Into the Light

After a great hike up the Narrows in Zion (above), we have arrived in California! We reached Mammoth Lakes yesterday evening after a stop in Vegas (just for groceries and an REI visit, if you'll believe it) and a drive through Death Valley. We stopped at the DVNP visitor center, where the temperature was 120 and the elevation was -190! When Malcolm filled his bottle at the water fountain it felt like it had come out of a hot tub!




We decided NOT to camp there, but to press on to the mountains. As we were driving out of Death Valley I saw what I thought was a mirage, but turned out to be an actual human being running down the highway in the middle of the Death Valley heat!! Impressive.
We had a two hour drive right along the edge of the mountain range, and it was amazing to pass by all the peaks we'll be climbing in the next few weeks!
Mammoth Lakes is a cool little ski town and we happened upon a really nice hostel in town and decided to spend two nights here relaxing and organizing instead of trying to make a one-day trip to Yosemite. Yosemite has been there for thousands of years, it can wait a few more before we visit it! The bags are packed (or will be by tonight...) and the car is ready for a much deserved 3-week rest.

We'll be picking up a re-supply in about 9 days at the Muir Trail Ranch and will be able to pick up mail there, so if anyone gets the writing itch, sent it to:
Malcolm McPhee (our resupply is under M's name not mine)
c/o Muir Trail Ranch
PO Box 176
Lakeshore, CA 93634

High Sierras here we come!!



"The mountains are calling and I must go"
-John Muir

Utah Rocks

National Parks Count: 3!

The past few days in Utah have been amazing. We had a beautiful drive from Telluride to Moab on Wednesday morning, with great tunes on the radio to accompany the scenery. Neil Young, Warren Haynes, 3 Dog Night... and to top it off Ray Charles sang "America the Beautiful" as we wound through the Colorado canyon, a very fitting moment!

Now, one would think that if you showed up in Arches National Park in the middle of July with no reservations, that you would probably not get a campsite. This opinion would only be stronger if when you pulled up to the park you saw a large "campground full" sign. Apparently not! We were given a spot at the "group campground" and told that it could be fairly crowded. This is where we camped:


Our tent is hidden in there under the Juniper bushes. The alleged boyscout troup didn't show up, and we had a GIANT campground to ourselves. Just behind the camp was a sandy path that led to a giant arch, and we couldn't even see our closest neighbors. Thanks National Parks System!




After winding our way through the park road and taking a few short hikes, we headed through Moab up to the Slickrock trails.
I was happy to have filled out an advanced directive earlier this year, because I quickly realized that I might not survive this trail. (Just kidding mom, it wasn't that bad...) The warm-up trail kicked our butts fairly well, but we survived with no injuries (except to my ego) and enjoyed the views and the exercise!


We headed back into the park, stopped to watch the sunset on Park Avenue,





and made it back to camp by dusk. In the morning we hiked to a few more arches, then hit the road for Zion!

ZION. IS. AWESOME.
I may be slightly biased by the fact that we had a personal tour guide for our first night in town. Zack, the Zion information desk expert, took us on a few short hikes in the twilight and hooked us up with some employee meal passes, as well as a bad-ass red parking pass which gives us access all the way up to the Zion Lodge. You rock Zack!

This morning we tackled Angels Landing before the temperature climbed too much (high of 106 today!) Thanks to Katie and Paul for recommending the hike--it was amazing! I'm not sure how to even put this hike into words, so I'll just use pictures:






Sheer rock faces, amazing rock formations and 360 degrees of Zion views! Awesome! We made it safely back to the lodge where we enjoyed some AC for a few hours and grabbed a (free!) meal.


Now it's off for an evening hike before hitting the road in the morning... California here we come!!


(PS-I have to add in a liner note to say that I do feel pangs of guilt for being in such an amazing national park without my family...our trips to the national parks growing up fueled my passion and appreciation for the awesomeness that is the national parks system! thanks mom and dad!)

Telluride

Taking the early driving shift, I donned my red bandanna and turned the radio on to ZZ Top La Grange. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty bad-ass. Bring on the altitude!




Driving through the beautiful Colorado mountains, rushing rivers and green valleys, we were glad we hadn't finished the drive to Telluride the night before. After a brief stop in Montrose to give the Honda some much-needed oil, we made it to Telluride by early afternoon.

Sidenote: In Montrose I saw the following business:

Thought not spelled with a 'ypt', I still thought the name was funny enough to share with whoever is out there reading!


We enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Telluride and took the gondola up the mountain where Malcolm and Meagan left for a mountain bike ride. Why, you may ask, did I not go on the ride? Good question. My bike is currently rusted to the top of the Honda, refusing to budge. Don't cry for me though, I got to walk around Telluride and grab a beer while watching the red cliffs change colors with the setting sun. Delicious espresso porter, how I love thee. A large dose of WD40 and some good old-fashioned cursing & threatening will get the bike loose in no time. It had better... Moab's next on the itinerary!

Into the Great Wide Open!

Hmm, how to explain a day spent driving across all of Kansas and Eastern Colorado??
We definitely saw our share of spacious skies and amber waves of grain, that's for sure! We stayed entertained by listening to borrowed books on tape (thanks Kate!) and trying to guess at what time the radio would stop scanning endlessly and land on an actual station. At times it would have been possible to knit a small sock without needing to put my hands back on the steering wheel. It was a beautiful drive though, especially once we left the interstate for a more rural highway where we passed right by massive farms and grain silos, as well as plenty of windmills. Thank you, American farmers!



We stopped in Colorado Springs to visit Costco (it had been over 3 weeks so Malcolm was getting the shakes) then headed into the Rockies in search of a place to pitch the tent. We were now traveling on Route 50, a road that technically passes less than a mile from my childhood home. Though that intersection may have been 2000 miles away, it still made me feel a little closer to home just being on 50!

It was amazing to drive through the mountains at dusk, winding along the river and watching the peaks slowly become silhouettes outlined by thousands of bright stars. We passed plenty of perfectly good campgrounds, but being the budget-obsessed grad students that we are, we refused to stop until we found a "economically priced" (aka: FREE) site off the road. Unfortunately, that happened to be AFTER we passed over the continental divide, but it was pretty cool to be up there in the middle of the night, with no one but the stars around.

Kansas City Here We Come!

Bellies full of homemade apple waffles and whipped cream, we waved goodbye to Hanna and Joe and headed West on a beautiful Kentucky parkway snacking on delicious cucumbers from H & J's garden. We raced towards St. Louis, where iphone promised us a big screen TV at BW3s for the World Cup Final! Congrats Spain!



The afternoon drive showcased some amazing thunderclouds, rain, rivers and wide open cornfields. We found a sweet blues station as we neared Kansas City and we jammed all the way to Elizabeth and Phil's home for an incredible meal and some local KC beers.

Favorite town name so far: Monkey Eyebrow, KY!

Nashville & Bowling Green

National Parks Count: 1!

We couldn't pass by Smoky Mountain NP without making a stop for a quick hike. A half an hour up a nice, gradual climb we came upon a series of deep swimming pools and waterfalls which made a perfect afternoon break from the road. Beautiful blue butterflies were everywhere!
On the way back to the interstate we passed by bus-loads of river-ready rafters, and made a mental note to come back to this spot with at least 3 days to spare. Back on the road we continued to cut through steep cliffs and beautiful green mountains.







































We arrived in Nashville around dinner time, meeting Hanna and Joe downtown outside of the Bridgestone Arena! The Scorpions Farewell Tour was in town, so people-watching had a higher than average entertainment value. We walked down to the waterfront, heard a little live music and grabbed a BBQ dinner overlooking Broad Street.

Asheville, NC

Leaving the shore and headed inland, we made good time, stopping for lunch to enjoy a much anticipated 5 Guys burger (because who knows if we'll be able to get artery-clogging food as delicious as this once we leave the east coast!?)

We got in town just in time to meet up with Matt & Neely and catch some live music at the newly opened Craggie Brewery (http://www.craggiebrewingco.com/) in downtown Asheville. Sipping on their summer seasonal Antebellum beer (flavored with ginger and molasses) and listening to David Allan Coe covers, it felt pretty good to be back below the mason-dixon line! We grabbed a pitcher and delicious pizza at Asheville Brewing Company (there are 10 breweries in Asheville!) then snuck in a little porch-sitting time before the end of the day.





Awakening to the beautiful view from the farmhouse porch (built in the 1880s), I said good morning to Neely's chickens (thanks for breakfast ladies) and "wild" turkeys. It would be easy to spend a week here exploring the town and the mountains, but the road beckons...

The Journey Begins

It's always easier to leave the beach when it's raining, and this morning we have that advantage. We've spent a great week at the Outer Banks with plenty of sun, waves, PBRs, delicious meals and great company!
Our belongings for the next 9 months are packed into the Honda, and we're ready to head West...Asheville here we come!