Numbers

9 weeks on the road. 10,000 miles. 14 states. 10 state capitols (2 closed.) 14 National Parks. Another dozen or so National Monuments, National Recreation Areas and one National Seashore. About 30 hotel rooms, one apartment rental, 14 nights camping and 12 nights staying with family/friends.

One great roadtrip!!

Home Sweet Home

Charlie- happy to be back on the road

State Capitol of Wyoming- closed

Ruts from wagon wheels on the Oregon Trail in Guernsey, WY

Dog friendly restaurant in Hartville, WY

Boxwork speleothem at Wind Cave National Park

Crazy Horse Monument

Mike looking presidential at Mount Rushmore

Bison at Custer National Park

Needles Highway

One of many tunnels

The Needles Eye

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

The excellent South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre

The Rotunda

Dome

Mike thought this capitol had the best drinking fountains

Minnesota State Capitol- closed

Home again

Chuck- comfy and content

The last week on the road was a bit of a mad dash to get home. It's pretty much how we roll on our long trips. As soon as we get in the homestretch we don't exactly lose interest but our travels can be a bit cursory. It didn't help that the weather was gray and rainy. We did manage to see a lot of really beautiful country but we abandoned our rule about not traveling more than 200 miles/day, we hopped on the interstate for awhile and stopped for a McD's burger which we managed to avoid in the previous 8 weeks.

After leaving Boulder we spent one night in Wyoming on our way to South Dakota. Tried to go to the State Capitol in Cheyenne but it was closed. Stopped to see some ruts made by wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Had a nice steak dinner at a dog friendly restaurant. 

The next day we stopped by Wind Cave National Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial in Southwest South Dakota. We took a tour of the cave- much different than other caves we had explored with totally different types of cave formations. The land above ground is also really beautiful- bison on rolling grassland and lots of prairie dogs. It would have been fun to explore more but it was pretty rainy and cold. 

We spent the night in Rapid City with friends Jay and Ellen and their son, Cole. They gave us good advice about some other good stuff to see and a great drive through Rushmore and Custer State Park. We toured Mount Rushmore and then took the Iron Mountain Rd and Needles Highway through Custer State Park. Lots of hairpin turns, narrow tunnels with occasional glimpses of Mount Rushmore. Custer State Park also has a huge bison herd and lots of other wildlife. 

From there we took the scenic drive through Badlands National Park. Another amazing National Park. The National Park Pass we bought was the best $80 we ever spent.

We also went to the State Capitol in Pierre. Definitely the most low key of all state capitols. The town itself is only about 10,000 in population. We walked right into the capitol without the usual security check- emptying pockets, metal detector. It was pretty quiet. I think we only saw a couple of other people during our visit. Also one of the prettiest with a beautiful location on a lake right in the center of town. Later I read in the paper that during the 1st weekend of June the Governor has invited families to come camp on the lawn of the capitol to promote family time and outdoor activities.. They'll even provide tents and camping gear to folks who need it. The governor's staff will help people set up campsites.

Our last stop in South Dakota was in De Smet which is the little town on the prairie where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up. I was thrilled to be there. Mike sadly has not read the books and couldn't quite understand my excitement. 

All in all I think we didn't gave South Dakota the attention it deserved. Maybe we'll come back to camp on the capitol lawn?

After South Dakota we went straight to Minneapolis to stay with Mike's sister Karen for a couple of nights before we headed home. Got to see her boyfriend Joe and a couple of Mackinac friends, Mark and Doug. Tried to see the capitol- closed! So nice to see friends and family but by this time we were really anxious.

On Thursday we drove straight through and got home. We're still unpacking and opening mail. It's been great to sleep in our own bed. Mike's happy to be home and puttering and I'll go back to work in a couple of weeks. We surprised Ruby at school and had lunch with her. Charlie is lying in his favorite spot. There's no snow and the trees are starting to bud. It's good to be home.

Back to Boulder

Boulder, CO to Zion National Park, UT

Flagstaff, AZ

Hotel Monte Vista- Flagstaff, AZ

Red Rocks Country- Sedona, AZ

Fay Canyon- Sedona, AZ

Monument Valley- Four Corners

Mesa Verde National Park

Snowy Hike at Rocky Mountain National Park

Nymph Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park

Back to Boulder to get Charlie

When it was time to leave the Grand Canyon we learned that it was snowing in Colorado, so we decided to head south to avoid the snow and to enjoy a little more of Arizona.
We spent the night in Flagstaff, then on through Sedona and down to the cute town of Jerome for another night. We did some hiking in Red Rocks country before driving back up through the four corners area and back to Colorado.
We stopped for the night in Cortez before going to Mesa Verde National Park, which I had loved as a kid, and found it was still amazing and beautiful.
Next we spent the night in Salida at Mike's sister Jill and her husband Tom's place before heading back to Boulder to reunite with Charlie, Jan and Phil.
It was a bit of a cursory trip through some beautiful country but we were feeling a little anxious to see Charlie and didn't want to impose on our wonderful Boulder family who so kindly took care of Chuck.
It's obvious that Charlie had a great time when we were gone. He clearly fell in love with the Smiths and they love him back. We spent a couple of nights with them and now we're heading back home with Charlie. It was sad to take him away- he really had such a great time and we're so grateful that they took such fine care of him. It was also special to spend time with our Colorado family.
Just now we're in the little town of Lusk, Wyoming and will cross tomorrow into South Dakota. Neither of us have ever been there, so it should be fun to see some new countryside. It's good to be back on the road with Charlie.  Looking forward to home.

Grand Canyon

On the morning we hiked down- from the rim

On the trail

Our our way down to Hermit Creek

Hermit Creek Canyon

Enjoying a cup of wine on the creek

Hermit Creek Happy Hour

Campsite at Hermit Creek

Dal and rice

Colorado River at Hermit Rapids

View from the campsite

Hermit Creek shower

Hiking to Monument Creek

 

On the Tonto Trail with the Colorado River in the distance

Tonto Trail

Tonto Trail

Monument Creek campsite

Colorado River at Granite Rapids

Looking down into the Monument Creek canyon

Hiking out

Breezy Point on the hike out

Another beautiful view on the hike out

Snow on the rim the night we hiked out

Bright Angel Trail and Plateau Point the next morning

Good Morning from the Grand Canyon

We made it to the canyon on Sunday night- the 10th- with a plan of hiking in on Monday morning. It had just started to rain when we arrived and it soon turned to a downpour that switched to snow by the time we went to bed. The canyon was pretty socked in with low clouds so we only got a quick view. We have heard the weather is completely different in the canyon but I was still nervous. It was hard to know what type of clothes to pack, so we ended up packing a little of everything. Fortunately we had booked a room in a motel on the rim so we had a warm bed and hot shower the night before our big hike.

On Monday morning we had a big breakfast and started hiking at about 9am. The trail down is very challenging. Very steep, lots of of loose gravel and switchbacks. I use two trekking poles and I convinced Mike to use one and I'm really glad I had them. You have to choose your steps very carefully. You become aware very quickly of how remote the trail is and how a misstep could be very bad. Also very hard on your quads and knees making those small downward steps. By the time we arrived at our camp 8 miles later my legs were shaking with every step.

We stayed at Hermit Creek camp for two nights. Gave us a chance to rest our legs and do some exploring down to the Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River and in the side canyons. 

On day 3 we hiked to Monument Creek Camp, an easy hike of about 4 miles. We stayed there two nights and hiked down to the Granite Rapids on the Colorado River to see some river rafts going by. Also some beautiful slot canyons and day hikes from there. 

Both campsites had just a couple of other groups so we didn't see a whole lot of people there or on the trail. We didn't see much wildlife below the rim except for lots of lizards and a few toads and a few squirrels. We heard reports from other folks on the trail of rattlesnake sightings but luckily I didn't see any.

On day 5 we hiked out. Over 9 miles but so much easier than hiking in. You're just a lot more sure footed stepping up. A lot easier on the knees and quads too. It also helped that our packs were way lighter. It took us about 8 hours to hike in and 6 to hike out. On the top we were able to check into our hotel and stop at the  store where we loaded up on beer, chips, and a rotisserie chicken, which we inhaled before hot showers and naps.

A few thoughts-

The weather in the canyon was totally different. Temps in the 70's and 80's during the day. Very comfortable sleeping at night. We probably brought too much clothes but you never know and our lightweight down coats made good pillows.

Some of our gear is pretty outdated and heavy, though I have a newer pack that is pretty light and we both have new sleeping bags and pads that are light. We also have a new lightweight tent which Mike carried. In fact, Mike carried the brunt of the heavy stuff and food. (An aside from Mike- Hell, whenever her toes started acting up, I carried her!)

The stove and fuel were heavy, and Mike's pack is crazy big and heavy. We had pack envy when we would see people with lightweight gear. We'll definitely  splurge for some lighter gear if we decide to do more backpacking (which I think we both want to...) I carried the wine, which Mike said was not necessary, but he sure seemed to enjoy his share of wine at the end of the day.

We should have brought more food. We had just enough, really, but poor Mike was hungry and could have used more. We were warned by the rangers that the squirrels and other rodents would get into you food, so we sprung for a wire mesh bag to put our food in.  Mike would-a little obsessively-take inventory of the food whenever we came back to the campsite. (Another aside from Mike- Like a kid with a pile of marbles!  I tell you, he was really kind of pathetic. Soooooo...I always gave Mike the last 1/4 of every part of my meal, even though I was fuckin' starved, too!)  I know he wasn't starving but you have to feel a little sorry for him. He's like Charlie with those sad hungry eyes... He survived and we even had a little food leftover but a few extra freeze-dried meals would have made his trip a little easier.

All in all a great trip. Beautiful scenery at every bend. It was pretty challenging. It probably would have been better to be more physically prepared but I think the mental challenge of hiking in and out is something you can't really prepare for- it's just so amazing to stand on the top and conceive of heading down or vice versa.