Monday, October 27, 2008

Two Days In Death Valley

A warm morning, no fire, and we sought the shade at the crack of 8:00am. Death Valley is exactly what our chilled bodies needed. Even though the FJ carries a real tire as a spare, it doesn’t carry a 6th tire in case you have two flats. With another cross country journey ahead of us (traversing the Mojave Desert later in the week), we decided it might be wise to get the flat tire fixed. We headed to civilization, Death Valley style, and found ourselves in aptly named Furnace Creek. The guy at the “next services in 126 miles” gas station came through on that promise and made quick work on our tire. While we waited, we checked out the camping scene in Furnace Creek, and quickly located a spot that was a substantial upgrade over the gravel parking lot at Stovepipe Wells.

With the daily chores completed, we ventured off to the narrows of Fall Canyon.
It seemed like it was a flat hike, the canyon walls stayed about the same, relative to the floor, but we kept getting tired and needed a rest in the shade. Hmmm, it must be the heat. After a 3 mile slog in loose gravel, we checked the GPS and discovered we had climbed 1500 vertical feet. Those alluvial flows can be tricky. The full scope of our ascent became crystal clear when we began the descent and could see just how far we had climbed.Next on the agenda, the marble walls of Mosaic Canyon. For the first time, we hiked with no packs and carried a simple water bottle. Hmmm, so that’s what it’s like with 20 less pounds on your back. The next day featured more heat, and another chance for us the underestimate the amount of vertical feet the trail had in store for us. We chose to venture into Golden Canyon and work our way up to Zabriske Point where we had left our bikes earlier in the day. Sorry to disappoint you film buffs, it was too hot for any of that scandalous behavior, but Wilson did pay homage to Richard Wright by listening to “Us and Them”. We checked the GPS when left the bikes, and checked again at the trail head. We were in for a measly 600 foot ascent, no problem. We started up this dry sandy wash and eventually wound our through the badlands to the base of the red cliffs in the distance. The narrow slot canyon at the base of the red cliffs provided ample shade and chance to relax.
More on the hair in a minute, there is a very reasonable explanation. After taking the spur trail to the red cliffs, it was time to tackle the rest of the trail to Zabriske Point. Amy is all smiles here, knowing that we have already beat the heat and just need to put another 400 vertical feet behind us. Yep, just over that ridge, and down the bad lands, and up the bad lands, and down. You get the picture, we climbed that 400 feet at least 5 times in the last two miles.

Our obsession with gathering firewood has been replaced with one to cool our drinks, and cool down down the shower water so it’s bearable. Yes, we said “shower”. In the Texas Springs campground, we have devised our very own shower, complete with solar heated water and strategically placed branches. Wilson is no longer wearing a hat, so the hair goes where the hair wants to. We met some more fine folks in Death Valley, the camp ground host and her dread locked husband were there for the winter, and some old timers who had just arrived for a six week stay for the 44th straight year. We liked it enough to put it in for consideration on any future trips through the Southwest. One last image from Death Valley that made us think we might be high in the Atlas Mountains of Morroco.

In search of warmth

The warmest place on the planet is some 200 miles away, so we decide to go for it. Death Valley. We get fresh supplies, and buy our first bag of ice since Oregon.

Just south of Bishop, CA we made a left turn into the desert and passed an ominous sign 'next services 126 miles'. The tunes are blaring and we are having fun with the camera and the fresh sights. Almost exactly 63 miles later, this is the view behind us.
This is where we are going.
And this is us. Too bad the high lift was buried under all of our stuff. Curt made quick work of the flat, and we are on our way to camp at Stovepipe Wells.

We were successfull on two accounts. First, it is warm. Secondly, we adjusted our perception and made the ugliest campground seem better when we turned the other direction.







That night, we explored the nearby sand dunes under the moonlight. It was awesome. We slept in t-shirts. Overnight low was 74 degrees.

Devil's Post Pile

What is Devil's Post Pile National Monument? Never heard of it, but we are in the area. It turned out to be this pile of basalt columns. Looks a lot like eastern Washington.
We set camp at June Lake after leaving Yosemite. Finally, a vista! We had been in the trees so long it was nice to see some sky. The moon is bright enough to render our newest camp toys - head lamps - somewhat unnecessary. The coyotes howl though the night. We are still at about 8000 ft, so temps are not exactly warm. However, the morning sun makes us believe that 40 degrees is comfortable.We decide to stay another night and head for Mammoth for laundry and some sort of adventure. After Wilson does a bit of hot dog down hill riding, he selects a portion of the PCT to hike, and we leave our bikes at one end and the car at the other. Since my quads are still recovering, I accept his 4 mile 'flat' hike as a viable option.
Guess what! We end up doing 6.6 miles on the trail with a big ascent to get out of the canyon. We are against up against dusk again, and have the pleasure of riding our bikes back to the car in a cold valley, downhill. Upon completion, I suggest stopping for dinner instead of heading back to camp. I think this is our first restaurant meal since Chipotle in Southcenter Mall. We were encouraged on the drive back that it was only 52 degrees. However, in the last 3 miles of the journey it dropped 10 degrees. We don't have firewood, and not enough motivation to gather any. It is freaking cold at camp and we go straight to bed.

That's it! We are going to find someplace warmer.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Yosemite

We arrived in Yosemite (following the detour we described in an earlier post) in time to get a look at the valley before dusk set in.
The camping here was not what we are used to. The sites are small and right on top of each other. I guess we were fortunate to get the site we did, since it was one row from the end of the campground. We could actually see beyond the seemingly endless rows of campers and tents. The first night I could hear three men snoring. There was Curt, the 'snoring man' from the next site over - he started early to acquire that moniker - and the guy who came to be known as 'wood guy'. They each had their own style, but of course, Curt's was the most endearing. Close quarters made socialization part of the experience. We also met 'the bano couple.' They were unfortunately positioned directly in front of the bathroom. The guy had worse hair than Curt, and the girl spent her mornings fashionably dressed in her white terry cloth robe at camp. 'The wood guy' and his wife had a nice camp set up and left us a huge stack of wood and lighter fluid (for the burning impared) when they left. There was also John and Jean from Tahoe. She was a very chatty nurse and John a retired teacher and they gave us a tour of their camper trailer and some tips about some of the destinations on our agenda. I guess it may not be all bad to live amongst other fellow campers. I really wanted to photograph the scene, but we never got around to it. I would also like to mention that it appears that many campers employ the 'bin system'. It is further enhanced in this state by the fabulous 'bear bins' that are in every camp site. Very handy.
We hiked our butts off the next two days. The first day we took the John Muir Trail up to Nevada Falls and back down the other side of the valley.
The second day we drove to a trail head on the Glacier Peak side and made it to the top of our first dome, Sentinel Dome, elevation 8250. Nice views, but our uncanny ability to put ourselves in a race against dusk made it feel like a bit of a march. I was already stiff from the elevation gain on yesterdays' hike. I knew the next day would be worse. We were treated to a spectacular view on the way back down to the valley. The full moon rose between El Capitan and Half Dome.
Camp is still very cold. The sun never hits our camp site and the obsession to collect firewood is bordering ridiculous. We pack up to destination unknown and embrace another new found pleasure...coin operated showers.

Amy Gets Cracked

The Lake Tahoe portion of our journey got off to a good start, nice weather, and cell service for Curt to make his all important conference call.
Northern California has many options for those needing cell service, we chose to follow the "cold' instead of the "warmth". The following morning, Amy announced, "We won, we beat the sub freezing temps in a our 2nd night of camping". Shortly thereafter, Amy found a ray of sunshine and a camp fire in her quest to start the day.Then it happened . . . frozen tooth paste, on top of slush in the water jug, and the final straw.
Snow falling from the sky. Amy was officially cracked at this point. The car was quickly packed and pointed in a southerly direction towards the comforts of potential hotel rooms on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. If only it was that simple. We made it half way before the CHP put the brakes on our escape. The only road around the lake was closed due to heavy snow, an accident, and a prescribed burn. So back around the lake we went in the opposite direction. At this point another lesson was hammered home to us . . . do a little research before jumping in with both feet. We had camped in the NW corner of the lake, along side a busy highway, within earshot of a construction site, and where lake effect snow is common. Not exactly the recipe for a successful outing during cold weather. After being forced to backtrack, we discovered the Nevada side . . . Sunny skies, temps in the mid 40's, no wind, no houses, and camp sites on the lake (far removed from the highway). After the some dilligent shopping, we landed in a delightful Best Western on the south shore, within walking distance of the casinos.
On that Saturday, the snow covered FJ reamined anchored in the parking lot, the casinos were calling our name. After all, it was a college football saturday, and we needed to make some money to finance the rest of our trip. Surprisingly, this idiotic plan worked. South shore also included a new favotite activity of ours, coin operated laundry. After two warm nights in Tahoe, we headed for the warmer confines of Yosemite Valley.






Thursday, October 23, 2008

Another quick update

OK, admittedly we thought that we would be a little more connected than we have been the past two weeks. We have been on the road 18 nights and only two in hotels. We just emerged from 3 nights at Joshua Tree and are headed to Pasadena to catch up with Susie for the Breeders Cup. It is difficult to fathom that tonight I will be at a swanky party with Maroon 5 playing, and this morning we had our typical breakfast at camp after climbing a mountain.

I promise to update with photos in the next couple of days. We should have some good entertainment for you cubicle dwellers by Monday morning. There are a few good ones, including a major mishap involving a need for services 60 miles after passing a "no services for 126 miles" sign and Curt's new friends, the Budweiser drinking kangaroo mice.

We'll be in LA until Sunday, and then down to visit the Greginator in San Diego for a night. Cell phones are charging, so give a call if you want to hear our voices in the next couple of days.

Friday, October 17, 2008

A Quick Recap

The obnoxious and absurd details shall follow when we have consistent electricty and connectivity. Here's a quick recap.

North Shore Lake Tahoe
2 nights camping, a quick visit to Squaw Valley, and Amy was finally "cracked"

South Shore Lake Tahoe
Amy's being cracked paid dividends in the form of two comfortable nights, and The Old Man was on fire at the casino. The number of beers consumed between 2:00pm and 1:00am surpassed 20, and none were purchased.

Yosemite National Park
Some nice lady at the sporting goods store suggested we check on the mountain pass conditions for the east entrance to Yosemite, this never occurred to us, being that it was sunny on that Sunday. To our horror, both passes that allowed for an easy route to Yosemite were closed. We eventually found our way on the narrowest and steepest state highway either one of us had ever seen. Our travels were rewarded when we arrived at the camp ground in Yosemite and joined the largest Grioswold family gathering in the tightest confines of any camp ground in the free world. We climbed two separate routes to the south wall, Amy wanted to do El Capitan, but The Old Man chickened out.

Some Place in the Eastern Sierra
The road from Yosemite was open when we left on Wednesday, and the drive was uneventful except for The Old Man's bright idea of going on a short hike atop Tioga Pass (elevation 9985 feet). The Old Man insisted this was a good idea in spite of pleas from Amy about here legs screaming for a break after two brutal days of hiking up and down and up and down and up and down. Amy settled for the views from a saddle at 10,500 feet, while The Old Man attempted to bag his first 11,000 foot summit. We eventually settled on a camp site with a nice vista on June Lake for two nights. The main activity was hiking the PCT, where, of course, The Old Man's "four mile stroll" turned into a 6.5 mile "are we lost" march/gtrind/climb up a narrow canyon on the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Mountain.

Friday
We have left June Lake and are pursuing the warmth of Death Valley, make that the "heat", the temps should approach 100 degrees this weekend. The overnight "lows" will exceed any high temps we have experienced since eating lunch in a Circle K parking lot in Redding last week.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Flummoxed in the Golden State

We have some lessons to learn. First of all, California is a big state. The US atlas breaks it into 3 pages. Since we typically have Gazeteers, we should adjust our thinking to a bigger scale. Our first lesson was 45 miles into our day and there was a sign that said "130 miles to Redding", while plotting our route for the day, we had chalked up the the Redwoods to Redding leg as a 90 minute leg. Wrong . . . several mountain passes, numerous delays for road construction, and some obnoxious fellow drivers later, we landed in Redding 4 hours later. We tried to stop at a nice park in the hills above town for lunch and to plot our plans, but alas, no internet, so into town we went. And what a pain in the ass that was, the highway routed us through town, with several turns and stoplights to match. While in search of a pleasant place to have lunch and research, we found ourselves in a exit only ramp onto the 5, after taking the next exit, we could do no better than a Circle K parking lot to have lunch on a spectacular 85 degree day.

With mid day having come and gone, we had to scrap the plan to go to Lassen Peak, and decided to stick to the freeway and headed south for Sacramento. We actually discussed staying the night around Shasta and doing the Lassen Peak hike the following day, but the conference call was still hanging over our heads, if they don't have land line phone service at Lassen, we figured cell service would be non-existent. Perhaps, we should have heeded Susie's comment to . . . "slow down and not always be destination driven." But we hadn't read her post yet. Big lesson - the destination is the journey. We need to slow down.

After 2 hours on the 5, we decided to cut cross country and avoid rush hour in Sacto, another mistake, it was a very painful 45 minute traverse of some back water town called Yuba City that really cemented the concept of "slowing down". We accepted our fate and forged on with an enjoyable climb through the Sierra and located a camp site in quick order at Lake Tahoe under the cover of darkness and falling temps.

During this journey, we finally settled on a Yosemite plan, but that left us with 4 nights and 3 days at Lake Tahoe. And we made this plan with the knowledge of an incoming Pacific storm that would likely produce snow. Perhaps, we haven't quite yet rid ourselves of the "i have to be at this destination on these days" concept.

So to recap . . .
here's what we expected to do on Wednesday
leave Redwoods at 10:00am
drive to Lassen Peak
climb Lassen Peak
drive to Lake Tahoe
circle the lake finding the perfect camp spot

here's what we actually did
leave Redwoods at 10:00am
drive to Lake Tahoe
set camp in the dark at the first place we found

Sorry, no photos of the Circle K parking lot.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Camp #1 - Redwood Forest

The next stop on our journey is the Redwood forest - the mythical big trees of Humbolt County (or close enough). We set our first camp. There was no stress setting up the tent that Jen and JP loaned us, even though it was close to dark and we hadn't set it before. Things between Wilson and I are going quite smoothly. His 'bin' system works well. On a trip like this, organization minimizes frustration. At least, that is my hope. In theory, it will free us up to live in the moment.

The following misty morning... make that midday...we took the bikes on a trail to the ocean. I hadn't been on my bike since "the accident" so I was dealing with a little demon. I tried my best to hold it together while figuring out that my bike gears aren't working properly. But the deep mud and hills put me over the edge. I started cussing like a sailor and blamed the equipment, Wilson, or anything else (except me of course). Later, I learned that my bike- induced- stress- bitching is to Wilson as MLB playoff games on satellite radio are to me. . . White noise. Good to know. I wondered how he put up with my outbursts. Knowing this, I might learn to apply my energy towards the task at hand.

We encountered this Roosevelt Elk on the path down to the beach, and later a whole family. In both cases, Wilson told me to plow on through on my bike while he stayed behind to take photos. Isn't that chivalrous!

For those that are curious about what a Roosevelt Elk actually looks like, here's a photo where focus doesn't cost extra. This guy was about 100 yards from the Pacific Ocean.

We had a great day in the Redwoods. It is hard to capture the scale through photos, but these are the best.


We still don't know our next move. Haven't had cell service or weather info for two days. While packing up camp under fabulous blue skies, we were tempted to stay in the Redwoods, but Wilson needs cell service for a conference call on Thursday morning. So off we go.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Mile Zero


The Shell station (behind our house) may not be the coolest point from which to embark on a journey of this nature, but it sure is practical. We pointed the FJ south and made it all the way too . . . Southcenter. We had forgotten to eat during our hectic stay of packing and watching the Brewers, Packers, and Seahawks all suffer painful losses.

After filling up our gas tanks, we decided we could do better than 13.4 miles on day one. Over the hills, and through the rain we went . . . to Vancouver, WA. We stayed with my cousin, Chris and his wife, Karen. Amy was forced to listen to my new XM radio receiver on the drive down the 5, and she was just mildly impressed with my ability to pick up the Red Sox-Angels playoff game. I assured her . . . "look honey, they're already in the 5th inning, this will be over soon. " Meanwhile the miles crept by and the game went even slower. By the time we arrived at our destination, Amy was done with the game, but the game wasn't done with her . . . Chris and Karen had the game on when we arrived. Apparently, Comcast in Vancouver sees fit to offer TBS in HD, while us poor folks in Seattle are less fortunate. The focus quickly shifted away from the TV towards Chris and Karen's homemade beer.

We savored the chance to sleep in a real bed, under a real roof, with absolute temperature and weather controls. Karen had homemade road snacks waiting for us in the morning, and we departed at the crack of 10:00am.

Next stop . . . the Northern California Coast and Redwoods National Park. The good news . . . We are now closer to the Equator than the North Pole. Those crazy guys in the Oregon Highway Dept. come up with all kinds of way to entertain you while driving.

Friday, October 3, 2008

My Own Funeral

I waited to the last possible minute to clean out my office, and I was rewarded with a lightly populated building at 3626 156th AVE SE.

My office was as I had left it Tuesday morning with just one small, but not insignificant problem. I had zero access to my computer. 15 years of contacts down the drain in very quick fashion. However, HR and IT came to my rescue and graciously allowed me to print my contacts and copy my personal documents.

It was nice to say some heartfelt goodbyes to friends in the old phamacutical warehouse and be on my way. Much of my hesitation in returning was the feeling that I was going to my own funeral. A few days had given me the distance I needed, and it wasn't tramatic at all. Perhaps this process will move along quickly. Perhaps the first step is the hardest.