Who Knew the Badlands were this Bad?

Before I explain how truly bad the Badlands are, I have finally been able to upload pictures.

Seattle:

Watching the sunset over Seattle

Yellowstone:

Yellowstone: the path up to Mystic Falls

From the top of the mountain we climbed in Yellowstone. The white is a geyser basin.

On the way to Mystic Falls.

The Falls.

Old Faithful not erupting...

...beginning to erupt...

...and then, erupting.

The Grand Tetons, as seen on our way out of Yellowstone.

Denver:

Our hosts.

Biking through Denver on "B Cycles"

The giant dust pan and broom at Denver Modern Art Museum with my sister.

Coors Field by bike.

Kt and I playing a little impromptu Heart and Soul downtown.

Yarn flowers on the fence noticed on the Denver bike tour.

One mile high on the capitol steps.

Mt. Evans. The Fourteener. My first.

14,258 feet.

Echo Lake from the top of Mt. Evans

Big Horn Sheep on Mt. Evans

Examining the view 14, 258 feet high

From the top with Kt and our new Denverian friend, Cody.

(In Kt's defense, it was cold. And the hat is borrowed. She does still have hair.)

We rolled out of Denver early this morning in pursuit of Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. Yesterday we enjoyed our last day in Colorado at the Boulder Art Festival and then closed our night with Jazz in City Park. Now, sitting in a motel (yes, we were supposed to camp, I'll get to that) I'm amazed at how quickly our time in Colorado sped by. We saw so much while there and were so excited to have nice weather.

Our trip to Mt. Rushmore was uneventful as we traveled back through Wyoming to South Dakota. With a few minor hick-ups (who knew you have to pay CASH to park in Mt. Rushmore?) and the kindness of the parking lady who let us in anyways, we marveled at the faces in the mountain. First impressions? They're much higher than they appear in pictures.

We walked the short loop to get closer to the giant faces and took numerous pictures before we sat down to lunch. Though our time there was short, it was still amazing to realize I was seeing something that has become so iconic in person. It was also amazing to realize just how much time, effort, planning and money went in to the sculptures.

From there we continued east to the Badlands and reached the park just in time to set up our tent as black clouds rolled over the startling landscape we are now in. We popped our tent up in record time (4.59 minutes) threw in our sleeping bags and pillows and climbed back into the car as the first giant raindrops began to fall. As Kt and I congratulated ourselves at our marvelous timing, we watched something terrible happen: wind.

Massive and violent wind gusts began to sweep through the flat land the camp site is located in and proceeded to literally flatten our tent. Kt and I watched in shock, horror, and a somewhat comic disbelief at what was happening as poles bent straight and stakes went flying. The few tents around ours were also flattened and I began to wonder if the Wicked Witch of the West would soon be flying by on her bicycle. Thankfully, no witches were spotted and the storm blew over relatively quickly so we could survey the damage. I felt like we were back in the dub PB after a hurricane hits and all the neighbors slowly peek their heads out their doors to see what's left of the hood. The RV residents wandered over to ask if we needed help and those of us with demolished tents compared damage. Kt and I were actually very lucky with only one snapped stake, a broken pole and minor water damage to pillows and blankets. At that point we threw our hands up, took pictures of the double rainbow and looked for the nearest hotel. Which is a motel.

the beginnings...

Our spirits are far from damaged and we even managed to duct tape our pole to some semblance of working order to help our tent dry out. We will stay in our uber fancy motel tonight, enjoy the 100 year old sourdough (really?) pancake breakfast in the morning, hike the crazy landscape and decide whether to stay another night or move on early.

We are so lucky that this happened near the end of our trip when we have no other plans to camp. We are also so fortunate to have found a vacancy quickly as many people from the park left to find other accommodations.

From this point the adventure continues as we move back towards the east. Remember, it's always an adventure.

Is this thing on?

So, I know it's been awhile since my last blog, and for that I apologize. However, 28 days after we've left (ok, 26) it's getting harder to find a hot minute to upload photos and write a short note without feeling like I should be spending my time experiencing something else or resting up for the next "big thing".

Regardless of all that, Kt and I are now in Denver with my sister! As planned, we spent our last day in Seattle touring Theo's Chocolate, visiting the library, getting the oil changed and spending a few relaxing hours with Nicole. We were able to leave bright and early Tuesday morning for Yellowstone (our first on time departure) and drove through beautiful mountainous Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to the park.

Yellowstone was absolutely gorgeous and offers almost anything you could want in a national park. There are mountains, geysers, lakes, forests, and animals. As we drove in through the West entrance we saw multiple elk, and a small wolf cross the road directly in front of the car! As we checked into our campsite we were also warned to be extra careful with food and toiletries as a grizzly bear had been frequenting the grounds every 3-4 days and had not been spotted for 3 days. Sweet.

The next day we hiked the Mystic Falls Trail to the 70 ft. falls, and up to the overlook on the peak of a nearby mountain where we could see the falls and Old Faithful from afar. Once again, we found ourselves hiking a steep and narrow trail crawling over fallen trees and rocks to a beautiful view. We also returned to an altitude of over 9,000 feet for the hike and the thin air was definitely thin. Oxygen tank next time? I think so.

After descending we, of course, had to watch Old Faithful erupt. We joined the masses waiting (though we were smart enough NOT to wait for 91 minutes for front row seats) and watched as Old Faithful went from a small steaming dirt pile to a quite impressive geyser. That night we kept our eyes peeled for bison and other animals but instead saw only more elk. After building our quite necessary fire (it got down to 30!) we called it a night and shivered through a long, cold (remember, it was 30) sleepless night. Luckily we never did see that grizzly.

We left in the morning stopping for pictures in the Grand Tetons and Shoshone Lake, and I constantly marveled at how startlingly beautiful Wyoming was, as well as how much construction we drove through on the road to Denver. After a quick stop at the Loaf 'n Jug for a coffee, we rolled into Denver and my sister's house. Kt and I were thankful for a warm place to sleep (as in, not 30 degrees) and showers before she met up with friends, and I went to dinner with my sister, her new fiance and other friends.

Friday we rented bikes as part of the bike share program and toured Denver in style. With only a few minor crashes, two brewery stops, a drive by the museum, the capitol (where we climbed to a mile high), gellato and an impromptu duet on the painted downtown pianos we parked the bikes and voted them the best way to see the city. Today we drove to Mt. Evans and hiked to the peak to reach our highest altitude yet of 14,258 feet.

Once again pictures must wait as uploading is not happening right now. We'll be here until Monday morning when we leave for South Dakota. I'll be doing my best to keep the gaps between posts shorter, but with such a full schedule no promises will be made. We still have 2 weeks until we return to WPB and we are still seeing and doing all we imagined.

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

I've been having so much fun in Seattle that blogging has been semi-far from my mind. We are staying in the Capital Hill neighborhood and filling ourselves with coffee and the sights this city has to offer. We are here until Tuesday morning and then leave for Yellowstone. Tomorrow we're hoping to tour Theo's Chocolate Factory, visit the library, attend a cupping at Stumptown and get an oh so glamorous oil change. As promised here are a few pictures until I update more thoroughly.

Napa:

Vineyards alongside the road

Champagne tasting in Chandon

The Redwoods:

Jedidah Smith River which we hiked along

Big old trees along our hike

That's Kt on the path. It's all about perspective.

A fallen Redwood along our hiking path.

Enjoying a Ranger beer back at our camp site. Also wearing a hoodie, coat, and scarf.

Reading a little Ferlinghetti by the fire.

Portland:

We stopped for lunch at Deschutes Brewery and then saw Everett Station. Made me miss Everett just a bit.

SEATTLE!

Pike's Place Market.

Fresh fruit abounds....

...and flowers.

A little music in front of the original Starbucks.

A view from our lunch stop on the roof.

After lunch we walked over to the SAM Sculpture Garden that looks over the water and watched the cruise ships leave.

View of the Needle from the garden.

Skyline from the water tower in Volunteer Park.

Welcome to Oregon!

We just crossed the border from Cali to Oregon and I am ready for this new state. We were in California over a week, the longest of our stays.

After San Francisco we continued to Napa with a short stop in Berkeley. We drove through campus via multiple bike paths (oops, again) and then continued to our Petaluma KOA. Napa did not disappoint as the sun shone (still cool) and rolling hills covered with vineyards greeted us. The median overflowed with flowering bushes and our KOA came equipped with a petting zoo that housed miniature ponies. We visited two vineyards, and Chandon was my favorite. We drove beside the vineyard, and then walked over a wooden bridge through the park to get to the tasting room. Kt joined the wine club which meant we received two free champagne tastings (sparkling wine since we aren't in France) and a massive discount. Let's just say the champagne was not too shabby and we left with our fair share.

From Chandon we headed North to Crescent City where we spent the next two nights. We arrived with just enough daylight left to set up our tent and bundle up before dinner and bed. Our campsite was surrounded by Redwoods and the most wooded of our sites yet. Of course, there were also massive bear warnings as one had been recently spotted. I almost slept with my bear whistle, but I was a little concerned about strangulation from the string. Instead, I slept with 2 pairs of pants, socks, 2 shirts, a hooded sweatshirt and a scarf, then wrapped myself in a blanket before crawling into my thermal sleeping bag. Thankfully, the sun came out the next morning and after a quick breakfast at The Good Harvest and gathering a few provisions we headed excitedly off to hike the Boy Scout Trail. Except, it was closed for maintenance. We opted instead for the Hiouchi Trail and hiked to Stout Memorial Grove alongside the Jedidiah Smith River. It was a beautiful hike to the biggest trees I've ever seen, complete with ferny undergrowth, speckled sunlight, and gurgling creeks. Once back at camp, we conjured some massive flames to stay warm and roasted 'mallows with our hot chocolate, before layering up for the night.

We headed out early this morning, northward to Portland then Seattle where we will stay with my good friend Nicole. I'm very excited to see both!

Almost as soon as we passed the border the temperature went from 51 to 74. The sun is shining, and I'm only wearing one shirt....

Oregon, I think we'll get along fine.

Pictures will be posted soon with a better connection.

The White Automobile

San Francisco.

Two weeks ago today we were still on our way northwest than south towards NOLA. Today we are as far west as we go. San Francisco is a beautiful city, but the cold windy weather and the lack of sun have dampened my spirits a bit. It seemed weird to be wearing hooded sweat shirts (over 3 layers), scarves and gloves on the 4th of July. Perhaps it's our nonstop schedule that has really affected me today. Of course I'm still thrilled to be doing this and excited of all that waits ahead for us, but the wailing of the wind outside our 6th floor hotel room is a little off putting.

Yesterday we went to City Lights Bookstore where I was quite satisfied to finally be. We also took a boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz.

We planned to watch fireworks from the top floor restaurant in our hotel, but after an hour and half wait and being somehow bumped down the list by two groups, we bailed. Instead we headed to the nearest corner store, grabbed some Fat Tire and sat on the side of a street where our view of the fireworks was this:

Today we rode a cable car to the Haight and walked approximately 49 blocks to Haight-Ashbury. We shopped, stopped at a local pub and walked through Golden Gate and Alamo Parks before heading back to our hotel via taxi.

While in City Lights, I sat reading one of Allen Ginsberg's poems that seemed especially fitting (minus the undertones) for this trip, called The Green Automobile. In it Ginsberg writes:

We'd pilgrimage to the highest mount

of our earlier Rocky Mountain visions

laughing in each other's arms,

delight surpassing the highest Rockies...

Tomorrow we head to Napa via Berkeley, where the temperature will hopefully hit 70.

3 days, 5 cities...

Joshua Tree

Thursday morning Kt and I woke up bright and early ready to visit Joshua Tree National Park and head to San Diego. Before we left to explore the park we stopped in at the wonderfully tasty and inspiringly hippie Crossroads Cafe for breakfast. I think Kt wished she lived in Joshua Tree just so she could be a regular there. With local artwork hung on the walls, a coffeehouse/bar vibe, and nice fluffy pancakes, we were sold.

Due to the heat and our desire to get to San Diego before it got too late, we didn't hike much, but instead drove through the scenic loop and stopped for pictures. We also repeatedly expressed gratitude that we were not camping as there was NO shade and tents were literally backed up against boulders in the heat of the day. Joshua Tree is definitely a place I would like to return with more time and cooler weather. The rocks are ridiculous, looking more like giant (really giant) pebbles stacked into dirt piles, than mountains (which I guess they are), and the night sky is unbelievable. I literally watched the stars twinkle and repeatedly compared them to what I've seen only in a planetarium.

We got in to San Diego around 3 where we stayed with our friend Tommy for the next two nights. Tommy proved to be a great tour guide and had a list of fun things for us to do in the city. That night we went to the famous San Diego Zoo and saw lions and tigers and bears, oh my! (and elephants, pandas, koalas, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, gorillas, etc etc etc). I tried some of my evasive bear attack techniques and I'm happy to report I think I am now prepared for Yellowstone as I clearly escaped the zoo unscathed. We stayed until dark and then went to the Gaslamp District for dinner.

La Jolla

Friday we planned to go kayaking in the La Jolla caves, but due to wave heights we instead drove to another part of La Jolla to see the sea lions and then on to Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach. Once home we went to the Padres game where we stuffed ourselves, enjoyed a win, and watched fireworks. Tommy also got to meet Cheech Marin who was eating lunch where we were.

Padres game with Tommy

This morning Kt and I got back in the car to drive up the coast towards San Fran. We took the PCH most of the way up stopping for In-N-Out Burger, an Elephant Seal sighting, the Whale Watcher Cafe, and a beach along the way. We, of course, also made a quick stop to put flowers in our hair. The drive was beautiful, but different than I expected in a few ways: 1. Though I expected the road to be along the beach and with cliffs, I did not expect winding, nauseating roads reminiscent of Arizona's Coconino Forest; 2. It is COLD! 3. It was foggy/smoggy most of the way here due to the marine layer (I thought Cali was sunny); 4. IT'S COLD (highs in the 60's)! 5. It's surprisingly similar what I imagine Ireland/England to look like.

Elephant Seals

We arrived to San Fran, where it is even colder and windy, and drove around the block about 4 times before finding our hotel. After driving up the same extremely steep hills, screaming the whole way as we rolled back at each stoplight (remember Clueless when Dion gets on the highway?), but finally arrived at the beautiful Mark Hopkins InterContinental. This is by far our biggest splurge, but I have to admit, it feels nice.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! Think of me and light a sparkler or blow something colorful up in my honor tomorrow. We are on day 14 and approximately 3500 miles from home...but still loving this moment.

As Kt Sees it, Too

Biking to Hermit's Rest

Toto, we are not in the Grand Canyon anymore. I know I've been camping when I wake up and feel almost out of place in a bed between four walls. It's wonderful to know we're going to continue on this journey and I can't even imagine what adventures are still ahead, but as the GC was our longest stay thus far, I feel like a big piece of this trip (for me) will always be there. Then again, considering I tripped down Kaibab Trail and skinned my knees, I guess I really did leave a piece of me there.

See the dust on my knees? They bled first, and now are purple. Sweet.

Being on this trip with Kt has definitely been one of the most fun parts. Though we are seeing beautiful things that would be beautiful regardless of the circumstances, it's nice to be with someone who seems to appreciate them as much as you do. Kt's love for history and time is especially interesting as we see things that are significant to our past, society, and country. She also seems to be much better at communicating her feelings, while for the purposes of this blog, I'm trying to stick to events. Last night as we tried to cozy up our Safari Motor Inn room (and by cozy up I mean facebooked, blogged, and took advantage of indoor plumbing and electric sockets) Kt wrote this:

Joshua Tree, Safari Motor Inn, Room 106

I’m having trouble putting the past 10 days into words. It really can’t be done. I’ll do my best to catalogue our journey, but I know it won’t even be half as inspiring as the things we’ve seen and done these last few days.

During Kt's awesome 14 hour drive from NM to AZ.

What we’ve seen so far:

New Orleans, the bayou (that’s what I’m telling myself it was), Houston, San Antonio (the Alamo and Riverwalk… I dug ‘em), numerous desert mountains (some rocky, some foresty, some sandy, all scary), Carlsbad Caverns, multiple national parks and forests, Route 66, the Grand Canyon (and it is), Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott (10/10), California state line, the road into Joshua Tree, and one SWEET $40/night motel!

See what I mean? It’s a little much just reading the list myself… it’s even more difficult to express what it’s actually like! So, for now, I’ll just highlight some of my favorites.

In addition to being constantly floored by the astounding beauty that makes up our country, I was a little surprised at how much I am into the wildlife! Emily, not so much, but for me seeing a wild animal is like the most potent natural drug! The first one I spotted was on the long drive from Carlsbad to the Grand Canyon. During about hour 13.5 (for some reason I decided to drive the entire 14 hour stretch) I spotted an enormous elk literally 3 feet off the winding mountain road! It was also pitch black as it was 10:30pm. My reaction was the biggest gasp I’ve ever gasped followed by 6 straight minutes of “I can’t BELIEVE I just saw that!” and “OH MY GOSH!” My adrenaline was going so fast I thought I should pull over. Luckily Emily saw the next one (an even bigger one!) with me and was able to share in the experience.

At the Grand Canyon campsite I saw another elk (thanks to our friendly campsite neighbors pointing the way) in the woods and as if that wasn’t enough the Lord blessed us with an amazing opportunity of seeing two of them crossing the road not 15 feet from us during our drive to view the canyon at sunset! Naturally I took 152 pictures (2 of which aren’t blurry). The natural sites (Carlsbad, the Grand Canyon, etc.) are beyond words (at least for me) so I’ll leave that description to Emily’s blog and the pictures I’ll (one day) post. (I promise I’ll post more pictures, but it might not be until the trip is over… there are so many!

One of many ravens. This picture makes it look far smaller than in reality.

The other animal “encounter” that floored me was last night, our final night in the Grand Canyon. As Emily and I sat talking in our tent, layering on clothes for the chill of the mountain evening, we heard something that I have only heard in movies. COYOTES! There had to be at least 5 or 6 of them and they were probably only 100 yards away! They started off howling and then a series of barks accompanied the howls. It lasted all of 30 seconds, but it may as well have been 30 minutes. It was very Stand By Me! It was also eerie, amazing, beautiful, terrifying, thrilling, shocking, exciting, and glorious! I felt like God sent us a little treat for out last night in northern Arizona. I truly cannot describe in words (or any other medium) what that experience meant to me. Something about the animals out here just make me come alive! I called for mountain lions and bobcats the ENTIRE time we were there but, alas, I saw none. Next time.

Taking a break to eat while biking.

We’ve been told that if seeing wild animals is what I dig then I’d love Yellowstone, so naturally we’ll be staying 2 nights there instead of the previously planned 1. I’m looking forward to seeing some bison! Also, I’ll be scouring the earth for moose, more elk, and of course bears (black and grizzly). Please note that while I may come packed with a little extra crazy, I have no intention of approaching any of these amazing creatures if I’m so lucky to see them! Well, probably not.

Tomorrow we leave for San Diego and a stint of our trip along the coast of California in which we’ll take a short hiatus from camping. The transfer from making coffee on a propane stove to ordering it in Starbucks will probably be a nice break. As Emily so eloquently noted, it’ll be nice to wake up and relieve ourselves in a bathroom 10 feet away rather than hiking up a sandy mountain road with only a lantern to guide our chilly path. If only we could hear the coyotes again it’d make this night perfect.

GC sunset.