I spent one night at the Canyonlands, NP. It's a very wilderness-focused park. There is only one car camping site with only twelve campsites in it. But, there are dozens of primitive campsites that you need 4 wheel drive to get to. It would be a backpacker's playground. Here I did some of the quietest and least crowded trails since Joshua Tree.
While making dinner I watched a small drama play out in the next campsite. It seems a couple of German tourists had showed up really early, filled out the self-registration form with yesterday's date, left nothing at the site and went to go hiking. A few hours later an older couple in an RV showed up, thought the site was empty and set up camp. Around dinner the Germans came back. Since both parties had paid for the site and both felt entitled to it, I thought there was going to be a squabble and there was no camp host to settle the dispute. In the end they all decided to share the site. I watched the four of them go from being really mad at each other to reaching an agreement to sharing wine and stories around the campfire. I thought it was nice how in the absence of any authority figure people will choose to get along.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Arches
When you live in a van, it's easy to forget what day it is. So when I got to the Arches and found every campsite full and the park crawling with people I was a little shocked. Until I remembered it was Friday at 5:00. I'd collided with the weekend traffic.
So I went a couple miles down the road to Moab and found a place that had some spots open. It's the must luxurious place I've stayed at so far. It's got a pool, laundry, showers and internet. It's also the most expensive place I've stayed. That's Ok. For once, it's nice to stay in a cushy place.
The Arches were beautiful. I was trying to take it easy on my knee, so I only went to see a few of them. Some of the coolest things I've seen so far.
Getting to the Arches was also amazing. From Bryce to Moab I think the landscape changed about 9 times. I started in a forest of Ponderosa Pines, then drove through some multi-colored cliffs and rock formations, then into a forest of Aspens that were just starting to change color. I think that was my favorite part.
I also stopped at Capitol Reef to pick some fruit. This time of year it was apples, although through the summer you can pick apricots, cherries, peaches and pears too. I didn't take any out with me because that costs money and I was out of cash at the time. But, I did get to sit in the orchard and eat a couple of apples which were really delicious!
Today I'm going to see if I can find a spot to camp in the Canyonlands.
So I went a couple miles down the road to Moab and found a place that had some spots open. It's the must luxurious place I've stayed at so far. It's got a pool, laundry, showers and internet. It's also the most expensive place I've stayed. That's Ok. For once, it's nice to stay in a cushy place.
The Arches were beautiful. I was trying to take it easy on my knee, so I only went to see a few of them. Some of the coolest things I've seen so far.
Getting to the Arches was also amazing. From Bryce to Moab I think the landscape changed about 9 times. I started in a forest of Ponderosa Pines, then drove through some multi-colored cliffs and rock formations, then into a forest of Aspens that were just starting to change color. I think that was my favorite part.
I also stopped at Capitol Reef to pick some fruit. This time of year it was apples, although through the summer you can pick apricots, cherries, peaches and pears too. I didn't take any out with me because that costs money and I was out of cash at the time. But, I did get to sit in the orchard and eat a couple of apples which were really delicious!
Today I'm going to see if I can find a spot to camp in the Canyonlands.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Zion and Bryce
I got to Zion around 5pm to find no camping spots whatsoever available. But, I was able to get a place a mile outside of the park. It wasn't too pretty, but it was a place to stay. I spent the whole day Wednesday exploring Zion. I did the Angel's Landing trail, which was scary beyond all reason but totally worth it. At the end you have to hold on to chains and climb up steep rocks to get to the top. So far, Zion is my favorite place. It was so beautiful everywhere I went. I easily could have spent a week there.
The next day I got to Bryce Canyon. It was a really short drive. Bryce is another of the many awesome places Southern Utah has to offer. I wasn't able to do too much hiking because my legs and knees were so sore from tramping all over Zion the day before.
I'm very much enjoying this trip, but certain things are starting to get to me. For example, the way European tourists have to stop and take pictures of every single mangy squirrel they see. They're like rats people. They bite and they have rabies.
Also, I'd like to pose a question: what is the deal with hiking poles? Do they actually help you hike, or are they just another scheme from REI to get more money out of people. If you have an answer to this question, please email me and let me know. Right now, it seems like all they do is enable one person to take up the whole trail while looking like a geek at the same time.
Well, I'm going to try to get to the Arches National Park today. But to get there I need to pass through Capitol Reef National Park. I've read that they have orchards there where you can pick your own fruit, and that sounds just too good to pass up.
The next day I got to Bryce Canyon. It was a really short drive. Bryce is another of the many awesome places Southern Utah has to offer. I wasn't able to do too much hiking because my legs and knees were so sore from tramping all over Zion the day before.
I'm very much enjoying this trip, but certain things are starting to get to me. For example, the way European tourists have to stop and take pictures of every single mangy squirrel they see. They're like rats people. They bite and they have rabies.
Also, I'd like to pose a question: what is the deal with hiking poles? Do they actually help you hike, or are they just another scheme from REI to get more money out of people. If you have an answer to this question, please email me and let me know. Right now, it seems like all they do is enable one person to take up the whole trail while looking like a geek at the same time.
Well, I'm going to try to get to the Arches National Park today. But to get there I need to pass through Capitol Reef National Park. I've read that they have orchards there where you can pick your own fruit, and that sounds just too good to pass up.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Grand Canyon
Another long hot drive through the desert. I spent one windy night outside of Phoenix before heading up to the Grand Canyon. All I know is that it was 85 degrees at 10am in that town and then all of a sudden I was at 7000 feet and the weather was perfect! I did a little hike into the canyon that went down only part of the way. If I had backpacking equipment I would have gone to the bottom. I guess that's a trip for another day.
So many tourists! But not as bad as Yosemite. And it was kind of nice to be around a lot of people for a change. I met a guy from Pennsylvania who was doing a similar kind of trip but not enjoying it as much. I guess he got laid off recently and decided to go see the Grand Canyon. I thought it was a great idea but he was so stressed about having to do so much driving by himself. He was continually paranoid about running out of gas or not having a safe spot to sleep. I hope he calms down or he'll never make it home.
Today I'm heading to Zion, which I've wanted to see for a long time. There are so many places to see in southern Utah, I hope I get to see at least most of them.
So many tourists! But not as bad as Yosemite. And it was kind of nice to be around a lot of people for a change. I met a guy from Pennsylvania who was doing a similar kind of trip but not enjoying it as much. I guess he got laid off recently and decided to go see the Grand Canyon. I thought it was a great idea but he was so stressed about having to do so much driving by himself. He was continually paranoid about running out of gas or not having a safe spot to sleep. I hope he calms down or he'll never make it home.
Today I'm heading to Zion, which I've wanted to see for a long time. There are so many places to see in southern Utah, I hope I get to see at least most of them.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Organ Pipe Cactus
I did a whole lot of driving through the desert yesterday. Finally made it to Organ Pipe Cactus. It's right on the boarder, so I got to talk to plenty of border patrol guys on my way down and back. I get the feeling that they get really bored just standing on the side of the highway in the desert all day, because their line of questioning doesn't always make a lot of sense. In California, they'd ask where I was born, look in the back of the van and tell me to move on. In Arizona, they want to chat about life, and that's fine.
I'm at a Tucson community college now. I had a really frustrating time trying to find a place with free internet. The public library here did, but it was slower than weekend traffic.
I'm going to slowly make my way up to the Grand Canyon from here. I've been pushing Babe really hard lately and I feel like she deserves a break. I'll try to find a couch in Phoenix if I can.
Oh, and the cool thing about Organ Pipe Cactus is how small and unused it is. I think there were about three or four other people besides me in the whole park. When you go to a place like Yosemite, you get flooded with people and the wildlife will come right up to you and ask for a handout. In a smaller place, you get the real peace and quiet, and the animals do what they're supposed to be doing: being wild.
I'm at a Tucson community college now. I had a really frustrating time trying to find a place with free internet. The public library here did, but it was slower than weekend traffic.
I'm going to slowly make my way up to the Grand Canyon from here. I've been pushing Babe really hard lately and I feel like she deserves a break. I'll try to find a couch in Phoenix if I can.
Oh, and the cool thing about Organ Pipe Cactus is how small and unused it is. I think there were about three or four other people besides me in the whole park. When you go to a place like Yosemite, you get flooded with people and the wildlife will come right up to you and ask for a handout. In a smaller place, you get the real peace and quiet, and the animals do what they're supposed to be doing: being wild.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Slab City and Joshua Tree
Man, it's hot out here. It's only 10:30 and I'm sweating buckets. I'm writing this from inside Babe in Blythe, CA in the parking lot of some popular hotel chain. My computer battery is running low, so I'll have to type quick.
Slab City was awesome. For those who don't know, Slab City used to be some kind of a military building that was knocked down years and years ago. The foundations of the building remain and anyone with an RV, van or two legs is free to camp out on it. There are a handful of permanent residents who live there year round. Some just come to stay through the winter before moving on. I was there for one night, and it was quiet and peaceful. When I woke up in the morning, I visited Salvation Mountain. It's a huge work of art done by one of the Slab's permanent residents. Every day he gets up and paints this hillside. You can see it from miles away. He's also very friendly and willing to give tours. Most people on the Slab are there to be away from the rest of society. The overall feeling seems to be 'live and let live'. They're kind enough people, but they value their solitude.
After checking out what the Slab had to offer, I went north to Joshua Tree. Such a beautiful place. I stay two nights and spent a lot of time climbing around on rocks. If you're reading this and you're a climber, Joshua Tree should be on your list of places to go. The sunset was my favorite time of day there. It was so beautiful to see the colors on the rocks. After that the stars come out and you can see so many....There were a group of teenagers playing the didgeridoo one night. It was great except they were'nt so good at that circular breathing and they didn't seem to have a sense of rhythm. Eh, good for trying.
My plan now is to head to the very southern part of Arizona and stay a night or two at Organ Pipe Cactus National Park. After that I might head to the northern end of the state.
Finger Count: still 0. What can I say, people are nice.
License Plate Count: Hawaii, Alaska, Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, Pensylvania, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, British Columbia and Baja California. Wow.
Slab City was awesome. For those who don't know, Slab City used to be some kind of a military building that was knocked down years and years ago. The foundations of the building remain and anyone with an RV, van or two legs is free to camp out on it. There are a handful of permanent residents who live there year round. Some just come to stay through the winter before moving on. I was there for one night, and it was quiet and peaceful. When I woke up in the morning, I visited Salvation Mountain. It's a huge work of art done by one of the Slab's permanent residents. Every day he gets up and paints this hillside. You can see it from miles away. He's also very friendly and willing to give tours. Most people on the Slab are there to be away from the rest of society. The overall feeling seems to be 'live and let live'. They're kind enough people, but they value their solitude.
After checking out what the Slab had to offer, I went north to Joshua Tree. Such a beautiful place. I stay two nights and spent a lot of time climbing around on rocks. If you're reading this and you're a climber, Joshua Tree should be on your list of places to go. The sunset was my favorite time of day there. It was so beautiful to see the colors on the rocks. After that the stars come out and you can see so many....There were a group of teenagers playing the didgeridoo one night. It was great except they were'nt so good at that circular breathing and they didn't seem to have a sense of rhythm. Eh, good for trying.
My plan now is to head to the very southern part of Arizona and stay a night or two at Organ Pipe Cactus National Park. After that I might head to the northern end of the state.
Finger Count: still 0. What can I say, people are nice.
License Plate Count: Hawaii, Alaska, Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, Pensylvania, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, British Columbia and Baja California. Wow.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Los Angeles and San Diego
So many people so little time. I spent a couple of nights at Steph's place. She rents a room in an enormous house in the Glendale area that has an amazing view of downtown. I slept in a loft and could see the lights from where my bed was.
I visited David and Carol, who couldn't let me go without giving me a whole box of grapefruits from their tree. I won't be getting scurvy on this trip.
Amber now lives with her sister in San Diego. They have a dog and two kittens which were really entertaining. Unfortunately, I had my first big casualty of the road. I backed Babe straight into a lamp post and lost part of the rear bumper. Oh, well. It was very cool to see all these people again. I've been sleeping on the couch at Amber's for the past two nights. Now I'm taking off into the real desert. My first stop is going to be Slab City, somewhere in Imperial County. It's not shown on any maps, but I'm confident I can find it.
As of now, I'm not sure when I'll next have access to the internet since I intend to head to Joshua Tree from Slab City and then into Arizona somewhere.
I visited David and Carol, who couldn't let me go without giving me a whole box of grapefruits from their tree. I won't be getting scurvy on this trip.
Amber now lives with her sister in San Diego. They have a dog and two kittens which were really entertaining. Unfortunately, I had my first big casualty of the road. I backed Babe straight into a lamp post and lost part of the rear bumper. Oh, well. It was very cool to see all these people again. I've been sleeping on the couch at Amber's for the past two nights. Now I'm taking off into the real desert. My first stop is going to be Slab City, somewhere in Imperial County. It's not shown on any maps, but I'm confident I can find it.
As of now, I'm not sure when I'll next have access to the internet since I intend to head to Joshua Tree from Slab City and then into Arizona somewhere.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Venice
I got to Annie's house quicker than I expected last night. We went for $1 taco night at a Mexican place near her house. I packed away 5 chicken tacos.
Since Annie has to work at both jobs today and won't get home until much later, I decided to stay for just one night and then head over to Steph's place. While Annie and Chad worked, I took the opportunity to hang out at Venice Beach.
Such a weird place. Of course, it's not as cool as it used to be. But nothing is as cool as it used to be these days. That seems to be the consensus everywhere I go. I did some reading on the beach and walked all the way to Santa Monica Pier which recently celebrated its' 100th birthday.
I guess being in Venice got me in the mood to do something 'alternative' so I got my nose pierced by a pregnant lady on the main drag. It only took about 30 seconds and it doesn't even hurt any more.
Around 3:00, the guys who try to hand out their own CD's started coming out, and they can be really obnoxious, so I went back to Annie and Chad's to hang out. They were generous enough to leave me a set of keys for the day. Pretty soon Steph will call and give me some directions. It may be the hardest part of my road trip to drive across L.A. at 6:00 at night, but I'm prepared to try.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Breakfast on the Beach
Today I leave SB for LA. Danni made me pasta for dinner last night. I never turn down food these days. This morning's breakfast was hummus and pita bread from Trader Joe's. Still using up those food stamps. I ate it on the beach while making coffee on my camping stove. I missed the beaches in Santa Barbara so much. I know there are plenty of other beaches out there, but for some reason these ones are the most special to me. I watched the pelicans diving for fish.
As I packed up to go I met a crusty one-legged hippie on a bicycle and we got to talking. He gave me an avocado from his friend's tree and told me he would send me good vibes. I think that will be all I need to get to LA. Maybe some gas...
Thanks to Danni, a roommate for life, for letting me stay on her couch. She's doing a cleanse right now and studying for the GRE's. I should have told that hippie guy to send some vibes her way.
When I get to Annie's house in LA, I'm gonna head straight to the shower. I'm overdue.
Another state for the License Plate Counter: New York
As I packed up to go I met a crusty one-legged hippie on a bicycle and we got to talking. He gave me an avocado from his friend's tree and told me he would send me good vibes. I think that will be all I need to get to LA. Maybe some gas...
Thanks to Danni, a roommate for life, for letting me stay on her couch. She's doing a cleanse right now and studying for the GRE's. I should have told that hippie guy to send some vibes her way.
When I get to Annie's house in LA, I'm gonna head straight to the shower. I'm overdue.
Another state for the License Plate Counter: New York
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Counts
So far I've come up with two things I would like to keep track of. The first is the number of times I get the finger while on the road.
Finger Count: 0
So far everyone's been really nice. Or maybe my driving has just been really awesome, I don't know.
I also want to see if I see a license plate from each state. So far I have
California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Washington, Florida, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Minnesota and Louisiana.
And all I did was go from Pacifica to Santa Barbara!
Finger Count: 0
So far everyone's been really nice. Or maybe my driving has just been really awesome, I don't know.
I also want to see if I see a license plate from each state. So far I have
California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Washington, Florida, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Minnesota and Louisiana.
And all I did was go from Pacifica to Santa Barbara!
Here it Goes
I left Pacifica yesterday morning. I passed my time there by playing with Sean, reading The Satanic Verses and eating foods with a high caloric intake. The more butter the better, I thought.
So it figures that no more than a half hour out of Pacifica I ran over something in the road and busted my right reer tire completely flat. Never found out what it was, but my good friends at AAA were friendly and helpful as usual. They always sound so sympathetic when I call them. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that ma'am."
My spare, which was a full-size thank god, got me all the way to Santa Barbara where Costco kindly supplied me with a new tire.
Today I spent at the beach.
Tommorrow, I leave for L.A.
So it figures that no more than a half hour out of Pacifica I ran over something in the road and busted my right reer tire completely flat. Never found out what it was, but my good friends at AAA were friendly and helpful as usual. They always sound so sympathetic when I call them. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that ma'am."
My spare, which was a full-size thank god, got me all the way to Santa Barbara where Costco kindly supplied me with a new tire.
Today I spent at the beach.
Tommorrow, I leave for L.A.
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