We had two planned "mystery days" on this trip. What this basically means is that we didn't really have any plans and whatever happens, happens.
As with most days, this one began with no alarm clock, which I would say is the essence of vacation. We did some serious sleeping in, or at lest we slept while not being shaken by a passing train.
The plan for the day materialized and we left our hotel around noon for Santa Barbara, a mere 30-40 minutes up the road. As we drove, two things were happening that were instrumental to this trip. As this was a less eventful day than most, it seems like a good time to take a look behind the scenes.
The first is a testament to technology. Throughout our travels, Salina was working the Blackberry into the ground. Whether it was getting directions using the map function or hitting up Yelp for a place to eat, this trip could not have happened without that little pink phone.
The second has been our major source of entertainment through endless hours spent in the car. Last year, we read and listened to a couple Harry Potter books to pass the time. This year, having read the entire HP series, we had to find something new. Enter the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, or as we call it, "Langdon."
Anyway, back to reality. Listening to Langdon while Salina worked her Blackberry looking for a place to eat in Santa Barbara, we cruised on up (the) 101. We decided on a taqueria with high reviews and an interesting menu - meat choices including eye balls, lips, etc. Unfortunately, when we pulled up, a sign in the window said they were closed from 12/2-1/6. What?!
Back to the Blackberry, we found another taqueria not too far away. When we pulled up to this one, the man working inside held up the "Closed" sign and it was back to the drawing board/Blackberry. Down the road we went to the highly-recommended La Superika, which was open but had a line going out the door and down the block. Ugh!
Finally, we found a little Mexican joint that had good reviews, was open, and didn't have a line going around the block. In retrospect, the line around the block should have told us all we needed to know. But, at the time, I wanted to get cruising down the road and didn't like the idea of waiting in line. Little did I know we would be waiting FOREVER for some less than good food at the place we ended up.
I just realized that this post will feature no photos and not a lot in the way of excitement, so I'll keep it short from here. It's just that the hunt for lunch was such a debacle!
We cruised north from Santa Barbara into their wine country. Back to the Blackberry and Yelp to find a couple good wineries. After a quick little side-trip to Solvang, we stopped by a couple wineries and bought a couple bottles. The scenery was amazing and the wines were very good. Can you say weekend trip?
After the second winery, it was back on the road for a drive that would take us within shouting distance of our next big stop, Sequoia National Park. This long drive through the back roads of central California was highlighted by... not a whole lot. Luckily, we had Langdon to keep us entertained.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Day 11 - Tuesday - Channel Islands NP
Raise your hand if you knew there is a National Park 20 miles off the California coast just north of L.A. Channel Islands National Park is a chain of five islands that can only be reached by charter boat from either Ventura or Santa Barbara that features several unique forms of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth.
We weren't really there to see the island fox or brown pelican. This was a voyage like our others, one to explore the natural beauty and grandeur of our national parks. Unlike the rest of the parks we've been to, this one required a boat to get there and had sweeping ocean views.
Completely different and yet still so amazing.
Our original plan was to take the ferry to Santa Cruz Island then join a kayak tour around the coast and into several sea caves around the island. Due to a few snafus, we weren't able to follow through on that plan, so we took the ferry and did some serious hiking.
The ferry left the mainland at 9 and was leaving the island at 3:30. By the time we had arrived on the island and received our orientation - don't leave anything but footprints, don't take anything but pictures, and you better be back by 3:30 or plan on a long, cold night - it was almost 11. This left us just over four hours to explore the island.
After looking at our options, we decided to head across the island to Smuggler's Cove, with the hopes of hitting Smuggler's Canyon from there. This would take us about nine miles over "strenuous" terrain. A bit much to chew off, but this was our one chance to see this island, so we went for it.
The trails were pretty steep, but the footing was secure and the views got better and better as we climbed upward. Considering we were heading from one bay to another, we knew the up, up, up would soon become a down, down, down. Sure enough, we began the descent straight down the other side of the island.
As we hiked, we soaked up views of the Pacific Ocean and neighboring Anacapa Island. The urban sprawl of L.A. completely out of our view and a distant memory.
Smuggler's Cove came into view before 1:00 and not long after that we were there. The beach was rocky and to say it was secluded is an understatement. So beautiful, but if we wanted to see Smuggler's Canyon, we had to get moving.
A short walk down a dried river bed led us to a surprisingly intact old ranch house and a rocky canyon beyond it. I loved it as much as the ocean view, prompting Salina to comment, "You really love canyons, don't you?" I guess I do.
With the threat of the ferry leaving without us, we had to get moving back toward Scorpion Cove. Having left a little room for error and the hike back going much faster than expected, we had a little time to explore a little further on the island before heading back to the mainland. This brought us to another beautiful view.
A successful day on the island, for sure, but the ride back was even better. The crew had mentioned the possibility of seeing whales on their migration south. Sounded pretty cool, but the whales weren't really cooperating. What we did see was even better: a huge pod of dolphins! They were swimming alongside the boat and jumping out of the water all over the place. It was amazing!
Back on dry land, freezing and super-hungry, we headed straight to dinner at a sushi place down the street from our hotel. This place turned out to be a strange combination of your average sushi restaurant and Cheers. Seriously, everyone who came in knew the sushi chef and his wife, the one and only server. Not only that, but all the customers knew each other, too. We may have been a little out of place, but enjoyed the scene, if not totally digging on the sushi.
The remainder of the night consisted of several unplanned back massages, compliments of the Amtrak train speeding through our bathroom. I honestly can say I've never experienced anything quite like this. It wasn't just the sound, but actual shaking every time a train went by.
We weren't really there to see the island fox or brown pelican. This was a voyage like our others, one to explore the natural beauty and grandeur of our national parks. Unlike the rest of the parks we've been to, this one required a boat to get there and had sweeping ocean views.
Completely different and yet still so amazing.
Our original plan was to take the ferry to Santa Cruz Island then join a kayak tour around the coast and into several sea caves around the island. Due to a few snafus, we weren't able to follow through on that plan, so we took the ferry and did some serious hiking.
The ferry left the mainland at 9 and was leaving the island at 3:30. By the time we had arrived on the island and received our orientation - don't leave anything but footprints, don't take anything but pictures, and you better be back by 3:30 or plan on a long, cold night - it was almost 11. This left us just over four hours to explore the island.
After looking at our options, we decided to head across the island to Smuggler's Cove, with the hopes of hitting Smuggler's Canyon from there. This would take us about nine miles over "strenuous" terrain. A bit much to chew off, but this was our one chance to see this island, so we went for it.
The trails were pretty steep, but the footing was secure and the views got better and better as we climbed upward. Considering we were heading from one bay to another, we knew the up, up, up would soon become a down, down, down. Sure enough, we began the descent straight down the other side of the island.
As we hiked, we soaked up views of the Pacific Ocean and neighboring Anacapa Island. The urban sprawl of L.A. completely out of our view and a distant memory.
Smuggler's Cove came into view before 1:00 and not long after that we were there. The beach was rocky and to say it was secluded is an understatement. So beautiful, but if we wanted to see Smuggler's Canyon, we had to get moving.
A short walk down a dried river bed led us to a surprisingly intact old ranch house and a rocky canyon beyond it. I loved it as much as the ocean view, prompting Salina to comment, "You really love canyons, don't you?" I guess I do.
With the threat of the ferry leaving without us, we had to get moving back toward Scorpion Cove. Having left a little room for error and the hike back going much faster than expected, we had a little time to explore a little further on the island before heading back to the mainland. This brought us to another beautiful view.
A successful day on the island, for sure, but the ride back was even better. The crew had mentioned the possibility of seeing whales on their migration south. Sounded pretty cool, but the whales weren't really cooperating. What we did see was even better: a huge pod of dolphins! They were swimming alongside the boat and jumping out of the water all over the place. It was amazing!
Our only sources of warmth on the boat: hot cocoa and each other
The sun setting over Santa Cruz Island
Back on dry land, freezing and super-hungry, we headed straight to dinner at a sushi place down the street from our hotel. This place turned out to be a strange combination of your average sushi restaurant and Cheers. Seriously, everyone who came in knew the sushi chef and his wife, the one and only server. Not only that, but all the customers knew each other, too. We may have been a little out of place, but enjoyed the scene, if not totally digging on the sushi.
The remainder of the night consisted of several unplanned back massages, compliments of the Amtrak train speeding through our bathroom. I honestly can say I've never experienced anything quite like this. It wasn't just the sound, but actual shaking every time a train went by.
Day 10 - Monday - Magic Mountain
For those of you reading this from a cold place, let me begin with a quick explanation. Magic Mountain is not a 14,000 peak that Salina and I climbed clinging to our very lives through ice and snow. No, it's a theme park outside of L.A. famous for some of the best roller coasters anywhere. This day would provide a different kind of adrenaline rush than what we'd experienced on the trip so far.
I'll keep this one short and sweet...
On the bright side, we rode on some awesome roller coasters. In particular, the last ride of the night was the best roller coaster I've ever been on. It's called, "X2" and they market it as "The world's first 5th dimension thrill ride." We're not sure what that means, except that it was awesome. Not often that I say this, but it was worth the 1 1/2 hour wait in line.
Which brings me to the downside. The lines were ridic! I guess it's to be expected at a major amusement park, but dang! It was only made worse by the even greater frustration for the day: two of the best roller coasters were closed. One, "Batman," is a roller coaster that makes you feel like you're flying, or so I'm told. The other, "Goliath," features a 255 foot drop with speeds reaching 85 mph. Would've been fun, but so it goes. Wah.
As we stood in line for our last ride of the day, our bodies were cold and our stomachs began grumbling. Plans were made for dinner. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better at warming you up than a piping hot bowl of soup. Our favorite is a Japanese style, called ramen. No, not the stuff you buy 10 for $1 at the grocery store, but the real stuff you get at a Japanese restaurant. From the moment that decision was made and a destination was found, neither of us thought of anything else. I guess I'll admit I wasn't thinking about ramen during the ride, but besides that it was ramen, ramen, ramen.
Let me just say that it was delicious and it warmed us up from the inside out. So good.
On to our hotel for the night, which would be the Best Western in Ventura. This was not to be the nicest place we would stay this trip, but it seemed decent enough, and in most respects it was. In one very important respect, however, it was not. That being the train tracks that ran seemingly through our bathroom. Luckily they didn't run through the night, but at 7:26 the next morning our room felt like it was being shaken by an earthquake. For those who haven't experienced an earthquake, imagine a train going through your living room. Pretty crazy. And the good news is we get to stay here another night!
I'll keep this one short and sweet...
On the bright side, we rode on some awesome roller coasters. In particular, the last ride of the night was the best roller coaster I've ever been on. It's called, "X2" and they market it as "The world's first 5th dimension thrill ride." We're not sure what that means, except that it was awesome. Not often that I say this, but it was worth the 1 1/2 hour wait in line.
Greg clearly enjoying his first bumper car ride in YEARS!
Which brings me to the downside. The lines were ridic! I guess it's to be expected at a major amusement park, but dang! It was only made worse by the even greater frustration for the day: two of the best roller coasters were closed. One, "Batman," is a roller coaster that makes you feel like you're flying, or so I'm told. The other, "Goliath," features a 255 foot drop with speeds reaching 85 mph. Would've been fun, but so it goes. Wah.
As we stood in line for our last ride of the day, our bodies were cold and our stomachs began grumbling. Plans were made for dinner. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better at warming you up than a piping hot bowl of soup. Our favorite is a Japanese style, called ramen. No, not the stuff you buy 10 for $1 at the grocery store, but the real stuff you get at a Japanese restaurant. From the moment that decision was made and a destination was found, neither of us thought of anything else. I guess I'll admit I wasn't thinking about ramen during the ride, but besides that it was ramen, ramen, ramen.
Let me just say that it was delicious and it warmed us up from the inside out. So good.
On to our hotel for the night, which would be the Best Western in Ventura. This was not to be the nicest place we would stay this trip, but it seemed decent enough, and in most respects it was. In one very important respect, however, it was not. That being the train tracks that ran seemingly through our bathroom. Luckily they didn't run through the night, but at 7:26 the next morning our room felt like it was being shaken by an earthquake. For those who haven't experienced an earthquake, imagine a train going through your living room. Pretty crazy. And the good news is we get to stay here another night!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Day 9 - Sunday - Gravel Pit National Park
Was it ever tough getting up and leaving our room this morning. For one thing, it was 8:00, a time not meant for waking up in Vegas. Even more difficult was leaving our amazing room and extremely comfortable bed. Finally, today was one we were dreading from the beginning because of all the time we would be spending on the road.
It seems that our main destination for the day, Death Valley National Park, doesn't have a lot of towns nearby with hotels eager to let us stay for the night. After checking availability in every town anywhere close to the park, we decided visit the park for just an afternoon and then continue on to Visalia, California to place us next to our plans for tomorrow. But more on that later.
Death Valley is the one place we've been in two years of road tripping that experiences their high season in the winter. Something about 120 degree summer days keeps the visitors away when the other parks are being overrun with tourists. I imagine those sweltering summers also has something to do with the lack of towns anywhere near the park. But this was the middle of winter and there were an abundance of tourists.
We pulled into the park around noon and took the first turn up a steep and winding road to a spot called Dante's View, where you can see the highest and lowest points in the contiguous US. Sounded pretty cool and worth the half-hour drive, so we checked it out. Our reaction? Meh.
Onto the visitor's center where the usual suspects could be found: park rangers too old or out of shape for "the field", small children running around seemingly without any sort of supervision, artifacts and information about the park, and every conceivable item one could put a national park logo on for sale. In the midst of all this, I was excited to find a series of children's chapter books featuring fictional mysteries taking place in national parks. I bought all five of the books featuring parks we'd been to. Stoked.
Anyway, I've gone on way too long about just getting to the park because, quite honestly, this park was a disappointment. We came to calling in Gravel Pit National Park because everything we saw that was supposed to be worth seeing appeared to be, well, a big gravel pit. Big piles of brown dirt and rock as far as the eye can see. Imagine the beauty! Imagine the splendor! It's too dry for vegetation, as well as for most living things. So, instead, you get endless quantities of dirt and rocks.
We took one short hike, where we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Our guide book suggested driving through "Artist's Pallette," where we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Then, as we drove out of the park, we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Signs along the road invited us to visit sites that truly sounded interesting. There were signs for places like, "Devil's Golf Course" and "Natural Bridge". In spite of these appealing names, we barely slowed down, knowing full well what we would find at the end of that road: a lot of rocks and dirt. I'll admit, I'm exaggerating a bit, as there were plenty of things to like in the park. Plenty of times where we were impressed by the natural beauty of it. But, in comparison to where we've been, it just didn't stack up.
Now, for the exciting part of the day! As we left the GPNP, we saw a gas station ahead and, considering our dwindling fuel supply and the desolation that we would face over the next 60 miles, thought we should stop in for some gas. That was until we caught sight of the price: $4.09 for a gallon! Outrageous! Truly offended, we drove on.
Bad idea. Thirty miles later, a town on our map failed to ever appear and the gas light on the car turned on. We were thirty miles from the next town, driving down a pitch black highway, with enough gas to get us about twenty-five miles. Did I mention we didn't have cell phone service and there were hardly any houses out there either?
As the gas level dipped to less than empty, we began discussing in earnest our plans for when we ran out of gas. Perhaps I would run to town. Or maybe just to the point where we could call for help. Then there was the possibility of hitch hiking. Clearly, none of these options were sounding too appealing. So, we hoped, prayed, crossed our fingers, and kept on driving.
As the lights of Baker, California shone on the horizon, we regained hope. I slowed down to ridiculously slow speeds in the hope that we may just make it after all. And we did. I don't know how. It's like the story of Hanukkah, only instead of a lamp burning for seven days, our car drove 7 miles without any gas. A real (two days after) Christmas miracle.
The rest of the day was largely uneventful. The exception was a stop at a dirty diner called, "Peggy Sue's" which featured tons of autographed pictures of celebrities, average food, and waitresses who seemed none too happy to be wearing vintage diner waitress uniforms. Our hotel that night was a little bit on the dumpy side. But we were happy to be "home" and excited to hit up Six Flags Magic Mountain in the morning.
It seems that our main destination for the day, Death Valley National Park, doesn't have a lot of towns nearby with hotels eager to let us stay for the night. After checking availability in every town anywhere close to the park, we decided visit the park for just an afternoon and then continue on to Visalia, California to place us next to our plans for tomorrow. But more on that later.
Death Valley is the one place we've been in two years of road tripping that experiences their high season in the winter. Something about 120 degree summer days keeps the visitors away when the other parks are being overrun with tourists. I imagine those sweltering summers also has something to do with the lack of towns anywhere near the park. But this was the middle of winter and there were an abundance of tourists.
We pulled into the park around noon and took the first turn up a steep and winding road to a spot called Dante's View, where you can see the highest and lowest points in the contiguous US. Sounded pretty cool and worth the half-hour drive, so we checked it out. Our reaction? Meh.
Onto the visitor's center where the usual suspects could be found: park rangers too old or out of shape for "the field", small children running around seemingly without any sort of supervision, artifacts and information about the park, and every conceivable item one could put a national park logo on for sale. In the midst of all this, I was excited to find a series of children's chapter books featuring fictional mysteries taking place in national parks. I bought all five of the books featuring parks we'd been to. Stoked.
Anyway, I've gone on way too long about just getting to the park because, quite honestly, this park was a disappointment. We came to calling in Gravel Pit National Park because everything we saw that was supposed to be worth seeing appeared to be, well, a big gravel pit. Big piles of brown dirt and rock as far as the eye can see. Imagine the beauty! Imagine the splendor! It's too dry for vegetation, as well as for most living things. So, instead, you get endless quantities of dirt and rocks.
We took one short hike, where we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Our guide book suggested driving through "Artist's Pallette," where we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Then, as we drove out of the park, we saw a lot of rocks and dirt. Signs along the road invited us to visit sites that truly sounded interesting. There were signs for places like, "Devil's Golf Course" and "Natural Bridge". In spite of these appealing names, we barely slowed down, knowing full well what we would find at the end of that road: a lot of rocks and dirt. I'll admit, I'm exaggerating a bit, as there were plenty of things to like in the park. Plenty of times where we were impressed by the natural beauty of it. But, in comparison to where we've been, it just didn't stack up.
Who knew there were so many shades of brown?
Now, for the exciting part of the day! As we left the GPNP, we saw a gas station ahead and, considering our dwindling fuel supply and the desolation that we would face over the next 60 miles, thought we should stop in for some gas. That was until we caught sight of the price: $4.09 for a gallon! Outrageous! Truly offended, we drove on.
Bad idea. Thirty miles later, a town on our map failed to ever appear and the gas light on the car turned on. We were thirty miles from the next town, driving down a pitch black highway, with enough gas to get us about twenty-five miles. Did I mention we didn't have cell phone service and there were hardly any houses out there either?
As the gas level dipped to less than empty, we began discussing in earnest our plans for when we ran out of gas. Perhaps I would run to town. Or maybe just to the point where we could call for help. Then there was the possibility of hitch hiking. Clearly, none of these options were sounding too appealing. So, we hoped, prayed, crossed our fingers, and kept on driving.
As the lights of Baker, California shone on the horizon, we regained hope. I slowed down to ridiculously slow speeds in the hope that we may just make it after all. And we did. I don't know how. It's like the story of Hanukkah, only instead of a lamp burning for seven days, our car drove 7 miles without any gas. A real (two days after) Christmas miracle.
The rest of the day was largely uneventful. The exception was a stop at a dirty diner called, "Peggy Sue's" which featured tons of autographed pictures of celebrities, average food, and waitresses who seemed none too happy to be wearing vintage diner waitress uniforms. Our hotel that night was a little bit on the dumpy side. But we were happy to be "home" and excited to hit up Six Flags Magic Mountain in the morning.
Day 8 - Saturday - Las Vegas
After a week of mostly communing with nature, we headed to a place that couldn't be any more different. Vegas, baby! Vegas!
But, first we had to move out of our room at the Desert Pearl in Zion. This was no small feat, as we had sort of settled in after three nights there and our stuff was scattered everywhere. After an hour of packing, we were on the road again.
As we settled in, we decided to take a little detour and hit the Hoover Dam before our night on the town. I visited here almost ten years ago on the road trip that brought me to California, but a lot had changed in that time. A huge parking garage now existed, which was nice, along with a new bridge that was being built parallel to the dam itself.
We parked our car and walked the length of the dam, admittedly paying as much attention to the license plates of the cars driving by as to the views offered by the dam. We have re-started our license plate game from last year, looking for plates from all 50 states, and Hoover Dam was full of visitors from around the country. And, oh yeah, Lake Mead and the dam were very cool.
From there, it was about an hour drive up to Vegas and our stop for one night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. As I checked in, I was offered a free upgrade to a suite, which I obviously said would be great. Little did I know how sweet it would be. We felt like rock stars when we entered the room.
With the City of Sin outside our doorstep and an endless supply of options for fun, we were completely unmotivated to leave our room. Finally, as always seemed to happen in these situations, hunger proved to be the motivating factor to get our butts in gear. But, rather than hit the strip, we decided to just head downstairs and eat at a restaurant in the Hard Rock.
Against our better judgment, we ate at the "Pink Taco" and discovered some surprisingly good eats, name aside. With three tacos and a margarita fueling us, we headed out on the game floor to donate $100 each to the good people of the Hard Rock. Taking turns choosing slot machines, we spent the next few hours watching our money dwindle down to nothing. Now I remember why I don't gamble, but it sure was fun.
Does the fact that we didn't go to any clubs in Vegas mean that we are getting old? How about the fact that we went to bed a little after midnight? Hey, we have to get up early in the morning for a big travel day, with a little Death Valley National Park mixed in. So, back off. :)
But, first we had to move out of our room at the Desert Pearl in Zion. This was no small feat, as we had sort of settled in after three nights there and our stuff was scattered everywhere. After an hour of packing, we were on the road again.
As we settled in, we decided to take a little detour and hit the Hoover Dam before our night on the town. I visited here almost ten years ago on the road trip that brought me to California, but a lot had changed in that time. A huge parking garage now existed, which was nice, along with a new bridge that was being built parallel to the dam itself.
We parked our car and walked the length of the dam, admittedly paying as much attention to the license plates of the cars driving by as to the views offered by the dam. We have re-started our license plate game from last year, looking for plates from all 50 states, and Hoover Dam was full of visitors from around the country. And, oh yeah, Lake Mead and the dam were very cool.
From there, it was about an hour drive up to Vegas and our stop for one night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. As I checked in, I was offered a free upgrade to a suite, which I obviously said would be great. Little did I know how sweet it would be. We felt like rock stars when we entered the room.
The view of the strip from our room
The bedroom with bath and flatscreen
The living room with bar and flatscreen #2
Another view of the living room with rock star silver couch on the right
The bedroom with bath and flatscreen
The living room with bar and flatscreen #2
Another view of the living room with rock star silver couch on the right
With the City of Sin outside our doorstep and an endless supply of options for fun, we were completely unmotivated to leave our room. Finally, as always seemed to happen in these situations, hunger proved to be the motivating factor to get our butts in gear. But, rather than hit the strip, we decided to just head downstairs and eat at a restaurant in the Hard Rock.
Here's Salina enjoying the comfy bed and not wanting to ever leave it.
Against our better judgment, we ate at the "Pink Taco" and discovered some surprisingly good eats, name aside. With three tacos and a margarita fueling us, we headed out on the game floor to donate $100 each to the good people of the Hard Rock. Taking turns choosing slot machines, we spent the next few hours watching our money dwindle down to nothing. Now I remember why I don't gamble, but it sure was fun.
Does the fact that we didn't go to any clubs in Vegas mean that we are getting old? How about the fact that we went to bed a little after midnight? Hey, we have to get up early in the morning for a big travel day, with a little Death Valley National Park mixed in. So, back off. :)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Day 7 - Friday - Zion
Christmas in Zion. Two years in a row. Who would have thought we'd be back, but really, if you've never been, you need to go. It is unlike any place on Earth.
And we finally have photos to prove it! Yes, we finally have figured out our file transfer problem and will now be including pictures of our travels.
Christmas began, as it should, with presents being opened. Both of us were excited to give... and receive our gifts. Unfortunately, we were so excited we didn't take any pictures of the festivities. So, in its place, here is a picture of our sweet tree and the presents all around it. Needless to say, it was a super-exciting way to start the day.
After opening the presents and enjoying some more Eggos and sausage, along with some oatmeal, we were off for another big hike in the park. This time, we were planning to hike to "Angel's Landing," which is the second biggest attraction in the entire park (after a river hike that we would love to do sometime when the water is not 40 degrees). The descriptions we had read suggested that this was not a hike for just anyone, with steep ledges and multiple chains to assist our ascent. Sure those things sound a little scary, but it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, so we were ready for a hike not too different from the ones we'd already done the past couple days. We couldn't have been more wrong!
We then followed several long switch-backs up into a canyon known as "Refrigerator Canyon" where the temperatures are known to drop between 10 and 30 degrees from the surrounding area. It was certainly cooler as we moved into the shade of the canyon and continued on up the trail.Next we reached a section called, "Walter's Wiggles," so named because of the rapid-fire switch-backs that, when viewed from the top or bottom looked like a squiggly line.
That is where we reached this sign:
Most people would have turned around at this point, and perhaps we should have too. But, of course, we did not. "Onward, ho!" Salina would say and up we went. From there, it was 1/2 a mile straight up, using chains to pull ourselves along and provide a bit of security.
This "trail" can only be described as the most ridiculous, terrifying, and exhilarating adventure I've ever experienced. There were several parts with extremely narrow, snow-covered paths with nothing but 2,000 foot drop-offs on either side.
Several other parts featured impossibly slick terrain with only the chains to pull ourselves up. Over and over again we would meet a new obstacle and still we forged ahead till we reached the top.
The incredible view from the top:
The only problem then was that we had to somehow make our way down from there. This was quite possibly even more difficult and adrenaline-pumping. Those slick spots turned into snow slides. The narrow sections were just as narrow and more difficult with gravity pulling us along a little faster than we would have liked.
When we finally reached the bottom of the chains, the feeling was quite possibly more gratifying than reaching the top. Happy to be on (more) solid and less steep terrain, we raced down the rest of the trail to our warm and cozy car.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and intermittently reminiscing on our adventures on "Angel's Landing." Not an adventure either of us will soon, or ever, forget.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Day 6 - Thursday - Zion
A couple apologies before today's write-up... First, we've been unable to post any pictures so far this year due to a missing camera cable. We know the pictures really bring to life our travels and we hope to find the cable or find a way to post pictures soon. Second, an apology to our devoted readers, both of you (thanks, Mom and L), for not keeping up to date on the blog. It's been awhile since we've had the time and energy to post. On to our first full day in Zion...
This day's story begins last night with a stop at the market inside Zion. We picked up a few breakfast items, figuring our days here would be spent with lazy breakfasts in our room, followed by snacks on the trail for lunch, and a little dinner in town every night. As planned, we woke up late this morning and prepared a little breakfast gourmet style: Eggo waffles and microwaved sausage links. MMMMM...
Feeling full and excited to hit the trail, we left the Desert Pearl around noon and headed toward the same trail head that began yesterday's hike. The destination today was to be "Observation Point," at the end of a four mile hike with a 2,300 foot elevation change. That kind of elevation change over that distance means we were hiking up a snow and ice covered rocky trail with an average 12% grade. Totally exhausting, but once again, incredibly beautiful.
The trail split from yesterday's after about a half-hour and greeted us at that point with some treacherous footing and steep edges. Our fears that the next 3 1/2 miles would be the same were quickly put away as the trail widened and the footing became more secure. We soon came upon "Echo Canyon" which was secluded and cavernous, as well as Greg's favorite portion of the trail. In this portion the red rock walls rose all around us, even leading us through a tunnel at one point. The trail from there continued to meander up and around the rocks with no indication of where the elusive "Observation Point" may be or even where our next turn may lead us. After almost three hours of hiking, we reached our destination, and found its name to be entirely appropriate. We were treated to a view of the entire Zion Valley, spanning many miles and including countless red rock formations frosted with snow and dotted with trees, many of which clung miraculously to the rocks' steep edges. It was a sight to behold, and one that hopefully we'll be able to share a photo of very soon.
The return trip down the mountain was incredibly quick and easy. We were to the bottom in just over an hour and completed what was supposed to be a 5-6 hour hike in about 4 hours. Feeling sore and tired, we headed back to our hotel room to relax for a bit before dinner. Once in the comforts of our room, it proved difficult to remove ourselves from its soft bed and warm temps, but eventually hunger took over and we had to go eat.
We had decided on another night at Oscar's, as this was a place we both liked and we were both craving a burger, something we'd spotted on the menu last night. When we pulled up, we saw a good-sized crowd outside, apparently waiting for a table. Having experienced enough cold for one day, and having no other option than to wait in the cold if we were to stay, we opted to return to our room and return a short while later. This decision would prove to be a bad one.
Earlier in the trip we had agreed we would open one present on Christmas Eve and this unexpected free time seemed the perfect opportunity to do just that. Each of us chose a present for the other to open. Greg gave Salina her's first, which she carefully opened to reveal the game, DJ Hero, for the Wii. Salina then opted for a different gift than what she had originally planned. The reason became obvious as Greg tore open his gift, like the overgrown child he is, and found another Wii game, this one Wii Sports Resort with an extra Motion Plus controller. Translation: this gift was really cool and we played it right away. Which proved to be the second bad decision of the night.
So what happened? Well, we returned to Oscar's at 8:30, only to discover they were closed. Duh! How could we not have checked to see this the first time?! Convinced we were never going to find another place open on Christmas Eve at this time of night, we headed back to our room expecting to satisfy our hunger as best we could with some crackers, Cuties, and maybe some beef jerky. To our surprise, another little restaurant was open just down the street. While the Pioneer Restaurant wasn't our first choice, nor did they have any soup for the soup and salad bar we were both about to order or any mashed potatoes for the meal Greg was about to order, the meal was certainly better than the alternative that awaited us at our room.
We then dragged our aching bodies back to our room where we fell asleep immediately... after playing DJ Hero and Wii Sports Resort for several hours. Finally unable to fight sleep off any longer, we fell asleep with big plans for Christmas in the morning.
This day's story begins last night with a stop at the market inside Zion. We picked up a few breakfast items, figuring our days here would be spent with lazy breakfasts in our room, followed by snacks on the trail for lunch, and a little dinner in town every night. As planned, we woke up late this morning and prepared a little breakfast gourmet style: Eggo waffles and microwaved sausage links. MMMMM...
Feeling full and excited to hit the trail, we left the Desert Pearl around noon and headed toward the same trail head that began yesterday's hike. The destination today was to be "Observation Point," at the end of a four mile hike with a 2,300 foot elevation change. That kind of elevation change over that distance means we were hiking up a snow and ice covered rocky trail with an average 12% grade. Totally exhausting, but once again, incredibly beautiful.
The trail split from yesterday's after about a half-hour and greeted us at that point with some treacherous footing and steep edges. Our fears that the next 3 1/2 miles would be the same were quickly put away as the trail widened and the footing became more secure. We soon came upon "Echo Canyon" which was secluded and cavernous, as well as Greg's favorite portion of the trail. In this portion the red rock walls rose all around us, even leading us through a tunnel at one point. The trail from there continued to meander up and around the rocks with no indication of where the elusive "Observation Point" may be or even where our next turn may lead us. After almost three hours of hiking, we reached our destination, and found its name to be entirely appropriate. We were treated to a view of the entire Zion Valley, spanning many miles and including countless red rock formations frosted with snow and dotted with trees, many of which clung miraculously to the rocks' steep edges. It was a sight to behold, and one that hopefully we'll be able to share a photo of very soon.
The return trip down the mountain was incredibly quick and easy. We were to the bottom in just over an hour and completed what was supposed to be a 5-6 hour hike in about 4 hours. Feeling sore and tired, we headed back to our hotel room to relax for a bit before dinner. Once in the comforts of our room, it proved difficult to remove ourselves from its soft bed and warm temps, but eventually hunger took over and we had to go eat.
We had decided on another night at Oscar's, as this was a place we both liked and we were both craving a burger, something we'd spotted on the menu last night. When we pulled up, we saw a good-sized crowd outside, apparently waiting for a table. Having experienced enough cold for one day, and having no other option than to wait in the cold if we were to stay, we opted to return to our room and return a short while later. This decision would prove to be a bad one.
Earlier in the trip we had agreed we would open one present on Christmas Eve and this unexpected free time seemed the perfect opportunity to do just that. Each of us chose a present for the other to open. Greg gave Salina her's first, which she carefully opened to reveal the game, DJ Hero, for the Wii. Salina then opted for a different gift than what she had originally planned. The reason became obvious as Greg tore open his gift, like the overgrown child he is, and found another Wii game, this one Wii Sports Resort with an extra Motion Plus controller. Translation: this gift was really cool and we played it right away. Which proved to be the second bad decision of the night.
So what happened? Well, we returned to Oscar's at 8:30, only to discover they were closed. Duh! How could we not have checked to see this the first time?! Convinced we were never going to find another place open on Christmas Eve at this time of night, we headed back to our room expecting to satisfy our hunger as best we could with some crackers, Cuties, and maybe some beef jerky. To our surprise, another little restaurant was open just down the street. While the Pioneer Restaurant wasn't our first choice, nor did they have any soup for the soup and salad bar we were both about to order or any mashed potatoes for the meal Greg was about to order, the meal was certainly better than the alternative that awaited us at our room.
We then dragged our aching bodies back to our room where we fell asleep immediately... after playing DJ Hero and Wii Sports Resort for several hours. Finally unable to fight sleep off any longer, we fell asleep with big plans for Christmas in the morning.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Day 5 - Wednesday - Zion
We made it! The weather and snow plows cooperated, allowing us to leave Bryce around noon today. We spent morning visiting a few spots in Bryce Canyon National Park before heading out. There would be no hiking like last year because of the freshly-fallen snow burying all of the trails, but we were able to visit a couple spots we couldn't go last year. The views were breathtaking. Unfortunately the bitter cold and wind were also taking our breath away. Sooooo cold! We're talking below zero with the windchill.
After withstanding all we could of the weather at Bryce, we happily hopped back in the car and headed through the beautiful stretch of Utah known as the Grand Staircase to Zion National Park. Heading into the park was like returning home. This was definitely our favorite stop of last year's journey. Seeing the towering red rocks blanketed with pure white snow against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky was indescribable.
Having spent a fair amount of time here last year, there remained only three more hikes for us to do. Luckily, these were the three longest hikes in the park. With three hours till sunset, we decided to attempt the shortest of the three, a hike we had attempted last year, only to turn back three-quarters of the way up after encountering worsening weather and snowdrifts up past our knees.
This time the hike was snow-covered, but much less death-defying. We made it to the end of the maintained portion of the trail and continued on with the promise of a free-standing arch and further beauty. It was an incredible hike, one Greg rates as one of his all-time favorites. The unmaintained portion of the trail was mostly flat, with 20-50 foot red stone walls on both sides and occasional obstacles that required a little imagination and scrambling to overcome. Once, we threw several large rocks in a small pool so that we could step from rock to rock to get to the other side. Another time, we stood on a fallen tree and leaned against a rock wall as we shimmied our way to the top of another tall rock. So much fun!
We got back to the car right around sunset and drove to our hotel to check in. After about five full-armed trips, we were settled in to our home for the next three nights. But, before we were too comfortable, we had to go pick up some groceries and find ourselves a little dinner. Our fave from last year, Oscar's, provided some delicious grub and may very well be our spot tomorrow night too.
That brings us to the present... I'm sitting here on my computer finishing up the ol' blog while Salina plays a little Guitar Hero. You gotta love the vacation. Can't wait for another fantastic day in Zion tomorrow!
After withstanding all we could of the weather at Bryce, we happily hopped back in the car and headed through the beautiful stretch of Utah known as the Grand Staircase to Zion National Park. Heading into the park was like returning home. This was definitely our favorite stop of last year's journey. Seeing the towering red rocks blanketed with pure white snow against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky was indescribable.
Having spent a fair amount of time here last year, there remained only three more hikes for us to do. Luckily, these were the three longest hikes in the park. With three hours till sunset, we decided to attempt the shortest of the three, a hike we had attempted last year, only to turn back three-quarters of the way up after encountering worsening weather and snowdrifts up past our knees.
This time the hike was snow-covered, but much less death-defying. We made it to the end of the maintained portion of the trail and continued on with the promise of a free-standing arch and further beauty. It was an incredible hike, one Greg rates as one of his all-time favorites. The unmaintained portion of the trail was mostly flat, with 20-50 foot red stone walls on both sides and occasional obstacles that required a little imagination and scrambling to overcome. Once, we threw several large rocks in a small pool so that we could step from rock to rock to get to the other side. Another time, we stood on a fallen tree and leaned against a rock wall as we shimmied our way to the top of another tall rock. So much fun!
We got back to the car right around sunset and drove to our hotel to check in. After about five full-armed trips, we were settled in to our home for the next three nights. But, before we were too comfortable, we had to go pick up some groceries and find ourselves a little dinner. Our fave from last year, Oscar's, provided some delicious grub and may very well be our spot tomorrow night too.
That brings us to the present... I'm sitting here on my computer finishing up the ol' blog while Salina plays a little Guitar Hero. You gotta love the vacation. Can't wait for another fantastic day in Zion tomorrow!
Day 4 - Tuesday - Bryce Canyon, UT
OK, so today wasn't really spent in Bryce Canyon, but that's where we ended up as night fell. This was a "mystery day" as we planned this trip. We decided to head back to Bryce since our visit there last year was too short and way too cold.
This will be a short post considering today was mostly spent driving. We pulled into the Bryce Canyon Best Western Grand and moved a ton of stuff up to our modest room. This is a recurring problem with extended road trips: even when you're staying in a place for one night, you've packed for a couple weeks and, therefore, have to carry ridiculous amounts of things to and from your room. Add to the usual suit cases several presents, a Wii, a Guitar Hero guitar, and a Christmas tree. We're quite the sight walking past the front desk.
Onto tomorrow... we're in a Winter Storm Warning and it's unclear if we'll be able to leave Bryce tomorrow. We're scheduled to be in Zion, where we'll be through Christmas, but they are predicting 10-20 inches of snow for the southern mountains of Utah, or exactly where we are right now. Here's hoping the weather, or at least the snow plows, cooperate.
This will be a short post considering today was mostly spent driving. We pulled into the Bryce Canyon Best Western Grand and moved a ton of stuff up to our modest room. This is a recurring problem with extended road trips: even when you're staying in a place for one night, you've packed for a couple weeks and, therefore, have to carry ridiculous amounts of things to and from your room. Add to the usual suit cases several presents, a Wii, a Guitar Hero guitar, and a Christmas tree. We're quite the sight walking past the front desk.
Onto tomorrow... we're in a Winter Storm Warning and it's unclear if we'll be able to leave Bryce tomorrow. We're scheduled to be in Zion, where we'll be through Christmas, but they are predicting 10-20 inches of snow for the southern mountains of Utah, or exactly where we are right now. Here's hoping the weather, or at least the snow plows, cooperate.
Day 3 - Monday - Park City, UT
For the first time EVER, we spent the better part of a road trip day apart. By better, I mean like majority, not like it was so much better not being together, but I digress. Park City hosted the mountain sports at the SLC Winter Olympic Games and has some amazing, yet relatively under-the-radar skiing and snowboarding. Having said all that, you may see where this day is heading.
Greg spent the day ripping up and down the mountain on his snowboard while Salina hung out in downtown PC eating, reading, and enjoying a fabulous massage. A lot of great runs, smaller crowds, a half-hour drive from the SLC airport, and a lively ski town setting make Park City a destination worthy of a return visit.
After a day on the slopes/massage table, we met up and walked down Main Street, checking out the shops and stopping in for a couple cold ones. The Wasatch Brewery is known for their edgy and blatant Mormon-mocking beer names. Greg enjoyed a Polygamy Porter (Why have just one?) while Salina had an Evolution Amber.
From there, we had a long overdue mission to complete. It was time to find a Christmas tree! We needed a tree that (1) fit in the car, (2) was alive, and (3) was big enough to hold a few ornaments. First, Lowe's failed us. Next, we tried Walmart and left there without a tree, but with the feeling that only comes from a visit to Walmart. It's a combination of wanting to shower mixed with never wanting to ever have children. Finally, the Home Depot came through with the perfect tree.
To finish off a fun day, we found a cuisine that neither of us had ever tried: Nepalese. The Himalayan Kitchen was awesome! From one of the servers wearing a "Nepal" hat to unique main dishes to the delicious drinks, everything was seriously autentico. Greg even ordered tea with his meal. Now, if you are a friend or family member of Salina, this may not sound too strange, but for the Gster this was a first, and it was amazing! Secret "Nepalese spices" clearly make everything taste better.
I almost forgot, before heading to our hotel home, we cruised over to Temple Square, a sprawling block full of all things Mormon. The Mormon Tabernacle and Temple were both there, along with a couple visitor's centers, a small church, several other buildings, a large pool, and tons of bright Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. It was, like much of SLC, surprisingly cool.
We leave SLC tomorrow with fond memories of the land of Mormons. Nice people. Good food. Pretty city and surroundings. Salina even said she "could imagine living here." Whoa! Farewell, SLC!
Greg spent the day ripping up and down the mountain on his snowboard while Salina hung out in downtown PC eating, reading, and enjoying a fabulous massage. A lot of great runs, smaller crowds, a half-hour drive from the SLC airport, and a lively ski town setting make Park City a destination worthy of a return visit.
After a day on the slopes/massage table, we met up and walked down Main Street, checking out the shops and stopping in for a couple cold ones. The Wasatch Brewery is known for their edgy and blatant Mormon-mocking beer names. Greg enjoyed a Polygamy Porter (Why have just one?) while Salina had an Evolution Amber.
From there, we had a long overdue mission to complete. It was time to find a Christmas tree! We needed a tree that (1) fit in the car, (2) was alive, and (3) was big enough to hold a few ornaments. First, Lowe's failed us. Next, we tried Walmart and left there without a tree, but with the feeling that only comes from a visit to Walmart. It's a combination of wanting to shower mixed with never wanting to ever have children. Finally, the Home Depot came through with the perfect tree.
To finish off a fun day, we found a cuisine that neither of us had ever tried: Nepalese. The Himalayan Kitchen was awesome! From one of the servers wearing a "Nepal" hat to unique main dishes to the delicious drinks, everything was seriously autentico. Greg even ordered tea with his meal. Now, if you are a friend or family member of Salina, this may not sound too strange, but for the Gster this was a first, and it was amazing! Secret "Nepalese spices" clearly make everything taste better.
I almost forgot, before heading to our hotel home, we cruised over to Temple Square, a sprawling block full of all things Mormon. The Mormon Tabernacle and Temple were both there, along with a couple visitor's centers, a small church, several other buildings, a large pool, and tons of bright Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. It was, like much of SLC, surprisingly cool.
We leave SLC tomorrow with fond memories of the land of Mormons. Nice people. Good food. Pretty city and surroundings. Salina even said she "could imagine living here." Whoa! Farewell, SLC!
Day 2 - Sunday - Salt Lake City
Sunday in the SLC. What could be finer? Well...
Surprisingly, this was as uneventful a day as we've had in our two-plus weeks of road tripping. The drive to SLC was a three hour trip east on I-80, which Salina somehow managed to sleep for two hours of.
Once we were in town, we quickly found our hotel and pretty much slothed out for the rest of the day in our room. It was abundantly clear upon arrival that our bumping up the accommodations budget was going to be paying dividends. Nice place and we get to stay for two nights. Sweet!
The excitement of the day continued into dinner when we decided to try a place just down the street called, "Brewvies". The name is a failed attempt at cleverly combining "brews" (you know, like beers) with "movies". Greg likes beer and Salina likes movies, so what a great idea, right? Not so fast. The movies on offer were nothing short of horrible and without a good movie the place became a bar and grill. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
All was not lost however, as we were more than entertained by the local hipsters and the fact beer could be had in the Mormon capitol of the world on a Sunday night. A little research on the internets led us to the discovery that this was a recent development. Bars can now serve beer 7 nights a week and it doesn't even have to be 3.2% ABV (or near beer as it is sometimes called). There are still plenty of unusual restrictions on alcohol sales (not to mention the hipsters in SF wear much better costumes), but it definitely is not the dull, uber-conservative city we had it pegged to be.
That's it. Day 2. Done. Not much excitement, but the knowledge that the next day is Monday and that neither one of us has to work is more than enough to make it a great day. Day 3 promises to be much more eventful.
Surprisingly, this was as uneventful a day as we've had in our two-plus weeks of road tripping. The drive to SLC was a three hour trip east on I-80, which Salina somehow managed to sleep for two hours of.
Once we were in town, we quickly found our hotel and pretty much slothed out for the rest of the day in our room. It was abundantly clear upon arrival that our bumping up the accommodations budget was going to be paying dividends. Nice place and we get to stay for two nights. Sweet!
The excitement of the day continued into dinner when we decided to try a place just down the street called, "Brewvies". The name is a failed attempt at cleverly combining "brews" (you know, like beers) with "movies". Greg likes beer and Salina likes movies, so what a great idea, right? Not so fast. The movies on offer were nothing short of horrible and without a good movie the place became a bar and grill. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
All was not lost however, as we were more than entertained by the local hipsters and the fact beer could be had in the Mormon capitol of the world on a Sunday night. A little research on the internets led us to the discovery that this was a recent development. Bars can now serve beer 7 nights a week and it doesn't even have to be 3.2% ABV (or near beer as it is sometimes called). There are still plenty of unusual restrictions on alcohol sales (not to mention the hipsters in SF wear much better costumes), but it definitely is not the dull, uber-conservative city we had it pegged to be.
That's it. Day 2. Done. Not much excitement, but the knowledge that the next day is Monday and that neither one of us has to work is more than enough to make it a great day. Day 3 promises to be much more eventful.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Day 1 - Saturday - Elko, NV - Hi. I'm in Elko. Elko.
Our second Christmas road trip began with the long drive from from the Bay Area all the way to Elko, Nevada. For those of you who followed our travels last year, you may recognize that we spent a night in Elko last year too. Do we love Elko or what?!
As you might guess, there isn't a lot to report from this stop. Like last year, we spent a few obligatory quarters on the slots. (We left down about $7.) Also like last year, we stayed in a hotel with a name that can only be found in a place like Elko. Last year, we stayed at the Gold Country Inn & Casino. This year, it was the Thunderbird Motor Inn. Gonna have to say, given the choice, we liked the Thunderbird a little more.
Because we arrived a little after 9, and because Elko is not the most happening place, even on a Saturday night, we struggled to find a place to grab a bite. We finally settled for separate trips through the drive-thrus at neighboring fast food joints. Salina enjoyed a 10 piece McNuggets, while Greg scarfed down a couple Whoppers. Good health and fine food be damned.
The highlight of our brief visit occurred the next morning at breakfast. Letting the $5 vouchers we received from the Thunderbird make our dining choice for us, we went to JR's Restaurant. It was part of the Gold Country Inn & Casino, so we were able to kill two birds with one stone by satisfying our hunger and gambling fix. But, that was not the highlight. Oh no.
As we waited to be seated... wait for it... we saw Santa. Seriously. We were just standing there when Kris Kringle himself walked right up to us on his way out of the restaurant. It was as if he had just finished a little breakfast before heading back out to his sleigh. A bit shocked and confused, Greg was able to muster a, "Hi, Santa." Clearly disturbed by someone older than 9 calling him Santa, the now-obvious impostor walked by without so much as a smile or a "Merry Christmas". Rude.
While Santa was not as jolly as we had pictured, it was a funny way to end our time in Elko before heading back on the road en route to Salt Lake City. I know. I know. Elko, Salt Lake City, we're really hitting all the hot spots, but there will be plenty of excitement in the days ahead. Until then...
PS - This entry marks the first official blog post by the less internet-ty, less writer-y, and altogether less blog-gy member of our traveling duo - G.
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