A day in Zion

Today was the day. Today I will Hike for the first time this trip! After talking to my mom and dad the day before I had my heart set on a particularly strenuous hike called "Angel's Landing" that would satiate my need for scrambling up rocks AND provide great views of Zion canyon. It was even deemed worthy enough for me to set a 6:30 AM alarm to make the instant oatmeal and coffee I purchased the day before. I had my bag packed with sunscreen, 3 liters of water, granola bars, and my hat by 7 o'clock and was out the door by 7:15 to drive the short distance to the park. Then disaster struck.

Angel's Landing was closed! As was my backup hike idea to Weeping Rock which had recently experienced a serious rockslide that left the trail unusable. I didn't really know what else I could hike or would want to so I started off by taking the Pa'rus trail from the visitors center to get my legs moving and think up alternative day plans. It was a relatively flat trail that just went along the canyon floor and wound around various campsites and museums but given the early hour I didn't see many other people giving it a very serene feeling.

On my way back towards the visitor center I formulated what I thought was a great new day plan. I'll drive back into town and rent a bike to bring into the park and bike the length of the park to the farthest shuttle stop where there was a trailhead for The Narrows: a long walk through a winding river through slot canyons. Perfect! I finished the Pa'rus trail and left the park around 8:45.

As it turned out, there was a bike rental place right next to my motel so as soon as they opened at nine I was in line to see what was still available after they fulfilled reservations. It was also brought to my attention that they'd have ebikes left over....I'd always wanted to try an ebike, bikes where a motor assists your pedaling bringing cruising speed to around 18 mph. You still have to pedal! But you also get to whiz past conventional bicycles and hear the riders sigh as you zoom along.

I re-entered the park and began the roughly six mile ride to the Narrows trailhead, along some of the most beautiful terrain I've ever biked.

I think I got to the trailhead around 11, but unfortunately I didn't check my watch. I also didn't really think through if all the big cool hikes were closed just how many people would want to do this hike. The crowds felt endless, even if it hadn't been pandemic season the sheer number of people was staggering. Normally, that just means you have to say "on your left a couple extra times but with COVID it meant I had to hike the first 0.5 miles wearing my mask exclusively. Then once it got to the riverbed people were more spread out and it was less of a concern.

I have absolutely no reference on how long I hiked through the river. I kept thinking there would be an end but it was always just another curve before a straighter section. There was also a current to the water that sometimes ended up working against you as you slogged through the shin-deep water trying to keep balance on these smooth river stones

I'm also very happy it didn't rain! I hiked for what felt like a long time, but it was probably just an hour and a half, before I pulled out the map to figure out where exactly I was going. The map politely informed me that I could really just walk The Narrows for as long as I wanted! Up to 8 hours it said! Realizing now there wasn't some particular end goal I decided I had slogged far enough that I turned around and slogged out. It wasn't the hike I expected to be doing today but it was a lot of fun!

After that I decided my physical activity quota was reached for the day so I biked back to the park entrance and had some beer and fish tacos at a local restaurant before biking back to the rental shop and returning the ridiculously fast ebike. I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon but it sure was fun! Just like the day before I took a couple hours before my final park plan of the day: A scenic drive up the canyon.

It was around 112 when I got tired of waiting (roughly 45 minutes) and hoped in the car. In fact it was so hot that I could barely touch the wheel before the AC got busy. I entered the park for the third time today, and set off in the drive's direction. While the drive wasn't quite as adventurous as Rocky Mountain Park's dirt River Run Road the drive was still magnificent and I kept having to pull over to let faster cars go by.

I took the road for about half an hour before deciding it really was close to dinner time and this road just kept going. Now, I had noticed a sign that pointed to Vegas being in this direction from the park and that WAS where my drive had me headed tomorrow so...maybe I'll start my day coming back? Either way, the need for food won and I found myself pulling a u-turn and driving back down to Springdale for dinner.

I'd eyed a restaurant called Zion Pizza & Pasta earlier in the day on one of my many journeys up and down the main drag so that was hopefully going to be where I ended up - if the line wasn't too long.

Luckily it wasn't! As a party of one they were able to seat me at the bar (which I had all to myself because COVID). I settled on a Sichuan Chicken Linguine and a Very Large Beer. As my last night on vacation I thought I might as well treat myself! In fact I almost got myself a pitcher, but was told as a party of one they could not serve me a pitcher by Utah law. What a state of wimps! The food was delicious and I found myself leaving full and happy to stumble back to the motel and find out what was on tv at this time of night. It provided the perfect background to get all packed up for an easy exit tomorrow when I'd finally reach Santa Barbara! Woohoo!! Exactly 8 days after I left Saratoga Springs my journey would be coming to an end. 

Moab to Zion

As far as days on this trip go...today was very mellow. Not in any rush to leave, (today's drive is a measly five and half hours!) I didn't set any alarm and woke up on my own, luckily with enough time to go find the provided "breakfast". I say breakfast in quotes because with COVID the options are limited and you have to take it back to your room so after picking out a fine bowl of Fruit Loops and a tiny muffin I scurried back upstairs to quickly go over my itinerary for the day and set out.

There wasn't anything really memorable about the drive, aside from the looming cliffs and mountains that never really left your view. It was another several hours on the interstate listening to the continuation of "We're The Nerds." It seems funny to think this was my second to last drive of the entire trip. I've gotten so used to the explore and drive model it I think I might even miss it.

I'm spending the night just outside Zion National Park in a town called Springdale. The park is about a mile down the road but unless you're staying in the Zion Lodge (a really cool hotel inside the park) this town is where all the hotels and restaurants are.

The entire town is in the canyon with high rock walls and it felt so cool! While Moab was certainly a desert town as well, there's something about Springdale with the more unique architecture and lack of tall buildings that made the community feel more genuine. Each hotel had a cool look and the restaurants and stores scattered down the main street all looked like they belonged in a desert.

When I arrived, the temperature was around 105 so I decided to kick back with one of the beers I bought in Arches and just relax until a little later in the afternoon. Something about triple digits just doesn't strike me as "exploring" temperatures...

It's an incredible room! Hopefully I didn't get charged extra for a room with two beds but....too late to worry now! I turned one bed into my "cover in stuff and sit on" while the other remained a pristine sleeping area.

After a little R&R discussing with my Mom and Dad about what hike I should do in Zion, the temperature seemed to have gone down enough for me to stick my head out. I left the hotel and headed out in the direction of the park to have a look around and pick up some necessary supplies. Something told me I should probably buy a healthy amount of sunscreen AND I decided to purchase one of those Outback hats with the wide brims. If I'm going to be hiking in a desert I might as well look the part!

The town was full of fun looking gift shops celebrating the heritage of the area with lots of Native American art and pottery as well as restaurants with everything from Thai food to a 50s diner. There was also a store called "Zion Prospector" that sold some absolutely beautifully carved stone statues and jewelry. They even sold particular types of rock by the pound!

I settled on a place called Meme's Cafe for dinner. It's menu boasted a delicious sounding bacon & egg burger as well as a mango mimosa! I had both and took the time to just take in this totally new environment from the sounds of life to the cliffs.

Finally, I retired back to the motel and read my book on the outside walkway while watching the sun set behind the canyon. Truly a blissful end to a relatively calm day!

Boulder to Moab

It felt a little weird leaving Boulder, there was so much more to explore than what I had time to see but I guess that's the nature of spending only a night or a little time at each location. Boulder is definitely a place I want to return to someday though. Between the Rockies, the town, and nearby skiing...there's a lot for Colorado to offer.

I began today with my official Boulder routine of stopping at Ozo coffee before packing up the car and hitting the road. Luckily, today was a short day at only five and a half hours so I didn't really have any stops planned, just my audiobook and a call from my parents since they were in the process of bringing Emma back from furnishing her apartment. The beginning part of the drive, cutting through the Rockies and seeing the mountain towns of Colorado were incredibly cool. Tunnels, steep grades, it'd be perfect for a car chase but before long it was the same old 300 miles in a straight line.

Eventually I did make it to Moab, and after first taking a second to take a picture of this ridiculous car at a strange "gas station" (I didn't believe they actually had gas) off the side of the highway, I made a quick stop at the hotel before entering the National Park.

The views were unlike anything I'd ever seen. Just following the auto road through the various stops I was constantly slowing so I could get a better look out the window. Everything was smooth lines and strange rock formations...it felt like another world. There was just one problem, a giant rain cloud on the horizon.

Every time I turned around it seemed to be getting closer - this massive dark cloud where I could physically see the rain dropping from it, and I certainly didn't want to be anywhere exposed when it struck. I managed to stop and take pictures but I knew I had to press on if I wanted to see what I came to see: the arches.

Delicate Arch came first, with options for a hike or a drive to the viewing points. I thought as much as I'd like the hike I don't think I have the time, so I chose to drive to the viewpoint. Now, proper research would have informed me that the viewpoint is slightly farther away from the arch than the hike. Miles away I would say. When I got to the viewpoint, I actually spun around a few times looking for the arch until I saw it way waaaay in the distance. So small it could be a postcard. This just simply wouldn't do. How could I face my parents saying I went to ARCHES National Park if I didn't even get within a mile of an ARCH. The wind was beginning to pick up, but I ran back to the car and bolted back to the Delicate Arch trail marker.

By the time I started the hike, the sky was already darkening, and the occasional roar of thunder could be heard. I brushed it off, assuming the hike would be a short one (never actually reading the trailhead) since I saw a steady stream of people going on and off of it.

I was wrong.

The hike turned out to be a 3 mile slog which I don't think I could have done any faster. Hurrying past groups and around the slow trying to make it without knowing how much was left. On the plus side I did make it in time! On the negative, the sky gave me about five minutes before the wind picked up even more until sand started whipping into my eyes.

I had to take off my glasses because I was so worried of scratching them, and I did get some pictures of the Arch that weren't selfies! Rain started coming down too so after a few more pictures, I bolted. Hoping to speed walk the 1.5 miles back to the car.

As these things go, the rain stopped just as I was getting off the trail, which did let me see this awesome rainbow!

I toured around the rest of the park, stopping at the other arches and spots of interest, taking many photos and really taking in the scenery. Arches is a really cool place!

Feeling a bit worn from all the travel, I decided to take it easy tonight and kick back. Moab isn't exactly as vibrant a community as Boulder was, especially when traveling solo so I finally caved and after grabbing some dinner, bought my first 12-pack and snacks of the trip before calling it an early night with some tv

Rocky Mountain Park

Having planned two days in Boulder, I decided to take a little extra time getting up. My only real plan today was to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park and drive the Ridge River Road. An 11-mile dirt road that winds its way up through the mountains and is only open in the summer months.

Other than that, I planned to take it easy. I had found a coffee shop on Pearl Street the night before, and scoped it out to prevent another Scooters incident. Ozo is a chain...but a much smaller and Colorado-specific one. So it passed all the right tests. I started the day with a cup of coffee and a scone looking at this view while mapping out the trip through Estes Park that would take me into the Rockies.

It was about an hour drive to the park so I kept listening to my audio book while watching mountain after mountain slip by the windows. Colorado easily has some of the best landscapes I've seen this entire trip, but I don't think that's much of a surprise.

When I finally made it to the park there was a HUGE line of cars to enter. I knew I wasn't early...but was I really late enough for this? Not having much of a choice, I slowly eeked forward over the next half hour until finally I was at the front. Nothing could stop me getting to Ridge River Road now! Well, except for a new program the Rocky Mountain National Park (and only the Rocky Mountain National Park) had put in place that required advance reservations for park access between the hours of 6am and 5pm. It was noon.

Well I certainly wasn't going to go home empty handed, so I decided to try and find things to do in the nearby town of Estes Park but...you can only eat lunch and drink a beer so many times before you realize you can't do that really more than once if you want to drive up an unpaved mountain road...but as it turns out, there was a particularly famous hotel sitting over the town on a nearby hill that most certainly warranted a visit.

The Stanley Hotel is where Steven King wrote the Shining, and where the TV miniseries was filmed after the hit movie. It has all the makings of the Overlook hotel from the novel, complete with a mini hedge maze out front. Unfortunately they were out of tour tickets for the day but I was able to wander around some of the halls, listen to guests try to get ghost stories out of staff, and pretend to be staying there while drinking a coffee and reading a book on the porch. The hours just slipped past until finally it was time to go back to the park!!

Filled with new energy and purpose I raced back to the park entrance as the clock struck five and was able to enter without incident. The Ridge River Road wasn't far in and in short order I was putting the Mazda through its toughest test of this ride. The views certainly made the ride worth it. I found myself tuning down the music or just turning it off so I could roll my windows down and slowly drive up through the mountains, stopping at various overlooks to witness just how magnificent the park was.

The road joins the main Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine Center where I stopped for a few more photos before beginning my descent. Which is ALSO where I caught this awesome photo of a deer!

It was late-ish by the time I got back to Boulder, so I grabbed some food from the hotel restaurant and went for one last wander before bed.

Omaha to Boulder

I awoke Sunday morning in Omaha, stretching my legs in the King-size bed and debated how soon to get on the road. Today was a daunting one...another eight-plus hour stint but without much to see or do along the way.

You see, and I say this with as much love as I can muster, the problem is Nebraska. Nebraska decided to put all it's fun biomes and interesting structures in the northwest of the state, and I'd be traveling along I-80 trucking right along the bottom third. Besides one stop towards the beginning, most of the travel would be uninterrupted.

Eventually I mustered the courage to rise from my soft and inviting nest and set off to find a local Omaha coffee shop to start the day. Unfortunately I didn't try hard enough and popped into the first coffee shop I saw with a name I didn't recognize: Scooters. The inside felt so empty and uninviting, and the signage was clearly designed by a faraway corporate office. I should have turned tale then. But alas, I stayed, and when I received my egg sandwich - my sins were punished. The sausage was served cold.

At that point I was quite ready to say goodbye to Omaha and was soon in my car blasting down the highway and preparing for my one-and-only prepared stop. Platte River State Park. I think it was my USA travel book that recommended it, and seeing as it was the only thing I could find on this half of the state I was more than ready to go. The route to get there even took me on some parts of route 66 which felt right for a cross-country road trip.

When I did get to the park I found out it was mostly for camping and river access EXCEPT! For one. giant. tower. Of which I most certainly had to climb.

The views of the river from the top were breathtaking

I stayed up there a while, even getting a call from my parents asking who else I'd been talking to since there had been no service the last 10 miles except at the top of the tower. We agreed to talk later once I'd finished exploring the park to my satisfaction.

After some more light touring and deciding on a playlist for the day, I set off to the tune of Toxic by Britney Spears (thanks Hart for including that in our New Zealand playlist) and called my parents back as I began my long trek through Nebraska.

I spent most of the way switching between music and starting a new audiobook called "We're The Nerds" about the founding of Reddit, a large internet company and the scrappy nature of its founders. The book is incredibly intriguing and just the sort of thing to supplicate mind-numbing hours of this

Finally though, I made it. Colorado came like a breath of fresh air from the first "Masks are required in public" sign I saw by the side of the Highway. I was out of the Midwest.

I treated myself a little in Boulder, paying a little extra for a hotel right in the middle of the Pearl Street Market area and it was a great call. The hotel itself is called "Hotel Boulderado" and is originally from the turn of the 20th century with fixings to match

I also found out the hotel was supposed to be deeply haunted! Although sadly, no ghosts came to visit me during my stay...I checked in, gathered my bearings, and headed back outside to explore. Boulder did not disappoint. I spent much of the night exploring everything from bookshops to candy stores, and got a delicious pork belly rice bowl at a taco place while listening to street performers.

All in all, a perfect end to a long day!

Chicago to Omaha

After a day in the city getting to see Grace and FINALLY taking her advice to walk down to Jackson park on the edge of the lake

It's time to drive again. I think I got on the road around 8:20 with my first planned stop to be Rockford Illinois. Rockford is where my friend Daniel from college grew up, and I also helped design his mom's bakery's initial website! She's moved on from that initial design since then but I was able to score a free cookie when I went to say hi at Quixotic Bakery's booth at the local farmer's market!

After that, the next stop was Davenport Iowa. I have absolutely no connection or reason to visit Davenport EXCEPT! It's right on the Mississippi river and I'd get there around noon to find some lunch. So, I put the waterfront park into my GPS and said goodbye to Illinois.

I should have been more specific with my park directions in Davenport though, because I was initially led to a little skatepark on the wrong side of a chain-link fence from the Mississippi river. I debated climbing it, but after coming all this way I thought I might as well see if the park I could see on the other side was accessible my car. I certainly saw a lot of cars over there, and people seemed to be hitting things into the air. I couldn't quite make out what but I kept seeing balls flying over the roofs of cars.

Turns out there was a volleyball competition going on! I couldn't quite figure out what competition, but it had over 20 nets set up and countless tents around the outside for people to get out of the 94 degree heat in between games. There also happened to be a BBQ food truck nearby that I hit up for lunch and took with me to find a bench along the water.

The Mississippi is massive! It felt more like I was looking at a lake considering how slow the current was but nonetheless a fantastic stop and some good pulled pork! It's unfortunate that my next stop was a restaurant and only 2 hours away.

Welcome to "The Machine Shed" which I definitely thought would be some edgy tech-y robot kind of place. Apparently in this part of the country though the "machines" are tractors. And the shed is a barn. The property surrounding the place was dotted with all these old John Deers and the inside decor included everything from slideshows of tractors to tractor pictures and country music about tractors. It was a lot to take in. Luckily, the food was quite good! And while I wasn't brave enough to order the chicken liver...the fried chicken couldn't have been far behind.

That brings us to right now! Downtown Omaha in one giant room! I needed a minute to sit down before exploring but from what I saw outside, Omaha might surprise me!

Day 1

    I don't think I've used this site in years. In fact, looking back the last entry is from my South Island Trip in New Zealand! I might have to spend a minute reading about my previous adventures after all this is over and I'm safely in an apartment in Santa Barbara but until then let the Cross Country USA posts begin!

    This past week has been a whirlwind of grabbing everything I thought I could possibly need and then some to prepare for my trip out west. A bajillion tshirts, countless electronics, and a full crate of books later and as of Wednesday of this week I think I had everything assembled for a Thursday departure.

   

    I left Thursday morning at around 7 AM with 845 miles to Chicago, a full pack of gum, half a tank a gas, it was kinda dark, and I put on my sunglasses.

    As you can see, the ride was somewhat...lengthy. But don't worry! I had a couple stops planned and a self-help book to keep me company! The first stop was for Balsam Bagels in Rochester where I was meeting Rachel for brunch, and the ride out was absolutely spectacular. If I wasn't driving, I certainly would have taken pictures with the way an early morning rain had left the green mountains covered in just enough fog to remain mysterious. Otherwise, the ride was relatively uneventful. I was too afraid to start the audiobook I was looking forward to for this trip (Sandman, by Neil Gaiman) or the book I was supposed to read for work (for different reasons) so I stuck with music in the first leg.

    Seeing Rachel was great! She's been in Rochester for a year or so now, most recently working with the Susan B. Anthony museum that's finally been allowed to re-open! The bagel place was right in her neighborhood so we were able to grab a bite and have a look around before I needed to get back on the road. After our goodbyes I put my second destination in the GPS, Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
Cuyahoga Valley is actually the newest National Park having just been inaugurated in 2019. It's also the only National Park in Ohio! I don't actually know how I found out it existed, might have been my Lonely Planet guide...but I certainly wasn't going to miss an opportunity to stretch my legs at what would be around the 8 hour mark! There were some bumps in getting there (just putting in the park and not a destination into the GPS, hair-bend turns taking a little too quickly for a car full of one's life possessions) but in the end - I was able to see Brandywine Falls and the diversion was worth it.

    Apparently there used to be a little village here using the power of the river for a Saw Mill in 1814...but the construction of I-271 wiped most of it out.

    After that, it was time for the final stretch to Chicago! This was by far the longest bit at 5 hours and 43 minutes - but I was able to squeeze in a dinner and a couple snacks at the various rest stops (also all of Ohio rest stops look EXACTLY the same. Had to do a double-take at one) and got 90% through Inspired which was definitely an interesting way to spend my time. Luckily that means I'll have it all done well before getting on to Santa Barbara and I still have Sandman to look forward to!

    I got into Chicago around 9:15, having completely forgotten the clock change, and quickly turned in for the night. Time to rest up before the second big push tomorrow!