Back in CA!

Day 33 (Wednesday, June 02, 2021)

Leaving Craters of the Moon behind, we decide to stretch out our drive home a little – and avoid Interstate 80 altogether this time. Instead, we head north, into the Sawtooth National Forest and NRA. Slowly but surely the landscape around us changes – from lava beds to hillsides and then to mountains.

Passing the Sun Valley ski area, we come through the town of Ketchum. Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning author, first came to Idaho in 1939 and became the state’s most famous resident, completed “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, was a passionate fly fisher and spent the last years of his life here. He died in 1961 and is buried in the town’s cemetery, alongside his wife.

We head on towards Galena Peak, cresting at 8,701 feet elevation, from where we have a spectacular view of the Sawtooth Mountains. Once you see them, you know where the name comes from. No other name would fit for these glacially carved mountains. Rolling down the hill, we follow the Salmon River, which is home to chinook salmon, steelhead, brook and bull trout, as part of its 900-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean.

Once we reach the town of Stanley, Gateway to the Sawtooth Wilderness, we turn west onto Hwy 21, to reach our stop for the night just outside of town – at Stanley RV & Camp, site #26 FHU.

Day 34 (Thursday, June 03, 2021)

Another lesson in “it’s a small world!” was learned when we find out that our site neighbors are from Santa Rosa, CA – but moved to Idaho 3 years ago. They share the scoop on what not to miss before leaving the area, and so take a detour just a mile after leaving the campground this morning – to swing by Stanley Lake. Bypassing the many forest campgrounds on our way to the boat ramp and picnic area, we quickly make it to the lake shore. Not only is it a beautiful lake, but the tall McGown Peak and surrounding Sawtooth Mountains as the backdrop make this a must-see. What’s the trade-off? Relentlessly aggressive, undeterred, blood-sucking, hungry mosquitos. Bite-you-through-your-shirt kinds of buggers! About 35 bites (not exaggerating here!) on my upper back and back of my upper arms plus a couple on my legs in about 15 minutes – must be a new record, even for me. Kirk, who sat across from me while we’d been having a quick snack on the shore, gets away with zero (!) bites from here. So, while half an hour ago we were determined we’d have to come back here to camp, this place has now been blacklisted for me. (Portable mosquito tents to carry around all day don’t scream “vacation” to me).

Anyways … on we go on our scenic route, following the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route (or Hwy 21) west towards Boise, ID. This byway winds through the Boise National Forest, passing through dense forests of pine, across high mountain valleys, and along portions of the Boise River, Lucky Peak Lake, and the South Fork of the Payette River. While certainly a time-consuming path chosen, it offers spectacular views away from traffic and people.

Once back to civilization (aka in Boise), we take the freeway (I-84) to just across the state line into Oregon. Near Ontario, we pick up Hwy 20 which will take us along the Malheur River all the way to Burns, OR. Along the way, we cross through a quick, but extremely heavy downpour with lighting and thunder putting on quite a show! Raindrops big enough to sound like hail on the truck have us fear of dents in the aluminum shell of our trailer, but it was just a heavy cycle washing!

From Burns we he head south on Hwy 205, Oregon’s High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway. It’s almost dusk, and wildlife is out as we drive the last half hour of the day towards our campsite at The Narrows. One will not make it tonight … a little chipmunk races in front of the truck, stops, looks at us and *crunch* is gone. He’ll be remembered forever!

Day 35 (Friday, June 04, 2021)

The High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway provides views across an unbroken horizon, dazzling stars and geologic drama. From desert to mountain, this is Oregon’s frontier country. The density of this part of the state is less than 1 person per square mile, on par with Alaska. Our day starts at the edge of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, an oasis of wetlands and lakes that suddenly appear amid stark mesas and dry grassland. Despite it being still spring, the Malheur, Mud and Harney marshes and meadows are seemingly dry as we pass by. We may already be too late for the migratory rest stop on the Pacific Flyway. We skip the scenic loop tours into the Jackass Mountains (real name, but we have the trailer in tow), as we head south towards and through the historic community of Frenchglen and past the Donner and Blitzen River as we also pass on the Steens Mountain Wilderness detour, another gravel route. Shortly after passing through the town of Fields, OR we cross the border into Nevada. After getting gas at the tiny station in Denio Junction, NV (yes, you certainly have to plan out our gas stops in this part of the world!), we head west Hwy 140, stop at the road construction while waiting fo the pilot car to take us through, and return back into Oregon just before Adel, OR. After not much excitement along the high desert part of the route in Nevada, flora and fauna return as we cross through the canyons once in Oregon. Just past the tiny ski & recreation area of Warner Canyon, we reach Hwy 395, the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway, which will be our route for the next leg of the journey.

It feels like we’re close(r) to home when we cross the state border once again, this time into California! Taking a left turn in the town of Likely, CA, we head up into the Modoc National Forest on Warner Mountain to claim our site (#39) at the beautiful Blue Lake Campground.

Day 36 (Saturday, June 05, 2021)

Since it’s so pretty here and we are on this trip to relax, we stay for a 2nd night at Blue Lake, where the only activities planned are a walk around the lake and hanging out lazily at the site. While a sign along the lake trail reminds us to be cautious around burnt trees and areas, we can see the significant regrowth that has happened here since the Blue Fire in August 2001 (20 years!).

Day 37 (Sunday, June 06, 2021)

We’re officially in week 6 of out trip (technically that started Friday night already), and it’s time to move on to our last (but not least) part of the trip before really returning home. We turn back onto Hwy 395, heading south. After a few hours’ drive, we reach the state border again – going back into Nevada! From here, 395turns into a freeway, as we make our way through Reno (including a quick stop at the Peppermill Casino for Kirk to bet that his A’s will win the 2021 World Series) and Carson City, before returning to a two-lane road snaking its way well east of Lake Tahoe towards the California border. Once crossed back into CA, we continue on the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway, along the West Walker River to Hwy 108 and the Sonora Junction Campground, where we settle in for our last stop (Site #2).

Day 38 (Monday, June 07, 2021)

Only two more days away before we’ll be returning home, so we enjoy the sun (and not so much the wind gusts) while relaxing at our site at 6,800 ft elevation. Watching the Marine Corps helicopters whirl above us as recruits are being brought in to the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center a few miles up Hwy 108 makes for an entertaining break in the lazy afternoon.

Before it gets too late, we finally head out for some exploration. Just in the truck – no trailer attached – we head west oh Hwy 108 towards Sonora Pass. Along the way, we check out the Leavitt Meadows Campground, Leavitt Falls, the rough – and later very and very, very rough – off-road 4-wheel low drive, including some screeching (maybe it’s me, maybe the truck) detour towards Leavitt Lake, before returning to the highway to continue towards and over the pass at 9,624 ft elevation. The truck tackles the 26% grade uphill just fine today, but even without a trailer attached we start to smell the breaks a little as we head down the mountain on the eastern side, with its hairpin turns and slopes as steep as 25%. But the views are unbeatable … must be our favorite pass over the Sierra Nevada mountains!

After checking out some potential boondocking sites and the campgrounds along 108 all the way to Dardanelles, we return eastwards to head back over the pass and to our campsite at Sonora Junction.

Day 39 (Tuesday, June 08, 2021)

Last day before our final leg home … so we relax some more! This certainly does not get old, even after 5+ weeks away.

The Marine Corps helicopters are out and about most of the afternoon, either to conduct some training or to check out our awesome Airstream trailer, as it peeks out of the woods here at the campsite. (I think it must be the latter!) At some point, the highway gets some action too, as military vehicles make their way towards base … should be interesting what we’ll get to see tomorrow, when we drive by on our way home.

Day 40 (Wednesday, June 09, 2021)

It’s finally time to return home. Even the longest, most scenic route has to come to an end, and with the spectacular drive across Sonora Pass along Hwy 108 towards the San Francisco East Bay we have a long but beautiful drive home, back to reality.
The next few days will be spent cleaning the trailer (Remember all that dust from Valley of the Gods in week 1? Well, there’s still some coming up after every time we drive!), doing laundry, figuring out live at home again and returning to a state of normal before work will capture our lives again next week Monday.

Stay tunes for out next trip. Until next time!

And because I just can’t help myself – a few statistics from our trip:

• Total trip went on for 40 days, covering 4,286 miles through 9 states (CA, AZ, UT, CO, WY, ID, MT, NV, OR). The Airstream Bambi trailer went along for only about 3,300 of those miles, spending the rest at campgrounds while we took the truck out alone.
• Our Toyota Tacoma truck used 370 gallon of gas at an average price of $3.97 for premium (lowest: $3.48 in WY, highest: $5.66 in CA) and got an average 11.1 MPG throughout the trip (lowest: 8.8 MPG climbing into AZ, highest: 18.9 MPG, driving around Yellowstone without the trailer).
• For the 40 nights we were gone, we stayed at 18 different camp spots, between 1 and 5 nights’ stays paying between $0 (free) and $90 per night, with no neighbors at all (wilderness camping) to occupying the very last open site with neighbors on all sides (at full hook-up campgrounds).
• We visited 10 National Parks, National Monuments and State Parks, plus countless National Forests, Wilderness Areas, and other sights to be seen.
• And last but not least – our 2021 Getting Away trip has a connection to our honeymoon trip 2014 to New Zealand: both included the Craters of the Moon! One in Idaho, the other on the north island of NZ! (see our blog from New Zealand 2014 – Day 6)

Kirk on the moon

Day 28 (Friday, May 28, 2021)

After packing up Friday morning, we leave Montana just a few miles outside the campground, and also cross the Continental Divide as we enter Idaho, our home for the next few days. But first things first – time to refresh and refuel!
Just about two hours south we get to Blackfoot, ID, where we not only stop for supplies and gas, but also for a pick up at the local Amazon locker (yup, Kirk can’t help himself and had ordered some stuff online and delivered here). Then it’s off to the local sight-to-see: the Idaho Potato Museum! As corny as it sounds, it’s actually pretty interesting to learn more about this staple in everyone’s kitchen and diet.

With limited camping options in town (for full hook ups), we head north a little to Idaho Falls, ID, to stay the night at the Snake River RV Park.

Day 29 (Saturday, May 29, 2021)

After more than a couple thousand miles on the road over the last 4 weeks, we are reaching for the moon today. Not quite literally, but as close as one can get with a trailer in tow in this part of the country: Craters of the Moon National Monument!

The path there is fairly straight forward: head east on Hwy 20/26 until you hit the visitor center. But along the way, we pass not only INL (Idaho National Laboratory) near Atomic City, ID, but also the town of Arco: “The first city in the world lighted by atomic power”. Not only that, but it’s also home to the Arco Number Hill (where the graduating class of Butte County High School has been painting their year number onto the rock since 1920) and the Idaho Science Center including the sail of the USS Hawkbill (SSN-666) submarine, decommissioned in 2000 and now “Idaho’s Submarine in the Desert”.

Finally, it’s the gateway to Craters of the Moon NM, about 18 miles outside of town. It’s Saturday afternoon on a long holiday weekend, as we’re approaching the Lawa Flow Campground, with its 42 first-come-first-serve sites. But as luck will have it, there are still a handful of sites open and lucky #13 will be ours for the next few nights!

Day 30 (Sunday, May 30, 2021)

It’s been a busy few days so today is all about relaxing. The only activity on our schedule today is to check out the park’s visitor center and get our permit to visit the caves tomorrow.

Being surrounded by lava rocks at the campground, we are ready to learn and see more of what this little park has to offer. In 1923, geologist Harold T. Stearns described this area as “the surface of the moon as seen through a telescope”. He saw “dark craters and the cold lava, nearly destitute of vegetation”. Its strangeness stirred local legends, wider public interest, then a feature story in National Geographic magazine. In 1924, President Coolidge proclaimed the area a National Monument, preserving “a weird and scenic landscape, peculiar to itself”.

While most lunar craters resulted from meteorite impacts, Craters of the Moon are definitely of volcanic origin. The vast volumes of lava issued not from one volcano but from a series of fissures – known collectively as the Great Rift – that cross the Snake River Plain. Beginning 15,000 years ago lava welled up from the Great Rift to produce this vast ocean of rock. The most recent eruption occurred a mere 2,000 years ago, and geologists believe that future events are likely.

Day 31 (Monday, May 31, 2021)

First things first: Happy 11th Birthday to Ms. J.T.! Hard to believe that this little dog has been joining our travels for the last 9 years, since we found her just outside Joshua Tree National Park on Memorial Day 2012.

Today’s itinerary has us explore the sights of Craters of the Moon. We start with a simple drive along the 7-mile loop trail, to get a first glimpse of all the areas waiting to be explored. Then we go for round #2, including stops and hikes at the various points of interest.

Devils Orchard has a short, easy nature trail where island-like lava fragments stand in a sea of cinders. When the nearby volcanos erupted violently 2K years ago, rivers of lava floated huge chunks of crater wall down to this spot. Time passed. Rocks crumbled. A hundred years ago, a visiting minister declared this jumble of rocks, shrubs, and trees to be a garden fit for the devil himself.

Next stop is at the Inferno Cone. A steep but short hike to the top of this cone rewards with a view of the cinder cones lined up along the Great Rift. Big Cinder Butte, towering above the lava plain to the south, is one of the world’s largest basaltic cinder cones.

Just a quick drive onwards takes us to the Spatter Cones and Big Craters Area. An easy trail leads to these miniature volcanos, where you can view the spectacular Big Craters from the trail towards the west. The volcanoes formed when blobs of molten lava were lobbed into the air during the last gasp of an eruption sequence that ended about 2,100 years ago. Also at this site is Snow Cone – which unlike the other cones right here is hiding some snow and ice in the deep crater visible from the path.

We only make a quick stop at the next stop, which combines the trailheads to the Tree Molds Trail, Broken Top Trail and Buffalo Caves. The caves are closed as the resident bats have their “do not disturb” sign up.

Last but most definitely not least is the Cave Area. From the trailhead here Kirk and I start venturing out towards the caves separately, as one stays behind at the truck with J.T. (no dogs on trails) while the other goes spelunking (sort of).
After a half-mile trek across the lava fields, the Dewdrop Cave sits right at the path splits. A very small cave, quickly accessed over some slippery rocks, it is refreshingly cool inside, a welcome break after a warm walk.

From there, I head towards the Indian Tunnel first, passing collapsed lava tubes … a lava tube’s destiny! Lava rivers become lava tubes when the exterior of the flow cools allowing hot, fluid lava to continue to flow beneath the surface. The flow can continue for many miles, until the source of the lava gets cut off leaving behind a “cave”. In this area, the lava flow travelled a total distance of 18 miles when it flowed from its source at the Spatter Cones approx. 2K years ago. The Indian Tunnel is large – with easy stairway access and collapses in the ceiling providing light for much of the cave and along the 800-foot path to its end. It is named for the stone rings that lie near the path to this large lava tube. The Shoshone, and other tribes, left behind stone structures such as these at various locations throughout the Monument. Archeologists believe that some of these ancient stone structures may have had ceremonial significance for native people but their precise function remains a mystery.

Back to where the trail had split, to explore the remaining two caves – with the furthest one, Beauty Cave – first. After entering through a large opening and scrambling down a slope of large rocks, one reaches the smooth floor of this 300-foot tunnel. The cave glistens from dripping water, icy patches on the floor and what looks like small stalactites (but really are lava droplets aka “lavacicles”).

Final cave of the day is the Boy Scouts Cave, back down the trail a bit. This cave retains ice year-round, and to access it one must crawl over loose rock to enter, due to the very low ceiling at the entrance. A glace past the entry area is enough for me, after all the walking and crawling already done today.

Day 32 (Tuesday, June 01, 2021)

Not only are we well into our 5th week of travels, but also officially into our 2nd month today! This calls for another day of relaxing and not doing much while we enjoy the warm weather at Craters of the Moon, planning where our next leg will take us tomorrow!

J.T. checking out bison at Yellowstone

Day 24 (Monday, May 24, 2021)

It’s another cold morning as we pack up to head up north, leaving Grand Teton NP for Yellowstone NP, which will be our destination for the next 4 days.

But GTNP won’t let us leave without a bang! Just near Colter Bay Village, traffic slows to a crawl and based on the activity on the sides of the road, we know something BIG is out there … while we can’t stop or pull over on a packed street with the trailer in tow, the guy in front of is all but stopping in the middle of the road, allowing for us to get a great view of what’s about a couple hundred yards to the west: a big brown bear (to be correct: a black bear)! Woo-hoo! Timing is everything, and this morning it is perfect for us and Kirk’s 400mm lens is doing its job – giving us a great shot of the bear!

Even more excited, we head up along Jackson Lake, leave Grand Teton and shortly after enter Yellowstone National Park via the South Entrance. As we drive along the Lewis River, we can easily see the new tree growth that followed the 1988 fires which had devastated much of the park’s lodgepole pine forests. During my last visit some 15+ years ago, this was all still looking a lot more dire, but today shows spring green everywhere we look. Just before Lewis Lake we cross the approximate border line of the Caldera … from the last eruption 640K years ago. Not only are we headed north, but also up in elevation, and well before we hit the Continental Divide at 7,988 feet we are driving through the falling snow! What date is it again? Oh, well, the Yellowstone season only just started last week … so I guess this was sort of to be expected.

As we approach West Thumb Geyser Basin on the southeast edge (west thumb) of Yellowstone Lake at 7,733 ft elevation the snow has become a steady buddy for our visit, but can’t keep us from checking out the various steaming geysers, pools, cones, hot springs, mud pots and more. West Thumb’s shoreline has suspiciously crater-like contours. Its underwater profile is dramatically deeper than the rest of Yellowstone Lake. Only a massive explosion could have formed West Thumb. Though the blowout occurred 125K years ago, the area is still thermally active.

As we continue on, we cross the Continental Divide once more (now at 8,262 ft elevation), and snow is not only accumulating on the road but also on the trailer. It’s a first for the Airstream … Soon enough we reach the next highlight: Upper Geyser Basin, home of Old Faithful! As we walk up to the geyser, the visitor information sign alerts us that the next eruption is predicted for just about 30 minutes from now. Great timing as Old Faithful puts its show on approx. every 50-120 minutes. With J.T. in the trailer, we take a walk around the geyser area and pick our spot on the north/east side of it, away from the large number of spectators already accumulating for the show. The sun is starting to make an appearance as well, and while the short break in the clouds is much appreciated, the gusty wind drives the steam – and during the eruption also the water’s mist – right towards us, for a free sprinkling shower.

As we still have to make our way to West Yellowstone and check into our campground there, we soon head onwards along the Firehole River towards Madison, bypassing the various geyser basins for another day’s sights. On our way west along the Madison River, traffic slows again, this time to let a herd of bison cross the road, meander along the road and show off the full beauty of the park.

Checking in at the KOA West Yellowstone and setting up, it’s cold and damp again … good thing for our heater getting the little trailer warmed up in no time.

Day 25 (Tuesday, May 25, 2021)

Time to head back into the park – and back into Wyoming! Forgot to mention, but just a couple miles before the park’s west exit, we had crossed from WY into Montana, and hence now we’re going back to WY for the day.

Today’s destination is the north and northeast of the park – starting with a stop at Gibbon Falls, along the Gibbon River between Madison and Norris. We skip the various sights on this stretch of the road for the next day, and head on north along the Gardiner River towards Mammoth Hot Springs. Without the trailer, we’re able to take the Upper Terrace Drive through the hot springs, park and take a stroll through the upper and lower terraces areas. From the overlook, the views include an almost-aerial look at historic Fort Yellowstone, which makes up most of the “town” part of this area, as well as a great look at the Main Terrace, Mound Terrace and Cleopatra Terrace in the lower part.

We skip the drive to the north entrance (to Gardiner), as we have a bigger target in mind: Lamar Valley to the east, where bears and wolves are frequently spotted. The Blacktail Plateau Drive is still closed (too early in the season), but even the “regular” route offers spectacular views over the northern range, mountains in the (not so far) distance and Yellowstone River in the distance. As we make a quick stop at the Petrified Tree near Tower-Roosevelt, we come face to face with a bison hanging out in the parking area. Never ceases to amaze …

As we cross the Yellowstone River to follow the Lamar River east through the Lamar Valley, we see plenty more bison. We do come across one spot where plenty of people are still watching with their scopes and big-lens cameras – for wolves, as we learn, who had been out here until about 15 minutes ago. Bummer … too late for this show. We continue on east, then along the Soda Butte Creek towards the Northeast Entrance. Just a couple of miles before the park boundary, we get lucky – a moose is grazing near the road, by a picnic area. We stop to check it out, and Kirk gets some great photos. After leaving and re-entering the park, we get a little worried about what other wildlife we might encounter, as the sun starts to set while it’s getting late. Bison, bison, bison … doesn’t get old. But just a few miles after Tower junction, we strike gold: bears! A momma bear wither two cubs are playing around some tree trunks in the distance. Far enough to be safe (for us) to be out of the car, but close enough to get a clear view through our binoculars and Kirk’s camera view finder – for some nice shots!

It starts raining and gets dark as we make our way back west. A few more bison – and great views of the steam clouds rising up from the various geysers, almost shining brightly in the moon light – entertain us as we make our way back to camp.

Day 26 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)

Day 3 for our Yellowstone visit will focus on the various geysers we missed the previous day and take us east to Canyon. But first – the highlights between Madison and Norris. We start with Beryl Spring and the Artists Paintpots before heading to the Norris Geyser Basin. While the Steamboat Geyser is noted as the highlight, it’s only one of many “sights to see” in this area. Norris Geyser Basin is Yellowstone’s most dynamic – the hottest, most acidic, and most dynamic – geyser basin. It is part of the world’s largest active volcanoes.

When Steamboat Geyser erupts, it can rocket a column of scalding water 300 feet into the air – two or three times the average height of Old Faithful. Steam ca roar for up to 24 hours after. Odds of witnessing this eruption however are against us visitors, as they can occur from 4 days to 50 years apart! I’m not quite lucky enough to witness a big eruption today, but smaller spouts of water do shoot up while I’m watching, and I take that as a win in my book!
Just below the geyser is Cistern Spring, with its various colors created by a variety of living things in it, where the spring’s brown, orange and green colors are representing different species of algae and bacteria, each requiring a different temperature environment.

We head on further west, to Canyon Village, home to the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”. The canyon varies from 800 to 1,200 feet in depth and from 1,500 to 4,000 feet in width. Its length is about 24 miles, of which the upper 2.5 miles is the most colorful section. Steam vents and geysers are still at work in the canyon walls, and hot springs activity has continued through the ages, altering the lava rock to produce the lovely colors which hare largely due to varied iron compounds.

After checking out the canyon as well as the upper and lower falls from both the North Rim and the South Rim, we head south along the Yellowstone River towards Lake Village, on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. But before reaching the lake, we stop at the Sulphur Caldron and the Mud Volcano, both worth a quick stop along the way. The weather has been all over the place today, and while we seem to have a dry break for our walk around the mud volcanoes, we do get some rain coming down just after our meet & greet with the bison along the walkway (safety distance maintained!).

As we round off today’s tour skipping right past Old Faithful (it’s getting late), we do stop at the Black Sand Basin within the Upper Geyser Basin, as the setting sun and the light are just right. Black obsidian (volcanic glass) “sand” gives this geyser basin its name. Oranges, greens, and other colors in and around the hot springs come from Thermophiles (heat-loving micro-organisms).

Sunset along the Madison River makes for more great photo opportunities as we are heading out of the park, as do the repeated bison sightings along (and on) the road.

Day 27 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)

Today is already our last day for Yellowstone … Having four days seemed enough, but we are quickly running out of time with so much more to see! On our list for today are the geyser basins we’ve skipped over twice now – and after a welcome by the bison and a scenic drive through the Firehole Canyon (including a stop at the falls), we reach the Lower Geyser Basin including the Fountain Paint Pot. Here, the path takes us through on of the most complex and dynamic hydrothermal areas in Yellowstone, past geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots. The geysers here exhibit a variety of eruption patterns and intervals, including changes throughout the year.

Next up is the Midway Geyser Basin, with its highlight being the Grand Prismatic Spring – Yellowstone’s largest hot spring. It is the largest and one most brilliant of the park’s many colorful hot springs. Its massive expanse stretches approx. 200 feet across. The high temperature of its water (160 F) ensures that the spring is often cloaked in steam.

Within the rainbow of orange, brown, and red colors, some microorganisms live in communities of thick mats. Like miniature forests, these mats have a vertical structure and stratified functions. Microbes that live on or near the top of the mat (similar to a forest canopy) use sunlight to perform photosynthesis, which fuels the mat community. Organisms living deeper in the mat (similar to a forest understory) derive energy from chemicals produced by the surface microbes. They perform other vital functions such as decomposition and recycling nutrients to the mat’s “canopy” just like their counterparts in a forest. All of these organisms create an ecosystem in the expanse of a few inches.

Last but not least (before returning to Old Faithful) is Biscuit Basin. This thermal basin is particularly volatile, unpredictable. On Aug 17, 1959, a 7.5 earthquake had its epicenter just a few miles to the northwest. Four days later, Sapphire Pool began to erupt violently, blowing away the large rock biscuits around the crater, the mineral formations which the basin was names for.

We park just outside historic Old Faithful Inn (hotel), which I really wanted to visit to check out the lobby. However, being too early in the season, I’m a week ahead of opening date. Instead, we head up to the Old Faithful geyser area, and learn that the next eruption is about an hour out. With the sun shining and temps nice for a change, we hang out on our front row bench and wait. Just before 6pm, we watch Castle Geyser erupt in the distance. Quite the treat, as this one is a lot less frequent (approx. 14 hours between eruptions), but the long duration and high fountain of water shooting up makes it a must see. Finally, just a few minutes “late”, Old Faithful erupts right in front of us. While Kirk videos the whole thing (it lasts about 6 minutes), I snap pictures as the steam (and mist) is blown away from us, unlike earlier this week.

A few more bison encounters as well as another beautiful sunset along the Madison River round off our visit to Yellowstone. Definitely a place to come back to and spend some more time …

*sigh* tourists

Day 22 (Saturday, May 22, 2021)

After a cold and wet settling into our site yesterday afternoon and lots of rain overnight, this morning is presenting bright sunshine and glorious views of the Teton Range just across Jackson Lake, a few steps from our campsite at Signal Mountain Campground.

Knowing the weather isn’t going to hold all day, we head out and start our driving discovery tour heading south on Grand Teton Road, from Signal Mountain towards Jenny Lake. We stop at the various sights that allow J.T. to come with us (as she’s not allowed on trails, there won’t be any hiking for us today).

The Potholes are not what we’re used to from commuting on I-580 , but rather are “kettles” created some 15,000 years ago when sediment carried by glacial meltwater buried huge blocks of ice that calved off retreating glaciers. As the ice melted, the ground sank leaving depressions behind which can range from 15 feet to a quarter mile in diameter. Trees take root in some kettles, creating forest islands, while water pools in others.

Viewpoints for Mount Moran follow next. This mountain reflects all the geologic forces shaping the Teton Range, including gneiss, granite, sandstone and glaciers.

In case you did not know – there is a Teton Fault. An earthquake fault line between us on the road and the mountain peaks, where tectonic plates crash. No quakes recently though, so we’re good there!
Next along the route is Jenny Lake, with a great view of the mountains just across the lake. No boat crossing for us today, as again, dogs are not allowed.

After passing through Moose Junction and crossing the Snake River, we head north on Hwy 191 for just a mile before turning onto Antelope Flats Road and towards Mormon Row Historic District. Known for the Ansel Adams photos of historic barns in front of the Teton Range, we stop to (try and) recreate the shots. Dark clouds are starting to roll in, making for a nice variation of the picture!

Back on the highway, we follow the Snake River, stopping at the river overlook where another one of Adams’ famous photographs was taken in 1942. The shot of the unspoiled beauty of the Snake River and the jagged Teton Range captured nature as exemplified by national parks. Adams’s photographs helped promote and protect western U.S. landscapes.

After one more stop along the river, at Oxbow Bend, we head north toward Colter Bay Village before turning back south. No bears in sight at the Willow Flats overlook, but the signs say otherwise …

Last but not least on today’s tour is Signal Mountain, where a windy and steep road gets us all the way to the summit. From here, we have the full views of the valley, including some of wildlife spotting: a group of elk bulls about a mile away and a small herd of bison over two miles in the distance. As we make our way back down the mountain, the rain clouds have finally caught up with us and it starts pouring down with no end in sight!

Day 23 (Sunday, May 23, 2021)

It’s been raining all night and continues to rain all morning. How do I know without stepping outside? Well, the aluminum roof of the airstream trailer lets us hear it loud and clear! What to do? Make it a lazy Sunday …

We don’t really get the day started until the early afternoon, taking a stroll through the campground when the rain stops and the sun peeks out for a moment, check out the gift shop at the Signal Mountain Lodge, hog their internet to listen to the A’s game (they lost :() and catch up on blog posts and photos to tag.

Tomorrow will be another day for another park … but more on that later!

For the rest of the LATE afternoon Kirk wants to get out and about to see if we can shoot a bear… with a camera of course. So we head off in the late afternoon and, well, we don’t find bears yet. But we do see some wildlife. During out evening journey we eventually take a long dirt road to the lake. It was quite a treat since it was also full of exciting elk sightings.

But the hunger pains set in and we had make our way back to our little trailer. Pork, broccoli, and toasted bread settled us in just fine.

It was another nice day of relaxing and enjoying the wilderness. Not too bad eh?

In Jackson, WY

Day 18 (Tuesday, May 18, 2021)

The next several days will be spend driving north, as we’re making our way from southeastern Utah to northwestern Wyoming, for part two of our trip. But one thing after the other … Tuesday has us pack up our very private campsite outside Natural Bridges NM and head north on Hwy 95, towards and across the Colorado River through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This drive is another highlight of our route – and we’ll surely be back on a future trip! So many options to camp along the route, ever-changing rock formations beautiful scenery and almost nobody else around!

Once we get to Hanksville, UT and turn west onto Hwy 24, we’re back on familiar territory. Just a few months ago, our Utah trip brought us through here and we retrace our steps as we head through Capitol Reef National Park and into the sunset. Rather than turning south like last fall, we continue on Hwy 24 all the way to Loa, UT, where we stop for the night in a “boondocking site” at the Fremont River RV Park – a small spot next to the office, with no hook ups.

Day 19 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)

Truck & trailer fully refueled we get back on the road the next morning, heading north through central Utah, back into civilization including freeways, shopping at big box stores and fast-food lunch. In Provo we head northeast into the mountains and find our next stop not too far past Park City (no time or snow for skiing here today). Echo Island RV Park in Coalville, UT is offering a full-hook up site including weekday pre-season discount that’s calling my name … deer strolling through our site just before a quick thunderstorm blows through adds to the ambiance, despite being just off the freeway.

Day 20 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)

A third day of driving ahead of us (since we decided to split our drive up north into 3 days instead of pushing through in only 2) and we’re going to see as many state border crossings as one can possibly fit into one day! While you might think there’s not that many states between Utah (UT – our starting point) and Wyoming (WY – our destination), our route will have us cross into WY early on (I-80), before heading right back into UT as we drive north on Hwy 16, and back into WY (on Hwy 30), then up into Idaho (ID) as we straddle the border on Hwy 89 and return to WY for the last stretch of the day.
Not to be missed in all the border frenzy: the world’s largest antler arch in Afton, WY!

Only about a half hour south of Jackson, WY and the entrance to Grand Teton National Park, we grab a spot at Wolf Creek Campground outside Alpine, WY, along the Snake River. Be Bear Aware! is the serious motto from here on out, as we are in bear country.

Day 21 (Friday, May 21, 2021)

Today is the first day where the weather is turning on us. As we’re heading towards Jackson, WY for lunch, rain starts pouring down. This – in addition to the narrow (side) streets in downtown Jackson – are not helping our search for a lunch spot. But Kirk does find a place to park just a few blocks from the town square and while J.T. stays in the trailer, we head out into the rain on our quest to 1. See the 4 Antler Arches at Jackson Square and 2. Pick up lunch (including an Elk Sausage Sandwich) which we take back to the trailer to eat.

Refueled we head up north into Grand Teton National Park, our destination for the next three nights.

Cruisin’ with J.T.

Day 14 (Friday, May 14, 2021)

It is time to head back into cellphone-and-internet-free areas of southeastern Utah and to my all-time favorite park: Natural Bridges National Monument! Located off Hwy 95 just under an hour from Blanding, we get there by midday. Ideally, I’d like us to stay inside the park again, but as we approach the campground the sign already shows that all 13 sites are occupied.

Prepared for this, we head back out a couple of miles, to the dirt-road turnoff onto Deer Flat Road (FR 254) into Burch Canyon. The FreeCampsites.net app noted several dispersed camp sites to be within the first mile off the NBNM road (Hwy 275), a few of them already take, the others not quite what we’re looking for. A mile into the canyon, we find a site that might do it … we park the trailer but keep going further, looking for more sites – and find a spectacular one open about 3.5 miles up the dirt road. So back we go, pick up the trailer and drag it over humps and bumps, through a couple of washed out canyon riverbeds and over some rocky terrain (Kirk’s driving, I’ll keep my eyes and ears closed) up to our home for the next 4 nights! The view right behind our trailer opens up over the entire area of and around Natural Bridges NM all the way to the Glen Canyon NRA!

Day 15 (Saturday, May 15, 2021)

Gotta love exploring new sights – and so this first day out here we spend visiting Bears Ears National Monument. How we had not heard of before, I do not know, but the great maps and info flyers I had picked up in Blanding guide us up the hills on the neighboring dirt road – Elk Mountain Road (FR 228), also off Hwy 275 winds up the side of the mountain overlooking Deer Flat Rd, up Elk Ridge.

The namesake and heart of the landscape, Bears Ears Buttes (twin buttes) stand over 8,700 feet in elevation. They are sacred to many American Indian tribes who share spiritual connections to the area. About 6 miles up the road crosses right between the two buttes and allows for great views in multiple directions.

Further on we stop at the Arch Canyon Overview – a few steps off the road, the view opens up to the vast canyon below. Then, we continue on the drive east, until we reach Blanding after several more hill climbs and descends.

On the way back towards our camp, we take a break to check out the Mule Canyon Ruins and Kiva, a roadside archeology stop with interpretive information which provides a great sense of the types of surface and underground structures built by the Ancestral Pueblo0ans 700 years ago.

Day 16 (Sunday, May 16, 2021

Today is one of the highlights of our trip – a day at Natural Bridges! Discovered in 1883 by prospector Cass Hite on his search for gold while wandering up White Canyon from his base camp along the Colorado River, he instead found three magnificent bridges water had sculpted from stone. In 1904 National Geographic Magazine publicized the bridges; in 1908 President Roosevelt proclaimed Natural Bridges National Monument, creating Utah’s first National Park System area.

In 1909, when the park was enlarged to protect nearby Puebloan structures, the bridges were named Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo, the Hopi words for “place of emergence” (the entryway by which Hopi ancestors came into this world), rock art symbols (that resemble symbols commonly used on kachina dolls) and “rock mound” (a feature atop the bridge’s east abutment).

While we stop at all 3 bridge viewpoints, we’ll hike down towards only two of them. With J.T. in the truck with us, we can only bring her as far as the paved (view) trails go, while we have to split up for the trails.

I get to hike down towards Sipapu bridge, while Kirk and J.T. wait in the truck. To shorten their wait, I’m not hiking all the way down to the canyon floor to look up to the bridge, but only down halfway, to where a rock ledge provides a great view of the bridge. Sipapu is the world’s 2nd largest natural bridge (only Rainbow Bridge in Glen Canyon is bigger). In Hopi mythology, a “sipapu” is a gateway through which souls may pass to the spirit world. The trail is the steepest in the park, including metal staircases and wooden ladders to aid in the descent. If NBNM wasn’t my favorite park already, this hike and bridge would make it #1. I’m already planning for our next visit, when I’ll figure out how Kirk and I can both hike the full loop to see all three bridges from the canyon floor!

We skip the Horsecollar Ruin Overlook – as we had done that hike on our last visit in 2012 already – and stop to look over the Kachina Bridge from the viewpoint. Once at Owachomo Bridge, it’s Kirk turn to hike down towards the bridge while I wait with J.T. in the truck. Kirk and I had done this hike (the shortest of the 3 bridge hikes) back in 2012 as well, so at least I know what he’s seeing down there! From this overlook, one can see the “bears Ears” twin buttes break the eastern horizon. The original road to Natural Bridges passed between these buttes, ending across the canyon from Owachomo Bridge at the original visitor center (no longer exists).

Day 17 (Monday, May 17, 2021)

Since we’ve been crossing a canyon/wash every time we drive to/from our campsite along the dirt road, we decided this was a canyon worth exploring – and today is the day for it. Just about 1.5 miles south of our site, we park the truck in a small site right next to the wash bed and start our hike down the canyon. With no recent (relevant) rainfall, the ground is dry and the risk of flash floods zero. The few drops that came down a couple of nights ago didn’t do anything to the dry area around us.

It’s a spectacular hike including some climbing over boulders, lifting J.T. down ledges that are far too high to jump, through sand, gravel, over smooth rock and even a tiny puddle of water (with a ton of drowned moths in it). Spring is still in full bloom here in the high desert, with flowers in yellows, reds and purple along the way, vying for the weird-looking little bee species’ attention. After about a 45 minute hike downstream and a short break, we head back up again to return to our site for a relaxing afternoon on our last day in the area.

Sunset view from inside the Airstream

Day 9 Sunday, May 09, 2021

While we don’t have enough time in Bluff to give the trailer a full wash-down inside & out, we can at least get ourselves clean again, after the red sand got everywhere. By midday we’re off towards the next stop on our route: Hovenweep National Monument.

Just a little over an hour east, following some pothole and gravel roads, we reach this little gem just before the border to Colorado. The 31-site first-come-first-serve campground has a few sites blocked out for COVID distancing, but still a few open ones for us to chose from. Site #4 will be our home for the next 3 days.

Day 10 Monday, May 10, 2021

The main part of today is a drive to Cortez, CO, to restock some supplies – while also taking the tour around the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, located in Colorado between Hovenweep and Cortez.

Before returning to the campsite however, we explore one of the rugged sand roads into the desert and find the Holly group of towers, isolated miles from the Square Tower group near the campground and visitor center. Just us, towers and petroglyphs – before heading back to our site.

What is in a name?

Hovenweep means “deserted valley” in the local (Ute/Paiute) native tribes’ language and was named so by pioneering photographer William Henry Jackson in 1874. It was recommended for protection in 1917-18 and proclaimed a National Monument in 1923 by President Harding. The canyon and mesa country north of the San Juan River holds many archeological sites where.

Ancestors of today’s Pueblo India tribes lived. Round, square, and D-shaped towers grouped at canyon heads most visibly mark once-thriving communities. No one has lived in them for over 700 years, but they are still inspiring. Many dwellings stood right at the canyon rim, and some structures were built atop isolated or irregular boulders – not practical sites for safety and access. Most are associated with springs and seeps near canyon heads. Such locations suggest that the ancestral Pueblo people were protecting something, if not themselves then perhaps the water – extremely valuable to desert-dwelling agriculturalists. By the late 1200s, prolonged drought, overuse of natural resources, and, possibly, internal strife led to the eventual abandonment of the region. The people settled in what are now known the pueblos of the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico and the Hopi mesas of Arizona.

Day 11 Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Hovenweep’s Little Ruin Canyon Trail starts near the Campground, and dogs are allowed so on we go!

Population density at Hovenweep varied over time. In the 1200s, people built pit houses, pueblos, ceremonial rooms (kivas) and the towers that are Hovenweep’s trademark. Most of the buildings here still standing were constructed from 1230 to 1275 CE (Common Era), about the same time as the famous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. The Square Tower group sits in the heart of a 500-square mile raised block of land called Cajon Mesa and is part of the Great Sage Plain. Several streams drain the mesa and flow into the San Juan River to the south.

Starting counterclockwise along the rim trail we pass the Stronghold House and Unit Type House, get a view of the Eroded Bolder House across the canyon, take the Tower Point detour before reaching Hovenweep Castle. The Square Tower and Hovenweep House are next, already on the far side of the canyon after having passed the Checkdam. Rim Rock House and Twin Towers finish off the sights before we descend into the Little Ruin Canyon and back up on the Campground side to return to our starting point.

What’s in a name?

The name Anasazi has long been used for the prehistoric farmers of the Four Corners. The favored term now is ancestral Puebloan, indicating they were the ancestors of modern-day Puebloans. Many Pueblo people maintain physical and spiritual connections to these places.
CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era) replace BC and AD.

Day 12 Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Too soon it’s time to pack back up and head west to Blanding, UT, where we’ll refuel for the next 36 hours before our next off-the-grid destination. But first, let’s get scrubbing! Kirk gives the truck & trailer a bubble bath in the local car wash while J.T. and I tackle the Bambi’s inside. The rough road back to town shook lose some more dust and dirt from Valley of the Gods, and it clean every surface I can find!

Shiny inside and out, we grab the last available site at the Blue Mountain RV Park just south of town, and while Kirk gets set up, I take to the local Laundromat. Exciting day!

Day 13 Thursday, May 13, 2021

Today is a catch-up day … all things needing WIFI access and/or a laptop get done today, including updating the blog, editing our videos and more.

Plus some local sightseeing – including a visit to the local Dinosaur Museum – it’s ok – as well as the Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum. This one is actually very interesting to visit, including a climb down a ladder into a 1,000-year-old Puebloan kiva, as the park features the partly-restored remains of a village inhabited from AD 825 to 1225 by the ancestors of contemporary Puebloan peoples. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) pottery on display in the Four Corners area.

And then we got some ice cream!

Campsite Dog

Day 4 (Tuesday, May 04, 2021)

Aside from setting up our camping chairs around the self-made fire ring and getting the solar panels out and in place, we do nothing today. That’s right, nothing. Just relax!

Day 5 (Wednesday, May 05, 2021)

After all the excitement yesterday, it’s time for another day of the same. Relaxing at the site, hiking up the hill to take photos of how remote our site is (it is really remote), enjoying the sun (it’s a bit breezy, so watch for sunburn!) and doing a whole lot of napping, I mean nothing! (and napping)

Day 6 (Thursday, May 06, 2021)

Since there are things I wanted to do while we’re camping out here, it’s time to do them! For our first day of sightseeing in the area, we take it slow – and check out the namesake area for the closest town: Mexican Hat Rock.

Similar rock formations are called balanced rock or similar, but this one is supposedly a Mexican hat. Or as a nearby graffiti states: it’s a sombrero!

Not only will the off-road trails get us really close to the rock, but also to some great overlook points above the San Juan River. From here we spot several more boondocking camp sites, which we later check out – right along the river.

On our way back to Valley of the Gods, we take the long way – entering from the West Entrance at Utah State Route 261, past our site from last fall, checking out a couple crisscrossing off-road dirt trails, heading east toward the buttes and pinnacles, before heading south following the course of Lime Creek, a seasonal wash, and crossing flat, open land – all the way to our site this year, just below the Rooster
Butte.

Day 7 (Friday, May 07, 2021)

Ok, time to check out the Goosenecks State Park along the San Juan River, just north of Mexican hat UT. It’s amazing to see how the river snakes (or goosenecks) through the rock, carving its deep tracks in the rocks we stand on. And while last year’s Horseshoe Bend near Page, AZ last year was spectacular – it was only 1 bend whereas this park has multiple bends to offer, one after the other!

After being nearly blown away from the high winds in the area, we head north a few miles to make the trek up the Moki Dugway, the 1,200-foot (370 m) ascent up Cedar Mesa. A steep gravel road with switchbacks galore, this is our first time without towing a trailer! In 2012, we pulled the Fun Finder down the hill; in 2020 we pulled the Airstream up; now I get to drive while Kirk is in charge of videoing it! A spectacular over the Valley of the Gods below is the perfect setting for our picnic lunch off Muley Point road.

After several rounds of drone footage off the cliffs we head back down the dugway and make our way through the Valley of the Gods one more time, back to our site.

Day 8 (Saturday, May 08, 2021)

After 5 nights of boondocking in the Valley, it is time to pack up, dust off (feels like have the valley’s red sand is inside our trailer and stuck on all of our gear!) and get going. On our way out, we pass an incoming truck & trailer set up – with Bambi1No from Colorado, a couple about our age, truck similar to ours and Bambi Airstream just like ours! We stop and chat for a moment, giving them the insights to where our awesome site is tucked away.

Once back on Hwy 163, only about 15 miles further east is the town of Bluff, UT, where we stop at the Coral Sands RV Park for tonight – hookups and all, to get the trailer refreshed before the next part of our adventure awaits!

Mask up!

Day 2 (Sunday, May 02, 2021)

It was a long drive yesterday, but the excitement of being inside the National Park already finally gets us up and going, and we are heading out to see the Grand Canyon. Walk & Bike paths lead from the campground directly to the Visitor Center and the Rim, from where we’ll be able to walk along the Rim all the way to the Village – with J.T.! While dogs are not allowed on trails, the path is paved all the way,

thus J.T. is welcome and happy to stroll along and collect the compliments of tourists around us. She’s the cutest dog at the Canyon, hands (paws) down!

While the high elevation is not helping (as is our lack of being in shape), the weather is perfect for our hike today. The sun is out, temps in the 70s and off we go. Masks are mandatory, since this is a federal park and COVID is, well, still here. But the crowds are much lighter than likely any other (normal, not 2020) year would be. The Visitor Center is open with limited services and capacities, as are all the other buildings, so we just walk right past and towards Mather Point. One of the main viewing points along the South Rim, the sight does not disappoint. While I’m happily snapping away pictures, Kirk is taking more sophisticated photos as well as video.

We make our way along the Rim towards the Yavapai Point and Geology Museum, but don’t look in, staying away from the crowds instead. Following our picnic lunch with a view we see fewer people pass us on the Trail of Time, a 1.4-mile stretch outlining the 2+ billion years’ worth of rock formations in the Canyon.

After about 5 miles total, we make it to the Village, the historical part of the South Rim development, although much has changed here, too, since I was last here almost 33 years ago! We check out the Verkamp’s Visitor Center and head towards the Bright Angel Trailhead, not missing out on the spot where in the summer of 1988 my brother Phillip had his memorable meltdown about wanting ice cream.

The weather has turned chilly on us and a few rain drops hit us as we were approaching the Village, so it’s a no for us and ice cream, but I can’t help snapping the photos of the wall he was standing in front of and the ice cream shop he so much wanted to be in! Oh, the memories! It’s a couple miles back to our campsite, as we follow along yet another (paved) trail past the Grand Canyon Train Station to the Market Plaza, past the Mather Campground (where we had stayed in ’88) and into the Trailer Village Campground for our (full hook-up) site where our Bambi (the Airstream)
awaits.

Day 3 (Monday, May 03, 2021)

Since no sites have popped up available for another night, it is time for us to pack up and get on with our trip today. Funny side note – our site neighbors are in a Fun Finder! Not quite as small as our trailer had been but brings up great memories from our 10 seasons in that camper regardless.

Heading out towards the East Entrance of Grand Canyon NP, we find available spots in a couple of viewpoint pullouts along the Desert View Drive. The last one being at Navajo Point, with great views of the Colorado River down below and the Desert View Watchtower a little further east along the Rim. Too soon it is time to say goodbye to the park, but not before another sight not to be missed: 2 older women stuck (stalled out) in their kids’ sports car in the middle of the road – right by the Grand Canyon NP sign! With others already (trying to be) helpful, we skirt around the onlookers, take our park picture and drive on!

All view points along Hwy 64 remain closed at this time, as serious COVID restrictions remain in place on Navajo Lands, but the gas station and the trading post restaurant (for takeout) are open in Cameron, AZ, where we stop to refuel. Then we drive on north/east, crossing into Utah just before Monument Valley (also still closed) and to Mexican Hat, UT. After a last stop for gas, we turn off onto the unpaved road into Valley of the Gods (BLM land), our home for the next few days.

With sunset approaching soon, Kirk is a little nervous – he was hoping to have ample time to check out the various camping spots along the road. Most of the ones along the first couple of miles are taken, but once we get to a turn-off, he recalls from his Google Earth map search, he sends out the drone to inspect the trail. Sure enough – it’s one of his prime spots, and it’s open! Turning from the hard gravel onto the soft red dirt/sand road makes me feel a little queasy (taking the trailer seriously off-roading!), but the site is worth the detour. Welcome to being alone!

J.T. the Backseat Driver

Day 0 (Friday, April 30, 2021)

Maybe it HAD been a little optimistic to think we could leave after Kirk gets home from work on Friday evening, but having quite as many obstacles thrown our way as ended happening – never would have guessed THAT!

So what went wrong? Well … the trailer wasn’t quite packed yet (procrastination issues) and not washed yet (since it rained earlier this week), the truck wasn’t packed yet (since we didn’t even get it back from the body shop … paint job didn’t get done until after 5:30pm this evening) but what was the biggest issue holding back our departure? The broken water line in the backyard. Yup. Bubbled up Friday morning. Good thing Kirk is a handy man and this an issue that a few hours digging, probing, testing, a run to Lowe’s for a new valve (since the old one broke during the probing), more digging, sealing off the line, putting dirt back in place and testing one last time fixed. Phew.

So it’s almost 11pm, we’re ready to finally head out when Kirk realizes he still needs to check the tire pressure for truck and trailer – only to find the air compressor to fail as he attempts to fill the tires. Two gas stations later, it is 11:30pm – but still Friday, our intended departure date – as we finally roll out onto the freeway.

Day 1 (Saturday, May 01, 2021)

Well, we didn’t make it all too far last night. After a very long day, we were both way to exhausted to drive much further than Santa Nella, CA, just about an hour south of home along I-5. Goal was at least Bakersfield, CA, but we’ll just have to make up those miles today!

After a short sleep near Andersen’s Pea Soup place (that’s what this exit is famous for), we head back onto I-5 and head south to Bakersfield, CA, then east through the Mojave Desert to Barstow, CA and onto Needles, CA. After a last sticker shock on gas prices, we cross the border into Arizona continuing along I-40 east for what seems to be an endless day of driving.

Having a solid target in mind, we push on, trade of driving a couple of times and after almost running out of gas before stopping for dinner (and gas) in Williams, AZ make the last hour of today’s trek north into the Grand Canyon National Park. A lucky streak a few months ago scored us a site inside the park, at the Trailer Village RV Park, only a few minutes’ walk to the Canyon’s South Rim!

While 12 hours’ drive (according to Google Maps, more in real live with a trailer in tow) seems awfully boring, there were a few highlights along the way today – including: 1 saran-wrapped helicopter being transported north on I-5 near Harris Ranch, followed by 2 boats wrapped up the same way on a truck just shortly after; a large wind turbine blade (like the ones on the Altamont Pass), next to the railroad tracks near Needles, CA clearly fell off a train some time ago; and last but not least: a COVID-19 Testing shuttle bus getting loaded to being towed on I-40 near Seligman, AZ!

Of course, it is dark as we pull into our campsite C-11 just after 9pm, but we’re here … let the vacation begin!