This is Libbie, writing from San Jose.
Two days ago we drove from the Grand Canyon to the Eastern Sierra Nevadas, which was...a day full of driving. Mostly through the desert. We did see a lot of truck-stop brothels at random intervals along the highway, which is something I don't really want to think about.
Once we hit the foothills of the Sierras the weather turned cloudy and cooler...just like Seattle! We felt at home.
We set up camp at Oh Ridge, since all the campsites in Yosemite were full. Oh Ridge was pretty and the people were friendly, but the facilities were total bunk. Come on, Oh Ridge. Get your act together. We paid a lot more to camp there than we paid to camp in some of the National Parks. Yes, I am griping.
We couldn't get out of Oh Ridge fast enough, so in the morning we fixed a fast cold breakfast of Nutella on bread, juice, and granola bars, packed up camp, and escaped in record time.
We were in Yosemite by 8:00 a.m. and it was amazing!! I haven't been to Yosemite since I was about 14 or 15, maybe a little younger, and Paul had never been there before, so we had a wonderful time exploring, taking in all the awesome sites, and climbing up big huge rocks.
Since we weren't planning on going on any big hikes, we were able to get out of the park and into San Jose with plenty of time to catch one of the later tours at the Winchester Mystery House, and that was totally cool as well. I definitely recommend it if you're ever in San Jose.
Now we're preparing to head off to the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway 101 north.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Days 5,6, and 7!
Hola!
This be Pauly filling you guys in on Days 5-7!
So from SLC we went, getting all nice and tidied for the next couple of days of camping. We shot Southeast to the Arches in where we made great time. so great we had time to check out a couple of the good ones along the way, notably: Delicate Arch, Window Arch, and Sand Dune Arch. I HIGHLY suggest checking out Sand Dune arch if you find yourself at the National Park. It is in a secluded group of rocks, you have to walk into a little cave-like entrance and then you are inside with red rock all around and red sand beneath your feet. Libbie and I went around sunset. we had the place to ourselves and watch the sun go down between a crack in the rock wall-it was amazing!
Also to note we stayed at the Devil's Garden Campground for only 20 bucks-best site we've been to so far and I suspect the rest of the trip. The view and amenities were outstanding and firewood was cheap.
From there we headed down South more into Arizona and pulled into Grand Canyon National Park with more than enough time to hit some awesome trails and viewpoints. It was Libbie's first time and it was simply amazing to see some of the areas I had not been to yet. Down the road we told ourselves that we will visit again and take one of the trails down. Our site was pretty cool, but the ground had rocks all over it and I had a helluva time staking the tent. All in all though a great day and a good night since it was still warm.
Today we awoke early and got a good enough start to reach Hoover Dam around noon. The weird thing was the turn off has changed since I last drove up and we had to drive back on the Nevada side. Turns out they finished constructing this major bridge since I last visited to take most of the traffic off of the dam. It was a nice walk and we got some good photos. Libbie even got a little vertigo looking down the dam. Also it bears admitting I had a "Dam Dog" for lunch, got a sticker and everything.
From there we headed straight to Vegas where we checked into our nice room at the Excalibur, got some tickets for the "Blue Man Group" tonight, and am about to hit the town and grab some dinner at "Battista's Hole in the Wall".
Tomorrow we will strike out West again towards Yosemite and be camping from here on in. We will try to update again as best we can-hard to find good signal out here.
Until next time...VIVA LAS VEGAS!
P.S. I don't have the official numbers with me, but I am whipping Libbie at Slug-Bug!
-Pauly
This be Pauly filling you guys in on Days 5-7!
So from SLC we went, getting all nice and tidied for the next couple of days of camping. We shot Southeast to the Arches in where we made great time. so great we had time to check out a couple of the good ones along the way, notably: Delicate Arch, Window Arch, and Sand Dune Arch. I HIGHLY suggest checking out Sand Dune arch if you find yourself at the National Park. It is in a secluded group of rocks, you have to walk into a little cave-like entrance and then you are inside with red rock all around and red sand beneath your feet. Libbie and I went around sunset. we had the place to ourselves and watch the sun go down between a crack in the rock wall-it was amazing!
Also to note we stayed at the Devil's Garden Campground for only 20 bucks-best site we've been to so far and I suspect the rest of the trip. The view and amenities were outstanding and firewood was cheap.
From there we headed down South more into Arizona and pulled into Grand Canyon National Park with more than enough time to hit some awesome trails and viewpoints. It was Libbie's first time and it was simply amazing to see some of the areas I had not been to yet. Down the road we told ourselves that we will visit again and take one of the trails down. Our site was pretty cool, but the ground had rocks all over it and I had a helluva time staking the tent. All in all though a great day and a good night since it was still warm.
Today we awoke early and got a good enough start to reach Hoover Dam around noon. The weird thing was the turn off has changed since I last drove up and we had to drive back on the Nevada side. Turns out they finished constructing this major bridge since I last visited to take most of the traffic off of the dam. It was a nice walk and we got some good photos. Libbie even got a little vertigo looking down the dam. Also it bears admitting I had a "Dam Dog" for lunch, got a sticker and everything.
From there we headed straight to Vegas where we checked into our nice room at the Excalibur, got some tickets for the "Blue Man Group" tonight, and am about to hit the town and grab some dinner at "Battista's Hole in the Wall".
Tomorrow we will strike out West again towards Yosemite and be camping from here on in. We will try to update again as best we can-hard to find good signal out here.
Until next time...VIVA LAS VEGAS!
P.S. I don't have the official numbers with me, but I am whipping Libbie at Slug-Bug!
-Pauly
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Days 2, 3, and 4
Hellloooooo, friends! This is Libbie, filling you in with all the exciting details of the past three days of Rad Trip.
Let's see, where to begin...
We discovered in the middle of the night our first night of camping that our camp site was very near an active train track. So we were both jolted awake in a panic as a freight train roared by our tent. Surprise! After the first one, the rest weren't so shocking. We didn't get much sleep that first night in Montana, but at least the stars were awesome.
In the morning we headed south to Yellowstone, where we walked among the geysers and took lots of pictures. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm but not hot, and as the sun set we came across a herd of elk grazing among the geyser basin at West Thumb. It was amazing! We kept our distance, though, and watched them from afar.
That night we got all fancy and cooked grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup over the campfire. We camped in Grant Campground, a very busy campsite, and sadly we were kept awake all damn night by the hippie family in the spot next to ours, who thought it was a marvelous idea to bring their sick baby on a camping trip. In the Rockies. In September. The poor kid was hacking and crying all night, and we got no sleep. Plus, we discovered that my sleeping bag sucks and I froze all night. We left our campsite in a cranky mood, but fortunately we arrived at Old Faithful exactly on time to see it erupt. A little coffee put us to rights and we headed down to Grand Teton National Park.
We lucked out big-time and got one of the last campsites available at Jenny Lake, a tent-only area that I highly recommend if you are a car camper. I read online that the Jenny Lake site might be the most beautiful campsite in the entire National Parks system, and I believe it. The scenery in our campsite was unbelievable. The Teton Range was so close we might have touched it, and the lack of RVs in the campground meant there was minimal noise and minimal kids.
We took a short hike along the Leigh Lake trail but turned back when clouds began to gather. An afternoon nap helped make up for the previous night's hippie-induced sleeplessness, then we took in a fascinating ranger talk on nocturnal animals, in which Paul volunteered to read the part of the Snowshoe Hair in an educational presentation. He pronounced the word "crepuscular" like a champ.
In our quiet, secluded camp site we built a fantastic fire and chilled out in the peaceful dusk. The sky was gorgeous, the most incredible cobalt blue color shining through the clouds. We turned in for the night and slept much, much better than the previous evening. In fact, we actually got a good night's sleep, a rare thing on a camping trip. We were only awakened by a gentle rain shower, and thank goodness, the tent held up fine.
In the morning we struck camp and passed through Jackson on our way south. When Paul saw the antler arches (you know what I mean if you've been to Jackson!) we had to stop and poke around downtown for an hour. I was happy to note that Paul seemed genuinely impressed by Jackson. He even dragged me into a souvenir shop. With that kind of enthusiasm for the town, I think I might convince him some day to join me in my secret lifelong goal: own a vacation home in Jackson. Wooo!
We were delayed by construction and insane speed limit fluctuations as we continued south to Utah, but we made it into Salt Lake City by about 3:30. A much-needed shower was in order as soon as we found a room for the night, and then we headed to Tracy Aviary, where I was an intern two years ago, and where I made an ass of myself talking to the birds in that special stupid voice I use to talk to birds. It was awesome.
We've had dinner -- our first "real" non-camp food in four days -- and soon we'll be heading out to check out Temple Square at night and prowl around downtown SLC on foot, while I continue to bombard poor Paul with stories of when I lived in SLC. This is payback for all his stories about guns that I don't get.
Tomorrow we head on to Arches, then the Grand Canyon, and the following day, Vegas. So you won't hear from us again until Vegas day, when we have internet access once more.
Until then...!
Let's see, where to begin...
We discovered in the middle of the night our first night of camping that our camp site was very near an active train track. So we were both jolted awake in a panic as a freight train roared by our tent. Surprise! After the first one, the rest weren't so shocking. We didn't get much sleep that first night in Montana, but at least the stars were awesome.
In the morning we headed south to Yellowstone, where we walked among the geysers and took lots of pictures. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm but not hot, and as the sun set we came across a herd of elk grazing among the geyser basin at West Thumb. It was amazing! We kept our distance, though, and watched them from afar.
That night we got all fancy and cooked grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup over the campfire. We camped in Grant Campground, a very busy campsite, and sadly we were kept awake all damn night by the hippie family in the spot next to ours, who thought it was a marvelous idea to bring their sick baby on a camping trip. In the Rockies. In September. The poor kid was hacking and crying all night, and we got no sleep. Plus, we discovered that my sleeping bag sucks and I froze all night. We left our campsite in a cranky mood, but fortunately we arrived at Old Faithful exactly on time to see it erupt. A little coffee put us to rights and we headed down to Grand Teton National Park.
We lucked out big-time and got one of the last campsites available at Jenny Lake, a tent-only area that I highly recommend if you are a car camper. I read online that the Jenny Lake site might be the most beautiful campsite in the entire National Parks system, and I believe it. The scenery in our campsite was unbelievable. The Teton Range was so close we might have touched it, and the lack of RVs in the campground meant there was minimal noise and minimal kids.
We took a short hike along the Leigh Lake trail but turned back when clouds began to gather. An afternoon nap helped make up for the previous night's hippie-induced sleeplessness, then we took in a fascinating ranger talk on nocturnal animals, in which Paul volunteered to read the part of the Snowshoe Hair in an educational presentation. He pronounced the word "crepuscular" like a champ.
In our quiet, secluded camp site we built a fantastic fire and chilled out in the peaceful dusk. The sky was gorgeous, the most incredible cobalt blue color shining through the clouds. We turned in for the night and slept much, much better than the previous evening. In fact, we actually got a good night's sleep, a rare thing on a camping trip. We were only awakened by a gentle rain shower, and thank goodness, the tent held up fine.
In the morning we struck camp and passed through Jackson on our way south. When Paul saw the antler arches (you know what I mean if you've been to Jackson!) we had to stop and poke around downtown for an hour. I was happy to note that Paul seemed genuinely impressed by Jackson. He even dragged me into a souvenir shop. With that kind of enthusiasm for the town, I think I might convince him some day to join me in my secret lifelong goal: own a vacation home in Jackson. Wooo!
We were delayed by construction and insane speed limit fluctuations as we continued south to Utah, but we made it into Salt Lake City by about 3:30. A much-needed shower was in order as soon as we found a room for the night, and then we headed to Tracy Aviary, where I was an intern two years ago, and where I made an ass of myself talking to the birds in that special stupid voice I use to talk to birds. It was awesome.
We've had dinner -- our first "real" non-camp food in four days -- and soon we'll be heading out to check out Temple Square at night and prowl around downtown SLC on foot, while I continue to bombard poor Paul with stories of when I lived in SLC. This is payback for all his stories about guns that I don't get.
Tomorrow we head on to Arches, then the Grand Canyon, and the following day, Vegas. So you won't hear from us again until Vegas day, when we have internet access once more.
Until then...!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Spokane Update
Taking a break in great ol' Spokane. Had to grab some cash and some coffee for the drive ahead, still have to hit Montana...
Few things we've noticed on the way east:
1) There are A LOT of Ford Mustangs when you enter Spokane, it was really kind of creepy.
2) The dry/dusty climate makes it possible for Libbie to sing an entire octave lower.
3) For some reason people felt like backing up traffic for miles to just slow down and admire a small car show...ugh. This in turn delayed us a good hour.
*Slug-Bug Counter*
While Libbie started with the first Slug-Bug of the trip and held the lead for a good couple of hours, I have prevailed and pulled ahead mightily...the count stands:
Libbie: 15
Paul: 17
You'd be amazed on how many you'll find along the backroads and in the small towns on Highway 2.
We're expecting to get into our campsite late tonight, but thankfully this is the longest drive on our trip.
-Pauly
Few things we've noticed on the way east:
1) There are A LOT of Ford Mustangs when you enter Spokane, it was really kind of creepy.
2) The dry/dusty climate makes it possible for Libbie to sing an entire octave lower.
3) For some reason people felt like backing up traffic for miles to just slow down and admire a small car show...ugh. This in turn delayed us a good hour.
*Slug-Bug Counter*
While Libbie started with the first Slug-Bug of the trip and held the lead for a good couple of hours, I have prevailed and pulled ahead mightily...the count stands:
Libbie: 15
Paul: 17
You'd be amazed on how many you'll find along the backroads and in the small towns on Highway 2.
We're expecting to get into our campsite late tonight, but thankfully this is the longest drive on our trip.
-Pauly
Here we go!
Well while Libbie gets ready I'll throw in my two cents...
Really excited to get this trip started, always love a good road trip when I can get one, and we will be doing A LOT of camping which will be both exciting AND save us a ton of money-EAT IT MOTEL 6!
Our car of choice will be Libbie's '07 Hyundai Tucson with it's mighty four cylinder screaming down the highways and byways! We thought against the Jeep for two main reasons:
1) Overall space and comfort.
2) A/C.
Let's hope for a smooth ride with this automotive beast! :)
Check in whenever you guys can! We will update the blog as much as possible!
Also there will be an update at the end of every day with the official Slug-Bug count. This one is for all the chips folks-Battle of the Sexes! Let's hear it for the Y-chromosomes!
Alrighty, packing up the last of it, talk to ya later!
-Pauly
Really excited to get this trip started, always love a good road trip when I can get one, and we will be doing A LOT of camping which will be both exciting AND save us a ton of money-EAT IT MOTEL 6!
Our car of choice will be Libbie's '07 Hyundai Tucson with it's mighty four cylinder screaming down the highways and byways! We thought against the Jeep for two main reasons:
1) Overall space and comfort.
2) A/C.
Let's hope for a smooth ride with this automotive beast! :)
Check in whenever you guys can! We will update the blog as much as possible!
Also there will be an update at the end of every day with the official Slug-Bug count. This one is for all the chips folks-Battle of the Sexes! Let's hear it for the Y-chromosomes!
Alrighty, packing up the last of it, talk to ya later!
-Pauly
Embarkation
After a night of puttering around Lake Union on a dinghy, we are about to set out on our two-week car tour of nine states, seven National Parks, two State Parks, three cities, one dam, and one Granny's house. We're pretty excited.
The first leg of our trip will take us across Eastern Washington, the Idaho panhandle, and into Montana, where we'll camp. We will be camping for most of the trip, in fact, which should be fun and hopefully won't get us et by bears. I love camping, provided I can sleep on a thick enough air mattress that my back doesn't get whacked out and I can stay warm enough. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of birds hopping around my tent wall, and to the smell of the morning air in an undeveloped area of woodland or desert. And I love campfires, and camp food, and everything but trying to get dressed in a tent I can't stand up in.
I also really enjoy hiking, and we'll get lots of opportunity to go on some good scenic hikes.
I assume Paul also likes these things, since he didn't raise any objections, but who knows.
Well...it's about time for me to take my shower so we can hit the road. We need to stop by the grocery store and fill our cooler with ice and perishable food so we don't try to live off nothing but beef jerky and dried pasta.
-Libbie
The first leg of our trip will take us across Eastern Washington, the Idaho panhandle, and into Montana, where we'll camp. We will be camping for most of the trip, in fact, which should be fun and hopefully won't get us et by bears. I love camping, provided I can sleep on a thick enough air mattress that my back doesn't get whacked out and I can stay warm enough. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of birds hopping around my tent wall, and to the smell of the morning air in an undeveloped area of woodland or desert. And I love campfires, and camp food, and everything but trying to get dressed in a tent I can't stand up in.
I also really enjoy hiking, and we'll get lots of opportunity to go on some good scenic hikes.
I assume Paul also likes these things, since he didn't raise any objections, but who knows.
Well...it's about time for me to take my shower so we can hit the road. We need to stop by the grocery store and fill our cooler with ice and perishable food so we don't try to live off nothing but beef jerky and dried pasta.
-Libbie
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