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U.S. Road Trip - July through September, 2003 What follows are the transcribed reports I sent from my road trip to my transcriber. I've cleaned them up somewhat to fix some of the typos and grammatical errors. I'll continue to edit my journal to add missing information. I will eventually add links to pictures. In the meantime, it's already easier to read than the emailed version on Yahoo! Stay tuned... For those astute readers who've noticed I've mentioned that I drove over 9,000 mile and yet my journal only totals 7,600 miles, well, the 7,600 miles was an estimate. I wouldn't note the odometer reading every day so most days were just based on mileage estimates from the maps. I obviously underestimated. The 9,000 mile figure is directly from the odometer reading when I bought the car versus what it read when I got back to Massachusetts. Enjoy! July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 September 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Thursday, July 10: Santa Clara, California to Mill Valley 90 miles, 90 total I got a late morning start and headed for the coast south of San Francisco. The fog was thick along the coast and I had to use the wipers at least once to wipe away the mist. Having been to San Francisco a couple of times before, I didn't feel like I wanted to spend much time in the city, but I did drive down Lombard St. and went down the crookedest (and steepest?) street in the world. This street, with the crooked block paved in brick, winds back and forth in a very even serpentine. Between all of the "S" curves, the flower gardens are maintained meticulously. Further down Lombard, the road winds up to the Coit tower, with magnificent views of San Francisco. Then, I went to the wharf for lunch of a ham and cheese crepe - YUM! Dessert at the Ghirardelli Square was disappointing. It was the second time I was disappointed by their sundaes. I'll have to remember not to go back on any future visits. I was surprised to find a hostel at the former fort at Golden Gate Park and stopped in to grab a U.S. hostel guide, sure to come in handy as I continue my trip. The timing was working out for me to meet an Internet contact for an evening hike. I had some time to kill before phoning so I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and parked at the Vista Point near some phones. I took a bit of a nap and then tried calling Jim only to discover the phones didn't work. I quickly drove to the Marion Headlands visitor center only to discover the phone there was also not functional. By now, my phone call was late. But, there was another hostel nearby so I stopped in and finally found a working phone. I made plans to meet Jim a bit later and took the intervening time to drive along a spectacular road along the Marin Headlands. There were lots of good views of the bridge and more from there. I drove through Sausolito on the way, to meet Jim at the Holiday Inn. Then followed him to the Tennessee Valley trailhead with a quick stop at a fruit stand where I bought a pint of strawberries. Our hike was about 6 miles to the top of a hill with an abandoned military establishment of some sort. More great views abounded. Dinner was at a burger place followed with yummy burgers, fries, and cayenne laced onion rings. We munched on strawberries before I crashed on the floor at Jim's place. Friday, July 11: Mill Valley to Manchester State Park 189 miles, 279 total Up at 5:00 to be out by 5:30 when Jim had to get going. On the way to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, I saw two coyote at the main entrance visitor center. At 7:00 am the center was still closed though. Then along the drive, I saw maybe 6 small elk or large deer (antlers looked elk like), and more cute bunnies than I could count along the road. I got to the lighthouse parking lot at 7:30, way too early for the 10:00 am opening hour. So, I just parked and napped for an hour, then read for another hour. There was a short walk to visitor center and I got there right before the ranger was going to head down to open the lighthouse. What luck! They usually only open the upper story in the afternoon, but she let me take a look at the mechanism and the first order (largest) Fresnel lens at this lighthouse. This lighthouse is no longer used and has been superceded by modern day rotating electric lights. I stopped at the Point Reyes Station Library to use their internet access. Small towns often make access easier than large towns. Further along, I stopped at a bakery for a mushroom and corn pizzette. There were so many overlooks and coastal access points that I ignored most of them. When I finally decided to stop, I hit the jackpot. Down below, on two sandy points separated by a channel to a small inlet, were a large group of seals and/or sea lions. Also, on the further point, was a huge seal that dwarfed the rest. Only when it reared back its head so I could see its nose, could I confirm that it was an elephant seal. To complete the menagerie, directly below the cliff I was standing on were five vultures feeding on a dead seal. What luck to have picked this particular overlook. It was truly a "National Geographic" moment. While watching, the elephant seal would occasionally use its flippers to fling sand onto its back. Sunscreen anyone? For dinner, I stopped at an organic burrito shop for the largest "burrito grande" I've ever seen. Using a large flour tortilla, when she tried to "roll" it up, the edges barely met. It was only finger food because it was encased in both wax paper and foil. To eat it, I drove to Point Arena only to find I couldn't really get close to the lighthouse. But with the ocean right there, I stopped anyway. I soon had company in the form of the resident, human habituated, raccoons. They made it obvious why there were signs posted not to feed them. They came right up to the car to beg. One tried to climb on the hood and two would have come in the car had I not scared them away with a shout when I opened my door. I had to check around and under the car before I drove off. With no set schedule, I have no advance registration for any type of lodging (campground or hostel). When I get tired, I just start looking for a suitable place to stay. Just north of Manchester, I spotted signs for a State Park campground. Perfect! On the way there, I was passing a KOA Kampground so stopped in for directions. They tend to be very expensive ($30/night to tent), but can be handy at times. It's often possible to stop by for a shower for a nominal fee. I kept going to the State Park and camped for only $11/night. Of course, here there was no hot water, hot tub, shower, pool or store, but there was a lot more quiet. Perfect! Saturday, July 12: Manchester State Park to Klamath Youth Hostel 242 miles, 521 total Got on the road before breakfast and finally stopped in Mendocino for a bagel and a lox shmear, and a good shmear at that. It actually had pieces of lox in it. I was now in redwood territory. Soon, I was turning off the main road to travel the 32 mile "Avenue of Giants", aptly named for the majestic read woods it passed through. The visitor's center had some dramatic footage of the 1964 flood which devastated the area. I stopped for lunch, hit another thrift store (I needed a wallet), and picked up some supplies at a dollar store. Finally, in Eureka, I found a Kmart where I picked up a small cooler for the car. On the way to Klamath, I drove through the southern portion of Redwood National Park. I stopped at Elk Meadow and was rewarded with the sighting of a herd of elk with huge racks. (Maybe those were deer I saw yesterday?) Finally, I got to the Youth Hostel in Klamath and got a bunk and settled in. It's a beautiful place overlooking the beach. Spectacular! Sunday, Jul 13: Klamath to Brookings, Oregon 65 miles, 986 total I started the day by backtracking a bit to have breakfast at the Forest Cafe and visit the museum across the street. The cafe served great food, but it was the decor that stood out. I was seated as if under the ocean. The speakers played ocean wave sounds and the ceiling was pained blue. Looking up, I could see the bottom halves of ducks, of a rowboat and oars, etc. The other side of the restaurant had a redwood motif. It was all sort of cool and sort of kitschy at the same time. Across the street was this "Trees of Mystery" place with a huge, 49', Paul Bunyan and his ox. I skipped the tour, but had heard great things about the museum. Sure enough, the museum was surprisingly good. They not only had exhibits of local Indian artifacts, but of Indians throughout North America. Some of the baskets and beadwork were truly amazing - and they had a lot of it. Fisherman's Restaurant in Crescent City had great clam strips and fries. I would go there again if I'm ever in the neighborhood. I also took the opportunity to go food shopping and get ice for the cooler. Finally, I made my way to Oregon. There, I stopped at the first State Park Campground only to find them considerably more expensive than California's. At $17 a pop, it was more than the hostel I had stayed in the night before. Surprised, I asked about alternatives and was soon headed for a "primitive" camping in Siski National Forest. The campsites, here along the Chetco River, were literally on the flood plain. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to find that you actually drive on the flood plain to find unnumbered sites. Every hundred feet or so, there are incongruously situated portolets. This is unlike any other car camping I've ever done. At $4/night, and with many fewer people, spread much further apart, this was much more to my liking. As long as there aren't too many people driving around too late, it'll be a nice quiet place to get some sleep. Monday, July 14: Brookings to Bandon 90 miles, 676 total I slept relatively late for me when tenting, but then got up and out quickly. After stopping at a supermarket in town for supplies, I headed for Harris Beach State Park where I ate breakfast in a wonderful setting. I had a picnic table overlooking the beach with tide pools below and waves crashing around sea stacks. I'm finally getting my car organized and am making an effort not to eat out all the time. So, for breakfast, I had cereal with banana and fresh strawberries as well as juice. At times, I had a gull keeping me company on the other end of the picnic table. It was hoping for leftovers, spills, or handouts, but was sorely disappointed. After breakfast, I took a walk on the beach. The tide pools were disappointing, but watching the gulls take birdbaths was interesting. They would duck under the water and splash with their wings. At times, it looked like they were splashing each other. Moving along, I stopped in Gold Beach (not sure about this) to use the Internet access at the library. I had to wait so picked up one of their new books. It was by Ludlum, a favorite fiction author of mine, and I just happened to be reading another book that I left in the car. After a short wait, it was my turn on the computer. Moving along, I stopped for lunch and a break in the next town. It was then that I realized I had walked out of the library from the last town with that Ludlum book. Oops! It didn't take long to solve the problem. Rather than mailing it back, I stopped in the local library and found they had an exchange program and would return the book with the others. Problem solved. I stopped at the Cape Blanco lighthouse today that was undergoing renovations. Could only see it from a distance. My tour de lighthouses continues. I took the Beach Loop Road into Bandon. I stopped to look at "face rock". This rock has a young woman's upturned face look at the sky. I took the requisite pictures and thought about the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire that fell earlier this year. In Bandon, I drove around the Old Town and then found the hostel and checked in. I put my cold stuff in the fridge, my ice in the freezer, and I took the opportunity to use empty ice cube trays to make more for tomorrow. It was a bit early for dinner, so I walked around the Old Town. I should have eaten first. The fish places on the wharf looked and smelled great and there were other restaurants that looked appealing in town, tempting me as I walked around. I resisted and cooked my own dinner at the hostel. Then, I took my book down to the boardwalk and read 'til dark. Finally, I went back to my room at the hostel and finished the book. My Swedish roommate came in late, but it was just as I was reading the last few pages of my book. Tuesday, July 15: Bandon to Oregon Dunes 55 miles, 731 total Cereal for breakfast at the hostel finished off my strawberries. Then I went for a beach walk and got to talking with a local. He introduced me to a local lady who collects beach rocks. She showed me what to look for: agate, petrified wood, etc. I picked up a few nice looking rocks, but don't know if they're at all interesting. Then found some great tide pools complete with lots of starfish, nudibranches, mussels, snails, etc. I checked my email again as I'm getting closer to making specific plans with some folks who live out here. Then had lunch on the boardwalk. Afterwards, I stopped to watch some people crabbing and decided it wasn't for me. There was an adorably cute harbor seal swimming around the pier. I did not buy the parafoil kite at the kite and kayak stop. Perhaps I should have as I'm not one for just sitting on beaches. Sigh! I checked out the Coquille River lighthouse and got the full tour. This lighthouse used to have a Fresnel lens, but the lens is lost. One theory holds that vandals may have tossed it into the river. I tried to check out the Cape Arago lighthouse on the way to Coos Buy. I passed it and ended up at an overlook watching California sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals, etc. on the rocks below. Fantastic! I found a view of the lighthouse on my way back to Coos Bay. It was extremely picturesque, but that was as close to it as I could get. It is closed to the public. I bought more groceries in town and then headed for some forest service campgrounds on the Dunes. After my $4 a couple of nights ago, I was surprised to find these charging $15. So, I did some checking and got a day use pass and sand camping permit and stealth camped more than 200 ft off the road. I couldn't believe how bad the mosquitoes were. They were biting through fleece! I ended up using Deet on my clothes and needed my head net as well. I don't have sand stakes for my tent and didn't think to bring extra bags to use as "dead men" so I just buried my stakes deeper than usual and was thankful there was no wind to stress the stakes. I could hear occasional traffic on the nearby road, but could see no lights or even light shining on trees neighboring the road! Wednesday, July 16: Oregon Dunes to Portland 180 miles, 911 total I had to run the gauntlet of mosquitoes this morning no less severe than the hoards I braved last night. Breakfast wasn't going to happen anywhere near the Bluebill Lake area so I jumped in the car and resumed my journey north. I found a good, relatively bug-free spot for my breakfast. I considered stopping and finding a hiking trail, but having relatively recently been doing some hiking on dunes of New Zealand, I thought better. The deep loose sand of dunes makes hiking an exasperating chore. I decided this was one area I would prefer to just find a scenic overlook. Moving down the road, I came to the Umpqua River lighthouse, a working lighthouse with two white flashes and one red flash in each cycle. Once again, I was there much too early for the tours, but I settled in, watched the waves roiling in the jetty, and took some time to nap and read. There were others here, too. Mostly, they were hauling boats and wondering when or if the Coast Guard would start allowing small boats out. I think it was around 9:00 am. All of a sudden, boat after boat chugged out to sea. Obviously, the waves had settled a bit making it safe for the small boats. Those vehicles at the overlook soon cleared out. At 10:00, I joined the first group to tour the lighthouse. This was a great tour. Not only was this lighthouse still operational, but the tour even allowed us to poke our heads up into the operation light. This is a large first order Fresnel lens. The red flashes aren't due to red lenses, but to transparent flat red panels placed on every third lens. These lenses are huge and along with the 800 or so prisms allow the single electric light bulb to be magnified enough to be seen around twenty miles out to sea. Amazing! Moving along, I stopped at a Visitor's Center and talked to a couple of Oregon Coast Trail thruhikers. They were really enjoying the beach walks, but found the headland portions tough and miles and miles of road walks somewhat discouraging. Can't say I would blame them. I wouldn't want to spend any significant time walking along the relatively busy route 101. From the visitor's center, I got a brochure with a listing of all the Oregon lighthouses (so I'll be able to identify them in my photographs) and another Oregon map, this one with more detailed and complete information on public campgrounds. By then, it was lunch time and I found some oceanside picnic tables on which to make lunch and sit and read a bit more. Then I made some miles up the coast. I stopped at one lighthouse at Yaquina Bay. This one was a bit unusual in that it was a house with a light tower on top, rather than a large tower with a separate lightkeeper's house nearby. This light was no longer functional, but the house was restored and the rooms filled with appropriate period pieces. The lens, a small 4th or 5th order Fresnel, was displayed in a downstairs room, not in the tower. A short distance away was yet another lighthouse. Being closed, it was more memorable to me as the place were sea birds raucously inhabited the sea stacks just off shore. They were unbelievably loud. There were western gulls, surf scoters, tufted puffins, pigeon guillemotes, and many more. Almost forgot to mention the overlook stop before the afternoon lighthouses. It was just after the touristy "Sea Lion Caves" and without paying, we got to see yet more sea lions along the coast below. My best view was of one using its rear flipper to lazily scratch its side, then its neck. Others played in the water while most lounged on a nearby rock. I soon found myself in Lincoln City and remembered to call Louise, my brother-in-law's sister. I was soon travelling up 18, heading for Portland. Two hours later, I was catching up with Louise while her son, Ben, and his friend, Samuel, watched movies in Ben's room. Thursday, July 17: Portland After a lazy morning of reading, I made my way to the library at 10:00 am. They have a nice facility here but it's too bad the flat screen monitors all had refresh problems. Back at the house, we moved furniture so the carpeting could be cleaned. I ate lunch as Louise took Ben and Samuel to the movies. Then she and I went to Hawthorne St. and poked our noses into the funky shops there. It reminded me of Harvard Square before the Square got "mall"ified. But, even here, there were signs that the chain stores were moving in. We picked up the boys and met Samuel's mother half-way to Groshan. Back at the house, Louise and I made veggie chili, watched TV, made phone calls. I caught up on my journal and watched more TV until late. Friday, July 18: Portland Another lazy morning. It's nice to be in one place for a couple of days. Intending to get online, I went to the library at 10:00 am only to find out that due to budget cuts, it doesn't open Fridays until noon. So, I took the opportunity to hit some nearby thrift stores. I finally found some shorts and another T-shirt. One of the stores had quite a selection of coolers. Too bad I had already bought a new one. I'm still on the lookout for both a fanny pack and a day pack. I met up with Louise back at the house. We had lunch and then made our way into town via car and MAX, the surface trains. We wandered about a beautiful Chinese garden and then a bit around Chinatown with a stop for an almond cookie. I got to see a bit of Portland traffic when we tried to get out of the city. Yikes! The highway on-ramps have traffic lights that allow just one car at a time to get onto the highway. That meant long lines of cars backed up onto city streets causing the worst gridlock I've seen in a long time. Afterwards, I went to the library for a short time to check email. I needed to send some information to my sister. At the house, I followed up with a phone call. My brother-in-law answered the phone, but was already on another call. He asked if there was a number where he could reach me. It was a bit amusing to just tell him I was at his sister's place. I'm pretty sure Lori, my sister, had given me Louise's number without mentioning it to Bruce, so he was surprised to hear where I was. Anyway, Lori called me back and I just asked her to send my birth certificate to a friend of mine in Seattle. If I manage to get to Canada at some time during my trip (either Vancouver or Ontario come to mind), then I'll need some ID in addition to my driver's license. I didn't leave my passport with her so I hope the birth certificate is enough. My evening activity was a swing dance at the Viscount Ballroom. There was a lesson and then the dance started at 8:30. The band was great - musically, but not so good for "east coast swing" as this dance had been advertised. Most of the swing was a bit slow, so most people on the floor were dancing West Coast. I'm glad I know West Coast and I had a good time, but I like variety and would have preferred a few more, faster tunes. I got back to the house shortly before 1:00 am and read a bit before going to sleep. Saturday, July 19: Portland to Seaside 130 miles, 1041 total I wish I could sleep late. Even though I went to sleep so late, I still woke up early. So, I did a load of laundry. That was about done when everyone else got up and I soon loaded up the car and got on my way. I stopped at both the Midas and Meineke shops hoping to get my brakes checked. They just started squealing a couple of days ago. Both shops were too busy. Argh! I grabbed lunch and then headed for the library for one last email check, to drop off a couple of videos for Ben, and to try to update my web site. The word processor was too slow, so I didn't finish the last task. Maybe at the next library. I finally hit the road and had no problems getting out of town. A sign for Saddle Mountain caught my eye, so I took the turn. It was a long road, winding up over and around a hill. The clear cuts I could see every now and then were not at all attractive, but then a small opening in the trees allowed me to see an impressively imposing mountain rising above the forest I was driving through. The end of the road brought me to a parking lot at a trailhead with camping. I wish I could find places like this along the coast. It was a bit late to do the hike, and a bit early to camp, so I retraced the road and continued towards the coast. Not long thereafter, another sign caught my eye. This time the attraction was near the road. The largest Sitka Spruce was there. It's also the tallest tree in Oregon. The wayside and path to and around the tree reminded me of some of the trees I had seen in the Atherton Tablelands in Australia. The tree, however, did not. It was a typical spruce - just tall and imposing. Continuing on, I finally got to Seaside, the coastal town with a hostel with a great reputation. The hostel was full, but they allow camping, so I'll crash on their lawn. Nancy, the manager(?) suggested restaurants here and in neighboring towns and mentioned the Lewis and Clark Saltworks re-enactment happening in town. I walked to The Strand for a good chicken quesadilla and then walked to the end of "The Prom" (the local promenade or boardwalk) to see the re-enactment. The Lewis and Clark expedition had run out of salt by the time they got to the coast, so they distilled seawater for weeks to make the three to four bushels they would need to get back to the Missouri River where they had left another cache. I had been hearing more and more about Lewis and Clark as I moved north in Oregon. I'm sure I'll see and experience more, but this was my first. This re-enactment is similar to Sturbridge and Plimouth Plantation in Massachusetts in that the actors remain in character at all times. To these actors, all visitors are members of the Clatsup Indian tribe. Visitors are encourage to bring things (especially food) to trade for trinkets (beads, thimbles, bells) just as would have happened 2000 years ago. They remain ignorant of any inventions that happened post-period and will mostly say "I don't know what you're talking about" if you reference something that neither they nor the Indians could have known about. I grabbed an ice cream cone on the way back to the hostel and then set up camp with the Ultimate team staying here. It didn't take long to figure out one of them, Beau (trail name Bluefoot(?)) had thruhiked the PCT in 2000. It's no surprise that we have friends and acquaintances in common. Sunday, July 20: Seaside to Chinook, Washington 60 miles, 1101 total Breakfast at the hostel and then drove south to get to Cannon Beach, a touristy little town with a lot of galleries and some great art glass. Mostly, I went having heard of Haystack Rock, the largest sea stack either in Oregon or some longer stretch of shore. Parking near Haystack was impossible, so I drove a bit further to find a good parking lot near the beach and walked back to Haystack Rock. The rock was home to many shorebirds, so people were prohibited from climbing. The base had tide pools teeming with life. Unfortunately, given the popularity of the site, it was also teeming with people. I didn't stay too long before heading back to my car. Driving back through town, I got a great parking spot so stopped to wander the streets and look in the shops. I also stopped for a clam strips lunch and couldn't believe it when I was served a meal that was very hot but seemed to have melted plastic on it. Yuck! They quickly made me another order which I carefully scrutinized for any more signs of sticky clear stuff before eating. The second order was fine and the food was delicious. I had seen and perused a number of kite shops over the last couple of days and stopped in yet another shop after lunch. Here, I talked with "The Wizard" about kites. I had wanted a parafoil because they pack so small, but it turns out they're pretty expensive. I also had the idea that stunt kites could be fun. I took a look at some kites and found a stunt kite that packs small and can be broken down easily. The guy at the shop gave me a bit of lesson and some good advice. Now, I was psyched to find a beach. Back in Seaside, on my way north, I did a very quick email stop and continued on my way. The Wizard had suggested a couple of beaches, so I stopped at Sunset Beach. I set up the kite, but there really wasn't enough wind. I also noted the cars on the beach. There were quite a few and they weren't all SUVs. Many were small sedans like my Mazda Protege. That gave me another idea. I had never driven on a beach before. So, I went back to my car and drove it up and down the beach a bit. I took a bit of break and then read a while too. My next stop was at Fort Clatsop, another Lewis and Clark site. It was here that the main contingent of the group wintered while the saltmakers were making salt a few days walk south, not at Seaside. The fort had long succumbed to the fast growing vegetation of the northwest and then fires set by new settlers. But the location was pointed out 100 years ago by an old man who remembered seeing the remains of the fort as a young boy. With diagrams from Lewis and Clark's notes as well as their own written description, the fort has been rebuilt within a few feet of its original location. [Note: On October 3, 2005, the replica fort was destroyed by a suspcious fire. (Boston Globe, 10/5/05)] I then made my way to the very northwest tip of Oregon along the Columbia River. I started at a wildlife viewpoint, a true blind, and then went to a beach along the river. It was there that I found a good steady breeze and a wide, empty beach. In no time, I had my kite flying - and crashing. It didn't take long before I started getting he hang of it. These stunt kites are not the diamonds I grew up with. There's no running involved and constant attention must be paid to the kite or it will crash. Small pushing and pulling movements are enough to keep the kite steady. But, it's the turns and shapes that you trace with the kite that make it fun. I put the kite away and went to the south jetty, on a huge, long jetty on the south side of the Columbia river, where the river spills into the Pacific Ocean. With the sun low in the sky, the fog rolling in, and the nearly high tide crashing over the jetty in places, the scene was spectacular and I took a bunch of pictures. An observation platform allowed for great views. Pelicans, flying in skeins as geese do, swirled and swooped just a couple of feet from the water, always seeming to avoid the crashing waves at the last moment. Three seals were playing on the surf, diving under waves and at times surging in the waves. It was already well into evening, but still sunny in these northern latitudes when I pushed on for Astoria. The column there would normally afford spectacular views, but was in the fog when I was there just before sunset. Back in town, I grabbed some McDonald's before heading across the bridge over the Columbia into Washington State. The bridge with one high section on the Oregon side was mostly long, straight, and not very high up above the water. As I descended from the high portion, I realized there was a gull flying along the guardrail on the opposite side. It was flying at a constant 40 mph and only wavered when it had to go above a road sign obstacle in its path. 40 mph is slow for cars, but with no traffic at that hour, I wasn't holding anyone up as I paced the gull. I couldn't find any public campgrounds, so I pulled into an RV park and set up in their tent camping area. There wasn't much to set up. Once again, I was camping out under the stars - or in this case, the fog. Monday, July 21: Chinook to Westport 95 miles, 1196 total My first Washington State lighthouse was still closed when I got there, not surprisingly, and with no sign indicating when or if they would be opening that day, I just took a quick look around the grounds before continuing on. Just a short distance away, on Cape Disappointment, I walked a 3/4 mile trail to get to the lighthouse there. Along the way, when I was in dense forest, I was startled to, quite suddenly, hear a loud siren and voices blaring over a loud speaker. This was quickly followed by the sound of a boat being launched. When the siren first went off, my first thought was of all the tsunami warning signs I had been seeing along the coastal roads. Could that be a warning siren? I continued on and a short time later, came to the source of the noise. There was a Coast Guard station there. Continuing on the trail, I soon came to a very steep road. I walked up it to get to the lighthouse. My presence worried a doe and fawn on the lawn and they moved away as I approached. This lighthouse is not open to the public, so I was just there to look around. A separate, newer building had the door open as I looked around. There were two Coast Guards inside, so I called out a "Good Morning" as I passed. I think I startled them a bit and they seemed very intent on whatever they were doing. When I descended to the road, I went all of the way down, past the trail, to the station. I was told I could go look at the old boat on display, but go no further. I had seen a similar boat on display at another lighthouse. These were self-righting boats designed to flip themselves back over in 45 seconds should they ever turtle in the water. Oh! From the lighthouse, if it hadn't been so foggy, I would have been able to see the north jetty of the Columbia River. I stopped at the Visitor Center site and found yet another old military site. This one had diagrams of the rooms with descriptions of speaking tubes that went from one room to another. There were quite a few tubes, and the ends of which were in "booths". It would have been interesting to see how well they worked. Moving along, I drove past the muddy and marshy coastline of Willapa Bay and past miles and miles of "managed" forest. I stopped in the town of Raymond for lunch. This town was most notable for its National Wildlife Sculpture Refuge. Yes, that says Sculpture! For five miles, along the road, there are life sized flat metal sculptures of local wildlife and even not so wild life. There were scenes of deer foraging, owls on branches, wolves stalking prey, and lumberjacks using oxen to haul logs and more. One, two, or five of these would have been interesting on their own, but to see tens, if not one hundred or more was mind boggling. I took the 105 loop to stay along the coast and was rewarded with more good beaches. I stopped to play with my kite only to discover it was too windy. My kite is designed for winds in the 6 to 20 mph range so either I'm going to need an anemometer or just learn to be a better judge of light winds. Today's winds were trying to pull me off my feet and pulling the fittings apart on my kite when it crashed. I made my way to Westport Light, the only lighthouse I've ever seen with two different sized lenses. One half was a small lens that shined white. The other side was a large lens because it used to have a red glass panel to change the color. The red dimmed the light, so the lens and prisms had to be bigger to compensate. This is also the tallest lighthouse on the Washington Coast. In this lighthouse, we walked around the outside of the lens. It had a surprising number of chips in the lenses and prisms. Smoked salmon chowder for dinner in Westport. Another RV park tent area to camp. Spent time on the phone with Seattle contacts and look forward to an AT '99 reunion of sorts while there. Slept under the stars again tonight. Tuesday, July 22: Westport to Elma 133 miles, 1329 total Up early and stopped at the beach to fly my kite even before breakfast. Uh Oh! I think I have a new hobby. The wind was perfect and I had a good time. I'm getting better control of the kite now and have started to execute some exercises and shapes successfully. Finally stopped for breakfast after I drove through Hoquium. I made my way to Ocean Shores and found yet another beach to drive on. Once again, I had a great time with my kite. At one point, I even got it to land in position for a perfect take off. Woohoo! But, I think that was as much the luck of a dying gust of wind as skill. But, I'll take it. I also had a strange experience with a gull. I know these short kites and their lines can be dangerous so I make sure to only fly on an empty stretch of beach. But, I was not prepared to have a gull fly into one of my lines. Weird! It kept flying with no apparent harm done and I kept flying the kite, too. Oh well. I stopped to talk to some other kite flyers. One was a woman in a wheelchair with a four line kite. With her husband helping to launch, it's a great activity for her. I've been surprised at how little effort, except for arms, goes into kite flying. Her husband had a two line kite similar to mine. But, he was almost as much of a novice as I am. Further down the beach, I couldn't resist stopping to talk to another couple flying kites. He was flying a four tiered kite. We ended up chatting for over an hour. They had bought a kite some years ago, both tried it, and went back to the store to buy another one so they could both fly. They now own 14 kites! Their last two, they bought just yesterday so they could fly in high winds. Like me they had tried flying and broke two kites before giving up with what they had. A quick visit to the kite store and they bought two kites with a 25 mph upper wind range. When they heard I was still using sand to hold my kite down until I launched, they gave me a kite stake, a long rod with a bright golf ball head. Now launching should go a bit faster. I ate lunch, used the library computer and finally made my way north to Taholah in the Qinault Indian Reservation. On my first trip to Washington, I had been through the northern end of the reservation. It was a reminder that I would soon be on roads I had previously traveled. I drove through Aloha and then across the Humptulips River and eventually made my way to a home hostel in Elma. I was surprised and pleased to see a VIP sticker there. I had joined VIP in Australia, so it was familiar to me. They are much less common in the US than in Australia and New Zealand. Being the only one here tonight, I quickly settled in, made dinner, started some ice making in the freezer, dried my tent, wrote in my journal and read until late. Yesterday, I mentioned tsunamis, but I keep forgetting to write about them. Along the coastal highways and other roads, low lying roads are in tsunami zones. Earthquakes can trigger very large waves, so the low lying areas all have tsunami evacuation signs everywhere. Just north of San Francisco, I crossed the San Andreas Fault for the last time. But, as the many geological information signs along the coast point out, there are many other faults in the area. Some years ago, during my first visit to the San Francisco area, I slept through a small earthquake. I keep wondering if I'll experience one while I'm out here. When I was on the Pacific Crest Trail, there were places where, had an earthquake occurred, I would have been in a great place to view it. Now that I'm once again staying in buildings, I'm not so keen to experience one! Wednesday, July 23: Elma to Seattle 108 miles, 1437 total I spent a bit of time reorganizing my car - yet again. I was heading into the city and wanted to put as much stuff in the trunk as possible. I took some slow roads to start the day, but while rural and pretty, they had so many clear cuts, I almost wished I had avoided that route. I stopped in Olympia for a tour of the Capital area. The Capital building itself is closed while undergoing renovation. The first building built on the premises, the Temple of Justice, houses the Supreme Court. It was built to a standard that none of the other buildings quite achieved. In addition to the marble and fluted columns, there were some amazing illusions. Much of the wood in the building is actually plaster, brushed and painted to look like wood. It really fools the eye unless you get very close and purposely examine the plaster. The WW II monument also has fascinating wheat sheaves that sounded haunting when swaying on their springs. Lunch at Spar wasn't the cheap eats I expected. The building, built in 1935 was worth seeing as it still had most of the original workmanship. I got to Tacoma too late to bother going into the Museum of Glass, but if I can get back, I want to go in. I did take the time to visit the Bridge of Glass with glass by Chihuly. I was also surprised to see a Patrick Dougherty exhibit. I had seen another swirling sapling exhibit of his at the Decordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts some years ago. In Seattle, I found parking at the HI hostel, but ended up staying at the Green Tortoise Hostel. I'll try to get in touch with local friends tomorrow. Pike Place Market was closing down, so I was glad to find the hostel was providing baked potatoes with all the fixings and soup for dinner - FREE! There was also plenty of free Internet access. Thursday, July 24: Seattle My car had to be moved by 8:00 am or I would have to start plugging quarters into the 30 minute meter. The "FREE" breakfast was pretty gross, well, not gross, but just not appealing. Stale bread, make your own eggs, and some fruit. My brakes had been squealing for a week or so. There weren't many options for Midas or Meineke type places along the coast and the places I had tried in Portland were too busy, so I had just kept going. This morning, I looked up the locations of the nearby Midas and Meineke shops. The Chittendan Locks were on the way so I stopped on the way for a few minutes. The botanical gardens were a nice surprise. I walked through the garden on the way to the locks. At the locks, it was just a few minutes before I saw a bunch of (Belted?) Kingfishers diving for fish, a bald eagle flying by, a Great Blue Heron, and more salmon jumping around than I could count. There are two sets of locks, one large and one small. I watched them raise and lower the locks and stopped by the fish ladder. The salmon were running, so I watched a few jump up the steps of the ladder and then went inside to get the underwater view. The fish would jump a level and rest a bit before attempt the next step. In addition to the steps, there are also tunnels they can take to move between some of the levels. I stopped at the locks on the way out and watched Pepe, the harbor seal playing in the locks, even while the water levels were being raised and lowered. I finally moved on and found the Meineke on Aurora. It took a while but they finally said there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I can ignore the squeal for now. It was nice not to have to do a repair on the car. I spoke with Maggie who had spent the morning at Discovery Park and was going to visit the locks that afternoon. She invited me to dinner that evening and gave me directions. I grabbed a salad at Wendy's and was pleasantly surprised to find it rivaled the salad at Jack-in-the-Box. Continuing on my tour of lighthouses, I remembered seeing one near or in Seattle on the map. I took another look at the map only to discover it was in Discovery Park. Too bad we hadn't connected yesterday. So, I made my way to the park, grabbed my kite, and started walking the loop trail. I couldn't believe it when, just a few minutes in, I ran into Maggie. I thought she would have been at the locks by now. So, I ended up turning around and joining Maggie. We went back to the locks where we were in time for the 3:00 tour after stopping at a restaurant so Maggie could get lunch. I think Maggie was just as impressed with engineering of the locks and the natural abilities of the salmon to negotiate the ladder. She also pointed out that though the salmon looked like they were in an aquarium when looking through the window at the locks, this was no aquarium. These were wild fish, not captive, and the ones we were watching would soon be on their way upstream to spawn, and then die. We stopped at both her studio where she showed me some of her design work in landscape architecture, and a store where we picked up fixings for dinner. At the apartment, she, Susanne and I had a great time in the tiny kitchen. Maggie was cooking, and Susanne and I were helping as best we could. Becky joined us for dinner and we sat around until it was time to go to sleep. I crashed on the deck. Friday, July 25: Seattle Maggie cooked French Toast for breakfast. Yum! Then she went in search of supplies and I made plans for the next couple of days. I had some time to kill before meeting Maggie so I visited the troll under the bridge and found the most incredible 4-5 foot wide dragonfly perched on a telephone pole in Fremont. I spent the afternoon helping Maggie clear out her studio in preparation for her return to Eugene. I had dinner on the waterfront in Edmands with a friend, Mike, from the AT, and his wife, Jan. For those interested in gear issues, my sleeping pad has a patched leak that is leaking again. Argh! Saturday, July 26: Seattle Good parking karma strikes again. I pulled up to Nate "Fleischman" Strauss' building on Capitol Hill and found a spot in front. At 9:30, a bunch of us met to carpool to a hike in Cascades. I know Nate from the AT in 1999. The others we met here are his friends. We piled into Christine's car and headed for Eastgate, where we met Mike "Wandering Taoist" also a friend from the AT in 1999. We were surprised when he showed up with Isabella, his girlfriend that he met while hiking the AT. We went east towards Snoqualmie Pass, but stopped a few miles shy to start our eight mile round trip hike. At a waterfall we took a break where I enjoyed wading in up to my knees. Others didn't get even that far, but Mike and Isabella got all the way in. Brr! Continuing along, we went up a series of switchbacks to a pass and then quickly found ourselves at M____ Lake (possibly Melakwa). Nobody went swimming here but quite a few of us soaked our feet. Here, as we had at the falls, we took the time for yet another break where we snacked on munchies. Finally, we headed down and back to the car. As the others, Christine, Chris and Toro already had plans, Nate and I made plans for dinner with Mike and Isabella. We went back to Nate's place and eventually Mike and Isabella join us. We started out for a restaurant when Mike spied a snowboard, apparently discarded. We threw it into my car and make our way to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Yum! What a treat. Afterwards, we strolled along Broadway to get a glimpse of the urban wildlife there. Lots of black leather, high heels, dog collars, multicolored hair, chains, and more. For a complete change of pace, we stopped at "Twice Sold Tales", a used book store featuring a huge selection of books. It also features a handful of cats (we "found" only four) and the most elaborate series of catwalks (literally) arching from bookcase to bookcase, and through holes in the walls to go from room to room. There were even elaborate spiral staircases for the cats to attain their high perches. We walked back to Mike and Isabella's pick-up and said our good-byes. I crashed at Nate's place. Sunday, July 27: Seattle The tour of Appalachian Trail thruhikers continues today. My friends Jennifer and Eric (Sky and Raven) were moving so I went to help out. It was nice to get to see both places, but maybe next time, they'll be settled in. I also got to meet Meadow, their Shepherd/Malamute mix who is, unfortunately, not doing well. They had loaded most of their stuff in the truck the night before. Other friends came, too, and we made short work of finishing loading. Twelve blocks away, we unloaded the truck at the townhouse. It wasn't even lunchtime when we finished with the truck. We stopped back at the old place and then went to lunch at Romeo's where you can basically build your own pizza. Chicken and Broccoli with Alfredo sauce did it for me. Yum! We made a couple of more trips back and forth between old and new places before dinnertime. We had hoped to meet up with Nate again for dinner but he was still at Rainier at 7:30 and wouldn't be back in time. So we went to Red Mill without them. I had heard great things about this place from many people, but found the burgers disappointing. The fries, onion rings, and chocolate / peanut butter milkshakes, however, were delicious. After dinner, we went back to the old place one more time to pick up Meadow and bring her to the new apartment. Jennifer and Eric made a casting of Meadow's paw and decorated it with some stones from a recent, special outing and her name. It was late so we went to sleep. It had been a great day of catching up with friends. Monday, July 28: Seattle Strike out! This morning, I attempted to go to two libraries only to find that neither one opens until 1:00 today. I also stopped at the globe store to look at their selection only to find them closed on Mondays. Finally, I headed for the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington only to find that they were also closed on Mondays. Argh! I stopped at Greenwood Lake and found a spot to fly my kite only to find that it wasn't windy enough. But, then my luck changed. I called another friend, Ron Strickland, who I knew from some email contacts and met him for lunch. Between the two of us (he's house-sitting) we had the makings of great lunch - Rye bread, pickled herring, hard boiled eggs, tomato, cantaloupe, strawberries. All good! We talked for a while about the 6'2" heroine in a novel he's writing, about backpacking gear, lightweight and otherwise, and even about dancing. I checked my email, but they neither of us were motivated to do much of anything. It's surprisingly hot today. We spent some quiet time this afternoon with him working on his book and me on my journal. Then, I put the new registration stickers on my car. Bob, my friend in Santa Clara where I bought the car sent them to me at Nate's place. We cooked some corn on the cob as an appetizer and to hold us over until after the news where we heard more about the death of Bob Hope. After the news, we went to pick up Ron's manuscript at a friend's house before going to a Malaysian restaurant. But, the friends had a bunch of leftover food, so I enjoyed some halibut and Ron had a burger. It felt like trail magic. We stayed and enjoyed each other's company and had a few laughs. It's amazing how, even when not on the trail, a bunch of hikers sitting around talking manage to have conversations that most other groups would never consider. It's so far north here that it stays light so much later than further south. Dusk was just ending and it was nearly 10:00 when we got back. We enjoyed a raspberry cream cheese brownie I had bought at the supermarket when I did some shopping earlier this morning. I journalled and read before bed. Tuesday, July 29: Seattle to Lake Mowich, Mt. Rainier National Park 76 miles, 1513 total (plus whatever miles in town) I had what could be my last shower for a while this morning. Mike (Wandering Taoist) came over at 10:00 and stopped in to talk with Ron. Ron gave him the contact information for a friend going to the same school (Bastier) where Mike is about to start. I was honored this morning when Ron gave me a copy of his book, Alaskans, as inspiration to go to Alaska. Mike and I made our way to Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington to go see the Turrel exhibit. They currently have one of his permanent exhibits and one temporary one. Turrel is known for his work with sky, color, and shapes. The first exhibit we went into was the Skyspace room, an oval room with a bench along the wall sloping back so you could easily look up at an oval hole, or oculus, in the convex ceiling. It's designed so that the sky ends up looking like an oval panel in the ceiling. Neither Mike nor I were particularly impressed and thought it seemed more like a sauna than art. His temporary exhibit however, flabbergasted us. It was a series of three pieces. The first required us to change out of our sandals and into paper slippers. As we sat there, we contemplated this huge, blue, picture on the wall - or at least, that's what Mike thought. I pointed out that it was actually a room. After we changed into the slippers, we ascended some black stairs and gingerly stepped through the blue into the room. It was weird. The whole thing was blue. There were no shadows, even on the wall in front of us. But, it took a while before we figured out there was no wall in front of us. Beyond the line that we weren't to step past there was another room, also bathed in blue light. It was almost impossible to tell that room was there. Then we figured out (there was someone there to ask) that the room were white, but just bathed in blue light. Amazing! The next place was two armchairs in front of a TV screen. The screen just played changing colors. Upon further examination, it wasn't a screen but a TV shaped hole into a small room and the light source was out of site in the room. Only later did we find out the colors in the room were generated by a TV set that was positioned out of site on the floor. The last was another fairly large room. The entry and back of the room was pitch black. There was a bench in the back to sit on to contemplate the light in front. It seemed like a wedge shaped orange room and sliver of while light. Once again, after a long time, we figured out the orange wedge was rectangular not triangular, but the shape was made with light. Once again - bizarre! The rest of the Gallery held little interest to me. I'm not a huge fan of flat paintings in frames and though there was some interesting and weird stuff there, it was nothing I particularly liked. Mike and I stopped in another Twice Sold Tales bookstore and found more cats. Then we found a great little Chinese place with good cheap lunch. Can't beat 4.25 for soup, rice, and meal. I stopped in to say goodbye one more time to Ron when we went back to get Mike's pick-up. Then, I hit the road again. Unfortunately, it was rush hour and took quite a while to get out of the city. Salad, backed potato, and chili for dinner at Wendy's and then I drove the rest of the way to Rainier. It was perfect timing though. I found a walk-in campground, where your car is parked maybe 200 feet away, at a beautiful lake. It's very buggy though, but with my tent, I'll stay bug free and get a good start in circumnavigating the mountain tomorrow and next day. Wednesday, July 30: Lake Mowich to Summerland 100 miles, 1613 total Up and packed early today. Sit in the car to eat breakfast and escape the multitudes of flies. Took a short walk along the lake and got a great view of Rainier. Even though it was "out of the way" I stopped at the Carbon River entrance and picked up a map. Then, at the suggestion of one of the rangers, I stopped in the town of Wilkeson on the way back to 410, where I would continue my circumnavigation of the mountain. It was there that I picked up the last permit for camping at Summerland, a campsite just 4.2 miles in from the trailhead a couple of miles before the White River turnoff. I had heard many people exclaim that this way is a great short hike - even as a day hike - but since I needed a place to stay tonight, I thought this would be a good first backpack since I got off the PCT. It was a nice drive around the mountain from the northwest side to the east side. There was one long delay due to road construction. With a 10-12 minute delay expected, I turned off the car and put my seat back to catch a catnap. I woke up when the first truck came through from the other direction. It still took a while for the long string of cars the pilot car lead through. Finally, it was our turn to follow the pilot car through. I had plenty of time to kill before starting my hike so I drove all the way up to the Sunrise Visitor Center with a stop to gape at the mountains at the Paradise overlook. At the visitor center, I braved the flies and had a picnic lunch. I stopped to look at the various displays there and struck out when I went looking for the Trails Illustrated map. They had other maps there, but they were either prohibitively big, heavy, and bulky, or only showed a portion of the park. But a ranger concurred that for my hike, a map was unnecessary. I would still like to find one as a souvenir. I stopped at a shady roadside turnout for yet another nap and finally got back to my trailhead around 3:30. By the time I was packed and hit the trail, it was nearly 4:00. Plenty early given the late sunset around here. I had hiked maybe a mile when an approaching backpacker called out "Stitches!" It was Topsy-Turvy, an AT '98 thruhiker I had met in '99 while on the AT. We met a couple of times that year and at a Gathering, too. To run into her here was par for the course given how much thru hikers tend travel. Of course, she's from Vermont so we're both far from home. We stood there, swatting flies, and yacking for about 45 minutes. I stopped for a quick snack break at the stream crossing. Then, I hit the switchbacks. The climb was significant and I was certainly laboring, but my mind was elsewhere. It seems late July must be "spring" in these parts. I was hiking through meadows that were just covered in flowers. Red, purple, yellow, orange and while flowers in all shapes and sizes. Some, like Indian Paintbrush were familiar from the desert in Southern California. Others, like the tiny purple bell shaped ones on what looked like a large lichopod or small spruce, were completely new to me. They completely took my mind of the trail. The rest of the scenery helped, too. There were snowfields and glaciers everywhere I looked and with the warm weather melting then, there were lots of waterfalls and lots of creeks. Water would not be an issue on this hike. The camping areas at Summerland were large and spaced well apart. The bear pole was a joke, I think. The top may well have been ten feet tall, but by the time bags were hung, they weren't high enough. I could reach up and grab a hanging bag from one of the other campers. When I hung mine, I went by the principal that mine just needed to be higher than others to keep the bears from my food. ;-) Thursday, July 31: Summerland, Mt. Rainier to Morton 90 miles, 1703 total I woke with the sun this morning. A black tailed deer started when I went to retrieve my food bag, but it didn't go far. It stopped, looked at me, and seemed to pose so I took its picture. The sunrise painted Rainier in shades of pinkish orange, so I felt compelled to take a series of pictures. I took yet more pictures, mostly of flowers on the way down the mountain but still found myself back at my car at 8:00 am after 4.2 mile descent from Summerland. I next took a small detour from my circumnavigation of Rainier to stop at Chinook pass. This is probably the PCT's closest approach to Rainier. It's a bit too early for all but a few southbounders, so I didn't really expect to see any thruhikers there. With a bicycle rally in the vicinity of the Paradise entrance, I took it real easy with the driving. At the Visitor's Center, I went through the exhibits and watched a couple of videos. One was on the cultural history of the mountain. The other focused purely on the dangers associated with the volcanic activity that is not a matter of "if" but "when". The likelihood is high that "something" will happen on Rainier - and it seems like so few people are aware of what might happen and when, and what to do. While along the coast there were tsunami evacuation routes, in the vicinity of the volcano, there are volcano evacuation routes leading to higher ground to get out of the way of the mud flows, the most likely destructive force on the mountain. I had a picnic lunch there, got some advice from the rangers and just after a power outage eliminated any chance of my getting an ice cream, I hit the road again. On the way out of the park, I stopped to look at a couple of waterfalls and to marvel at the raging Nisqually river, gray with suspended minerals from the melting glacier above. From Mount Rainier National Park, it was an easy drive to Morton. I had intended to make my decision there about whether to go towards Adams first or St. Helens first. But, when I spotted a laundromat, my plans changed. I stopped to do a load of laundry and hit the supermarket while my clothes were in the washer and the Internet access place while my stuff was drying. I also found a place to grab a shower at a city park but by then, it was nearly dinner time, so I made a phone call and connected with a friend in Portland who I'll see in a couple of days. Then, with the wind up, I tried flying my kite, but while strong, the wind wasn't consistent and would die completely every few minutes making it impossible to fly. In the meantime, there's a fire just a couple of miles away that has displaced some of the towns folk. The helicopters overhead made talking on the phone interesting at times. They are going back and forth dropping water on the fire. It's possible to see a bit of the smoke every now and then from in town, but not from the campground. I pulled into a spot to set up camp and was delighted to look up in time to see a Bald Eagle winging past. Only after my dinner did I notice it was fishing in the river right next to my campsite. Of course, once I started watching for it, I never saw it again. Just upstream, there's a lumberyard. Clear cuts are pervasive in this area. Even one of the families camping near me is here because the father is working with salvage lumber in the area. It's getting dark. The bats are winging overhead. They shouldn't have any problems finding food to eat here. There are plenty of bugs around. I'm going to try sleeping out tonight. But, we'll see if the bugs force me to set up my tent. Friday, August 1: Morton to Gifford Pinchot National Forest east of 90/25 250 miles, 1953 total Once I moved inland from the Washington coast, I've had consistently clear skies with temps in the 80s and 90s. This morning there were clouds. I decided to circumnavigate Mt. St. Helens counterclockwise and as I drove west the clouds got worse and worse. Eventually though, I started back east on the 37 mile access road and while there were still clouds in the sky, there were plenty of blue patches and the mountain was in the clear. The mountain and the land around it is spectacular. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out what part of the mountain blew on May 18, 1980. I stopped at a lot of viewpoints, two different visitor's centers, and even a bridge viewpoint. They all had interpretive displays and I ended up learning a lot. Driving around, it was pretty easy to distinguish the three zones where trees were blasted to smithereens, blown over but still intact, and scorched of vegetation and bark, but still standing, left as snags. The road into the visitor's center was rebuilt around 1992. 14 bridges were rebuilt. Weyerhauser, the biggest landowner in the area requested billions (?) in replanting the area outside the National Monument area. The National Monument area was left to rebuild naturally. The difference in the two areas is amazing. While Weyerhauser won't be harvesting those new plantations until 2028, the replanted hillsides are completely green and forested, albeit with little diversity. The natural areas, while having obvious growth, still look like a moonscape in places, or more like desert with short scrub and hearty flowers. I think 30 lakes were drained or filled but over 100 were formed. The aftermath of Mt. St. Helens allowed scientists to finally understand other features they had seen at other volcanic mountains. The many small hills formed by pieces of the mountain that got blown out are hillocks. Mt. Shasta has these same hillocks. Until the volcano blew and left the hillocks under St. Helens, the Shasta ones had puzzled scientists. The lateral explosion which leveled something like 230 acres of trees had never been seen before. But a 1956 volcanic event in Siberia, witnessed by nobody left similar devastation, but nobody knew how. Once again, Mt. St. Helens explained all that. Other volcanoes have similar horseshoe shaped calderas with lava domes inside. Now we know how they formed that way. There was much more of the mountain to see so I retraced the route west back to the I-5 corridor and took advantage of the lower gas prices there. For some reason, the ARCO stations at the AM/PM stores have gas at $1.49 while other stations nearby charge $.15 to $.25 more per gallon. A couple of cents wouldn't faze me, but a quarter a gallon adds up. I stopped in Cougar to make a couple of quick phone calls and ended up on the phone for an hour or more. It was fun talking with my one year old niece who babbled and my three year old nephew who can actually converse a bit on the phone now. What a difference from the times I talked with him from Australia and New Zealand just months ago. It was a bit late to rent a lantern for Ape Cave, so I took a walk along lava canyon and then checked out some free National Forest camp sites recommended by the ranger at Ape Cave. I expected rough turnouts for the car and nothing else. Instead, I found a nice parking spot, a picnic table, and good camping. What a change from the expensive fee areas along the coast. Saturday, August 2: Gifford Pinchot National Forest to Portland, Oregon 195 miles, 2148 total Once again, while I'm camping, I tend to go to sleep with the sun and get up with the sun. Today that meant I would get to see the see the east side of Mt. St. Helens in the morning light. Wouldn't you know? It was cloudy again this morning, so no great color this morning, but it was still amazing. Spirit Lake is now 100 feet higher than it was before it was filled by St. Helens debris. Even now, 23 years later, a good portion of the surface of the lake is still covered by logs left floating after the explosion. From Windy Ridge, it's possible to see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Adams all within a very short stretch of road. It makes you wonder about the Ring of Fire. At least there's some chance that volcanic activity can be predicted. It was time to move on so I headed for the nearest Forest Service Ranger Station. I got some info on the roads near Mt. Adams and decided to skip those and head back to Ape Cave. I stopped on the way for lunch and tried kippered salmon to jazz up the cheese crackers that I'm still trying to get through from my thruhike. I joined a tour of Ape Cave, the longest lava tube in the Americas. Knowing the cave had constant temperature of 43 degrees, I was glad I had my warm backpacking clothes and wore appropriate clothes and bought my warm hat and gloves. I've heard of lava tubes, but this was the first time I had visited one. Having visited other caves, this one was very different. No stalactites or stalagmites, relatively smooth, convex surfaces. Some of the features of the lava cave are no longer visible to visitors but are only available in areas now off-limits to visitors. The number of visitors is great enough that bats are no longer calling the lava tube cave home. I finally headed for Portland after the tour. I met up with Lee at his place and we hung out for a while, went out for Thai, and then I stopped to buy a pint of ice cream to bring home. Lee has also traveled extensively so it was great to sit and compare experiences from around the world. Sunday, August 3: Portland 230 miles, 2378 total While in the Portland area, I wanted to explore the Columbia River Gorge and Lee was happy to play tour guide. After a stop on Hawthorne St. for bagels, we headed for the Oregon side and went east on 14. The slope of the hill on the north side are relatively gentle, though Beacon Rock reminded me more of a sea stack than a riverside hill. We crossed back over to the Oregon side at the Bridge of Gods, a narrow, two-lane, toll bridge that also happens to be the route of the PCT. Once again, it's a bit too early for thru hikers to be coming through, so we weren't surprised not to see any. We did a tour of waterfalls west of the bridge, and stopped to climb the 12 switchbacks at Wahkeena Falls, and stopped to gape at Multinomah Falls, the most popular destination. Others we drove by but didn't stop. We also went to the Eagle Creek trailhead, but didn't stop to hike. That will have to be another trip. We then drove further east and did a huge loop up the Hood River Valley, around by Mt. Hood, and back to Portland. We drove through pear orchards and stopped at Timberline Lodge on the flanks of the mountain. A quick stop at Government Camp (a town) on the way down and then we went back to Portland. Dinner of Chef's salad and a quiet night of TV, reading, or journalling. Monday, August 4: Portland to Eugene 220 miles, 2598 total Woke early, said "goodbye" to Lee, and went straight to Wal-Mart. No luck there trying to find the miniature hair brushes I've bought there in the past. I'll have to start checking other drug stores and such to find one. Either that or get my hair cut very short again so my comb remains useful. It was out of the way, but I went back to Hawthorne St. for breakfast again today. Noah's Bagels are pretty good and they certainly know how to lay on a shmear. Yum! Then, I beat a hasty retreat from town. I was headed for Eugene, just about 100 miles away by the most efficient interstate, but that wasn't going to be my route. Instead, I went east to travel along beautiful rivers and follow the west side of the Cascade Range. At times I was close to the PCT, but I never crossed it or bothered to drive out of my way to get there today. The Clackamas River Valley was beautiful. Then I drove along the Brietenbush River, also gorgeous. After the "No gas for 70 miles" sign, I was glad to get to the town of Detroit and fill my tank even though it was $1.79/gallon. While there, I stopped for lunch and then continued along the Santian River, now dammed to create Detroit Lake. Eventually, I made my way to the McKenzie River. I bypassed the Clear Lake Resort, but stopped at a series of waterfalls. I would have done a small hike there, but twisted an ankle almost immediately. While initially painful, it wasn't a significant injury, but I didn't want to take chances on the weakened foot, especially since I had started out without my hiking poles. I continued on and soon started driving through some incredibly volcanic terrain. At first glance the forest hadn't changed. But, looking down on the ground it was apparent that this forest was growing in a sea of large, porous-looking lava rocks. For mile after mile, I drove through this rough, rocky forest. I arrived in Springfield, just east of Eugene a couple hours before I was to meet Maggie. I took the business route through town and stopped at a thrift store were I found a good file box with a lid that latches. It was perfect for organizing maps and other literature I've collected in my car. I also stopped at the Post Office to mail a large batch of journal entries. For some reason, on the road, I seem mail them less frequently than when hiking. I was still early so called Maggie to see if she was home. She wasn't, so I stopped for ice cream at Prince Pucklers, a shop walking distance to Maggie's apartment for some homemade Chocolate Mandarin ice cream. Yum! Maggie and I got to her place about the same time, caught up, went out for Chinese dinner, and then spent the evening perusing her humongous scrapbook from a six week trip to Japan she took last year. When Maggie went to sleep, I stayed up for a while and watched the video of her brother's amazing rescue from a climbing accident in May of 1999. He and a friend were doing a first ascent of a mountain in Alaska when he fell and did major damage to both legs and feet and was left for three days and two nights before they could get him off the mountain. Just last year, they finally had to amputate one foot. But, he's back climbing (mostly ice) and running his climbing equipment business (Trango). I read a bit before sleep, still trying to get through Saul Bellow's "The Dean's December". It's a slow read and only vaguely engaging. But, after doing almost no reading from January through June, it's nice to be able to carry books in the car and I find that I almost always manage to read before bed and often during one or more breaks during the day. Tuesday, August 5: Eugene Woke up at 5:00 thinking I had heard Maggie up and about. It took a few minutes, but I soon realized that I had probably awoken for the same reason as Maggie. There was a lightning and thunder storm approaching the area. Somehow I had the presence of mind to remember that I had left the sunroof of my car cracked open. I raced outside and closed the roof while the rain was still light. My car, parked under a large tree, was still dry. Back in the house, I listened and watched to the storm get closer and closer. When I first started counting, it was only 11 miles away. Each flash of lighting brought it a mile or two closer. As the storm passed overhead, the flashes and booms were simultaneous; the house shook with each clap and neighborhood car alarms started going off, contributing to the cacophony of the storm. After this cell passed, others rumbled by though not quite as close. It rained heavily for a time and then on and off until around 9:00 am while cell after cell brushed by the area. Much of Oregon has been without rain since June, so the rain was definitely welcome. The lightning however, in these tinderbox conditions was not welcome. Fire season got an early start here and the last thing they need is more fires started by lightning. For me, this was the first rain I've experienced since early May on the PCT in southern California. How serendipitous that it's come while I'm staying with a friend in town, rather than tenting in the middle of nowhere. Even with a car, packing a wet tent is never fun. While Maggie did her yoga and meditated, I went to a local bakery for a croissant and sat and ate it there with a juice bought at the nearby corner market. Thankfully, though outside, I was seated under an overhang. Another storm cell brushed past the area and dumped some rain, but it was short lived and I could soon walk home and stay dry. I bought a cheese potato focaccia to bring back to Maggie. It was highly recommended by another local. After breakfast, we walked to the University of Oregon campus where, while Maggie was working in her studio, I could get on-line and work uninterrupted for much longer than the one hour sessions that I get at local libraries. Not only did I check my email, but I did a bunch of research at roadsideamerica.com to find attractions between Oregon and Salt Lake City. There aren't a whole lot of kitschy attractions between here and there, but I've got time so I'm planning an indirect and slow route. Places I may stop along the way include Crater Lake, Steens Mountain, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. I'm also expected to arrive in Salt Lake City on August 12, which will make my last night before getting there a perfect night to sleep out. August 11 is usually the peak of the Perseid meteor showers. Unfortunately, I noticed the moon at about 1/4 in the last couple of nights, so I'm just hoping a full moon doesn't ruin the viewing of the Perseids as it did the Leonids last November. Maggie and I ate lunch together at the Hearth and then both went back to work. I journalled and got back on-line. This time, I used the time to update a few pages of my web site. Most specifically, I added my PCT gear list to the site. Yahoo! sent me some information about the changes they are making to the egroups and I wanted to make sure that information wasn't lost. We both stayed busy for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner, we went to Mucho Gusto for Mexican food and then saw Seabiscuit. I had to laugh when the phrase "Mucho Gusto" was actually used in the movie. What were the chances a Mexican restaurant would be named that and we would go right before the movie. The movie was good entertainment, but perhaps didn't live up to the hype. It left me with a bunch of questions so perhaps I'll read the book. We did a bit of shopping on the way back to the house. Then it was ice cream and more reading before bed. Wednesday, August 6: Eugene Spent the morning, once again, on campus, this time working on creating at least a rudimentary page for my AT '99 pictures. It may seem strange to be on a road trip and yet spend so much time on-line, but here in Eugene, I'm here to visit a friend. Eugene itself is not a big tourist destination. It certainly has its share of parks and restaurants and such, but not a whole lot to compel me to go see the sights. As such, the quiet time at the computer attending to the few, but necessary details of my life outside the road trip is almost welcome. It's impossible to be "ON" as a tourist every day. Taking a few days off is a welcome change and attending to longstanding, nagging "to do" items gives me some sense of accomplishment during a time when I have otherwise demanded no productivity from myself, aside from seeing new parts of the U.S. and learning what I might along the way. Maggie and I enjoyed an AYCE (all you can eat) buffet at the Taste of India restaurant for lunch. I dropped her back at the college and then sought out a local park to while away the afternoon. I napped, read, and did a lot of people watching. The range of activities being done there was fantastic, but there wasn't enough wind to fly my kite. I watched bicyclists, kayakers, tubers (river rafting), Frisbee, football, walkers, and more. The wind started picking up late in the afternoon, but only in the tree-tops, not at ground level which is necessary to fly my stunt kite. By then, it was time to go meet up with Maggie. We didn't have set plans, but our timing couldn't have been better. She was just a block from her building on campus when I drove up, so I gave her a ride home. I shopped for and Maggie cooked a delicious pasta and peanut salad for dinner. We rented Flawless at the video store. Another thunderstorm, less violent than yesterday's, cropped up during the show. Once again, I am glad to be indoors. Thursday, August 7: Eugene For the last time, I spent the morning on campus and then took a walk down 13th Ave, Eugene's version of the collegiate funky store street. Ate yummy leftovers back on campus and then spent another hour or so finishing and uploading my rudimentary web page of AT photos. For those with fast connections or patience to load one page with a lot of pictures, you can find them at my web site, http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor and click on photos. Having finished updating my web site, researching dance opportunities in Eugene, and finishing some on-line administrative duties, I left the building and stopped at a pay phone to deal with some other issues. I spent the rest of the afternoon munching on ice cream and perusing one of the biggest thrift stores I've ever seen. I'm still looking for a functional day pack or fanny pack, but didn't find anything there. At the house, Maggie and I had dinner then I went shopping for some more road trip supplies while she went to meditate, and then we met back at the house to watch Cider House Rules. Friday, August 8: Eugene to Crater Lake 170 miles, 2768 total Up early, packed the cooler and car. Had my last shower until who knows when. Breakfast with Maggie and then a quick check of email on campus. Stopped at the bakery for rolls, rugallach and hamantashen, and finally hit the road. There were a few construction delays along the way, complete with long stretches of one lane closed and a pilot car to bring the inevitable backups through. Stopped at Linton(?) Falls, the second highest falls in Oregon, having already seen Multnomah Falls, the highest ones, with Lee. Took a walk to the base and back up for perspective. The sun, being just right, caused rainbows in the spray. Not knowing where gas would be available ahead, I gassed up on the way into Crater Lake. The Pumice Desert looked like a good place to fly my kite, but it wasn't windy enough. Found nobody at the PCT trailhead at the north end of the park. The approach to the lake was rather dramatic. You know it's there and can see the rim, but you're on the outside. You park and walk up to the rim and can only be startled at the intense blue of the lake. And though the maps show it as round, it's still a surprise to see such a round caldera filled with water. I drove clockwise around he lake and was disappointed to find the boats out of order, so I continued around the lake. It was kind of fun to see the same people and cars, time after time at all of the overlooks. It reminded me of how you get to know your trail family. In addition to the Phantom Ship, an old lava plug in the shape of a ship, views of both the interior and exterior were fantastic. There were quite a few dramatic mountains visible from the rim. A stop at the Visitor's Center yielded disappointing news. Much of the rim road would be closed in the morning for the annual Rim Run. I would get to see the west side, the portion I hadn't seen yet, but would be unable to return to Scott Mountain for a hike. I still had my PCT permit with me, so I went to look for the southern trailhead but didn't get there. On the way, I spied a thruhiker walking to Mazana Village, so I gave him a lift. It was Cruz, a guy I hadn't seen since Cajon Pass when I was on the PCT. It was great to finally run into someone I knew from the trail. At the village, we ran into some curious hikers and together, the two of us soon ran into some trail magic. Lisa and Eric, the curious hikers, offered to have us stay at their campsite. Cool! Cruz and I soon made our way there and set up while Lisa and Eric toured the rim. I took in the Wild, Wild East presentation at the Amphitheater. I hit the store afterwards for some ice cream and to pick up Cruz at the phones. Back at the campsite, we talked for a while until Eric and Lisa returned quite late. The had almost circumnavigated the lake when they had been turned back. Apparently some "specialists" were being called in to investigate some package there but they weren't supposed to know about it. Anyway we chatted for a while and then crashed. Saturday, August 9: Crater Lake to Mud Creek Campground 210 miles, 2978 total Visited the Rim Village and was teased by watching a boat out on the lake, but still no tours in operation. Left Cruz to his hiking and took in the West Rim Drive. Decided to leave the park to the south, so took the West Rim back south and checked out the PCT trailhead there, but found no one. Left the PCT for the last time on this road trip. I headed south to Klamath Falls along a scenic route through flat valley surrounded by hills. The library was the first thing I found in town, so I signed up for an internet session and then found a bagel place for lunch. Back to the library to get online and then back on the road with a couple of stops for groceries and other supplies. I also filled the tank. The drive to Lakeview was only 95 miles, but I filled up again there, too. There was a whole lot of nothing to the east on the map. I then found a nice quiet campsite at the Mud Creek Campground shortly after leaving town. I spent my extra time at the campground drying everything out from this morning when my ill-sealed dromedary bag leaked on a bunch of papers. Having finished my book the previous night, I finally cracked Ron's book "Alaskans". It's a nice change of pace from Saul Bellow. Sunday, August 10: Mud Creek Campground to 140/95 near Paradise Hill Pass, Nevada 300 miles, 3278 total The early bird may get the worm, but the early camper gets wildlife and other interesting experiences. It was early, so I decided to drive a bit and then stop for breakfast. On the way back to the main road from the campground, I saw some deer. It was only a short distance on the main road before I turned off onto the Plush Cutoff Road. It was there I had an "interesting experience". I was slowing down in accordance with some "loose gravel" and other road work signs. As I came down a hill and around a bend, I could see a pickup sitting askew in the other lane, but facing the same direction I was going. I thought it a bit strange that workers would be out so early, so I slowed down even more. There were no other cars on the road, so I took a good look as I passed. What I saw made me stop my car. There was a woman with her head rolled back at the wheel. It looked like she was sleeping. So, I got out of my car and approached hers. Sure enough, the woman was fast asleep with some of the windows rolled down, but the heater apparently blasting and the car still running. Yelling and knocking on her window didn't wake her. I just wanted to suggest she move off the road. I could reach her head from the back window, so I gave her a little shake. She rolled her head, opened her eyes enough for me to see they were completely bloodshot, and regardless of my shouting, fell right back to sleep. She was obviously in no condition to drive, but there was nothing else I could do. With the limited traffic on the road, she was in a relatively safe place as oncoming cars could see her for quite a distance and cars from behind would be in the other lane. I had hoped to find someone to report the situation to in Plush, but the hour was early and the town was completely quiet as I passed through. My next surprise was the Warner Wetlands on the west side of the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. The Nature Conservancy, along with three other groups, acquired this land and converted it back to its seasonal wetlands status. It had all been dry farmland at one point. Now, once again, it's a stopping off point for migrating birds and home to many others. Adjacent to the Wetlands, I finally got to the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. I found, also, that Bighorn Sheep have been successfully reintroduced here. I saw no sheep on the steep hills and cliffs on the way up to the high flatlands where the antelope roam, but there were great views of the Wetlands below, distant hills, reflected in the shallow ponds, and upon cresting the hills and seeing the broad flatlands, herds of antelope. These are Pronghorn Antelope, the fastest mammal in North America. They're a bit skittish, so you can't get too close. I saw a couple of herds almost immediately, and then another as I approached the Visitor's Center. I was surprised to find that it is an unstaffed center. I was even more surprised to find that was also the center where antelope hunters registered. But Wait! Isn't this a refuge? I guess refuge here does not mean safe harbor. I can certainly understand management requirements for limited areas that can only support a certain number of animals, but I didn't think public hunting in a refuge was how it was done. I guess I've been educated. I had breakfast here and took a couple of pictures that will have spots for antelopes. Sigh. Moving on, I stopped at another vehicle in the road. They had stopped to look at a single antelope and realized their trailer had a flat. They were OK and already done filling the spare when I stopped. After chatting a while, they took off and I got some halfway decent (I hope) pictures of the antelope. Then noting the wind, I pulled my kite out and tried to fly it on the deserted road. I just managed to foul the lines badly, so gave up for the time being. It was time to continue down the long gravel road. Between the miles of gravel road on Harts and the 49 mile loop gravel road on Steens Mountain, it was going to be a long, bouncy, dusty day. I eventually passed through French Glen and went past the town a few miles before returning to take the Steens Loop road. Once again, I found wetlands in the middle of the desert. The town of French Glen had one store and their freezer was out of order. That meant no ice for my cooler and no ice cream for me. I started up Steens Mountain and quickly came to a "resort". I stopped and managed to get both ice and an ice cream at the store. Then I continued on up the mountain. I would travel through about 5 different vegetation zones as I drove up to 9,700 feet. The mountain is interesting geologically with a gradual west slope and a precipitous east slope. There are four valleys carved into U's by the last ice age. I've read about the process, but it's rare to see them so perfect after thousands of years of erosion. The literature recommended four wheel drive or high clearance vehicles. On the well-graded gravel road, I wondered why until I got to the south side of the loop. It changed from gravel to rocky earth. I crawled down the mountain in first gear with my foot hitting the brake more than the gas. Not once did anything hit the undercarriage of my car, so it can be done in a "regular car", but with extreme care. On the way down, I stopped at a place where a truck had stopped. They were looking at some animals among the trees. I knew there were wild horses in the area, but was surprised to see them, especially in such a large herd. I even asked the guy with his family in the truck if they were the wild herd just to be sure I wasn't looking at some fenced BLM land or something. Believe it or not, this guy actually owns one of the mustangs from this herd. Like the ponies of Chincoteague, these horses are periodically rounded up and culled to keep the total herd numbering around 300. I completed the loop road just after passing the horses. From there, I went south and soon reached Nevada. At the general store in the border town of Denio, I was directed to a campground 30 miles to the south at an Opal Mine. I was pretty excited to be visiting a second opal mining area in a year. At the first one, I had unsuccessfully tried my hand at noodling, or sifting through discard piles looking for opals. But, alas, neither campground nor mine was in evidence 30 miles away, and there was certainly nothing "well marked". At over 50 miles, I spied what could have been a mine in the distance down an unmarked road. But, there were no signs that made it look like they welcomed campers or tourists. I soon got to a road junction about 70 miles from Denio, and stopped in at the gas station / truck stop and asked about camping. They suggested I make use of the lot behind the store. I was welcome to use the restrooms and lounge in the truck stop. It was perfect! I was soon settled into the lounge watching Hackers on satellite TV and unfouling my kite lines. By the time the movie ended, I had untangled the lines and was ready for bed. I moved my car to a darker, quieter area and crashed in the shadow behind it, out of site from most traffic. I hadn't counted on the police stopping by. But, they just wanted to check me out, make sure I was OK, and make sure my ID checked out. They had no problems with my crashing there. Coyotes were howling in the distance at 3:00 am. Monday, August 11: 140/95 near Paradise Hill Pass to Snowville, Utah 390 miles, 3668 total Mostly uneventful day today. I made use of the lounge facilities in the morning to do some writing. Then made my way to Winnemucca, a gambling town for more gas. Stopped in Elke to use the library, for lunch, and one last gas stop before a long stretch in the middle of nowhere. I was headed for Salt Lake City, the long way and had a day to kill. I made some phone calls from the tiny town of ____ and talked to my Mom, who asked what time it was. I told her it was still three hours earlier, forgetting that in just a few minutes and miles, I would be entering Mountain Time. These deserted back roads make stopping at state line signs easy. I should have quite a collection when I get home. The dry air of the desert finally got to me and I had a bloody nose. With few pull offs, I was glad to find one at the only tree I had seen in miles, and certainly, the only one in sight. But, it was a dead tree and surrounded by trash. I took care of my nose and eventually ended up at an RV park with a patch of grass for tent camping. I had nice neighbors both tenting and in the neighboring RV. Tuesday, August 12: Snowville to Salt Lake City 170 miles, 3838 total Unplanned road trips with few time restrictions are great. While it's possible I'll miss out on some "attractions" because I haven't done my homework, I'm also so open to suggestion that when other people suggest things to do or see, I'm much more likely to do it then if I had just read about it in a book. Maggie, my friend in Eugene, had recommended a few things to me, all winners. While in Seattle, the Turrel Exhibit and the troll. While in Oregon, she recommended Steens Mountain and as a result, I went through both Hart and Steens, both great places to visit. And now in Utah, she recommended the Spiral Jetty. Once again, going for one attraction brought me to others, too. In 1970, Robert Smithson, an artist, built a huge land art piece in the Great Salt Lake. It is a 1500' long jetty in the shape of a spiral. The shape echoes some native American traditions. It was designed so the daily fluctuations in the lake level would occasionally submerge the piece. But, the artist didn't do his homework. At the time he built the jetty, the lake was at an all-time low level. The water soon rose. For the last twenty years or so the jetty remained submerged. In the last couple of years, the high heat, low rain, and drought situation have lowered the lake level once again to near record low surface elevation and I think, just last November, the jetty re-emerged. It's not easy to get to, but I had all day. The directions, gleaned from the web site, started from the Golden Spike National Historic Site, yet another interesting destination. I stopped in at the GSNHS on the way, but given the expected heat, they suggested visiting the jetty first and then returning to the GSNHS. The directions included mileage indicators to the tenth of a mile, counting cattle grates, positions of fences, etc. I was careful to follow the directions, but they were now unnecessary as new signs now show the way. It was fifteen miles, mostly on good gravel road. The last three miles were on rough dirt road, but negotiable by most cars. The last half a mile is recommended four wheel drive only, but like the south side of Steens Mountain loop, I very carefully negotiated all but the last few hundred feet in my car. Next time, I would walk from the pink and white trailer and truck. Both the Great Salt Lake and the Spiral Jetty amazed me. In my mind, I knew the lake would be red or pink, but the reality is still startling. And it wasn't just my sunglasses. As for the jetty, I thought it would be interesting and a curiosity. Well, it is certainly a curiosity, but I didn't expect it to be beautiful. The web site explains at which lake levels the entire jetty is submerged, has some rocks visible (the situation I was expecting), or is high and dry. Well, from the parking vantage point, the jetty looks almost like the whole thing is high and dry, but there weren't any visible "rocks". After 20 years of being submerged, all of the rocks are completely caked in salt crystals. The entire jetty is now completely white in a sea of pink. With the partly cloudy conditions, the colors varied beautifully with each passing cloud. Amazing! There was a woman and man there, sister and brother in their 60s or so. She's an art teacher and had wanted to see this. We exchanged cameras, and took pictures. She had an injured ankle and couldn't negotiate the boulders down to the beach, so they were soon gone. I went down and walked on the jetty. At first, you walk gingerly, not wanting to disturb the beautiful salt crystals. Salt flies, for want of a better term, take harbor in the lee of every knob and scatter as you walk by, but don't seem to bite. They turn the edges of the salt formation black. I only walked part way before realizing the rest was still too wet for my taste. Others, I know, have waded out on the jetty even when it's submerged, but I don't care to. It's very hot and bright. Sunglasses and sunscreen are good ideas. Having water either with you or in the car is also a good idea. I camelled up on the way out and will drink more on the way back. A killdeer seemed to have all the flies it could eat on the salt beach. There's no obvious sand here. A dead pelican blends in with the salt on the beach. I started up the rocks and then turned to go back down to the beach. It was only then that in a little sandy clearing amongst the boulders that I saw a small stone spiral "replica" of the jetty. Back on the beach, I picked up some salt and realized how many bugs, flies and otherwise were encased in a salty, crystalline tomb. I made my way back to the GSNHS and learned some American History. This, Promontory Point, was where the railroad across America met in May of 1869. Lots of interesting info there, including weird trivia. There's a US flag flying there with just 20 stars even though 37 states existed. Nobody thought to bring a flag, but a soldier had a 20 star replica flag, so that flew at the ceremony. There were actually four golden spikes, not one, and they didn't need to be "driven" as there were predrilled holes in the temporary laurelwood tie that was used for the ceremony. Both tie and spikes were removed and immediately replaced by real ones. There was also some great bird life at the site. There was a female Ring-necked Pheasant hanging around, a bunch of hummingbirds, some mole-like critters, and more. It was also the first place I had seen in days where I could recycle my cans. I took the opportunity to empty my car. Almost forgot ... on the way off the highway to the GSNHS, there were signs for a "Rocket Display". It turns out Thiokol has a huge operation here, so I stopped to look at their rocket and propulsion display. I stopped for a late lunch in Bighorn City and then went looking for the library. I've figured out how to find them without asking ... drive up and down the primary road, look for town administration buildings, and then take a couple of turns to parallel the main road, and the library is sure to be there. So, I stopped to check email and print the directions to Jerry's place. Then, I forgot to pick up the printout. Argh. But, I had a good map and his address and phone number, so I was on my way. Rush hour traffic was slow in places, but not too bad. Jerry's place was easy enough to find. We caught up on gear talk a bit and then I met Kate, his wife, when she came home. She was off to a quilter's meeting, so Jerry and I went to dinner at a Chinese place. When Kate came back, we talked and she had a yen for a taco, so out we went, she for a taco and me for an ice cream. Jerry got an ice cream, too. We yakked until bedtime. Wednesday, August 13: Salt Lake City Jerry and I spent a couple hours this morning at the Outdoor Retailer Open Air Demo at Little Dell Lake. Most of those present were paddle sport manufacturers, but there were a few other manufacturers present of gear related to backpacking. I got a chance to see Jerry in action and hear his spiel. For the most part though, I tried to just listen and keep my mouth shut. I grabbed a nap before we went to the airport to pick up Dave Anderson. Back at the house, it's amazing how much three gearheads can talk. When Kate came home, we head for Quizno's for subs, then more gear show and tell at Jerry's. Thursday, August 14: Salt Lake City Not a whole lot to report today ... Jerry, Dave, and I spent the day at the Outdoor Retailer show. Manufacturers there are set up to try to get retailers to carry their line and to try to get favorable media exposure. I hung out with both Dave and Jerry at different points, trying to get some gear lined up for www.backpackgeartest.org. I think we'll end up with some new and unusual items to test. Ate some of Kate's delicious quiche when we got back, discussed the day's contacts, and then I went shopping with Kate for a few things before returning for more gear talk. Friday, August 15: Salt Lake City Basically, today was a carbon copy of yesterday. With Kate off to Logan, we were on our own for dinner and hit a local Denny's. Saturday, August 16: Salt Lake City Same town, same story. Dinner today was with Tom Hennessey and a guy from Sea Kayaker magazine. Lots of fun and some pretty good Italian food made for a nice change of pace from the fast food rut we've been in. Sunday, August 17: Salt Lake City Same town, mostly the same story. Today at the show was the day to go around either collect freebies or buy goods with a pro discount or at wholesale. I took the opportunity to exchange some gear that had prematurely worn out, buy some new stuff that had been on my shopping list for ages, and yes, pick up some freebies. The show ended early on Sunday, so the exhibitors could pack up. We hit McDonald's then went back to the house to nap for a while. Late dinner at Dee's, more chit chat, and bed. Monday, August 18: Salt Lake City After an exhausting 4 or 5 days of the show, today everybody slept late. For me, that meant 7:30 or so. For the others, it was closer to 9:30 and 11:00. We took Dave to the airport, hit the post office and came back home for lunch. With Jerry eating his special meals and spending time on the computer, I went out for lunch. When I came back, it was time for me to sit at the computer and summarize my experiences at the show. When Kate came back from work, we hit a Subway for dinner and all did some shopping at Target. I stocked up for my upcoming road trip. They hit the sack early, and I wrote more of my summary and took a look at some of my road trip pictures that the developer put on-line. Tuesday, August 19: Salt Lake City I spent the day visiting the Air Museum at Hill Air Force Base. They had quite a good display of aircraft, each with specs listed. Some had [???] stories of how the aircraft were used, but the museum was still a bit "light" in that area. We went back home for lunch and then hit Big Cottonwood Canyon, where Jerry frequently goes to test gear. It's big, beautiful and frequently quite deserted during the week, even though it's just minutes from the southern suburbs of the city. Today's smog, unfortunately, ruined the view of the Uintas, just 40 miles away. Many locals, like Jerry, are glad to be rid of their governor, but can only wonder how he's going to perform as our nation's EPA Administrator. Went to dinner with Kate and Jerry, desert at a Crepe place, and then back home to read, hang out, talk, and do one last bout on Jerry's computer. Wednesday, August 20: Salt Lake City A long stop at a Mazda dealership kept me in town a day longer than expected. I stopped in this morning to find out if either my seatbelt problem (sensor beeps intermittently even when wearing belt) or my horn problem (doesn't work anymore) were covered under warrantee. The seatbelt problem might be, but I have to plan ahead, because the dealers have to order the part. The horn isn't, but at least they confirmed it's the horn, not the steering wheel switch. I then went to the New Balance outlet, only to find they had nothing that wasn't exorbitantly priced in my size. With my new insoles, I'll make do until I get back to Boston. A stop at AAA got me the last map I would need to get home, the Colorado Wyoming map. I had already picked up all the others from AAA in California. Finally, I got to be a tourist in Salt Lake City. For the most part, that means learning about Mormon history. I toured Temple Square, the Conference Center, the Beehive House, and took in the view from the LDS (Latter Day Saints) Office building. The Temple Square tour was very bent on religion though the building and monuments were interesting. The Conference Center was impressive. With no supports internal to the main auditorium, it can hold 21,000 people. It's bit enough to park a 747 inside and the stage area is mobile enough to change for different performances. At 56 Stories, the office building gives great views of the Temple Square and the Wasatch Mountain Range. As for the Beehive House, the home of Brigham Young, well, it had at least five pianos in it. I drove past the SLOC Park (Salt Lake Olympic Cauldron Park) where they were feverishly putting on the finishing touches for tomorrow's lighting of the cauldron and this weekend's opening of the park. I "discovered" Ensign Park, up the hill behind the Capital that gives more great views of the city and the mountains beyond. The capital visitor's center had a couple of unusual "Bison" along the lines of the Cow Parade I had seen in Auckland. As I'll soon be headed into less populous areas, I took the opportunity to have Thai for dinner and then, for the last night, crashed at Jerry and Kate's place. Thursday, August 21: Salt Lake City to Jackpot, Nevada 271 miles, 4109 total My alarm was set for 5:00, but I forgot to turn it on. Didn't matter, as I woke up at 4:00. Tried to go back to sleep, but gave up at 4:30. Couldn't check email either before I left, so I was out by 5:15 or so. It was still dark and traffic non-existent, so I took surface roads as far as was practical. I drove past Kennicott, the largest copper mine in the world. I couldn't see the big hole in the ground, but the refinery was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was still dark when I drove past the southern end of the Great Salt Lake. As I continued west towards the Bonneville Salt Flats, the sun came up behind me. Ahead, most mountains were in the shadows of the significant clouds. One range, however, was brilliantly lit up, ominous clouds hanging overhead, and some virga lit up in a beautiful rainbow. In the hills however, the rain was hitting the ground. Rain? Rain! Now, I could only wonder what would happen if it rained on the Salt Flats. I certainly hoped my extra trip west wouldn't be for naught. I was delayed a few minutes on my trip to the Flats. I passed an unusual object just off the road, so I stopped to take a look. At first glance, it looked like a multi-headed lollipop. At second glance, some of the lollipop heads looked like giant baseballs in different colors. After I parked, I got a better look at it. My first impression didn't change. A little plaque on the support named it Utah's "Tree of Life". It was one of those moments when I scratched my head, shrugged, and took a few pictures before I got back in the car and kept going. It wasn't long after that when I finally arrived at Bonneville Salt Flats. Speed Week was on and I knew cars would be going for records in the morning. What I didn't know before getting there was that the number and variety of vehicles going for the records would be staggering. I was expecting some sleek aerodynamic vehicles you could barely call a car, as well as some souped up cars. Well, I got all that and a lot more. There were antique cars, motorcycles, diesel trucks, and even airplanes. Well, the airplanes were just there to fly in spectators as there's plenty oof space to land on the flats, but the rest were there to race. The vehicles aren't competing against each other so much as they are trying to set vehicle, driver or class records. There are two straight raceways; one for "short course" records that is three miles total; and the other is a total of 7-10 miles. Given the huge area of the flats, there's no significant danger if they go off the end. Needless to say, the courses are straight. It's really quite impossible to watch a single vehicle from when they start to when they set the record. The first mile is just to get them going. Many get pushed for a while to start. There's really nothing like a 4,000 hp truck capable of 285 mph+ being pushed by yet another diesel truck with 1,200 hp that itself competes in drag racing. The things you learn. I met people from Glastonbury, Connecticut, just a few miles from where I grew up to folks from New Zealand, just in town for Speed Week. Most were curious why I was there if I didn't have an affinity for cars or racing. I explained, quite a few times, that road trips and traveling in general allow you to have experiences that you might not otherwise seek out on your own. I started my visit where the vehicles start their run. There are no stands here, just open salt and a few temporary cones and flags here and there. $5 gets you in for the day and you can come and go as you please. Spectators are welcome to wander in and amongst the cars, drivers, and crew. We are responsible for ourselves, and you quickly figure out not to stand in front of or behind a vehicle that's about to go. There's no "safety" zone here. I watched drivers being strapped in so tight they couldn't move and anything other than their hands and feet, and even those, just enough to drive. Vehicles line up in first come first served order. The track is 80 feet across. They line up three abreast, but only go one at a time, taking turns. They start every few minutes unless a car has spun out or they need to clear debris off the track. On the ground, it's impossible to see one end of the track from the other. The crew vehicle is usually the one designed to give them a push to start. They have to follow the racer to the other end anyway, as that's where the pit area is set up. It's mostly men who drive and crew, but there were a fair number of women hanging out and there was one woman setting records on motorcycles when I was there. I spent some time mid-course where you just watch the cars zoom by. But, you're far away at the viewing area. The start area was by far the best place for pictures. Then I went to the pits and wandered a bit. It was there I saw how many are trailered, saw crews working on cars, and got invited to sit in the shade for a while by one group, Fontana. Their car was out, but when it came back, I watched the crew in action, opening the hood of the Roadster and start fixing stuff. The driver had just joined the 200 club, all the drivers who have ever gone over 200 mph. There are also 300 clubs, 400, etc. After hanging out there for a while, I noticed the wind had picked up, so I pulled out my kite and using the windshield wipers on my car to take off, I had a successful flight. But, I realized that when the kite was down, I didn't want to drag it on salt, so I put it away after just one flight. I was hungry, so I took off for lunch in the nearby towns of Wendover, UT and West Wendover, NV. Burger King sufficed and then I found the local library and spent time checking email and doing some research for the upcoming Idaho portion of my trip. It was mid-afternoon when I hit the road again. The clouds had been building all day and were looking blacker and heavier than ever. I could see it raining here and there. Finally, it started raining a bit off and on. By the time I turned off I-80 and onto 93 North, it was a steady rain, the first steady rain I had probably experienced since April in Boston. For the most part, it's been sunny and hot for my entire road trip except at the coast, so I haven't bothered reporting the boring weather conditions that don't change. I started up 93 hoping the shower would pass, but ended up driving in moderate to heavy rain all the way to the border town of Jackpot. It let up a bit as I got here and the weather looked marginally better ahead, so I stopped for a break, bought some food and having just passed a $21.95/night motel, decided to splurge and not have to worry about finding a place to camp and having to set up and cook in wet, windy, and wild conditions. I spent the evening watching TV and boiled water in my camp stove on the sidewalk for a freeze-dried meal I had. Friday, August 22: Jackpot to Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho 150 miles, 4259 total Up late watching TV meant a late start to the day. I was in no rush to head out into the rain though. It wasn't heavy but enough to be annoying. By the time I got to Twin Falls, the rain had cleared. I did a bit of food shopping for lunch stuffs and then checked out the library to get my email and do some research on roadside attractions in Idaho. I stopped at the visitor's center for the state highway map. They often have information the AAA maps don't have. From there, I could see the take off ramp for Evil Kneivel's failed attempt to jump the Snake River on his rocket motorcycle. I was also reminded that BASE jumpers frequently use the bridge. The staff know that about 70 jumpers will be going this weekend, but none for today. Oh well. I was thinking it would've been fun to watch. I got my camera to take a couple pictures of the bridge and river. A guy pulls up gets out of his car, and gives me a "G'Day". It didn't take long to put two and two together. Why would an Aussie be checking out the bridge. Sure enough. He's a sky diver and was going to be doing a BASE jump off the bridge. I hung out and watched a nicely executed jump. I then headed north towards an area that had a couple of cave attractions. Mammoth Cave, supposedly the largest lava tube cave open to the public in the world, was the first one. It was $6 to see the cave and $2 to see the "museum". Well, they call it a museum, I call it a guy trying to making a buck off of his hunting addiction. I have never seen so much taxidermy in one place as I saw in that room. And I didn't even pay the entry fee. I'm pretty sure he had more stuffed animals than even the Natural History museums I've been in at Harvard Univ. and maybe the Smithsonian, too. Perhaps his trophies aren't from as far afield as the larger museums, but I just don't understand why he needed multiple examples of so many animals. And, I'm not just talking two, but four or ten of some animals. Anyway, having just visited Ape Cave and preferring to see animals alive and free, I passed on this attraction. A few miles further up the road is the Shoshone Indian Ice Caves. I pulled off the road on the way there for a short nap, but once I got there, I decided to skip that as well. Sometimes I can be in the mood for roadside kitsch. Today, I guess not. Something about a lime green plastic dinosaur and their own literature which indicates a blase attitude towards being caretakers of this natural phenomena just turned me off. Plus, I was headed for Craters of the Moon National Monument where I knew they also had caves with ice. Perhaps not as big an ice sheet, but still impressive that there's any, given the typical summer surface temperatures that occur on lava fields. So, I finally arrived at Craters of the Moon National Monument. I was in time to see the Visitor's Center and find out about camping options. I could car camp for a fee or get a backcountry permit for their one wilderness trail and hike in and camp. Perfect! I got the permit and drove to the trailhead. One fly in the ointment though. Dark heavy clouds were hanging on the horizon and headed my way. Since I wasn't planning on going very far in, I ate dinner at the car and was only planning on bringing along a "bar" or two to munch on in the morning. The sky only got worse and worse as I ate dinner. Sure enough, as soon as I finished and started packing my backpack, the rain let loose. Big fat drops came down accompanied with a fair bit of thunder. Not exactly great hiking conditions for the open, mostly treeless trails through the lava fields. I hunkered down in the car for a while, only further packing when the rain stopped. It was getting dark the second time the park ranger stopped by. You're not supposed to "camp" at trailheads like this, but given the conditions and my willingness to night hike after the front moves through, he seemed unconcerned at my presence here. He also gave me some good hints for places to see, as I continue my trip east. Believe it or not, I actually took notes. After he left, I finally completed preparations for hiking, but then it rained again. A large SUV pulled up. When the rain abated, a bunch of boy scouts got out and started hike preparations. It was after 9:30 and pitch black when they started their hike. I told them I might just follow them up the trail and not to worry if I show up at some ungodly hour. Saturday, August 23: Craters of the Moon National Monument to Archer, Idaho 120 miles, 4379 total After the boy scouts took off, I delayed leaving myself for two reasons. First I wanted to give them a bit head start as I figured they would be moving slow and they were anything but quiet. Second, though the winds had finally died down somewhat, I could see stars overhead, but not where the weather had come from. I wanted to give those clouds a chance to pass by. Sure enough, a few minutes later, it started raining again. By then, I had finished my journal entry and was tired. I put my seat back expecting to take the equivalent of a roadside nap. While not particularly uncomfortable, the seat wasn't all that comfortable and I had never really slept much more than 15 minutes at a time. I was therefore very surprised to find myself waking up at 1:30 am. I had just slept soundly for three hours. So, I gave up on the backpack and took my chances that the ranger would not come back and tell me to move and crawled into the back seat for another good three hour stretch. The front seat was more comfortable so I moved back to the front and slept a couple of more hours until I noticed dawn creeping up along the horizon. Feeling rested, I drove around to the Cinder Cave Mountain and climbed up 300 feet to watch sunrise from on top. Beautiful. Plus, I had the mountain all to myself. After a while, I continued to the splatter cone and snow cone area. Once again, I wandered around looking at weird volcanic features and had the area all to myself. I moved on to the lava cones. There, it's about 2 miles of walking to four caves to visit. I brought two lights and enjoyed exploring Dew Drop, Beauty, and Indian caves. These all had pretty easy access and none were deep enough to get in trouble if my lights had failed. The lights were useful for moving around, but light from the entrance was always visible. I started into Boy Scout cave, but decided to pass when I realized how low the entrance was. The other caves were high enough that I didn't have to duck, and my knees were complaining so I gave the Boy Scout cave a pass. I stopped at Doul's Orchard for breakfast on my way out. Arco, a town just 15 miles away, was the site of the nation's first atomic energy plant. Driving through was strange. It felt like the town was left back in the 50's when the plant was first built. It was also interesting to see the cliffs above town, covered in huge numbers from the high school graduating classes for well over 50 years. Some of the houses and businesses in town were also interesting having been built of volcanic rock. I imagine the lava rock must be a great insulator. A further 18 miles past Arco was the INEEL land and the actual site at the first reactor, now a historic landmark and open to the public. I took the self guided tour where, among other things, I discovered that the first time atomic energy had been made to power anything was on Dec. 20, 1951. Given that my birthday is on Dec. 20, but in 1965, I'll probably end up remembering that little bit of trivia for a very long time. I drove through Blackfoot and stopped by the World Potato Expo. [ed: signs in 1996 said "Free taters, for out of staters!"] I took a picture of their oversized potato, but declined the tour. In Idaho Falls, the library was supposed to be open, but was locked and the Colombian Mammoth exhibit just didn't excite me, so I passed on that, too. I'm beginning to think I need more nature and less kitsch. From there, it was a short drive past Rigby, where TV was invented, to Archer where I met up with Tracy, his wife Kimberly, and their two kids, Jade and Ethan. We went to dinner at Big Jud's and shared a burger. Yes, four of us shared one burger. Of course, it was a dinner plate sized one pound burger. Wow! Back at the ranch, we just chatted. The sky here is great and Mars is about as close as it's going to get for a very long time. Sunday, August 24: Archer to South landing backcountry campsite, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 109 miles, 4488 total Had a great morning. It was kind of lazy, but still got a lot done. I showered for the last time until who knows? Did laundry to start the next stint on the road fresh and clean. Enjoyed delicious French toast cooked up by Kim. Then yakked for a while inside before moving outside to do the lightweight gear show and tell for Tracy and Kim. It was a bit of a challenge to keep an eye on Ethan, the 17 month old, as he was so curious and into everything or wandering off. But, his smile was adorable and he really wasn't a problem. Jade, 9, had some interesting suggestions. He and his Dad pointed out a lot of places to think about going in my travels. It was about noon when I was getting on my way. Kim twisted my arm (OK, ok, she barely had to touch it) into taking some warm barbecued chicken and some home baked cookies. Yum! Even though the Teton Flood Museum was closed, I went into Rexburg to hit the supermarket and gas station before heading into the National Park where supplies might be limited and gas very expensive. I drove through Sugar City, a town that I think grew or had something to do with sugar beets. Then I drove through Driggs with its Spuds Drive-in theater. I stopped to take pictures of yet another oversized potato as well as a pair of potatos, Mr. Dick Tator and Ms. Sweet Tater. Finally, I headed over the 8,000' plus Teton Pass and down into the town of Jackson. I stopped long enough to get pictures of the elk antler arches before getting to the Visitors Center that overlooks the Elk refuge where 7,500 elk winter over. From there, it was 20 minutes to Moose where I got a backcountry permit for a campsite, just 1/2 mile walk from the road. This is bear country, and not just black bears, so these sites have sturdy bear boxes in which to store food. But given my late arrival time, I just ate at the trailhead and only took a bit of water with me. I'll eat breakfast back at the car. It was a very short, easy walk to the campsite. The one other site here, a group site, is occupied by a couple from Boulder, Colorado. The site looks across the lake to the mountains. As I sit here, it's getting gradually darker, the mountains on the opposite side of the lake are silhouetted by first the setting sun, then the dusk. Ravens wing noisily overhead. Fish are jumping in the lake. There are just a very few clouds overhead, but they're not thick enough to prevent the stars from shining through the mostly clear skies. Traffic can be heard on the road not far away, but will probably die down in the dark of the night. Mars should be rising soon, though it may be hours before I can see it to the open west. To the east are tall pines blocking any view of the horizon. I'm sitting on one bear box and leaning on another. A dark little blob scurries out from under the box to a pile of wood and then onto a grassy and brushy area. It was probably a mouse as it was too small to be a chipmunk. I tested the waters earlier and the lake is surprisingly warm. The cobble stones are too slippery to walk on barefoot, so I'll probably pass on a swim. The temperature is dropping. Time to sleep. Monday, August 25: South landing, Grand Teton National Park 90 miles, 4578 total I woke up at daybreak, just in time to watch Mars set over the Tetons! I was up and packed quickly, preferring to get back to my car and drive a bit further south to catch the sunrise on the major peaks of the Tetons. A raptor, with a sick sounding "cheeeer" was being bothered by smaller birds. I watched as I walked back to my car in the morning. As soon as I started driving, I figured out where the ravens I had been watching the night before were hanging out. They were doing their best to make sure the road through the National Park was kept clean of road kill. I drove past a deer, most likely unseen by other drivers. I stopped at many (most?) of the roadside turnouts and got lots of pictures of the mountains in the morning sun. At Jenny Lake, I talked with a climber as we both ate breakfast in the parking lot. I took the boat across the lake and climbed to Inspiration Point. I can't say I was particularly inspired, but the ground squirrels, unfortunately habituated to humans, were fun to watch as they climbed over my toes and sniffed around my pack for goodies. Hidden Falls was beautiful and the cascades below were also noteworthy. The crowds, however, I could do without, so I'm glad I went early. After lunch, I went back south to Jackson. I stopped in the visitor's center there to pick up a couple of souvenirs for myself. I have a collection of bandana maps for places I've been, so I picked up the Jackson Hole and Grand Teton bandanas. Jackson Hole, by the way, is the entire valley surrounded by mountains. Jackson is the town at the southern end of Jackson Hole. I then wandered around the town a bit, but wasn't much inspired there. Lots of gift shops and moose stuff. Apparently, moose are the most asked about animal in the park. For me, they are the most "common", as I regularly see them in northern New England (VT, NH, ME) when I travel and hike up there. After I left Jackson to head back mostly this time on 89 rather than the park road, I was lucky to spot a herd of pronghorn, and then what was probably a golden eagle. (Big!) I had picked up a hitchhiker, a single young woman, Edyta, from Poland, now living in Jackson and even she was surprised that I spotted these animals. I dropped her at Colter Bay to continue her trip and stopped for an ice cream and to check out the great Indian Museum at the visitor's center. It was at the store that I was reminded by a wildfire management crew member that I wanted to find out about a few fires I could see (well, I could see the smoke). Sure enough, they started from lightening strikes over the last few days and aren't threatening anything so they are being watched but allowed to burn. One is on the other side of Jackson Lake, others are in Yellowstone and nearby National Forests. They range in size from .10 acres to 2100 acres. So far, the only one that might affect me is yet another fire in Yellowstone that 3 weeks ago, shut the east entrance. But there are other exits, so I'll figure it out in a couple/few days when it's time for me to leave the park. I saw another deer on my way back to the South Landing trailhead. Tonight, I have both campsites to myself, and there's no chance of rain, so I'm sleeping out. A slight breeze is pushing little waves onto the cobblestone shore of this inlet. There must be something about the shape and acoustics of this inlet. It sounded more like ocean waves coming onshore than tiny waves on a like inlet. The stars are absolutely phenomenal. No clouds whatsoever and no moon as of yet. The Milky Way is visible even while I have my headlamp on while writing this entry. Tuesday, August 26: South Landing, Grand Teton NP to Ice Lake, Yellowstone 100 miles, 4678 total A beautiful sunrise across the lake turned the mountains and forests a coppery pink. While I couldn't see where the fires were burning across the lake, I could now smell smoke and figured a slight haze kept me from seeing the fires. Geese, flying overhead, greeted the morning with almost non-stop honking. As I walked out, the raptor I spied yesterday acknowledged my presence with a couple of sick sounding cheers, though I never spotted it this morning. Construction crews, or rather, destruction crews, delayed traffic into Yellowstone Park. They weren't working on the road, but were cutting and clearing trees from the side of the road. I crossed the Continental Divide for the first time on the way to Grant Village. I stopped in Grant to get my bearings at the visitor's center, and get backcountry permits for a few nights. Not knowing how long I would want to spend in which part of the park, I found a central spot, not far from the road, and booked it for three nights. Not far from Grant, is the West Thumb Geyser Basin. This area, full of fumeroles, geysers, mud pots, and more is on the shore of Lake Yellowstone. Even though I've seen friend's pictures, I expected mostly steam and sulfur, but was fascinated by a rainbow of colors from the bacteria, an interesting mix of "blub, blubs", hisses, coughs, and more of sounds, and well, the odor was exactly what I expected - sulfur. The proximity to the lake surprised me, though I'm not sure why after my experiences hot tubbing on the sands of Hot Water Beach in New Zealand. Moving along, I picnicked at the Continental Divide picnic area, one of two more crossings for the day. From there it was on to Upper Geyser Basin for a glimpse of Old Faithful. As luck would have it, I walked up just in time to position myself to take a couple of pictures before it went. I waited about 2 minutes. I then took a walk through this incredibly active area and caught a couple of other geysers as they went off. Daisy and Grotto were the ones I caught. Some others, constantly gushing were there and yet others that are unpredictable and rarely go off as well. At Giant, a woman was sitting and watching. There's an entire volunteer group that watches some of the more unpredictable ones for signs they're going to go. They all carry radios and when one's about to go, they radio the others. Many have bicycles and race to get there in time. Once I realized what they were doing, they were easy to spot. They're the ones sitting there, reading books. After all, watching most of these geysers when they're not erupting is about as interesting as watching a pot of water boil. Late in the afternoon, while still at the basin, a herd of elk came out to graze. They were totally indifferent to the people and grazed just next to paths where we were walking. I still had quite a drive ahead of me on roads where you never know if an errant bison or herd of elk would cause an instant traffic jam. Already, I had bypassed one moose traffic jam on the way from the south entrance to Grant Village. By the time I got to the trailhead, repacked my backpack, and got on the trail, it was 8 p.m. But, I only had 1.5 to 2 miles of easy trail. When I got to the campsite, I first tossed my bear bag line, so I wouldn't have to do it in the dark. Then I quickly ate and changed, so I could hang my remaining food and food-odor clothes. My campsite was right on the shore of a beautiful lake. I could see waterfowl skimming the surface and could imagine a moose on the shores. It was very dark when I went to sleep. We're near a new moon. I could see stars through the trees. It was completely still, which suited me as I knew I was camped amongst snags, the standing dead trees left behind by the 1988 fires. Snags are most likely to come down when the weather gets rough. Wednesday, August 27: Ice Lake, Yellowstone National Park 115 miles, 4793 total I woke up at 4:30 and tried to ignore my bladder. But, I noticed no stars in the sky and the wind picking up. Being better safe than sorry, I got up, took care of my bladder, and set up my tent's awning on the chance it might rain. No sooner than I crawled back into my tent, it started raining. What timing! I can't complain. With the on again, off again rain, I slept until 6:30. Then it was time to get up, pack my wet stuff (my tent has a little hole which leaks), and follow the deer tracks around Ice Lake and back to my car. I started driving back to where I had left off yesterday in my sightseeing. Off in one meadow, I noticed a big, dark blob. Bison! It was the first wild bison I had ever seen, and I spotted it without the aid of a Yellowstone traffic jam. Looking beyond it, I could see a large herd up ahead, so I moved to a turnout a bit closer. Then I noticed the road curved in that direction, so I went a bit further, around the curve, and found the crowd of tourists. I joined them and got my first bison pictures. There was one bison, larger than the rest and quite gray. Probably the dominant bull, but why the gray? Maybe he had just been wallowing in the dust. I can't believe how many active geothermal areas there are. Many roadside areas have parking and signs, but there are so many that some don't bother and looking further afield than roadsides, there are entire fields and mountain sides and more that are just steaming. And this goes on for miles and miles. I spent the morning visiting thermal sites, dodging raindrops, and hoping for that rare combination of sun peeking through the clouds with a strong gust of wind. The clouds and humidity are making for many of the thermal areas to be shrouded in more steam than normal. I could only get glimpses of Grand Prismatic hot spring through the steam. For lunch, I had my first hot meal in days, a Backpacker's Pantry curried chicken. Yum! I ate that at stops like Roaring Mountain on my way to Mammoth Springs. There, I toured a bit of the beautiful travertine terraces. Then, I took a detour off the loop road to go to Montana. I had never been before, so I crossed the state line on the 45th parallel and went to see the arch at the entry way. On my way out and in, I traversed pronghorn territory, but didn't see any. Elk, however, were wandering and grazing the green areas of the town green in Mammoth. Continuing towards Tower-Roosevelt, I got held up in an elk traffic jam. I was glad to turn off the main valley road and onto the dirt Blacktail Plateau Drive. This road, high in the hills, had occasional views of the valley and brought me through beautiful country side. I caught up with some folks where they saw a coyote, but we quickly spaced out again. I also saw a Red-tailed Hawk. Oh yeah ... this morning when stopped at a hot spring, I watched an Osprey hover and dive for fish. What I thought amazing was the steam that even engulfed the bird every now and then. I caught site of another on a tree branch, too. After the plateau drive, I turned to see the petrified tree, but got caught in a moose traffic jam. Three moose in a ravine caught a lot of attention. The moose are the most sought after animal here. I managed to see the petrified tree and can only wonder if there's one, why not more. Someone tried to recruit me when I made a quick stop in Roosevelt Lodge. I will be looking for work soon, but not that soon and the location just didn't fit. I couldn't deal with the hoards, so I skipped Tower Falls as I'll probably pass by again. The road to Canyon was beautiful and though it went through prime grizzly habitat, I didn't spot any bear. I could see yet more steam rising here and there and I could also see the rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I bought a meal for the first time since entering the park (no, Nevada) - bratwurst anyone? I had run out of most of my cold stuff and didn't feel like cooking again. Having already eaten and with a bit of extra time, I completed the northern loop and took the 2.5 mile Virginia Cascades Drive before hiking in to my camp site. This time, my site wasn't as far - only 15 minutes in. But lo and behold, someone was there. Well, he was good natured and quickly packed to move to the site where I had been the previous night. I needed the extra time to dry my gear from last night before setting it all up again. It was nice to have some daylight. Thursday, August 28: Ice Lake, Yellowstone National Park 95 miles, 4888 total Woke up at 3:00 am to put my awning out to fend off yet more early morning rain. Back to sleep, up, packed, and at my car by 6:50 am. Ate breakfast at a Grand Canyon overlook past Inspiration Point. For the second time on my trip, I've caught wind of a suspected bomb in a park that I've visited. This time, a supposed copper pipe with wires has the area closed off and the ATF crew called in. But, I heard this from a crew member, and it's obvious it's not advertised information. Between this and the Crater Lake incident, I can only imagine how many "incidents" the public never hears about. I descend the 328 steps of Uncle Tom's trail to get a spectacular view not only of the waterfall, but of a partial rainbow in the spring. Then I huff and puff my way back up. I drove to Artist Point rather than walk. My left foot has been having some pain recently, and I hope new shoes will be the ticket. But, I really didn't feel like limping down the trail. I visited yet more bubbling, spitting, hissing and steaming features for the way south to Fishing Bridge. Fishing Bridge is fire crew central. It's also where the road east exits the park, but is now closed due to fires. Well, they open it from 6 am to 9 am and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day, as conditions allow. Pilot cars, bring entering and exiting cars through the worst of it. Continuing south, I drove the lake shore segment to complete the southern loop at West Thumb. Once again, I was surprised at a gathering of park rangers in the area who had cordoned off a thermal area near, but not at, the West Thumb Geyser Basin. On my way back to Fishing Bridge, I glanced over to the marina at Bridge Bay and was startled to see bison there. So, I pulled in to watch. What magnificent creatures. One, scratching its head on a tree, confirmed what I suspected. Many trees in the area have rub marks. It's from the bison. Bears leave claw marks, bison leave rubs. Bought salad greens to compliment my leftover cheese and cucumber for lunch at Fishing Bridge. There, I heeded the "Natural Wildfires - Do Not Report" signs. The hills on the far shore of Yellowstone Lake are burning and the smoke is visible. A stop at the visitor's center helped me confirm my travel plans for tomorrow. Rather than brave the acrid smoke of the wildfires, I'll head out the northeast entrance. It's a longer route, but I'm obviously not into straight lines. I'll take a route over Beartooth Pass at over 10,000 feet into Red Lodge, Montana. Then, I'll probably backtrack a bit to head back into Wyoming towards Cody. My next major goal will be Devil's Tower. I wonder if I'll have a close encounter of some sort, maybe the 3rd kind? Not sure if I'll hike, but it'll be cool to see. Hoping to be out early tomorrow, I hit the showers and laundry at Fishing Bridge. After five days, I really needed it. I'm guessing my next indoors night will be a hostel in Deadwood, near Sturgis, SD. I wasn't going to wait that long. Back to Canyon for dinner and then another relatively early night to the trailhead. Hiking by 6:45 and in camp around 7:00. With clouds already threatening, I set up the awning when I set up the tent. No early morning wake-ups for me. Once again, great timing. As soon as everything was set up, it started drizzling. It stopped at one point long enough for some great sunset color and then started drizzling again with a bang. Though I'm camped at a lake, I'm camping in a tinder box. Thunder is a result of lightning and the current fires burning are a result of lightning. I can't help but go over scenarios in my head should a fire break out. With the lake here, I'm not really worried. If the trail is blocked, there are other trails or I might be able to swim or wade around the trouble spot. The wind had picked up, the rain heavier, and as it gets darker, I can see more lightning. One flash is as close as four miles. Others are further. The storm eventually quit. I hear a coyote. Some time later, I start hearing the haunting metallic sounds of an elk bugling. A quick step outside to make a minor tent adjustment shows the clouds have cleared away, the stars are shining both in the sky and reflected perfectly in the glassy lake, and Mars continues to impress. It's tempting to put the awning up again, so I can star gaze from the tent, but it's already promising to be colder tonight, so I'll leave it up to help trap whatever warmth it might. Besides, there's a rumor of snow tonight. Friday, August 29: Ice Lake, Yellowstone NP to Gillette 300 miles, 5188 total Ice Lake has many faces. There was no snow last night, but I awoke to dragon's breath on the lake and a beautiful pink, peach and sky blue pastel sunrise. With that much moisture around, it was no surprise that the inside of my tent was coated with just as much moisture as the outside was from rain. I packed a soaked tent and a moist, at least at the feet, sleeping bag. As I walked out, I noticed elk prints on the track, but was mostly paying attention to the beautiful sunrise. I was startled to hear a bunch of knocks and cracks off in the new wood. I turned just in time to see just the rack of an elk disappear through what must be difficult ground to cover. The rack was large - at least six point. I could hear movement for a while then nothing. I followed fresh elk tracks all the way out to my car. There, I had another delay. When I bought a black car for a summer road trip, I immediately bought a sun visor for my front window. It did not also occur to me to buy an ice scraper. So, I sat until the car warmed up enough to melt the ice, not long, but enough to cause bemusement. There was very little traffic on the roads at this hour and everyone was courteous, using pullouts to let others pass, etc. The one moose traffic jam I passed was all of two cars long. I stopped at Tower Falls, the falls I had bypassed two days earlier. I had it all to myself. I left the park through the northeast entrance, driving through the beautiful Lamar Valley on the way. Early risers were watching herds of bison. This entrance is in Montana, so the first two towns I hit, Cody City and Silver Gate (not in that order), now seem to exist solely for the benefit of those going to and from the park. Route 212 shortly reenters Wyoming. Rather than take 296 directly to Cody, I stayed on 212. This route, over the Beartooth Mountains, tops out at nearly 11,000 feet. I decided to go for it even though I suspected there would be fog. On the way up, I took a side trip up to a fire tower at 9,800 feet. It fogged in while I was approaching it, so I visited with the volunteers, but didn't get to see the views. Continuing to the pass was almost completely in the fog. I got a couple of spectacular views here and there, but mostly took it easy in the limited visibility. Just after the pass, I reentered Montana and headed for Red Lodge for lunch. I had a great calzone before continuing my trip. I had intended on retracing my drive back over Beartooth Pass, but given the fog, decided against it. I would miss route 296, one of the most spectacular drives. Oh well. I meandered my way back towards Wyoming, passing a now abandoned mine after the scene of a 1940s mining disaster. I started seeing the bobbing of oil pumps, and quite a few mineral mining companies - limestone, etc. Eventually, I hooked up with 14A, a scenic byway in Wyoming. I took this route through the Bighorn National Forest. Just as I entered the forest, I stopped to read an interpretive sign and spotted a couple of goats, not bighorn sheep, not mountain goats, not domesticated sheep or cows that graze in the area, but goats. Weird! I bypassed the three miles round trip hike to the Medicine Wheel. As I approached the visitor's center, it fogged over again. In the center, they knew nothing about the goats, like the ones living on the Appalachian Trial. The drive down to Dayton was mostly done in the fog. Once again, I'm missing some good scenery. A short while later, I was in the Ranchester where I spied a library. A quick email check finds my box full of "failed" messages, probably as a result of some worm or virus sending email in my name from other computers. Argh! I hope I haven't missed anything important. Leaving town, I finally remember to dry my tent, so I pull it out and drape it over the back seat. I periodically redrape it so the whole thing dries. As I move further east in the time zone, the sunset gets earlier and earlier. Here, it's well before 8:00 p.m.. So, I end up stopping in Gillette for the night, paying for the privilege of camping in a noisy, overly lit up, too close to traffic, campground. Sunday, August 30: Gillette to Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota 238 miles, 5426 total I had planned an early start for the day, but was delayed when I woke up with a migraine. I don't get them frequently, but I do seem to respond to over the counter medicine. So, at 6:30, I took the equivalent of two extra strength Excedrin with a Diet Mountain Dew (the extra caffeine could only help, right?) and some peanut butter Oreo's (the only food in my car that didn't require cooking). I went back to sleep, pulling my hat over my eyes to block more light and attempting to block noise by pulling my sleeping bag over my ears. An hour later, I woke up feeling much better though a bit shaky. I stopped for a milk and cinnamon roll before hitting the road. As aggravated as I'm sort of getting with the rainy weather, today it meant that I didn't have to drive into it in the morning, perhaps a good thing, given my earlier migraine. I also can't begrudge the region of the rain. This whole area needs it quite badly. My first destination of the day was Devil's Tower. The weather was on and off drizzly, so I took it easy and drove slow. I spotted a bunch of pronghorn in one field and then just 1/2 mile later, a bunch of deer in another field. Here, one fawn was in distress. It was running back and forth along the fence on the road side of the fence. The other deer were inside and this fawn couldn't figure out how to get in. It seemed frantic. Finally, I watched as it somehow managed to jump between two strands of barbed wire, the first about 3 feet off the ground and the second only 9 inches or so higher. Finally, I continued on to Devil's Tower. It's as weird looking up close as it seems in pictures. You can see it from quite a distance away. When you get a bit closer, you realize that the base is quite gradual and the grounds of the park encompass more than just the tower. Prairie dogs abound in the fields leading up to the tower. Some of their abandoned holes are used by other critters like ferrets and rattlesnakes. The only other critter I saw taking advantage of the holes was a spider that spun a funnel web into the hole. Cool! Actually, I didn't observe the spider, just the webs. I had kind of given up on hiking around the tower due to the rain but when it let up to a light drizzle, I donned my Packa, a rain jacket packcover combo and did the walk around the tower. The rain let up altogether at one point and I watched a couple of climbers heading up the tower. I was headed back to the highway when I got into a bad traffic jam. This one, unfortunately, wasn't a tongue-in-cheek tourist gaping at animals jam. I heard they were waiting for a helicopter to fly someone out. Our cars were parked along the side of the road and many were getting out to go around the bend to the scene. While curious, part of me just didn't want to know what was happening. For some reason, I've been at the scene of all too many accidents and just didn't feel the need to gape. I used the time to organize my car. After I had been there a while, a man heading back to his vehicle said they were working on getting "the other woman" out of the car. Yikes! It had already been a while since the helicopter had left. Finally, they let the oncoming cars through and then we were able to pass. Apparently, the accident had involved an RV and a cherry red car of some sort. The car was mangled beyond recognition. Needless to say, traffic was, for the most part, quite sane for the remaining distance to I-90. From there, it was a short hop into South Dakota and I was soon off the interstate and back to 14A for the scenic route through Spearfish Canyon to Deadwood. With the weather so nasty, I was willing to stop there for the day, but the hostel was full, so I continued on, resigned yet again to camping in the wet. I had already found some free camping areas on a map, but checked with the forest service visitor's center and got yet more ideas, one of which was just a hop, skip and jump from Rushmore. So I stopped at a DQ in Hill City, checked out a forest service road for a decent camp site, found one, and then went to Rushmore for the nightly lighting of the mountain. I was left with a sour taste in my mouth at the entrance. I bought a Golden Eagle Passport in Oregon, so I wouldn't have to pay any entrance fees to National Lands. The passport doesn't cover use fees like tours or camping. At Rushmore, it doesn't cover parking! For anyplace as remote as Rushmore, that amounts to an entrance fee. At Rushmore, the parking is a concession. From my perspective, it's just a matter of semantics. Argh. I had a chance to tour the visitors center before the night program of talk, film and lighting started at 9:00 p.m.. By the time the program was over and I took a look at what the shop had to offer, it was late. I got to my easy access but "remote" Forest Service road at 10:30 and rather than hike in and set up camp in the rain, I just slept in the car. Surprisingly, it's just not that uncomfortable. Sunday, August 31: Rushmore to Badlands 240 miles, 5666 total I slept well and finally got up around 5:30 in time to get back to Rushmore for sunrise. Alas! It was still mostly gray with just flashes of sun shining through here and there. So, the light on the mountain was rather flat. I was headed back to the parking garage at Rushmore when, just as I was a few steps from the stairs going down to my car, four mountain goats come up the stairs from the garage. I was rather surprised, but the goats could scarcely be bothered by me and swiftly went to the grass and started chomping away. They were two adults and two of the cutest kids that would eat and play. They attracted what they could of a crowd from the few early risers who had come to see the presidents. Eventually, two other grown goats joined in the fray. I had to laugh at a bit of irony. Pronghorn, often called Pronghorn Antelope, aren't antelope at all. Kind of ironic given that Hart Mountain Antelope refuge is all about maintaining pronghorn population. Mountain goats, as it turns out, aren't goats at all. They are, in fact, antelope. I finally left the mountain goats behind and headed south into Custer State Park. To get to Custer, you have to drive over three pigtail bridges and through three tunnels. It was quite the drive. There were deer everywhere and I've noticed the deer are now almost all white tailed deer, not the mule and black tailed deer more common in more westerly areas. Custer State Park also has a population of wild or at least feral burros. They were on hand to greet the cars entering and exiting the park and made no bones about the fact they wanted you to feed them. They walked right up to stopped cars sniffing for goodies through open windows. Given the condition of their hooves (too long and badly curled), I suspect they get too much given to them and don't wander the grounds as much as they should. Sigh! But, they are still adorable. The state park charges no fee for those of us traveling straight through. Otherwise, it's $12 for one week. For all the deer, burros, bison and beautiful natural areas, it's an area where you could easily spend a lot of time. If I'm back in the area, I'll plan on spending at least a couple of days there. I continued on to Jewel Cave, but just did their short tour. I had really wanted to do the scenic tour, but there was a huge bunch of unruly kids going and I didn't want to wait for the next one. Sometimes, I just don't feel like dealing with kids. I decided at that point to skip Wind Cave, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the wild horses, having been to other areas with similar attractions. Instead, I went north, to see Chief Crazy Horse, a huge monument that will eventually dwarf even Mt. Rushmore. Even after 50 years, it's only partially completed. Crazy Horse's face was completed a couple of years ago. The sculptor, a Bostonian, moved out to SD and raised a family here. Upon his death, his wife and seven of his ten children have continued his work. I then decided to head east, towards the Badlands. I intended to quickly pass through Hill City, but stopped for a while when I realized the main street through town was lined with mostly Studebakers and some other old cars. I stopped to talk with some cyclists out for a few weeks and they hadn't yet realized about the classic car collection in town. They, in turn, recommended I take route 44 to the Badlands instead of the highway. There, in the middle of nowhere, I passed by a huge, green dinosaur in a field. I entered the park after passing through the town of Interior. The Badlands were colorful hill and canyon formations in the middle of prairie and grassland. Some formations were so small they reminded me of the Aussie ant hills I had seen in January. I stopped to talk to a biker for a while. The weather, which for days had been cloudy and raining, was finally letting up and the sun in the hills was dramatic as shadows moved across the formations. Off a dirt road on the western end of the park, there's a free campground. I passed Prairie Dog Town on the way. As expected, it was a huge prairie dog colony. The campground was in the middle of grassland and bison were roaming nearby. But, they seemed content to avoid the campers. It was windy as I set up my tent and cooked. I was hoping to fly my kite, but the wind let up by the time I finished dinner. At least that made for quieter sleeping. Three packs of coyotes yipped and howled all around the campground. Eerie. Monday, September 1: Badlands to Blue Earth, Minnesota 433 miles, 6099 total It's Labor Day. The libraries are closed as they have been all weekend. Even those that are usually open on Saturday are closed. I'm running out of planned tourist attractions and National Parks/Monuments/Forests, etc. to visit. Here, in the plains, the backroads go through the same cornfields as the interstates. I can choose to drive by them at 65 mph on the backroads (yes, that is the actual speed limit), or I can take the highway and go 75 mph (yes, again, that's the speed limit). One field of corn really does look much the same as another. I chose the faster highway. But, with the libraries closed, I couldn't get my friends' contact info in WI, MI and IL. So, I moved ever closer to them, hoping short notice of my arrival wouldn't present any problems. So, I hit the interstate after stopping at Wall Drug for cheap film. There's an interesting sign on the Mass Pike (I-90 in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. As you're heading west, it says something like "Elevation 1,9xx feet, highest elevation until somewhere in South Dakota". I took a look at one of my SD maps, and I'm sure I was on I-90 at that point. I also crossed into the Central Time Zone and lost another hour on my way east. Then I crossed the Missouri River and stopped at the visitor's center for what's likely to be my last dose of Lewis and Clark on my way home. I was already headed for the Mitchell Corn Palace so was pleased to find out that today was the last day at the Corn Palace festival. I missed all of the big name entertainers that had been there earlier in the weekend, but the Midway was still set up longways down Main Street and the food vendors were still plying their food. The corn palace, a large building with large corn cob murals decorating both outside and in, was open and the kids tractor pull was in. These tractors are bicycle pedal driven and pull weights that make it harder and harder to pull the further they go. Some of the bigger kids can go as far as 30+ feet. It was lunch time, so I tried an Indian fry break taco, and a roasted corn on the cob for local specialties. I couldn't resist the chocolate cheesecake on a stick for dessert. I sat at some tables under an awning near a stage. Some local singers performed and sang a few songs. I chatted with my neighbors at the table and was surprised when the mayor came over to introduce herself to a stranger (me) in their midst. I walked past the Midway attractions and then hit the road again. It was another 80 miles to the Minnesota border where they had conveniently constructed a rest stop / tourist info center. That way, I could pull in and walk the well worn path for a picture of the "Welcome to Minnesota" sign. Back in the center, I asked about cheap or free camping. I was surprised to find out there was a free campground at some fairgrounds 120 miles down the road. Perfect! The town of Blue Earth is apparently home to the Jolly Green Giant. It also has a fairgrounds where for one month a year, it hosts a fair. Other than that, the grounds seem to be open to anyone who can use them for free or cheap. Horse owners can boards their horses for 11 months out of the year for just $280. That's for all 11 months, not per month. The campground is free and has hookups (water and electricity) for RVs. They ask that if you stay more than two days, you pay $5/night. I checked out the place and then went to the huge Jolly Green Giant to have my dinner on the picnic tables there. The Giant was dressed for a special occasion or two. Harley Davidson had just celebrated their 100th birthday that weekend and Sturgis had just happened a few weeks earlier in South Dakota. The Jolly Green Giant was wearing a black leather fringed vest. It was pretty funny. After dinner, I walked around to check out the facilities. A sign pointed to restrooms under the bleachers, but they were locked. But a closer set was open so I took a look. I was very pleasantly surprised to find nice clean facilities including a shower. And the shower was free, too. Gotta wonder how the town could afford to provide these services. I then finished my walk around, through the stables where I talked to some owners and the manager and saw four tiny cute kittens. Finally, I grabbed a shower. When I finished, I came out to find a couple of motorcyclists setting up camp. Knowing they have some of the same issues as me, I told them about the shower. They were just as surprised as I was and quite happy, too. We stopped to chat a while. She works at the University of Oregon and was familiar with the program my friend was in. He was thinking of fixing me up with his 31 year old son. The single motorcyclist I had seen earlier stopped by while the three of us were chatting. He was happy to find out about the free showers, too, but was on his way to do laundry and get dinner. I eventually sat down at a picnic table in a large quiet clearing to write in my journal. The single cyclist had already set up camp there and I would too once he returned. I didn't want him running over me and I was planning on sleeping out, so my tent wouldn't be up. He came by briefly while I was writing, realized who I was and that his stuff would be safe, and finally went to dinner. When he came back, I was still writing, so he stopped, and we sat and talked for a couple of hours. He was heading west, so I gave him a few ideas about where to go and what to see along the way. Billboards, by the way, offer something to read along the interstates. Wall Drug, Cabelas, and the Borglum Rushmore Story all seem to vie for most billboards. Anti-choice signs are also common. Tuesday, September 2: Blue Earth to Brooklyn, Wisconsin 342 miles, 6441 total It was almost 8:00 am and the bathroom facilities were about to be closed for an hour for cleaning. The custodian let me in for a minute before doing the floor. I needed to find internet access this morning. I got to Albert Lea too early, so continued on to Austin. There, I got to the library shortly after it opened at 9:00 am. I quickly sent email to all my friends in WI, IL and MI and took down their phone numbers so I could reach them even without computer access. My email to friends in Wisconsin asked if they wanted company TONIGHT! I indicated I would call them later in the morning. Given all the billboards, it didn't take me long to realize that Austin is also the home of Hormel. So rather than immediately hitting the road, I could not resist a stop at the local, free, SPAM Museum. Yes, it was an entire museum devoted to SPAM and the other Hormel products and history. I guess my biggest surprise were finding out Carapelli olive oil and Marakesh Express cous cous are both now Hormel products. I called my friends and left a message from the museum. From there I continued east and got off the interstate to take 16, a (national?) scenic byway through southeastern Minnesota. Part of this route goes through Amish country, but I only saw one woman with a buggy, selling Amish wares by the roadside. The area was beautiful. It wound through a lush river valley with high bluffs here and there. What fields there were, were much smaller than on the flat lands around the highway. When I reached the Mississippi, I went south along 26, yet another scenic byway. That brought me to the extreme northeastern corner of Iowa. I drove all of 11 miles in Iowa before crossing into Wisconsin at Lansing, Iowa. I continued south along the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi until I got to 171 where I cut inland in the heart of apple country. It being September, many orchards had just opened their doors. I stopped at one orchard and picked up some cider, apples, and apple cider donuts to bring to my friend's place. From there, it should have been two hours to the Madison area. I had just stopped and phoned my friends and their answering machine let me know I was expected. After getting the apples, I got caught in yet more construction. Finally, I got through to my friends to tell them I would be later than expected. When I got off the phone and continued, I got caught in yet more construction. A 32 mile detour cut out an 11 mile stretch of road. A beautiful sunset cast an otherworldly orange glow over cornfields and onto red barns. I arrived at my friend's place when it was still light. Ken and Betsy, and their two kids Nicolas and Annalisa have a gorgeous home in one of the few wooded areas I've seen in this part of Wisconsin. Their woods are surrounded by cornfields, soybean fields, or pasture land where everything from horses and cows, to alpaca and bison can be found. Betsy and Ken cooked up a local specialty, "brats" or bratwurst for dinner. Yum! We sat around yakking for a while. Then hit the sack. Wednesday, September 3: Brooklyn Had a productive day today, running errands, doing food shopping, laundry, email, etc. With Ken working late, it was just four of us for dinner. Betsy and I watched "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" after. What silliness! What a cast of characters! Oh yeah, had another local food specialty today - cheese curds. They're apparently some sort of waste product from cheese manufacturing, but when fresh, are salty and squeak when you eat them. They're good. Thursday, September 4: Brooklyn Woke at 5:00 am with another migraine. With no more Excedrin, I took a bunch of ibuprofen, ate a banana and drank some water. I went back to sleep and got up at 7:30 only to discover my headache still raging. We all got ready and left by 9:30 am. Betsy had both aspirin and acetaminophen, so I took those with me and we stopped at a convenience store so I could grab a Mountain Dew. Now I had the three active ingredients in Excedrin. The soda's caffeine completed the third active ingredient with the two pain killers. 45 minutes later, my headache was gone. We ran a bunch of errands and went into downtown Madison for lunch. Coming from Boston, we laughed at the parking situation downtown. There was plenty, and it was cheap. Lunch was good Italian and mindless antics kept us a bit later than intended and hence got Annalisa to school a bit late. Oops! Back at the ranch, while Nicolas played with play dough, Betsy and I played with a curious mixture of corn starch and water. When sitting, it acts like a liquid. When pressed and formed, it behaves like a clay-like solid. Curious! I stayed behind to write when Betsy went to pickup Annalisa at school. Dinner prep, dinner and hanging out took up the rest of the evening. Friday, September 5: Brooklyn, WI to Bloomington, IL 260 miles 6701 total When Betsy's computer was too slow this morning, I decided to follow her and the kids to the library. They were going for a morning children's storytelling session. I went to use their computer only to find theirs were just as slow. Apparently there was a major denial of service attack going on. So, I gave up and went to Paoli for more fresh cheese curds to bring to Illinois. I also checked out New Glarus, an interesting town that somewhat models itself after Alpine Swiss communities. Lots of alpine construction and even the road signs got into the action. Instead of two street signs on the corners, there were four. At Sixth and Railroad, there were also signs for Bahnhof Strasse and whatever Sixth is in German. They didn't call it a cow parade, but like my experience in Auckland, New Zealand, there were a lot of large decorated cows on display throughout the town. These were mostly associated with businesses so they didn't have or represent puns like the cow parade cows. I skipped the "Swiss Village" park. Back at the house, I met up with the gang and we enjoyed a lunch of leftovers. Then it was time to hit the road again. I crossed into Illinois on a road so small they didn't even bother to put up a sign at the state line. I knew I was there though when I passed State Line Road and saw one county road end and another begin. It wasn't long before I got to Rockford and hit the interstate. It was the first time in weeks (maybe since Salt Lake City) that there was traffic. I couldn't just use my cruise control. Sigh. Because I hadn't been able to get my email, I hadn't gotten the directions to my friend's place in Bloomington. So, I got close and called. I was just a few miles away. I was soon visiting, dining, and catching up with my friends David and Janet and their son Sam. Saturday, September 6: Bloomington, IL Spent the morning at the playground where Sam, at 19 months surprises even his parents with his climbing and sliding abilities. In the afternoon, we went to Peoria where, north of town, we went for a hike on some conservation land. A herd of deer occupied an area appropriately called Deer Run. Sam, usually riding on Dad's back, had a ball hiking down the hill. I managed to squeeze in some car maintenance before our second foray. NAPA exchanged a defective windshield wiper and I bought a replacement bulb for a brake light. I also got an oil change. Indian take out for dinner. Sunday, September 7: Bloomington A slow day mostly spent at home playing with Sam. We watched a lot of Wiggles on TV and played with many toys, most, of course, in primary colors. We went out for an ice cream in the afternoon and I got a tour of scenic Bloomington. We spent another low key day at home. Monday, September 8: Bloomington to Battle Creek, Michigan 331 miles, 7032 total I got up early to say goodbye to Janet who leaves early for work. Then I watched Sam for a bit while David got ready for work. While they were getting ready, I realized that I am now more and more conscious of the fact that when I return home, it'll be time for me to once again find a job and deal with the daily ramifications of that. After nine months of a basically carefree existence, any added structure to my life, whether self-imposed or job imposed is going to take a major adjustment. When I got back on the road, I had fully intended to avoid Chicago altogether. But, as I drove and I realized how close I was to the city, I decided to go take a look. I didn't have a good map of the city so I ended up just heading for the Sears tower, the tallest building around. I thought I would go to the top but I ended up having no patience for the traffic even though it wasn't bad. I drove around for a bit and then headed for the lake and decided to follow the shore as best I could to get through Indiana and into Michigan. Good Choice! I took a look at the map and found green. Green usually means some sort of forest, park, preserve, or otherwise undeveloped land where the public is usually welcome. In this case, it was the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Apparently the southern and eastern shores of Lake Michigan collect the beautiful sands that comprise the dunes. I stopped for lunch at Lakeview Beach where I found picnic tables overlooking the sandy beach. Bees or yellowjackets were the only things that marred my experience there by proving to be an annoyance while eating. I took a short walk on the beach after lunch and skipped rocks on the nearly flat surface of the lake. .Signs of industry were visible beyond the preserved area of beach in both directions. Kudos to those who recognized the value of preserving this area, and all the other relatively wild areas I've visited. The Michigan City Library (in Indiana) was along my route so I stopped and was able to get email. Denial of services attacks had kept me from hotmail earlier in Bloomington. Finally, I entered Michigan and the eastern time zone. As I've come further east, there are more and longer stretches of three lane interstate. The secondary or backroads go through more towns spaced more closely together. Speeds are down on all roads with few exceptions for shorter distances. There are more lights and more stop signs on backroads. Restaurant choices vary with location I think the last Jack-in-the-Box I saw was in Idaho. I started to see Cracker Barrel recently and today I spotted a Popeye's. More populated areas are spaced more closely together and with more people come more diversity, most notable from my perspective were the larger variety of ethnic restaurants available to choose from. Battle Creek, also known as the city of Kellogg Cereal has become my home for the night. I got here too late for the tour of Kellogg's but with the hefty entrance fee they're charging, I'll pass and get my Kellogg's fix at the supermarket. I noticed a Wal-Mart when I stopped for a shake at a local Steak and Shake, a chain that reminds me a big of Johnny Rockets. I returned there after noticing one of my headlights was out while driving around town. An RV in the lot reminded me of something I had read in the newspaper last year. Unless local ordinance prohibits it, Wal-marts allow RVers to park in their lots overnight. I inquired and was told I would be welcome to stay the night in my car in the lot. At 10:00pm, there were still a lot of cars in the lot but the activity level was down. As recommended, I parked near the RV. Based on the stickers on the door, I realized it had visited 37 states. I thought that was a few more states than me until I started counting up the states I've been to not just on the trip, but throughout my life. After a quick perusal of my US map, I was surprised to find that I've visited 39 states. Wow! The ones I have left are AK, NM, ND, NE, KS, AR, LA, MS, and AL. Yeah, I know it doesn't quite add up so I'll have to figure out the missing state soon enough. [HI, too.] Tuesday, September 9: Battle Creek to Ann Arbor 80 miles, 7112 total Up early after yet another surprisingly good night's sleep in my car. I stopped for breakfast and ended up buying a dozen bagels to bring to Ann Arbor. It was a quick ride and I got there around 9:00. I was too late to give Beth breakfast but Jim and Candace enjoyed. It was great catching up with Jim and exploring the area, new to both of us. They had just moved in. We stopped at the relatively famous Zingleman's for lunch and then drove around to see what there was to see. We finally turned around after going through downtown Ypsilanti. We took a walk around the condo complex and stopped to take a look at the resident trumpeter swans. One adult was collared with a tag labeled 0M3. The other adult wasn't tagged and none of their five cygnets were tagged either. The cygnets were still gray and their beaks were mostly pink still. In contrast, the parents had all white feathers with all black beaks. All of them were enjoying the fallen fruit off an apple tree. That evening, I dropped Jim off at his school and went back to the condo to have dinner with Beth, his fiancée. Beth and I watched TV and then I went out to pick up Jim at the school. Later, Candace, Beth, Jim, and I watched a couple episodes of Who's Line is it Anyway. Wednesday, September 10: Ann Arbor to Niagara Falls, New York 300 miles, 7412 total I grabbed a shower and then watched a video-taped episode of Who's Line with Robin Williams before taking off. It was later than usual when I hit the road about 10:00am. I had my birth certificate with me when I crossed the border into Canada and had no real problems getting through though I was questioned about the mismatch between my Massachusetts driver's license and the California plates on my car. Thankfully, the immigration officer was satisfied with my explanation. Crossing Ontario was not unlike crossing the plains. Lots of fields and not much else to see. So, I ended up making beeline for Niagara Falls. I got there too late for the boat ride so I settled for the Journey Behind the Falls and then walked along the rim. The sun was already low in the sky so once again, I had the good fortune of viewing a waterfall with a rainbow in front of it. I had take out Chinese for dinner. Then I stuck around long enough to see the falls all lit up and then went for a gelato. Finally, I crossed back into the US just by showing my driver's license (I hadn't shown any ID to get into Canada). The office on the US side had considerable more humor than the Canadian. I checked into the hostel in Niagara Falls, NY. Thursday, September 11: Niagara Falls to Pleasant Valley, NY 362 miles, 7774 total I started the day with leftover Chinese food. What a breakfast! So, I was in Chicago when the governor from Indiana collapsed but I didn't hear about it until I was in Indiana. Now, I find myself in New York on the two-year anniversary of the attack on the US and the world trade towers collapse. Weird. Most news stations and talk shows are concentrating on that with some addressing the Afghanistan and Iraq aftermath issues. Even the Canadian stations I got earlier in the morning also were talking about all of the remembrance ceremonies happening here and there. I probably should have popped in one of my tapes but instead I ended up listening. I took I-90 for part of the way across NY but then went south and drove route 20 past the Fingerlakes Region. I stopped for lunch at the Tepee, a local landmark, and then made my way to Secret Caverns, a cave system very close to Howe Caverns. The attitude at the secret caverns was somewhat looser than all of the other caves I had been in. Rather than admonishing you not to touch anything, they almost encourage it. Of course, there are fewer unusual formation to ruin there. The highlight of the cave tour was the 100' waterfall on the inside. The billboards leading up to the cave area also worthy of mention. They are works of art. I stopped for apples on my way to my friend Mark's (Skeeter) place in Pleasant Valley. Once again, it was great to catch up. We had Vietnamese for dinner that was a wonderful change of pace. With no ice cream places around, we settled for pints of Ben and Jerry's. A new Limited Edition flavor caught my eye. Chocolate, Chocolate Cookie with chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, and fudge swirl. It was pretty good. Neither of us being on the trail at the moment, we saved some for the next night. Friday, September 12: Pleasant Valley While Mark went to work, I found the Laundromat, checked email at the library and started sorting through some of my pictures on-line (but not yet available on my web site). I also took the time to relax and finish Strickland's "Alaskans". We headed back to Poughkeepsie for dinner again. We were aiming for Mexican when signs pointing to a Greek Festival distracted us. Cool! So we found the festival but were disappointed at the length of the lines of people waiting for food. We ended up giving up on Greek and went for Mexican after all. An Oaxacan chicken dish was delicious. Saturday, September 13: Pleasant Valley Today both Mark and I were working. We got up and out for a day or trail maintenance in the Hudson River valley. We met a group of about six others, grabbed tools and started climbing. How come it seems I always end up with rock bars, the heaviest implements we often carry. This was quite the climb. I think it was something of the order of 800 feet in half a mile. There were many times where it really was necessary to push the rock bar ahead so I could use both hands to help climb. It was a gray day and the clouds were fog as we climbed into them and they in turn drizzled and rained on and off as we worked. We built a couple of water bars as a group and then moved on. I apparently strained a tendon in my hand and where it was tricky, actually needed help carrying the tools up when I needed my hands to climb. Four of us built another water bar and a few steps while the rest continued to another problem spot. We finally continued up and met the others. With the rain getting worse, we decided on a longer more gradual route down. It was decidedly safer and my knees, unaccustomed to hiking without poles, were glad for the break. By the end of the day, we were exhausted. I was also frustrated by the limitations my hand was imposing. While relaxed, it didn't hurt at all. I would forget and try to do something and that would hurt. Argh! Sunday, September 14: Pleasant Valley to Medford, Massachusetts 188 miles, 7600 total I've been having plenty of mixed emotions about finishing my road trip. On one hand, it'll be great to get back home, relax, see my friends, and not be on the move day after day with my "stuff" limited to what fits in the trunk of my car only to be unpacked and packed time and again. On the other hand, it seems the more I see of the world, the more I want to see and I feel like I shouldn't be done traveling yet. Going home means that seeing more will have to wait. Not only that, but going home means that I have a job search ahead of me and I'm not even sure what type of job I want to look for. I've been working in high tech for 15 years but I think I would be much more satisfied doing something for a company with some sort of environmental consciousness. Moving on towards home... My route took me across the Connecticut border and it wasn't long before I was crossing the Appalachian Trail. The morning was gray, drizzly, and rainy. I wouldn't have recognized the crossing had I not seen a very soggy hiker standing by the side of the road. I stopped and offered the very surprised Wonderboy (his trail name) a ride into Cornwall Bridge, the nearest town. He protested about being too wet and muddy to get into the car but it wasn't a problem for me so he took me up on the offer. He was itching for a cup of coffee but thought a free beer offer sounded good, too. Unfortunately, the place that offers free beer to hikers was closed. So we continued on to the general store where his coffee turned into a grinder and Gatorade. I made a couple of phone calls from there and made plans to get together with my Mom and sister's family on my way through Connecticut. It wasn't long before I was sitting in my Mom's house, marveling at my 12 year old nephew, Jared's, feet, now the same size as my men's size thirteen feet, my nephew Simi's piano playing, and just keeping company with my mother and sister until my brother-in-law, Ari, could get there. Then we all went for a late lunch at Rein's, a family favorite. I was soon on my way to the Boston area but before I could go home, I had to stop at my sister Lori's place to pick up my keys. I was expecting to find them out for the evening so was pleasantly surprised to find them all at home. After a five-month absence, it was great to see my three-year-old nephew still remembered me. It was a bit unclear if my almost two-year-old niece remembered, but she was happy to give me a big smile, anyway. We caught up a bit but at that point, I was eager to get home not knowing exactly what I would find there. My subletters had just moved out the day before. I had told them not to try putting anything back where they had found it. I thought I would use the opportunity to rethink where I wanted stuff. I also knew the landlords were planning some repairs and wanted to make sure the contractor could get into the apartment. It wasn't so bad coming home. While I knew it would take a while to put it all back together, it was still nice to be back in the familiar environment of home. Last updated, June 10, 2016.

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