15 national parks, 12 national forests, and dozens of landmarks and other public lands in between. A 2 month cross-country tour via car focused around California and the Southwestern US.
I had a couple of days to kill before meeting my buddy Lenny and his west coast friends on the 4th of July for our backpacking trip through Stanislaus National Forest. One place on my list that happened to be nearby, is Bodie, California. Bodie is a California Gold Rush town located on the eastern …
Continue reading "There’s Gold in them hills – Bodie, CA"
After crossing into Nevada, I stopped at the gas station/hotel/restaurant just over the border. I had about a quarter of a tank of gas left, but the distances around these parts are awfully long. I wanted to make sure I wasn't stranded in the desert over the next two days. While I was filling up, …
I started my day early in an attempt to beat the crowds at Arches National Park. It was still the weekend so I assumed it would be crowded. I drove about 1 1/2 hours from the BLM Westwater campsite to make it to the Arches entry gate around 8:00. I planned on spending only a …
Continue reading "Arches National Park, Moab, and crossing Utah in a day"
The only other time I have visited Colorado was when I changed planes in Denver. Does that count? I only spent about 24 hours in Colorado this time around, but that was enough to make me want to come back very soon. From my Kansas campsite, I took Kansas route 25 to Leoti for some …
Continue reading "Over the Rockies – crossing Colorado through the Mountains (and dunes)"
After departing the Hocking Hills I decided, probably similar to a lot of people driving across the country, to put in some heavy miles through the heartland. The interstate and flatness of Indiana and Illinois encourage you to keep driving. I found a spot to stay for the night for a whopping $5 in Montrose, …
Say that 3 times fast! After a long night in Dolly Sods, I hit the road early and arrived in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio around noon. I don't know how, but Hocking Hills State Park wound up on my list of places to explore; and I'm glad it did. I don't think many …
It's been a while since my last post, and for good reason: I have been in the wilderness for most of the previous week. Saturday night I spent in Shenandoah National Park for a friend's birthday, and the past two nights I have been camping out on my cross country car ride; all with no …
Continue reading "Dolly Sods – a day (and night) to remember"
