Jesus, Are We There Yet?

humidity

2007-07-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

People talk about dry heat like it's no big deal. That it's not that bad & that a person can stand 20 more degrees in dry heat than in humidity. This has always seemed a bit crazy & being out west didn't seal the deal. However ... returning to the humidity puts everything in perspective!

At Andy & Tammy's (Betsy's brother & sister-in-law's house) in Des Moines Iowa, I went out to the car to pack my bags for the flight (the exploded trunk & back car seat just wasn't gonna cut it for the plane, I was sure of it!) at, oh, 8 in the morning. It was probably 80 or so degrees (I remind you, I've been in 100+ weather for a couple weeks so it didn't feel at all bad) & I about died!! I was still sweating after I returned inside - in fact, Betsy made a funny comment about how soaked I still was 10 minutes after I'd been in air conditioning!

Every day for the last 6 weeks I've done some sort of travel by foot, so this morning I thought I'd start out my first day back in Virginia with a walk/jog (the impetus for this little entry) & I about died (notice a theme?)! So I've got some adjusting to do to the weather. Either that, or my friends and family in Virginia are gonna have to get used to me being a bit stinky :)

Anyway. What did we (Betsy & I) do in the humidified portion of our trip?

Well, first of all, we used the air conditioning in the car more than any other time out west!
We visited/crashed of the futons of some of her amazing friends and family.
Hung out with some adorable & feisty children.
Ate a veggie burger in southern Minnesota (sorry, no nasty picture this time, just evidence of being back in Minnesota).

Saw some corn.
Okay, a LOT of corn.
Went to a Twins game & this sweet hippyish t-shirt/bumper sticker store in Minneapolis called Northern Sun.

Without the flash (so you can actually tell ... kinda ... that we're actually at the stadium)

With the flash (so you can see our lovely faces & Twins get-up)

And ended it all with a trip to the airport where I learned an incredible lesson: don't mix airlines - do the layover thing all you want, but don't switch airlines. Especially, of all places, in Chicago, because getting my butt from one terminal to the opposite side of the airport in Chicago is one ridiculous thing, but expecting people who don't care about my luggage to get my luggage from one side of the airport to the other in Chicago is a whole nuther thing. (Good usage of "nuther", eh?)

So that's that! There's LOTS we both learned about ourselves & each other - for me about (maybe) what I'd like to do with my life, about how life ought to be (& ought NOT to be), about who I am when life isn't forcing down stress & obligations. Okay, when I'M not forcing stress & obligations on myself. All amazing lessons! We've got lots ... & lots ... & lots of pictures to show & stories to tell. Betsy's getting ordained in a week! (Holy crap, I know! How amazing is that?) And we've got all kinds of catching up to do with you all. Thanks for following us along in this journey. It's been a blast!

Betsy ... any last thoughts? Any interest in putting ordination pics on this little blog here?

RMNP

2007-07-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Before we began the long trek home Beth and I decided to stop at one last National Park - Rocky Mountain National Park! Yesterday we headed from Grand Junction up through Granby, Colorado and into the park. We did the Trail Ridge Road. For those who don't know Trail Ridge is the longest continuous highway above the tree line in the U.S. It is 11 miles long and absolutely beautiful. We had a nice drive even with some bad weather and road construction. Road construction on switchbacks with no guard rails is creepy - that's all I have to say!

Once we came down from Trail Ridge we headed into Estes Park to find a place to stay for the night. Strangely, all the campgrounds were filled but not the hostel right in the center of town. Perhaps the hostels availability on a Saturday in the summer should have been a clue to us about the hostel's hospitality. Needless to say, we were spoiled by the hostel in San Francisco but had a good time in Estes Park even though the hostel there was a bit shady.

This morning we got up and with our new friend Emily that we made at the hostel. We headed back up into RMNP to go on a 4 mile hike past three beautiful lakes. The pictures below show some of the beauty! After the hike we headed on the road for the wilds (haha) of Nebraska!!

you're in the wrong state, honey!

2007-07-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

A real sign in Nebraska. Really!

Anyway ... rather than setting up a tent for the last time in the pouring rain & lightening, then packing it up wet (it's humid in Nebraska!), flying it to Virginia & cleaning a been-wet-for-four-days tent that's borrowed to begin with, we copped out & opted for a super cheap, but super nice motel room in Kearne, Nebraska. Call us wimps, wusses, whatever you like - we need a good night's sleep & food that's not cooked from the back of the car. It turns out, camp food does wear on a person!

So we asked the woman at the desk of this little independently owned motel where a good place to grab dinner would be & she thought for a second before Beth said "oh, & I'm a vegetarian." The look on her face was priceless - as in "you're a vege-what?" Then she ACTUALLY SAID: "You're in the wrong state for that!" And THEN ... she recommended a STEAK HOUSE because they might have a salad bar!!!

We went for pizza. And it was delicious!

And we'll be leaving Nebraska tomorrow ASAP ... right after we sleep in!

One redeeming fact about Nebraska: apparently, it's the home of Arbor Day!

McArches

2007-07-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Moab, Utah. Not only a place for free, plush internet ... but also where there are apparently "real live Mormans" (you'll have to ask Betsy)! Between visiting Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, we bummed around 2 places in Moab: this amazing pizza place called Zak's & the T-Shirt Shop.

At Zak's, we discovered Chasing Tail beer. Incredible. Really.

At the T-Shirt Shop, we met this hysterical & incredibly confident 19-year old, Kyra, who thought we were 19 & 20. So flattering ... thanks, Kyra! The T-Shirt Shop is one of these places you either bring your own shirt in or buy one there & they print cool designs on it for pretty cheap. Exhibit A:

So then on to Arches! Arches National Park is one of those places like Sequoia, where the natural wonder is so strange it's hard to capture in picture. The creation of an arch goes well beyond my ability to comprehend. Why don't they just fall in? How does the middle fall out before the top erodes? And on and on.

And the pictures:

This first one is Delicate Arch &, while you can see it from an overlook, the 1 1/5 mile or so hike there is totally worth it. See how tiny we are!

And from a different perspective, now Betsy is a giant! (We had some super nice folks from New Jersey teach us this optical illusion trick. Gotta love people from the East Coast!)

This was my (Beth's) favorite arch - no, it wasn't called tree arch, but Landscape Arch. In 91 or 95, a huge piece broke off from underneath - back when the trail led underneath the arch. Now, they discourage that. Go figure!

McDonald's Arches. Where they don't sell amazing Veggie Burgers! Have we mentioned this phenomenon to you yet? Turns out in my couple years of vegesaurusism, I hadn't been introduced to the BK Veggie Burger. Thanks to Betsy, now I have, & now I'm in trouble!

Mmm ... browned lettuce, just the way fast food should be!

These are called double arch, because ... well, you can see through both at the same time.

And this is Balanced Rock. Anyone need me to explain what's going on here?

Last night we crashed with a friend of Robert's (Betsy's boyfriend) in Grand Junction, CO. Not only was dinner great & the roof over our heads a godsend, the company was fantastic! Thanks, Brandon!

So today begins the drive back to Minnesota. (Single tear.) Tonight we'll stay in Rocky Mountain National Park (where there are trees!!), tomorrow in Nebraska ... somewhere ... and Monday night with Betsy's brother in Iowa. In Minneapolis, we'll pay a visit to REI (of course) & Potbelly for some sandwiches, crash in a cheap hotel & off I go to DC Wednesday morning. So strange that the trip is nearly over ... although no worries, I'm sure we have more blogging to do! It's never a dull moment, really!!

One long blog ...

2007-07-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Moab, Utah. Where most of the adventure companies rent ATVs rather than hiking boots & pro wrestling is playing on the TV in the lounge we're stealing interweb on. Yup - that's right ... we've upgraded from parking lot interweb theft! We're bold enough to walk right in with our computers (although, of COURSE we asked first).

Let's see ... where have we been? Canyonlands mostly, along with some on-the-road time. Here are some pictures

First (guess who's writing this blog), some trees!

This is an aspen. Quaking aspen, actually, but not the leaves, just a cool branch that looks like a zebra. Aspens had me fooled at first because they look like birches from far away, but they're not! I'm sure I'll have more aspen pics from Colorado (where we're heading tomorrow).

There were 2 trees at our campsite last night: the Pinyan & the Utah Juniper. Both very cool (of course). Here are pics of them ... do you know which is which?

And finally, a close-up of a yucca (can't remember what kind & my tree book is in the car). These are short shrubby things - actually, they look like little spikey spider plants with huge 6-foot shoots coming out of them with these fruit-like things on the end. Very descriptive, I know!

OK - so here are some other general pics ...

Crazy rock lines & holes near Capital Reef NP

Thunderstorms in the desert!

Betsy on jumping on a cool rock in Canyonlands NP.

Yellow flowers for my momma!

And Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP. How cool!

As always, thanks for reading! I'd add more pictures, but my computer is angry & running out of juice (the battery meter has a red X over it). So ... buh-bye!

The Grand Old Canyon

2007-07-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we left Zion on Monday morning in search of the Grand Canyon. We didn't have to look to hard considering it is the GRAND Canyon. I don't really think anything can prepare you though for just how large a canyon it really is. Beth and I have seen some pretty awesome things on this trip but there is nothing like driving through what feels like an alpine forest and all of a sudden coming to the edge of a great chasm that drops nearly 6000 feet and reaches 15 miles wide!! It really is quite amazing; if the Grand Canyon Lodge was not in the way, you could actually drive right over the edge. Beth and I had a nice touristy walk along the edge, snapping pictures and marveling at the sight. We did not have much time to give the great canyon though so basically we took some pictures, bought some postcards and stickers and then got in the car and drove away. Although we didn't spend too much time at this natural wonder, it was still pretty cool to see!! Here are some pictures!!

Hats & Hoodoos

2007-07-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

According to Ebenezer Bryce (the dude Bryce Canyon is named after), the canyon is "a hell of a place to lose a cow." Why that'd be the first thing he'd think of or what would make it onto one of those tourist information boards at an overlook, we don't know - but it's darn funny!

Why is it "a hell of a place to lose a cow?" Because there are so many hoodoos, of course! What's a hoodoo? That's coming ...

After a 4 or so mile round trip hike into the canyon and out to visit the Hat Shop ...

Not these kind of hats:

(yup, that's a katamari hat)

But these:

we FINALLY took some rest time! Beth took a nap in her hammock & Betsy read & caught up on some conversations.

Then, we did the tourist "thing" & saw the Natural Bridge (that's really an arch & the little information sign says so, but for some reason it's still called a bridge) & some other nice views. A hoodoo, by the way, is what's left when rain, ice and snow break apart the mesa or plateau. Harder rock sometimes guards the layers underneath a small area & the small area is left standing in these weird, crazy looking structures called hoodoos! (That's the not-so-exact version of what happens ... Wikipedia might be a good start for a real explanation.)

But there were ultimately two highlights of the day:

1. The sunrise from right near our campsite. OK, not the sunrise (we were still in our tent), but just after:

2. The "issue" Utah has with bears. Turns out, when we were in Yellowstone there was an unfortunate black bear incident near Salt Lake City. Since then the state and all the parks have put up bear warnings (even if there isn't a real concern with bears). They don't tell you what to do when you see one, or how to store your food or cook. Instead, they're very clear about not stealing the bear signs! (If you can't read the sign, I think it might get bigger if you click on it.) This entertained us a great deal!

And a quote to live by (also on one of those little tourist placard things):

For the Gate is Narrow, and the Road is Hard that Leads to Life...

2007-07-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

How else could we introduce our post on Zion National Park but by quoting the Bible. (Quick History Lesson!!) Some of the first Europeans who entered the area now known as Zion were Methodists who proceeded to name many of the natural formations after Biblical people and themes. There is the Virgin River, the Patriarchs, and Angel Landing. Because Beth and I only had one day is this crazy fantastic park we decided to take a hike up the Virgin River into what is known as the Narrows. Most of Zion Park is one big canyon that you can drive up, admiring the scenery on the way. At some point though, the canyon gets to narrow and the road ends - the Narrows begin here. The Narrows are basically the continuation of the canyon and the only way to hike them is by hiking through the Virgin River.

Beth and I had been excited about this hike since we read about it in Backpacker Magazine. What we were not prepared for was the number of other people who thought hiking the narrows would be a good idea. The lower part of the narrows is therefore more like a natural waterpark then it is any sort of hike. People in every sort of scantly clad swim wear are in the river, with and without shoes and sandals. It is ever amazing to us as to what people think is ok to wear while hiking. One man we saw wore nothing but a speedo (or underwear, we didn't look too close) while another women was dressed from head to toe in black athletic wear. She really truly honestly looked just like a ninja! What you begin to realize when you are on the road for so long is that people are absolutely amazing in their uniqueness.

Anyways, we hiked for about 2 hours and although we never really got away from all the people, the numbers thinned out and we saw some of the most amazing scenery ever. The canyon walls were sheer at most places and the rock was decorated with swirls and gouges of different color and size. The water was never above mid thigh and so the whole experience was just really awesome. I am not eloquent enough to describe the beauty of the entire thing but I will say that if you are ever remotely close to Zion, you must do this hike!!! Check out the pictures below to see what I cannot put in words!!

Morning Glories along side the road.

The patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Betsy in the Narrows.

Holy cow that cavern is big!!

This part of the Narrows is called the Subways. If you look close you can see a person sitting in the shadows of the overhang!

Appreciating our fans

2007-07-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.

This little entry is purely a shout-out to some of your great comments. Knowing that you can read through them all on your own, we won't just cut & paste all of them, but pick out the one-liners that really got us giggling ...

Regarding air conditioning (which we HAVE used since all the responses! Yes, we know - it's about time! Our threshold is about 95 degrees. Driving to the Grand Canyon is what did it!):

"Benno rides the bus or walks to work, so you can use him as a carbon offset--use the airconditioner in your car!" -Karen

"Lastly, morale increases logarithmically as time spent in an air conditioned car increases directly proportional to the distance traveled. Since the desert isn't green, not being green is allowed." -Randy

"There is an old saying that 4 hours of AC a day keeps the bears away ... And windows are so like 1940s." -Robin

Other hysterical comments (or at least we thought so):

"I know that you are both Strong, powerful, amazing and invincible women, but am also glad you still have the common sense God gave you and ended up at a motel with air and a pool." -Mombo

"With a tree that big if you hit it with your car, do you wrap your car around a tree or does the tree wrap around the car?" -Mitch

"... we hope your laptops haven't been stolen by bears!" -Loren & Robin (note: the concern is for the laptops, not us!)

"You really do have to watch out for those hula hoopers - it can be just dirt and tumbleweeds for miles around and then BAM! A stampede of hula hoopers!" -Michelle

"Eat whatever you want, whenever you want to... and change your clothes once a week..." -Meredith (and yes, we've taken this advice VERY seriously!)

"I love you both very much, but I am very glad I am not on this trip...you can have my portion of living in nature. :)" -Loren

So thanks for reading! Keep enjoying & we'll keep writing ... and for those of you who were curious about Madeline the Tattoo Artist, here's the unveiling:

(Beth wears blue Chacos, Betsy wears red)

On the Road Again ...

2007-07-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, we've spent some time on the trail and some time in the car. Here's what our time in the car (named Bert, short for Cutherbert Allgood) has presented us:

Here are some random, yet cool, plum trees, on the road from Kings Canyon to Yosemite. Here's also a shout out to Ron and his family from the Fresno area who camped next to us in Kings Canyon ( I know this shout out is late but better then never, right?) Ron, his wife Velda and their four grandkids welcomed us into thier camp, giving us food (fresh corn, squash, salad, three bags of plums, and marshmallows) and some awesome company. This family blew me away with thier hospitality and general friendliness. Ron and his family are ranchers who farm everything from cattle to plums. This is why they are getting a shout out right now!

Random palm tree in the warm weather of desert southern california!!

Here is a great picture of the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. Over the course of the trip we have seen both sides of this mountain range and both are absolutely gorgeous.
The cheapest gas we have found so far on the trip has been in California. Who knew?
This is a wild fire that we passed burning in the Inyo National Forest. This is on a mountain side on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. The smoke followed us all the way to Death Valley and offered us an amazing sunset!!

The road leading from Lone Pine, California into Death Valley.

One of the places we randomly stopped was Bodie, California. Bodie is a Ghost town managed by the park service in California. This picture is the inside of the Methodist Church!
Here is Mono Lake. Mono Lake has a great environmental history that I will not go into but lets just say the environment won this battle and is now recovering from Los Angeles use of its resources!!!
This is the Methodist Church in Bodie. Sorry the pictures are out of order!!
Here is the old Shell Gas Station in Bodie. The clouds were really cooperating for pictures when we were there!!
We drove the 13 miles west from Lone Pine to get an up close look at Mt. Whitney. Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. It was beautiful!!

The Valley of Death

2007-07-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Aptly named, it turns out people visit Death Valley in the winter for a reason! Needless to say, our experience in this massive National Park was, well, interesting! Driving in we saw lots of Joshua Trees (very fun) & lots of rocks & lots of desert & very high temperatures.

Yes, it says 122F degrees!

Before setting out to find a campsite, we visited some crazy, crazy cool sand dunes.

But then the forest fire we saw on the road to Death Valley covered the sun & the shadows on the dunes disappeared (making them not so photogenic). But the sky turned some aMAZing colors!

So here's the thing about camping in Death Valley in July: don't do it! We drove by one Visitor's Center (scarcely populated, of course), bought some Gatorade & went on to find a campsite. After 2 failed attempts (details coming), we ended up back at the motel at the Visitor's Center where there was a pool, showers &, most importantly, air conditioning! Ok - back to camping in July.

30ish miles from the Visitor's Center (after stopping at the sand dunes), we found campsite #1 ... creepy desolate. Now, you might ask, if no one is there, what could go wrong? 1. It was HOT. Dangerously hot. And not one person knew where we were. 2. We are women. Strong, powerful, amazing and invincible women. But women, nonetheless. And it seems like the better part of wisdom for 2 women not to stay in a campsite by themselves at a public place. Maybe we're crazy, but we're happy with our decision!

40 miles later, we arrived at campsite #2 ... creepy desolate. See campsite #1.

Insert here: the Visitor Center (& the pool, & the showers & the air conditioning)! After talking to some Park folks, we learned that the ground temperature was 220F. That'd make for some hard tent sleeping!

For your entertainment, here's a little video of the delusion that occurs when you're looking for a campsite in the Valley of Death at night in the heat:

Before we left Death Valley, I (Beth) wandered out further into the sand dunes just after sunrise to take more pictures. It was very, VERY hard to pick which pictures to include, so if you want to see more, let us know & we'll send them! Sand dunes are very picturesque!

These people beat me to each sand dune crest before I could snap a good vista-ish picture of the dunes, so they're in the picture. Oh well, I guess it adds perspective!

On our way out of Death Valley, we stopped at 2 tourist sights:

1. The sign for 200 ft below sea level. The lowest elevation in the lower 48 is actually 280 something, but we were hot enough already so we passed on the opportunity to go there.

And 2. the view from Dante's Peak. After a crazy uphill, windy drive, Dante's Peak offers a view of the highest and lowest places in the continental US. Sadly, though, because of the fires Betsy wrote about in our traveling blog, the smoke covered Mount Whitney! But here's a view of Badwater Basin:

And finally: the desert critter I wanted to see but didn't. Oh well, maybe in Utah!

That's all folks!

Bittersweet Yosemite

2007-07-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Beth and I made our way from Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks on Monday morning to head into Yosemite National Park. For those of you who know much about Yosemite, you know that in all of America, no national park has quite the aura of wonder and beauty around it that Yosemite has. Yosemite is at the top of the list of national parks. It has been portrayed by Western America culture as a wonderous natural experience, a mythical place of beauty and natural wonders beyond descriptiopn - something perhaps close to Eden. Beth and I are both educated environmentalists and in our education we had heard of John Muir's words of description of the place, we had read about the battles for conservation that surround Yosemite, and we had seen Ansel Adams photos that strike awe in the heart. Needless to say, we were excited about encountering the grandeur and beauty of Yosemite.

Upon entering the park, we didn't catch any glimpses of any awe inspiring natural wonders but we still hoped. To make a long story full of dramatics short, Yosemite was everything and nothing that we expected. We visited Mariposa Grove, which is renowned for its Sequoias, only to find the trees set apart like museum objects, very sterile in comparison to our hike in Kings Canyon that brought us into intimate contact with such trees. Yet, we were blown away by the awesomeness of Yosemite Valley and nature's ability to create so many amazing geological wonders in one small space. Still, everywhere we went we were amazed at the number of tourists. They are nearly everywhere in Yosemite. On a busy day in the summer the valley can be visited by 25,000 tourists!! Shuttle buses and trams move tourists from one sight to the next. While the hybrid buses cut down on pollution, the guided tram tours make Yosemite out to be Disney World for Nature. People are allowed to be removed from the natural world that they have traveled to see. Where the tourists are the bears are also. We spent one night in the valley camping and had an extremely persistent bear bother the campground all night. When there weren't people in out campground yelling at the bear, there were people in adjacent campgrounds yelling at other bears!! How wild and urban all at the same time!

Even with all the tourists, we were able to get connected to nature. We spent a day and a half hiking away from most tourists and traveled to Hetch Hetchy Dam and Reservior to see one of the more remote attractions at Yosemite. The northern part of the park, Tuolumne Meadows, took our breath away and both Beth and I agreed that hiking in this beautiful area would be something we do in the future.

Overall, Yosemite was close to everything we hoped for and at the same time was everything we despise. Unsupassed natural beauty mixed with touristy, commercialism and luxury was basically what we got. The pictures below hopefully help to give you a sense of the experience!!

Where are we, Washington D.C. or Yosemite? You can hardly tell!! This was the bus ride from Mariposa Grove in Yosemite to the parking lot! We were crammed into a hybrid bus full of tourists from all over the world.

This is our first glimpse of Yosemite Valley. El Capitan is the large rock structure on the left and back on the horizon is Half Doom, beckoning to be hiked!!

We saw a gorgeous sunset the first night in the park. After the mad house that was Mariposa Grove, it was really refreshing to see something this beautiful as we drove to our campsite!!

Here is an awesome picture of Half Dome from the Valley Floor. No matter what view you have of the Dome, it is always awesome! After our big hike up Half Dome we treated ourselves to the best pizza I have ever tasted!! One thing that's nice about the touristy side of Yosemite is that the food, although expensive, was absolutely amazing!! Here are a bunch of tourists waiting in line for food or already eatting thier amazing pizzas!!

Here is a nice black and white of Yosemite Falls. The Falls are actually a three part falls that make up one of the biggest waterfalls in the world!!

Here is Hetch Hetchy. For those who don't know, Hetch Hetchy is a pretty big deal in the world of conservation. Back at the beginning of the last century, when Yosemite was already a National Park, the American Government decided that they would go back on thier word to conserve natural lands in National Parks and decided to dam the Tuolumne River (which is in Yosemite) so to provide San Francisco with a reliable water supply. The Hetch Hetchy Valley was flooded. This was a big hit for conservationists like John Muir who felt that natural lands protected by the National Park System should be left natural. The damming of Hetch Hetchy helped to spur on the modern environmental movement!! (Sorry if this is a bit of a biased historical account of the politics of Hetch Hetchy - I definately have my opinion!)

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir! It seemed to me that the Hetch Hetchy Valley would look much like the Yosemite Valley if it were not filled with water!!
The O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy! Damn those dams!!

A beautiful shot of Half Dome from the Tuolumne region of the park. This area of the park was very High Sierraesque. It was beautiful and definately an area that deserved more time then we gave it!!

A hike to remember

2007-07-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with Half Dome, click here first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Dome

ok ... now that you're all caught up, on to our Half Dome hike (this is long, so make sure you're comfy!):

As you've (perchance) already read, Yosemite was different than we expected. Upon entering from the south, we were shocked and appalled at how touristy it was, but by the last day (when we left from the north) we were sad to leave as we drove by backpackers heading in on what had to be AMAZING trips. Beth actually almost cried she was so sad, but Betsy was very consoling. Another time, Yosemite, another time.

When we arrived in "the valley" our first stop was the wilderness center in hopes of a backcountry permit - and we were rewarded with an all expenses paid (less $10, gear, food and a hell of a lot of energy) trip up Half Dome that included one backcountry night at Little Yosemite Valley and a site (for $10) at this special little place set aside for backpackers near the main (quite bear infested) campsites.

So, what day was it? ... Tuesday night we tried to get some sleep with Yogi wandering around our site looking for food (yes, Betsy - who is more ... alert, let's say, than Beth, slept in the tent where there are bears. Yay for Betsy!), awaking to a 4 a.m. (plus a couple snoozes) alarm in order to hike back to our car, assure we were set for our hike and head on to the trail. We'd heard horror stories of dayhikers clumping up at the bottom of the cables to the top, waiting their turn exhausted and exhilarated all at once, so we wanted to get there before the masses.

A note to all Minnesotans and New Yorkers: hiking in the Sierra Nevadas is different than back home, just so you know!

Before some pictures, a shout out is most definitely in order for the trail crew of the John Muir and Mist Trails. There are a shit-ton of massive boulders placed carefully as steps in order to provide backcountry access for humans with as little erosion and damage to the natural world as possible. We were impressed with their work, to say the least!

The Hike
By heading out pretty early, we had only a few fellow hikers and a nice, shaded trail for the first part of the hike (for which we were grateful, because the sun later was brutal!) because the sun was hiding on the other side of the mountain. There are 2 amazingly beautiful waterfalls along the first half of the trail: Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. Based on our experience of Nevada, one might be tempted to ask:

"You mean, there's water in Nevada for falls to be named after?"

And the answer:

"Apparently. Who knew."

Here's the trailhead sign. Exciting, we know.

Ahh, the first waterfalls. Shaded (the sun's still behind the mountain) and glorious. Apparently during the earlier spring, there's so much water over Vernal Fall, Betsy would be getting wet. Amazing!

We've had the joy of watching the moon wax and wane. Who could resist this shot?

Turns out, heights aren't so much Betsy's thing and most of the way up the goat trail was about all she could handle. But here's a self-portrait of her as high as she made it:

What's the goat trail, you ask? It's the most underestimated part of the hike, in our opinion. The sub dome, or, "the part before you get to the cables," is made up of carved steps and a couple steepish walks up rocks. Here's a picture with the trail circled (not our picture, pirated from the interweb):

Can't pick out the goat trail? Not surprising.

The infamous cables ... & Beth, pondering oh so seriously whether or not it's in her to climb them solo.

Luckily, these three amazingly kind people came up behind her: Sarah, her dad Dan and a friend of theirs Lance. They let her climb with them (they've all done it before)! They also shared water with us. Remember back when we mentioned that Minnesotans and New Yorkers should be careful hiking in the west? One lesson: water sources aren't reliable. Nice people are, though! We rewarded them with freshly filtered cold stream water further down the trail.

Rumor has it, the top of Half Dome is the size of 17 football fields. For those of you keeping track at home, that's big. Here's a couple pics from the top including one of a marmot. How cute! (The pic of Beth isn't all that flattering but it'll have to do - it's the proof she made it to the top!)

At Little Yosemite Valley (aka, the campsite):

When the ranger came through to check for permits, we found out that we hadn't actually beat the masses to the top of Half Dome like we'd told ourselves. Instead, it seems that day there hadn't actually been masses! Be it the holiday (it was the 4th of July) or the heat, not many folks heard the call of the trail. Our guess: the heat - turns out it was 100+F in the valley that day!

(Brian: just so you know, the rangers liked the BA Seedhouse 3 & commented with great enthusiasm! :)

Here's a picture of Betsy packing at our bear box. It's a little blurry & she's not even looking at the camera. Really, this pic is for all of you out there wondering what you do with food (& toiletries & anything else that smells remotely good. Note: we didn't climb in the bear box!) in active bear country. Along with our packs, we carried this box to keep all the good smelly stuff safe. Kidding, the box was already at the campsite.

And here's a funny sign found inside the fancy-schmancy solar toilets:

Hiking out

The hike out proved to be just as gorgeous as the way up (not shocking). Some pictures. The first one was taken at the top of Nevada Fall. Yes, there was water, but this tree was way cool!

Probably not as cool to lots of you, but the trail signs were soldered (?) onto metal rather than painted on wood like we were used to. We found this cool.

A fairly famous view of Half Dome & some other big thing that has a name that is ... can't remember.

How do the rangers in the woods get the stuff they need? How is there always toilet paper in the outhouses? Why is there horse shit on the trails? The answer:

And back again!

Would we do it again? Hell, yes!

And we'll leave you with a famous Half Dome picture taken by the man himself: Ansel Adams. Any friend of John Muir is a friend of ours!

excuses, excuses

2007-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

so ... those of you who check this lovely little blog frequently are probably wondering where we've been & whether or not we're dead. i can assure you that we're not dead (although death valley nearly killed us) & that there are a bunch of posts coming soon (or above, depending on when you read this).

a couple things:

1. we've changed the settings of the blog so ANYONE can comment without making a profile (sorry for not doing this earlier, mitch!). that said, please comment! we like to read what y'all have to say :) it's fun for us.

2. sitting in the car in 110+ degree weather in the parking lot of a motel stealing wireless internet isn't the most fun thing in the world, so we'll blog when we can but can't promise every day. i know you're upset, and it makes us very sad, too, don't worry. but here's the thing: if you're really wondering how we're doing, call us! we like phone calls as much as blog comments. and even if we don't have phone reception, you can leave a message!

3. we have a survey question (if you're even still reading this rather random post) ... does using air conditioning effect any of the following: gas mileage, wear and tear on a car, passenger morale? and evidence would be helpful. turns out, it's hot as hell in the southwest & we've thus far not used ye ole a/c. yes, we're a bit crazy, but we're trying to save $ in the long run. what do you think?

and ... that's all we've got for the randomness for now. here's a picture from sequoia that didn't make it that's kinda fun for your viewing pleasure (yup, that's a waterfall at the bottom).

Resolute, consummate, determined in form ...

2007-07-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

"Resolute, consummate, determined in form, always beheld with wondering admiration, the Big Tree always seems unfamiliar, standing alone, unrelated, with peculiar physiognomy, awfully solemn and earnest."
John Muir

Pictures will not do our last 2 days justice ... but I will try. Our drive across California from San Francisco to King's Canyon/Sequoia (KC/S) was plastered with wind turbines, fruit trees and desert (I know, they don't seem to go together but somehow they manage to coexist). Once at KC/S, we found a campsite then did the tourist thing. The General Sherman is every bit as majestic as one might imagine and the sunset on our drive back to our campsite was absolutely spectacular!

But the real experience John Muir speaks of came Sunday. On a 10-mile hike away from tourists and paved trails, we found ourselves entranced by the groves of sequoias, the views of the high sierra mountains, the myriad wildflowers, the massiveness of the trees (not just sequoias), the color of the sequoias, the constantly changing terrain, the effects of elevation of our lungs and, did I mention the sequoias?

The tourist portion of KC/S:

Looking up a Sequoia. Apparently, a sequoia is to a 6-foot human as a 6-foot human is to a mouse ... that's quite a ways up!

Dirt-worshiping tree-hugger ...

One of these cones belongs to a sequoia and the other to a sugar pine. Any guesses?

OK - so I'll tell you. The sugar pine is the tallest of pine trees & has cones bigger than Betsy's head - they're really somethin'! The giant sequoia - the largest tree in the world (by volume) has cones that fit in the palm of my hand. Weird.

Ah, General Sherman.

Crazy as it seems, this "tree" Betsy is standing on is actually a fallen branch of the General!

Driving under a fallen tree ... but not the biggest fallen tree we'll see!

One of the most beautiful sunsets ever seen over the high Sierra of KC/S.

Some perspective. On our 10-mile hike we got away from crowds and fences and paved trail and found ourselves feeling quite small in the groves of sequoias!

Now for some wildflowers:

OK - so this is Fallen Giant. We are standing - actually, being dwarfed by - the base of the tree. Here's another one just for fun standing inside the fallen tree:

And one stitched photo of a sequoia:

Hope you enjoyed King's Canyon/Sequoia as much as we did! Now a quick stop in Fresno for food and fuel and we're off to Yosemite.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

2007-07-02T08:07:00.001-07:00

How right Frank Sinatra was about all of San Francisco's charming qualities. There is something very special about the city on the bay - the fog, the ocean, the cable cars, the hippies and general laid back nature of most people - it all creates a comfortable and kinda charming experience. Beth and I only spent one day in the city and one day exploring the Marin Headlands but I think we both agree that San Francisco is a town we would both like to explore some more! Here are pictures of our two day jaunt in and around the San Francisco area!

This is the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Headlands in Marin County. There were sea lions sunbathing on the rocks of the coast.

Beth and I ventured to Rodeo Beach at the Headlands so we could get up close to the ocean! This was Beth's first visit to the Pacific Ocean!!!

We camped one night at Bicentennial Campground on the Headlands. The wind and fog were magnificent! Finally, late in the evening the wind and fog settled and this was the view of San Francisco we were lucky enough to see from only a couple yards from our tent!!

We decided to leave San Francisco by driving through her first! Here is our drive across the Golden Gate Bridge!

We decided that driving down the curviest street in the world would be fun before we left the bay area. Here is a picture of Lombard Street from inside the car. It was really cool but you cannot really exceed 5 m.p.h.

The cable cars in San Francisco are definately part of the cities charm. The cables make cool designs at intersections as different routes momentarily collide before continuing toward thier destinations!

San Francisco Souveniers

2007-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

For a little respite from camping & driving, we've been hiding out in the hills between San Francisco and the ocean at Marin Headlands Hostel in Golden Gate National Recreation Area for a couple days. It was our first hostel experience & we were quite impressed!

The hostel is an old army house with high ceilings, a huge kitchen, bunk beds & a massive living room space, all the fog one would expect near San Francisco & really cool people passing through.

The hostel tucked away in trees and fog.

Betsy making the most AMAZING pancakes ever ... they have chocolate chips in 'em.

Part of the reason the hostel was so great: environmental ethic!

We decided 2 days would be sufficient in the area. One day for the city and one (today - as soon as we leave the library in Sausalito where there's free interweb) for hiking around the park, seeing the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge from underneath and camping on the point.

Day 1 - we took the ferry to the city which awarded great pics of the cityscape & the Golden Gate Bridge. In San Francisco, we hit some of the major hot spots: Market Street, Golden Gate Park, the trolly, Haight-Ashbury ... Enjoy!

Lots of recreation in the bay :)

Apparently it's tough to get any view of the Golden Gate Bridge - especially in the morning, but we were treated to this view from the ferry.
Redwoods in Golden Gate Park ... SO big!

Riding the trolley the right way - hanging off the side!

From the trolley down California Ave.

Riding the trolley ...

This is Madeline. Madeline is a tattoo artist. We hung out with her in Haight-Ashbury for a couple hours & had a grand ole' time!

Leaving San Francisco (single tear) ...

Ouchy! Wonder what's under those bandages ...?

To end our evening, the moon made a special appearance over the city from Sausalito. How beautiful!

Tomorrow we're off to Sequoia/Kings Canyon & then to Yosemite and Death Valley. Stay tuned!

Jackpot

2007-06-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jackson was the first town we drove through in Nevada ... how hysterically appropriate!

Last night we stayed at a campsite in a state that screams dry and desolate! The exits off the highway lead to roads that turn into dirt within yards of their immediate destination and as far as the eye can see is dirt, tumbleweed, more dirt, mountains, some sagebrush and more dirt. Our campsite, though, was surprisingly nice, settled in between dirt hills alongside a rather pretty reservoir in Rye State Park.

dirt, tumbleweed, more dirt, mountains, some sagebrush and more dirt

dirt, tumbleweed, more dirt, mountains, some sagebrush and more dirt

a caution: people hoola-hooping sign? really?

In a few hours we'll be in California on our way to San Francisco for a couple days ... stay tuned!

And by the way ... this wireless was not free or stolen. Reno forced us to break down and pay T-Mobile ... at least there was coffee involved!

The Grandest of Tetons

2007-06-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

The rumors are true I believe - the Grand Tetons are named for ... well, you know. Although we would argue that is NOT what they look like, and if they do, they'd be REALLY uncomfortable & hard to support.

Anyway, we spent two nights in Grand Teton National Park - the first at a campsite in the southern region and the second at Jenny Lake campground right in the heart of the Tetons. While the highlight for both of us was most assuredly paddling in the shadows of the mountains, we did some hiking and lounging in the park and shopping in nearby Jackson, WY. A nice reprieve from it all, Sunday morning we attended an Episcopal service at the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

As always, here are some pics!

In case anyone was wondering what we're eating ... most days for breakfast we eat oatmeal or hash browns on the camp stove; lunch is usually pita or tortilla with hummus, peanut butter or honey (or combinations) & dinner ranges from pasta to rice & beans or falafel to pizza in a hotel when we're that lucky! And our favorite snack is Snickers bars. Our second day in the Tetons we treated ourselves to a more filling lunch: rice & beans with cheese all wrapped up in tortillas. Mmm Mmm Good!

The Tetons from inside the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

From outside the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

Yellowstone in a Whirl Wind

2007-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Beth and I spent about 3 days in and around Yellowstone and the Tetons. We did the figure 8 driving tour of Yellowstone in one jam packed day! I think we might have driven for over 9 to 10 hours, trying to see as much as we could!!

We saw bears, bison, elk, deer, and pelicans. We tried to hit all the major hot spots of Yellowstone, including Yellowstone falls and its Grand Canyon, Mammoth Hot Springs and countless other springs and geysers in the park, Yellowstone Lake, and many other nameless spots of awesome beauty and amazement.

The pictures below show some of what we saw in our whirl wind tour!!

A nice tourist took our picture at the southern entrance to Yellowstone!

Up close and personal with a Bison. Don't worry, we used a zoom!

A random hot spring!

An ever constant gushing geyser!

View from across Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Falls
At Yellowstone Falls (it's been a couple days since the luxury of a shower!)
The leftovers of an old hot spring
Mammoth Hot Springs

Tree Obsession

2007-06-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things I (Beth) have been most excited to see 'out west' are the trees. And while we aren't in Sequoia National Park yet, there have been some notables ...

Left: trees (trying) to grow (kinda) out of the sulfur madness that is in Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs. Right: Lodgepole Pines in Yellowstone
... aren't they cool!?!

Like Ponderosa Pines in the Black Hills, Lodgepole Pines are super prevalent in Wyoming. They have really thick bark like the Ponderosas and can handle small fires meant to keep brush under control so larger fires don't start. The bottom of these Lodgepole Pines at Devil's Tower are blackened from protective, managed fires.

It took almost the entire walk around Devil's Tower (a little over a mile) before we saw anything other than pines. These Bur Oaks only grow to 25 or 30 feet & are called Scrub Oak in Texas. (Any Texan want to confirm this?) Being an easterner at heart, I've been missing deciduous trees, so it was refreshing to see some!

In Yellowstone, large forest fires tear through the area every 30 years or so, but there are more regularly lightening started, smaller fires that burn only an acre or 2 at a time. These fires make the landscape look totally different! It's a little creepy at first, but there are so many, most folks probably stop noticing the damage.

This shot is taken across the road from Yellowstone Lake. The gnarley wood tangled with wildflowers is a stark contrast from the more stately pines.

Because there isn't as much forest management in National Parks, some of the forest floors (burned & not) are covered with downed trees that look like match sticks or Pick Up Sticks. In National Forest lands and places like Custer State Park in South Dakota, this "debris" would be picked up & burned to limit the effects of fires.

Besides the great view of the Tetons in the background, this photo shows the line between burned & not burned from a canoe in Jenny Lake. While it was probably something as simple as the wind that blew to the right, it seems crazy that there is such a distinction.

So that's all for now from the tree-hugging nerd in me! Just wait until we get to California ...

Bears...

2007-06-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

On the 22nd, Beth and I entered into bear country and not just bear country but Grizzly Bear country. For those of you who don't know, I (Betsy) am deathly afraid of bears, any bears. I have learned to live with Black Bears in Minnesota and Virginia but I vowed long ago that I would never camp in Grizzly Bear country. The thought almost makes me sick. Well, when we planned this trip I knew we were talking about spending time in Grizzly country but somehow I just ignored the thought that we might actually sleep in a tent in such a scary place. Grizzly bears are not very populous anywhere and so I thought that my fear that a bear would come and eat me in my tent was probably (remember, probably) a bit irrational. Of course rationality doesn't help to calm a fear. Having been to Yellowstone and the Tetons before and having never seen a bear in either park, I was hopeful that Beth and I could spend a couple of days seeing all the warning signs about food storage and hiking safety but never really see a bear. Well, as you can see from the pictures below, we not only saw one bear but quite a few. We have pictures of 4 bears but I think the actual count for the day was 6. We are unsure of how many were Grizzlies and how many were Black Bears. Needless to say, it was scary to see the bears so close yet in processing it with Beth later, I realized actually giving sight to my fear has helped me to better understand and control my terror!! Although I love Yellowstone and the Tetons, I am excited about getting away from the Grizzlies and having only to worry about the Black Bears from now on!

This is the first Grizzly Bear Beth and I have ever seen in the wild!! He or she was grubbing around in the dirt!

The brown spot behind me is the same Grizzly. You can see how far or maybe how close the bear is to us. It helped to see the bear ignoring me and the other gazillion people who were watching it. Maybe it doesn't really want to eat me after all.

We saw these bears by Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. We think they are Black Bears even though they are brown!

This is not a great picture but it was taken as the sun was disappearing behind the Tetons. This bear, probably a Black Bear even though it was brown, was rooting around for food. We saw it shortly after we entered the Tetons from the North.

Consequently, we spent two nights camping in the Tetons. The Tetons are known for having Grizzlies and Black Bears. I tried sleeping in the tent the first night but gave up after 2 and a half hours of sleeplessness and slept that night and the next in the car! Who knew the car could ever be so darn comfortable!

An afterthought - While shopping in Jackson, Wyoming we saw a shirt that was very appropriate for me. It said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself. (and bears)"

The Adventures of Ernie!!

2007-06-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ernie the Jackalope's adventures out west! Since he has joined our journey in Wall, South Dakota he has been a great companion with his antlers to protect us and his fluffy, bunny personality to make us smile!

Ernie enjoyed Devil's Tower!

Ernie was busy in Yellowstone trying to see all the cool sites in one day!

Ernie made a friend in Jackson, Wyoming! Ernie and Bubba the Grizzly Bear had a fun time exploring Grand Teton National Park!!

Oh Wyoming

2007-06-23T06:45:00.001-07:00

Turns out, Wyoming is HUGE ... & HOT. Without a drive-up A&W in the middle of Nothingness, Wyoming* it would have been killer! After we crossed the Bighorn Mts, the temps got to 100F & it was 6 in the evening.

Redeeming about Wyoming: Devil's tower, Beth's first glimpse at 13,000+ ft peaks, A&W & (we'll see today) Yellowstone & Grand Teton.

Here's some pics:

Scott A-W - you mentioned horizons, but really ... I had NO idea! This pic is sketchily stitched together, but gives the gist of how insane it is to watch a storm pass to your left without getting a drop of rain.

Devil's tower
A more traditional view of Devil's Tower

Early view of Bighorn Mountains
Ha!

*Nothingness, Wyoming is not a real place

FYI - if we don't write in a couple days, we're not dead (hopefully) but away from places to steal internet from :)

Good-bye South Dakota

2007-06-22T09:11:00.001-07:00

For your viewing pleasure ... a couple pictures of South Dakota's rocky outcrops, presidential pride and Ponderosa Pines. Turns out, South Dakota is much more beautiful, friendly & fun that we ever would have imagined!

(By the way, $8 is a rip-off for a good view of Rushmore, so Georgey is all ya get!)

Good-bye South Dakota ... Hello Wyoming!

A Mother's Worst Nightmare

2007-06-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Beth and I headed into the Black Hills yesterday to enjoy its amazing beauty and to hike Mt. Harney - the tallest peak east of the Rockies and west of the Pyrrines. It is a big deal in a state that is known for its flatness! It was a beautiful hike and a beautiful day...unitl we were about 100 feet below the top. That's when we heard the first clap of thunder. Now, I know that our mothers taught us how to be safe in the world. They taught us to always be careful and to make good decisions. The thunder was the first test to see if we would listen to all the wisdom our mothers imparted on us. Of course ... you guessed it ... we didn't listen. We are young, twenty somethings who are (1) invincible, (2) have spent alot of time in the outdoors and (3) thought we would be fine. Saying, "we'll be fine" is probably the first sign of danger.

We hiked to the top and the views were amazing; we could see 4 states from where we stood. We could also see large rain clouds slowly moving our way but they were off in the distance and so we stood in the sunshine enjoying the view.

After 20 minutes we thought it prudent to begin home again (note: home is the car). Fairly quickly, it began to rain, although not hard rain - just a nice sprinkle. Soon though, the lightening began. At first, we thought we were fine. Yes, we were on the tallest mountain west of the Rockies but we were in amongst tall trees so we decided to take another route back so that we could see more of the sights of the mountain. Well, this side of the mountain was much more open. The tall trees we hoped would protest us disappeared in little patches of bare rock. We ran across these bare spots, hoping that the lightening wouldn't notice we were all of a sudden pretty tall. We stopped a couple of times and got in the lightening position. (The lightening position, for those of you who don't know, is a position to minimize how far the lightening will travel through your body, hoping that it only electricutes your legs and arms and not your core body.) During one of these squats, it began to hail. Up until this point the whole experience was kind of scary but also thrilling. The hail brought it all into perspective. It was big and it hit hard. We ran for cover in the slight opening of a rock. It did little to protect us but offered more shelter then the open woods (i.e., we were still getting pelted with hail!).

(a view from a break in the trees)

We sat there for a while, marveling at the experience. A tad bit of terror might have been creeping in. We decided to keep moving once the hail stopped. Getting further down the mountain was better then sitting higher up on it. It might get warmer too!

Well, we walked and ran as fast as we could down the mountain. We made to a large spruce tree, our true sanctuary from the weather. We stayed there til the weather cleared up even more. The worst of the storm lasted about an hour and a half, much longer then we expected. When we got back to the car, the lightening was still streaking across the sky but we were much safer, being at a lower elevation, in dry clothes & in the car on our way to see the great (really? we didn't think so) Mount Rushmore.

The part for our mothers (& those of you who are now worried to pieces about this crazy road trip we've embarked on):

The whole thing was a truly surreal and slightly scary experience. We spent quite a bit of time talking about it and realized that we would have been caught in the storm even if we had turned around at the first sound of thunder - and that our experience & preparedness got us a long way in the world of safety. Part of experiencing the natural world is experiencing all of it and realizing that when you are in it, you are not in control. That's the beauty of God's great creation - it's beautiful, unpredictable & challenging, & it reminds us of our role in the big scheme of things - sometimes a little more in-your-face than others!

"mako sica"

2007-06-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Badlands ("mako sica" to the Dakota Indians or "land bad") is the best National Park we've seen yet ... oh wait, it's the first. But still - the history & views & camping are all spectacular! Here's a rundown:

The visitor pull-offs are nice & all, but getting off trail is where it's really at. We did the drive -through tour with foot detours that allowed for some spectacular sights & critter seeing. The pictures really speak for themselves, but a word about how the Badlands became, well ... bad.

Apparently, middle America was once under the sea & the Badlands are leftover deposits that fell from the surface. (Which means these pictures are better seen imagining fish swimming in the sky!) The layers represent different sediments: volcanic ash being one. To walk on the surface is like walking on really hard packed, crackly dirt - which makes one wonder why it hasn't all eroded away by now! The land that is flat is actually quite fertile - hence the grasslands around the Badlands themselves.

But enough environmental education ... on to the pictures! (sorry for the quantity - it's really hard to pick!)

This is one of our early views - and every Badlands photo shoot needs one reasonably good vista pic.
The clouds were feeling especially photogenic!
Note the 2 little pointy things in the upper right corner ... very cool.
Flowers in the Badlands - there were cactuses too, but that'd be a lot of pictures to include (like that'd actually stop us).
A perspective seen only a little off the beaten path.

Ahhh, Ernie - enjoying his time in the Badlands!
In the evening we left our campsite for a little hike to a hill we could see off in the distance so we could watch the sunset. This is a cool plant we saw quite a few of along the way. We also had to walk through a prairie dog city - also very cool!

Sunset pics from a field & then a random lookout not quite a mile from our camp.

The next morning, low rain clouds were coming in, but not before I snapped this pic of the tent. We slept with the fly off which meant amazing views of the stars in the great North Dakota sky!

These last 2 pics are from an area of the Badlands we visited the next morning we deemed to be a replica of Mars ... or maybe actually Mars! It was pretty unreal how different everything looked. Some might say this is where we belonged ...

Wall Drug

2007-06-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

What can one really say about Wall Drug? If you have ever traveled I-90 across South Dakota then you know the feeling of anticipation that Wall Drug creates deep in your gut. For 300 hundred miles you drive, not having much besides powerlines and rolling hills to look at. Yet, South Dakota takes on new interest if you pay attention to the countless Wall Drug signs along the highway. These signs take a mere trinket shop and create a mythic shop of epic grandeur and excitement. These signs make you think you can find the whole western experience in one drug store.

The signs, the signs make the time go by. They are so prevelant that you cannot, not stop. After 300 miles you have to know what this drug store really is all about. Beth and I did not ignore the call of Wall; we traveled in avid anticipation of what we might find there. We were not disappointed. We rode a giant jackalope. We took our pictures with ceramic figures of show girls. We ate lunch and strawberry rhubarb under tiffany lamps and along side every cattle brand sign known to man. We saw the cheesiest of touristy gifts and enjoyed watching the myriad of people from all over the world take in what Wall had to offer. We bought post cards and a bobble head jackalope who we have named Ernie. Ernie will travel with us as our mascot so keep an eye out for Ernie in all our travels!!

There are no words to really discribe Wall Drug. It is an experience that captures the west, the tourist, traditional lifestles of South Dakota, and the new global community. It is worth seeing, if not for its excentricity then at least for the free bumper stickers and ice cold water.

south dakota

2007-06-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Day 1: lost baggage, late flights, running through airports ... MN finally! After visiting the local REI 3 times (yes, 3), Best Buy twice & Potbelly for lunch, we were on our way. Turns out southern Minnesota & thus far South Dakota look a lot like NY with way cooler wind turbines & a shit-ton of powerlines.

Day 2: stayed last night at a campsite south of Brandon SD where Richard was our amazing & knowledgeable host. There are a few things we've learned about South Dakota so far:

1 - they're very proud of Wall Drug store (we're stopping there for lunch & promise to have pictures)
2 - they're very proud of their (cheesy, unimpressive) corn palace
3 - there lots of power lines
4 - there's no shortage of Cabella's

a quaint little wind farm in MN

Brian - this tent is way sweeter than we even imaged it'd be ... thanks!!

Betsy with Richard ... our S Dakota tour guide

Mitchell is quite a corny place ... ha ha!

(brought to you from the Mitchell SD Quality Inn parking lot)

suspended between wildernesses

2007-06-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

i'm (beth) caught now in this strange place between wilderness & wilderness ... but at least i'm getting to see my mitchell! i just left the adirondacks saturday morning & already am sad beyond what i though possible to be away from the beauty of the woods (i was actually already sad when i saw the "now leaving the adirondacks" sign - it doesn't take much - but it was the layover at jfk that really pounded it home.). the only remnant left is the dirt still stuck in the prints of my feet! in fact, i just got back from a walk & desperately missed rooty, rocky uphill trail - pavement just doesn't offer the same sense of accomplishment.

tomorrow i'll be off to spend 4 crazy weeks full of traveling, girlish fun :) & of course, more dirt ... & woods - where my soul, i SWEAR to you, is simply happier.

a toast: to the woods; to giddiness; to unbelievable beauty; and to the man who understands my need for all these things

some pictures:

rappelling off noonmark mountain in the high peaks

a kick-ass yellow birch tree that sprouted on a rock along the trail on goodnow mountain.

the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL, beautiful marion river from a canoe.

giddiness galore - blue crocs & all. my friend jess & i on the last day of raquette lake.

Jesus, Where are we going??

2007-06-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a map of our route for the next 4 weeks!!