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)"
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"
Gear List I know what you are thinking: Delaware, how exotic! It's not a tropical paradise, but in the summer, the Delaware beaches have a lot to offer if you are looking for water adventures. The beaches are the main attraction of course, but across the highway there are some sparsely explored bays, rivers, and …
Continue reading "Paddling – 2 days through the ICW, Indian River, and Atlantic Ocean"
Once you have completed the C&O canal from DC to Cumberland, you can continue directly onto the Great Allegheny Passage, or GAP for short. The GAP has a much better reputation among cyclists. The surface is crushed stone which is very tightly packed. It is also meticulously maintained. I saw crews in multiple locations either …
Continue reading "Shooting the GAP – biking the Great Allegheny Passage in two days (or less)"
The C&O Towpath (trail) is 184.5 miles long and runs parallel to the Potomac River and the partially-completed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. It runs from Washington DC to Cumberland MD (it never made it to the Ohio River). I have a history with this trail. On two occasions I have attempted to complete the entire …
Continue reading "The C&O Canal Towpath – biking North in two days"
Ideally I would have started today's ride at 9, but 10 at the latest. I was able to get myself out of bed at 7:30, so I had a shot to start earlyish. I stayed up at my friend Allen's place playing some bizarre video games until 11pm the night before. Probably should have gone …
Continue reading "It’s really good to have friends – day 2 on the bike tour"
So the plan was to start early; no later than 9. However I didn't sleep well the previous two nights so I allowed myself to catch up on sleep. So I wound up getting up at 9 and not leaving until about 11:30. I think it was worth it. I didn't want to start the …
Continue reading "The first day is the hardest – starting a bike tour"
