missed coming in. I really wanted to climb Mt. Washburn up to the firewatch, because it had a panoramic view of the park and mts to the east in WY, but this would have been an all day affair and tiring, plus I had some sore feet and beating the views of the Beartooth hwy would be near impossible, so I decided to pack up camp and go to Old Faithful and the southwest part of the park. I also had some annoying new neighbors in camp, and I couldn't stand another night of them. The kid even brought an electric guitar...To a campsite! If he could play any good, I might not have minded, but he knew about 3 notes it seemed.

I forgot it was Saturday. That and the fact I was going to old faithful, meant one thing. Crowds. I passed a few stops, because there was no parking and lines to bathrooms and tons of obnoxious kids and busses of tourists. Old Faithful itself was witnessed by probably 1000 people while I was there. It did not disappoint, though about 10-15 min late. There were many other interesting thermal features scatterd over miles around the lodge and less visited by the masses.
I noticed at least one soda bottle in a spring. People are so stupid. The morning glory pool was ruined by people throwing coins and objects into it over the years too. The biggest disappointment was the Grand Prismatic spring, which couldn't be seen in its gorgeous entirety, because of the steam and the boardwalks were not raised enough to see it from a higher angle.

West thumb had some good features lakeside too, as well as views of white peaks accross the lake, that I could not see entering the park. Rain was heading this way though. I went to find a campsite only to find out they were not open yet on that side of the park, which meant driving back to parts I had seen or didn't care to see. It was raining anyway, so I decided to go to the Tetons early and camp there since I was just 25-35 miles away from where I was. The south side of Yellowstone was less impressive and badly fire damaged. I was surprised how much fire damage was all over the park. It was very dark and cloudy to the South.

I ended up at Colter Bay campgrounds, which had just 4 sections of about 20 open...still wet and rainly, but some holes in the sky. I had to set up camp in the rain and managed a short fire with some dry pine under a tree nearby. I went down to the rock beach before the sunset to get a glimpse of the tetons I had seen driving in partially surrounded in clouds. Luckily I did this, because the next am it was still raining and the peaks were not visible. Just the lower couple hundred feet. Everywhere in sight was low clouds and rain and not expected to change for over a week. Seems I picked the worst June on record for travel out west. Everywhere I have been had unusually wet cold weather. I did get lucky for 3 days in the Tower area though, but I guess that was isolated. Even Salt Lake and Denver are getting drowned in rain now and have been for a week.

I was not gonna hang out in the clouds, so I pushed on to Utah. Jackson, WY was a cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants and bars with a western mountain feel. Definitely a place I would like to revisit. The sun peaked out there and to the south along the snake river. A long drive down 89 in WY and into Idaho was nice, but the tiny towns with 25 mph limits got old fast. You start to realize just how isolated some of these places are, for better or worse. ID was warm and sunny. I drove past Bear Lake (assuming its manmade), which had a striking aquamarine color to it. Sandwiched between two ranges that ran all the way to the horizon in both directions. I stopped to take some photos, but the beaches/shore areas all seemed to be privately owned. The view from the pass was very nice again. The drive into UT was gorgeous and a very long downhill drive. It had to be at least 30 mi downhill from the pass. It seemed never to end, just like the river along it. Finally, I landed on the outskirts of Logan UT to an amazing spectacle. I lush golf course on one side of the road with peaks towering behind it and a big open valley sandwiched by 3 different ranges. I could see the storm clouds to the South and you could see the patches of rain coming down. Logan seemed partially vacant and many businesses were closed or maybe even vacant. This town looked hard hit by the recession. Its also Mormon country, so I imagine many places are closed on Sunday's. The Wasatch range just dominates the scenery, contrasted by the flats to the West and secondary ranges sillouhetted by the setting sun. Rain got worse as I neared Ogden. Definitely unusual wanky weather here.

Wyoming and Me

The title comes from a Black Crowes song and I have been playing it since I arrived in Wyoming. What a beautiful place. Everywhere I have driven is gorgeous. Sure you see some mobile home clusters around the "cities", but what a neighborhood they live in!

There is such variety of terrain and landscapes just in the little bit I have seen. Breathtaking views abound in all directions. I left Sundance this am late and headed west on I-90. Nice open view and cloudy, so I figured I would skip Devil's Tower. I just thought it would not be worth a 4 hr detour (1 hr off the HWY north each way and hiking/photos etc). I was anxious to get to Yellowstone and the white skies do not make for great photos and frankly there are millions of Devils Tower photos. I was lucky however at one point to glance off to my right and see Devil's Tower in the distance. Unreal. I was at least 60 miles from it at that point, if not more. You can see off on the horizons for 100+ miles I would guess all the time. I got off at Buffalo to figure out the days route. Good thing. I was gonna head up to MT and take the Beartooth pass or figure out another shorter route from WY, but I called the 511 and it said the pass was closed due to winter weather (I know it snowed a few days ago and been unseasonably cold). I opted instead to visit Thermopolis and check out the hot springs. Well, I was in for quite a surprise drive. I hit the pass on 16 over though the bighorn Nat. Forest...of course, it was foggy/cloudy so I couldnt see, what I was missing, but as I neared the top of the pass a hole in the sky opened up and I could see some snow capped peaks, and that got me excited. I kept pulling over to take some photos, and noticed many dirt roads the state park service has to beautiful open terrain. What a place for solitude and exploring the country. On the west side of the pass, the skies opened up and the amazing vistas, got even better. Just stunning. Mt. Lakes, ski resort and then the spectacular 10 sleeps canyon. This is a destination in and of itself. Steep canyon walls, fast running river, with trees and vegetation growing on the banks and ridges of the canyon. The sun was beaming nicely and felt wonderful as I had not seen it for 4 days since St. Louis. I wanted to stay here and enjoy the view. At the base of the canyon I was greeted by the cute town of 10 sleeps pop. 304. Houses along canyon walls with lush green lawns. Mesas and mounds everywhere. Painted rocks and scattered trees. I passed a campground, that was not readily visible and was tempted to stay the night, but it was still early. I stopped at Crazy Sallies general store/saloon for a milkshake, took some photos and moved on to Thermopolis.

Another spectacular drive. This time more desert like, but with enough vegetation to keep the cattle grazing, but lined with layered rock outcroppings and mesas. To me it looked like a cross between Arizona and Montana. The road followed a river and train tracks (many many train tracks out west compared to the east coast...you see them everywhere). I even passed what resembled Wyoming's version of the badlands, with similar mounds and weathered hills, only less colorful than the badlands...and further on spotted with oil wells, but not much of an eyesore. The view in my rearview mirror was nothing short of amazing. You could see the "badlands", the canyonlands, the mountains and beyond that the cloud kissed snow peaks way off in the distance. It reminded me of the views from the central valley of california, only better.

Thermopolis is a sleepy little town. I stopped at the worlds largest hot springs. The free state run one was closing at 530 and it was about 515 (my watch proved to be 10 min fast later on). I quick grabbed my bathing suit, towel and sandals, but this was feeling too rushed. I opted to pay $10 and go to the Tee pee spa next door. The water is 98-104 F and reeks of sulphur, but felt great after the cold am and cold days I spent in SD. They even had an indoor waterslide, steam room, sauna, outdoor waterslide, pool, whirlpools, basketball hoops. It wasn't very crowded thanfully. The sun stayed out most of the time and I hung out in the park adjacent to it for a bit. A very peaceful place, with a river running by, well manicured lawn, picnic facilities and walking trails though the park, along the river and to the travertine. Even a swinging suspension bridge. I think I had read this, but I was reminded of it when I got there. The river appears to flow uphill. I had to keep looking closely and just couldnt figure it out. The road down to the town was down a good sized hill and it felt like the river should be flowing the other way, but no matter how much you look, it still appears to flow uphill. Interesting. I assume it must be a switchback before going down Wind River canyon, which I did not get to see, but hear is beautiful too. I considered staying , just for the warm weather and maybe catch a morning dip, but I instead headed up 120 towards Cody/Yellowstone to get a closer launching spot for my initial Yellowstone visit. I found a quaint riverside campground in Meteetsee and was greeted by a deer while I set up camp. It has everything I need and a few luxuries (wifi, shower, ice, laundry). Hopefully this will be a better camping experience than Badlands.

I have to say I am falling in love with Wyoming. Its not the boring flat square state I thought it was in elementary school. It is anything but. The scenery rivals, if not beats what I have seen in CA, MT, CO. That remains to be seen for sure. Definitely the best part of the trip thus far. Bighorn was better than the Black Hills of SD for sure. Pictures to follow.

The Badlands: A Befitting name

This was the first sight I was really looking forward to on my Journey and it was a great sight to behold, after 4 long days of driving aimlessly. A welcome dramatic landscape, from the boring farmland and endless highways that got me here. First day was milky white skys, which I abhore for photography-so lifeless and dull. To my surprise they are not solid rock as I expect the Grand canyon or Bryce canyon to be, rather they are like a mix of clay and rubble with some sand mixed in. They are rather fragile really and quite slippery when wet. The clay gunks up your boot treads in a hurry when wet, making for some gingerly stepping downhill. I was a little surprised the NPS allowed you to walk anywhere in the park, since they can be so protective of some parks, but there were no restrictions on hiking off trail. Very cool. The views in SD are breathtaking. You can see quite far on the horizons as in MT and WY.
As for the name, it wasn't the rattlesnakes that got to me (luckily I did not see one), but the badlands are indeed bad and uncooperative. The skys were cloudy, so I did not get to see the Milky way or look through the Rangers telescopes. It never got above 60 and I heard it was 98 degrees the week before. Camping showed me just how bad these lands can be. I saw the forcast and looked at the skys and thought I could tough out 40F at night and a little light rain and stay in the park rather than drive more and rush through the park to get a hotel. Well I was only partly right. What I did not anticipate was the intense wind. I encountered this up on the plains earlier in the day at 1880 town, where I was still in shorts from Sioux Falls, only because I didn't want to dig out my suitcase from the trunk to dress more appropriately. It was cool and windy there, but bearable. The campsite was in a great location. Triangular peaks in view, down on the low side of the badlands looking out onto the grasslands and plains. A nice setting, I wanted to experience. I later regretted that decision. Between jetlag and lots of driving and looking forward to the next day, I wasn't sleepy. Plus going to bed at 10pm is just unthinkable most of the time for me, but this was camping. Thats what you do. I think I fell asleep between 11pm and midnight, to suddenly be woken up by the front tent flapps flapping around. It did not stop and grew in intensity throughout the night. Within an hr the wind picked up mightily to 30-40mph I would guess, at least. This was testing the integrity of my tent. The entire side was blowing in above me, the poles bending and seemingly ready to snap any minute. The whole tent was flapping and buffering against itself and was really loud and annoying. IF was like a huge cold front poured over the walls down onto us and just would not relent for more than 5 seconds at a time. Just unreal. A sunami of wind. Cold damp heavy wind. I was chilled to the bone and could not retain my body heat for long. This even more complicated by my bladder purging all my water, as it does when its cold and wet. So every 15-30 min I had the urge to go. I could only bear to kneel and go outside the tent and not walk to the bathroom or even out in the raw wind, but it still found me. Every time I did this and got back in the covers, they were ice cold again. I had headgear, facial fleece, gloves, long sleeve shirt, two fleece jackets on and even a windbreaker at one point on and still froze to death. After 4 hours of this torture, I couldn't take it anymore, so I went in the car reclined my seat and covered myself up after turning on the heat for a bit (though it was lukewarm from not driving). I fell asleep for an hr or two, despite my uncomfort,sore neck and leaving my pillow in the tent. It was still blowing when I got out of the car at 7am (it was really 6am, but hit a time change on the way). I packed up and continued the expedition.
The sights were amazing. I had great light and clouds for photography and the inspiration, kept me going, despite no hot coffee or food. I did manage to get some $.05 coffee at Wall Drug. They have bilboards up everywhere, so I gave in and went. Its kinda like the South of the Border of SD at the far west entrance to Badlands in Wall, SD. Its nicer and has all kinds of shops, but definitely a tourist trap. It was just nice to be indoors away from the elements and have something hot in my belly. On I went to Mt. Rushmore after Rapid City (another quaint SD town with hills). Friendly people. I have to say I liked the Cities I saw in SD. Rugged, weathered and historical. Not too cought up in the growing pains of other modern city/suburbs. They had a certain Character and hometown simplicity, with lots of nice parklands. Little oasis in a sea of vast agriculture. No traffic issues is refreshing too.
Mt. Rushmore was...well, Mt. Rushmore. No surprises. No feeling of, "you gotta see it in person to believe it" like you could say about some places. Well, there was ONE surprise. IT has a PARKING GARAGE. You don't see that on the brochures. I thought it was within a small town. Not quite. It is in a nice setting, but I could have pulled off the highway and got the photo op free. Instead, I did my touristly duty and paid the $10 parking fee, despite my Gold Parks pass, which covers my entrance fees for a year. No way around the parking situation. It was fairly crowded with families. I regretted handing over my $. Yeah its a great sculpture and feat of engineering, but what you see, is no different than what you see on TV. I expected it to be bigger somehow. It looks small in scale to its surroundings in my opinion. I didn't stay for any tours. I took my obligatory uninspired photos and left. I even took the hike (in the wrong direction), which just gives you different viewpoints of the same thing. Compared to seeing a Yosemite or Yellowstone, kinda bleh. While the Black hills were pretty in parts, I found the whole experience dissapointing and a waste of time. I pulled into Crazy Horse, which was 17 miles out of my way and did a U-turn. I wasn't forking over $10 for an unfinished sculpture (not sure how close you can get to it). Again, It was not as large as I expected, but I only saw it from a distance. They guy at the gate let me do a turnaround, since the median blocked you from backing out. I just started to feel like I was doing a little checklist of sights I had to see in the Black Hills. Its a bit Kitchy. Lots of competition for your attention. Lots of false promises to lure you into their site and paying your fees. There was a "mystery spot" just 2 miles from Rushmore. What a cooincidence. I drove accross the middle of the park to get back to Deadwood in the North. Not an impressive drive. Rather plain, wooded views. Nothing special. Deadwood area looked pretty cool, but I decided to refrain from gambling and look for lodging and a hot shower after a super long day/night. The hotels were overpriced and parking required a shuttle to bring you back into town. Sad.
I decided to leave SD and hit WY and get ready to get to Yellowstone asap. Sundance is where I decided to stay. Very small town, but a gorgeous drive in from SD, with awesome views and SUN finally. I don't expect it to remain though. Forecast is for 50s for the next 5 days at least. Camping in Yellowstone is going to be questionable. They got 4" of snow yesterday too. Camping is fun, but I am finding out, I am not hardcore. ITs got to be above 55 degrees at least to be enjoyable. I guess I should have headed to South Utah first and worked my way up north. Hindsight is 20/20 though.I am finding it difficult to be unplugged for long. I didn't have that feeling at Glacier or Yosemite. I never wanted to leave there. I expect the same feeling at Yellowstone and Utah, but its the best sports event month of the year and the economy is hanging by a string, so I am wanting to stay in tune. Well time to turn in. I need sleep.

St. Louis to Sioux Falls

Driving through MO is kinda reminiscent of NC, but with shorter trees (less pine trees). Rolling hills, with slightly more viewing distance. You can definitely see more horizon though. I caught a glimpse of KC, but too the bypass in the interest of time up to RT 29. Pretty boring drive. I passes Omaha and stopped in Sioux City, a surprisingly hilly, quaint, sleepy town. Many parts vacated, but a nice collection of pubs and restaurants in the old section. A slight isolated feel to it, from what I am used to. I stopped for supplies and a hot meal, since I was starving. I pushed on to Sioux Falls. I won't bore with the details, but I had some trouble finding a room for a reasable rate. It seems people come here to party and hang out on the weekends, as its the biggest city in SD and largest, by far for many miles in any direction. There are casinos everywhere thoughout the midwest, which surprised me. Big ones in the cities and smaller ones wherever you turn. Like convenience stores, you are never too far from a casino (though I assume they are the ones with just machines). I had started down 90 west in hopes to find something, but after hitting a few sparse exits, I realized I needed to turn back. This road is REALLY DARK. No big lights or highway stops. I did not want to drive this at night at 75MPH, seeing as I saw a lot of roadkill coming though IO, MO. Just not worth the risk. I drove a scary 65mph, and I am not one to shy away from speed. During the day is another story. The roads are wide open and straight. I would love to have a Ferrari or Lamborghini up here.

I planned to leave early, but happend to catch the French Open and have to watch since its Roger Federer's first win to come. Then check out the falls and hit the road for the Badlands, where my adventure actually begins FINALLY. I plan to camp there. I hope the clouds lift, so I can see the stars.

Leaving home indefinitely

After a so so nights sleep and weeks of debating routes and destinations and picturing dreamscapes I got up and shoved off with my car packed for a journey west. It was very hard saying goodbye to Katherine, Nibbles and Lacy. Not seeing them for a month or more is really going to be hard, but the circumstances of my life left an open window to fulfill a longtime dream of driving cross country (well most of it). In my dream though, I did not have to drive accross TN, KY, IN, IL, MO and Iowa.

Day 1. I crossed NC from Durham to Asheville and on to Knoxville, TN. TN was a complete downpour followed by fog. Smokey Mountains couldn't be a more fitting name for that part of TN. It was not enjoyable at all. The rain followed me through all of S. KY, which had to be among the most boring drives I have ever taken. I took some renamed parkway (my map is out of date, but thankfully it's no longer a toll road according to my incorrect atlas) all the way accross the state to cave city to sleep over for my first stop Mammoth Cave. Why? Its a national park, its got 367mi or caves which is a stunning number and I was there a month before I was born, so it was time to return and actually see it. Cave City was nothing special. Dilapidated podunk town. Kinda like the rest of KY I saw. My hotel (econo lodge) was a dump and few things worked as advertised, including the wifi, microwave and hot water (I was going to microwave some water so I could shave with hot water instead of 80 degree warm tap). It was a bed though...overpriced however.

Day2
Mamoth cave was a short jaunt, though signs for the biggest attraction in the entire state were sparse. In fact, Signs were sparce everywhere. I missed no less than 4 turns in KY and got lost a few times, only to take slightly longer routes. By am I could not leave KY soon enough. I almost skipped the caves, but since it was the plan and I went on all these backroads to get there and stayed in an overpiced fleabag, I was going to tough it out and hope for the best. There were alot of choices for tours. Some exceeding 6 hrs. The self guided was not an option today, so I took the short basic tour for 75min, only my group ended up being longer because shortly after entering the cave some girl with a tour group started freaking out and our ranger guide had to take her back to the entrance. This pissed off a few of us. It wasn't like there weren't plenty of warnings. I am not sure of what exactly happend, but I heard it had something to do with the lights...there were few lights. Must be something epileptic? They even had an ambulance show up as we exited the tour. Seriously, how pathetic. Our replacement guide was fantastic. He knew alot and had a great presentation. That made it worth the extra 15 min wait. There was part of me wanting to see more and explore, but I wanted to get on the road and get much further West. There were all kinds of other competing caves in the town, each competing with some other type of scenery. It was most interesting to hear that sharks teeth had been found inside the layers of the cave walls and that KY used to be 10 deg north of the equator and in a shallow sea. He also explained how they were formed with calcium carbonate eating away the limestone..makes me worry about the insane amts of soda I drink doing the same to my teeth (and that soda has 1000 times the concentration) Yikes!.

The tourists got on my nerves. I really started feeling like an outside in KY. I just had to get out of this state now. I missed another turn and ended up on a different back road...I am sure it looked exactly the same, but took me a few miles out of the way and finally got me back on to a major highway after an hr or so and following a pickup that I could not get around...go figure. Actually that was the first road where I encounted "traffic" problems. Overall they have overcapacity on their highways and roads vs. other places. I found myself asking why these parkways were even built. Maybe for the Walmart Dist center I passed. It is the future I-66 corridoor it says too. I passed through Owensboro..missed another turn...that must have been the 5th or 6th one. I forgot about that one. This reminded me of that douche John from Real World NY (the original...and the country singer dude). This seemed like a metropolis compared to the rest of KY I saw. They even had White Castle, so I had to stop for a sack. Hit the spot. Finally a positive surprise. It was at least another 40 min from there til I hit Indiana, which was nothing special (Evansville) and on to IL, which was pretty boring...all farmland. A few hrs later I was in sight of St. Louis. It was an exciting sight actually. Buildings and the arch could be seen from 20 miles out I think. It was like the first real civilization in 24 hrs. I had to backtrack due to traffic on the bridge at rush hour and ballgame traffic, but made it down to the riverside to check out the arch. It was very impressive in person. I never thought it was very exciting in photos, until I saw a documentary on Discovery about its construction and elevator. I took the ride up and bought my Americas Park Pass for $80...I was under the impression that would get me up the elevator but it only got me a $3 discount. Girl lied to me at the desk. It was a scary rickety ride up in a tiny little bubble that was supposed to fit 5 people sitting down. I had to laugh at the fat people trying to get in and out of the 4.5' door. No way 5 fatties could fit in one of those. It seemed to go up slower than coming down, but maybe the fatties were all on one side?

But I digress. IT was a cool view from the top. However the photos won't be wonderful due to the small windows that were scratched and smudged up from all the bratty screaming kids. I left quickly, because too many fat annoying tourists and sreaching kids in one little room 630 feet off the ground was too much. I mean how much weight can this arch support? Na, luckily it wasn't super crowded (dinner time, hmmm) and I didn't have to wait for the elevators. That could have been really claustraphobic if the elevators were full. Only 4 went up on my trip thankfully. Overall, St. Louis looked like a nice town. Pretty clean, beautiful clear day, lots of history for sure. I could have spent a day looking around and sampling the cuisine, but that was not part of the plan. Spend as little as possible and get to the Rockies and take in the Mountain air and dramatic scenery and hopefully take some memorable images. Camp as much as possible when weather allows and use up the Ultra huge peanut butter Katherine bought me. It would have been cool to see the Cards/Rockies game tonight too and see Pujohls..huh huh. I have to laugh everytime I say Poo Holes!

I hit the highway for a few more miles and stayed in another fleabag...but hey free wireless. Its a Patel (not hotel, motel). Funky smell in here, but you get used to it. I saw some amazing tornado footage on TV a short while ago from WY and NE. Guess its a good thing I waited to leave for a few days. Lots of storms up in the breadbasket now. Hopefully, I can make it up to/near The Black Hills, Rushmore, Crazy Horse tomorrow. Then on to WY, MT, via Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone. Then down to Salt lake City, Bryce, Zion, North Rim, Monument Valley, Arches, Rocky Mt. Nat park and if time/driving allow I would like to see some of NM, but thats a long way off. I hope I am not being overly ambitious. This cross country part is draining so far, but I love to see new places and I am sure I will catch a second wind once I hit the real West and mountains. Coming home will be tougher doing the midwest/Southeastern states again. Off to bed. I am exhausted.