Avenue of the Giants

Some big trees up in Redwoods NP. Amazing. Obviously these pictures do little to represent the size of these buggers, but they are just incredible to stand next to.

Off to Redwoods NP

Just planning to drive through and see how far we could get, we decided to camp in a park within Redwoods NP.

The Skunk Train

We went to Ft Bragg, CA to ride the Skunk Train 'cause Travis is a big fan of trains, at least for now. Al & I happen to love some train songs. For this post, I'll keep the text short cause this one picture sums it all up -- the rails, the rhythm, the trees -- all of it, so fascinating.

Off to Ft Bragg, CA

We headed out for Ft Bragg, CA on July 29, 2008 to hook up with Al, Lisa & Travis (and Mary, Travis' G-Ma). Was a long drive but the change in climate was nice; we welcomed tall trees and ocean air. I welcomed the opportunity to drink Al's beer as well (he's got fine taste in beers).

Great times in Reno

While staying with Lewie and Jane we did plenty of things, including taking the boat out to Frenchman Lake. It was loads of fun and the water was great. We tried to catch fish (my license pinned on my shirt) but had no luck. Didn't matter it was just fun being out there. Emme got to drive the boat so that might be one of her highlights for the whole trip.

Reno, NV

July 25, 2008. We made it to our destination -- Lewie & Jane's house in Reno, NV. We were welcomed with open arms and more importantly a bathroom and bedroom(s). Nice to take a break from camping when one is camping. That Hwy 50 is no joke, it is very lonely. If it ain't the loneliest, I don't care to meet the loneliest cause there is nothing on that whole stretch of road except for a pretty cool town called Eureka, NV (where you can spot a 5 hole outhouse on main street). It don't show on my map below, but trust me, it's there somewhere.

Ely, NV

Turns out we knew all along where's we were going - Ely NV, more specifically the Hotel Nevada. A great place full of rancher junk (affectionately referred to, of course), old slots and 6 floors of one the finest desert hotel I've ever planted my butt into. Of course, I'd never recommend a place just because they gave me drink tickets, but hey -- free drinks. Anyway, was a real good stop and I had to do some business anyway so I needed a real telephone (and they had one).

Grand Basin NP

July 24, 2008. So we're shooting from Glendale, UT to somewhere in NV along Highway 50 (the loneliest highway in the US) when we realize "yo, there's anther NP" (an emergent theme). We swing in there and lo and behold there is a cave -- the Lehman Cave and there is 1 tour left so we jump in. If you're like me and have no idea how hard it is to shoot pics in a cave you'll be sympathetic, but for the rest I will spare you. I took almost nothing worthwhile in the cave, but it was amazing. Instead I'll show you some rancher's great sense of humor we found just down the road from the cave. Good stuff.

Back to Zion NP

July 23, 2008. So after hiking Bryce, we had another day and chose to go back to Zion. It was probably the favorite by consensus (though Bryce is friggin amazing). We chose a late afternoon hike up to the Emerald Pools. And, ho, it was a good thing we went late as it was 104 degrees. Shit. But, pictures come with no temperature and they turned out good.

Bryce Canyon NP

On July 22, 2008 we hiked the Navajo Trail & Queen's Garden Loop in Bryce Canyon. Amazing. If you're ever near there and thinking should I deal with the hustle, bustle of a National Park - go for it. Bryce's beauty is literally breath taking. There are more pictures on flickr.

Grand Canyon, North Rim

On July 21, 2008 we hiked some trails along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The views are spectacular and apparently the North Rim allows you to get a sense of the canyon's expanse rather than its depth. It looked pretty damn deep to me and looking across the canyon gave me a sense of vertigo. It definitely plays with your mind to see something so far out with virtually nothing in between.
These sample pictures are HDR; there will be a more complete set including "normal" shots on flickr as bandwidth permits.

Glendale, UT KOA

Got a real nice campsite at the Glendale KOA. Nice facilities and some good horse neighbors. The grass campsite was the best--plus internet too.

A more complete set of pictures are on flickr.

The Narrows, Zion National Park

On July 19, 2008 we hiked The Narrows in Zion National Park. We started by hiking a mile up a paved path and then got into a shallow river and walked as the walls got increasingly closer. At points the walls are said to be 20 feet apart and 1200 feet high.
These sample pictures are HDR; there will be a more complete set including "normal" shots on flickr as bandwidth permits.

Roadtrip Part 4

From Vegas we headed for Utah's National Parks. Wow, they really got some parks here.

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Living it up in Vegas

So here we are in Vegas. It's such a fun town but moderation goes a long way here. Luckily we're all old folks and know that now....

Roadtrip Part 3

From Phoenix we headed for Vegas to meet up with my good friend Bob who was there renewing his wedding vows -- romantic bugger. The trip was not too bad but ho the desert waz big.

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Roadtrip Part 2

We headed for the Filemaker Developer's Conference in Phoenix, AZ on the 13th of July. We stayed in a great place, the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, so Bliss and Emily spent lots of time in the pools. We were here through 16 JUL 2008.

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Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Stayed at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park the nights of the 11th and 12th of July. While there we did a couple nice hikes through a forest that was burnt to a crisp in 2003 (I think).

Roadtrip Part 1

July 11 2008, Picked up the car in San Diego and drove to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It was a reasonable drive for the first leg of a very long trip.

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Landed in San Diego

Got into San Diego on 10 JUL 2008 and headed straight for a hotel, The Hotel Occidental. It was a nice enough place to stay, but we just needed a place to crash before we picked up our car on the 11th.