Road Trip: Final Numbers and Thoughts

Back home on the East Coast, I started to reflect on the trip that had occupied the past month of my life. There were so many things I learned about traveling, driving, relationships, the outdoors and my own personality.

Overall thoughts: This trip was meant to be an exploration into parts of the US that I hadn’t yet visited. I think it served that goal very well. A breadth-first exploration into what the midwest and west coast have to offer. If I had to go back I wouldn’t change the overall format of the trip, but I wouldn’t do the same thing again. I wish I had much more time – a month for each leg of travel would be ideal. With that in mind, my future travel in the US will be more focused and directed.

Final stats: 9800 miles, 30 states, 32 days, 8 National Parks, 1 breakdown and over $900 in gas.

Items I couldn’t have done without
National Parks Annual Pass: for $80 you get a pass covering admission into all National Parks and National Historic Sites. This turned out to be one of the best deals out there. It paid for itself at least twice over and gave me a freedom to visit what sites I chose without worrying about cost. It speeds up entrance into the parks, and I’ve even been able to use it at some federal recreation sites since being back in Boston. Bottom line: if you are planning to visit several NPs in a year, get this pass!
Osprey Hydration Bladder: I bought a 3L “camelbak” before the trip and used it daily. Always convenient when hiking, and actually really nice when driving. I stuck it in the cooler behind the drivers seat and extended the hose over my shoulder. I always had ice cold water without having to fiddle with a bottle.  
Slim Cooler: Fit well in the back seat of the car and gave me more options for carrying food. Refilling ice is a pain (especially when driving through the desert) but was well worth it. Gave me a spot to keep my water cold and chill beer also.

Things I didn’t really need
As much canned food: I brought a lot of extra stuff I had when I moved out of my apartment. I ended up enjoying shopping for fresh ingredients when in town, and returned with some things I hoped I would never see again!

What I wish I had packed
The filter cap to my Aeropress: critical mistake that was realized early on.
My road bike: Definitely not a practical choice with the size of my car and the companions on my trip, but there are so many incredible bike routes out west. I would love to go back and bike through the Tetons into Jackson WY, for example.
More downloaded music: I relied on Google Play music for much of the trip, which didn’t hold up in a lot of areas because of lack of data service. I would have created more playlists and cached them on my phone beforehand. And I would have made them LONG – 12 hours of music might sound like a lot, but it can go by pretty quickly…

 

 

 

Road Trip: Shenandoah NP to Boston, MA

I had to include a trip on Skyline Drive through Shenandoah on my route back. I visited once on a backpacking trip with the Brown Outing Club 3 years ago and couldn’t wait to see it again. I came to the Southern entrance in the early morning and drove North, stopping for a few short hikes, including one down to the Rapidan Camp, president Hoover’s summertime retreat. Apparently he loved to fly fish in the river here!

2015-06-28 08.20.08 2015-06-28 11.07.11

Skyline drive is a winding mountain road through the entirety of Shenandoah. There are lookouts with views of mountains and the valley below and plenty of places to stop and have a picnic. It’s a great road to drive slowly (because of what you’re seeing out the window) and fast (because it’s windy, hilly and feels like a rollercoaster through the mountains).

After Shenandoah I drove to the Pinchot trail system in Eastern PA to spend the night in the backcountry. This was my last night camping on the trip, and it ended up being kind of a pain. I didn’t have much food left and settled for an average-tasting chickpea stew dinner (seen here cooking away on the pocket rocket after dark).

2015-06-28 21.41.18

It started raining soon after, and I crawled into my hammock for a wet and chilly night where I didn’t sleep much. I remember thinking that I was glad to be heading back to civilization soon – 10 days of being on the road and in the woods alone had taken their toll, and I was looking forward to some comfortable accommodations and good company. Luckily, that was right ahead.

I left PA the next morning and drove through New Haven CT, where my friend Gordon recently started working. We grabbed lunch (mmm turkey and bacon!) and caught up about Life Since Brown. After that, I headed to Boston for a night and back home to Cape Cod!

One final post will sum up my thoughts on this trip overall.

Route traveled:

Screen Shot 2016-01-01 at 2.48.43 PM

Road Trip: Nashville to Atlanta

Next stop: Nashville. The city of Country Music and BBQ was alive to welcome me when I arrived in the early afternoon.

I tried to stop at the famous Cafe Loveless for lunch, but they had over an hour wait! I ended up getting my BBQ fix at Peg Leg Porker. Pulled pork, smoked green beans and bacon mac & cheese. Just what the doctor ordered.

Snapchat--2919024151676810112

I toured around downtown and Broadway street for a few hours, hopping in and out of bars to catch some music. It was early afternoon on a week day and the parties had already started! Every bar shad a live country singer or band. The artists were talented and obviously trying to make it among the huge competition in Nashville.

On the road again and I was headed to Atlanta, GA to stay with my cousin Lindsay for the night. She was doing her post-doc at Emory University and I was excited to see her and catch up on family gossip. The highlight of the stay was definitely brunch at The Flying Biscuit Cafe. We shared oatmeal pancakes with warm peach jam, incredibly cheesy grits, eggs, sausage and biscuits, and left feeling like we had eaten a meal enough for 4! Definitely recommend anyone in Atlanta check out that spot, but be prepared to wait for a table on a busy morning!

1435419024714

Lindsay and I did some grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and parted ways. I only had a 7 hour drive until my destination for the night: a dispersed camping area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, at the Jennings Creek area. Once again, I was able to stay for free on Federal Land, leave no trace and leave in peace.

Road Trip: Utah, Dever, Missouri

The next stop on the trip was Denver, Colorado. Colorado has been calling to me for a while now, so I was excited to have the chance to visit. The drive from Utah had some great scenery and kept me awake: stratified rock formations gradually turned into mountains, and I eventually drove through the continental divide on I-70 (that’s a LONG tunnel). I wish I had more time to stay in the West of Colorado and hike the mountains, but that will have to wait until another trip.

I had an Airbnb in the city for the night and quickly showered and cleaned up once I got there. The rest of the day I walked around the city, getting to know the different parts and checking out what the local economy had to offer. At night I toured a few of Denver’s well-known breweries. I ended up making a friend (who was in Denver for a wedding) at Epic Brewing and we tried everything they had to offer.

2015-06-24 20.09.21

I departed Denver the next morning with a slight headache (turns out 24 beers is lot to drink, even when they’re only samples and you’re splitting them!) for one of the longest days of driving on the trip. It was around 13 hours driving time to the Mark Twain National Forest in Southern Missouri where I planned to spend the night. I-70 seemed to stretch endlessly off into the horizon in Kansas, with only occasional roadwork to break up the monotony. I listened to audiobooks, ran through playlists of music, called friends and family and sang to myself – anything to pass the time.

I arrived at the National Forest before midnight and found the campground I was looking for on a map at the entrance. Quick dinner, pitched the hammock, and I was asleep before I knew it. It was muggy, though, and rained heavily through the night so I didn’t rest much. On the way out the next morning, the road had flooded over. I was a bit nervous about crossing in the Saab, but didn’t really have a choice. I drove through quickly and was on the way to Nashville.

In Missouri I realized how much appreciated the US Forestry Service. Not even for the National Parks or more established parts. There are many little-known National Forests in corners of country that are completely free to access and available for anyone with a desire to get outside. In most of them you can camp at an established site for a small fee, or do dispersed camping – basically backcountry – for free. That’s the power of public land: it’s there for everyone to use. I was very satisfied at how simply and inexpensively I could live on this part of the trip, all thanks to the USFS.

Fried Chicken Stops: 1
Radio stations flipped through: too many to count.
Route traveled:

Screen Shot 2015-12-29 at 8.12.05 AM

Road Trip: Southern Utah

After a long, hot day of driving (high temperature of 114˚F!), I made it to the dessert outside of Zion NP. My plan for the night was to pitch a tent on some federal land outside of the park, where I could get away from the lights of the town nearby and camp for free.

It’s not well known, but you can camp on any undeveloped land administered by the Bureau of Land Management for free and without a permit. Simply follow their rules, don’t overstay your welcome and leave no trace. With that in mind, I found this (PDF) map of the are around Zion. With the help of GPS on my smartphone, I was able to locate a place to park along Kolob Terrace road, packed up my bag, and hiked off into the desert.

About a quarter mile from the road I set my gear down for the night. The ground was still warm from the afternoon sun and I was able to sleep out, cowboy style. I fell asleep to the most amazing starscape I’ve ever seen – there were no big sources of light for miles and the sky was completely clear. That was a night to remember. I was struck by the simplicity of it all: I was alone in the desert. Nobody knew where I was, and nobody would know come morning. I hadn’t paid for a campground or a hotel room, yet I had one of the most memorable nights on my trip. I felt like a cowboy, a pioneer, an explorer, you name it. Content, alone and at peace.

I then drove into Zion where I spent the morning. I did a few short day hikes, including the trail to the mouth of the narrows:

2015-06-22 10.08.18

(yes, I did resort to taking selfies for this part of the trip)

In the afternoon I drove to Bryce Canyon. It’s about 2 hours of switchbacks with great views and one long tunnel. In Bryce, I did a day hike of the peek-a-boo loop and then trekked down into the canyon to spend a night in the backcountry. I camped in a valley that was surprisingly forested with plenty of trees to set up a hammock.

2015-06-23 08.38.15

I had one last brew from Deschutes to finish!

I had one last brew from Deschutes to finish!

The next morning I hiked out among the Hoodoos and was on the road again…

2015-06-23 10.51.49

 

Road Trip: Turning back east

Lizzy left from LAX, and I’m on my own for the next week and a half until I get back to the East Coast.

Just my luck, because soon after leaving California, the Saab broke down! I was stuck on the side of the road in the 110˚ degree heat with a car that would not start.

2015-06-21 15.57.45

A bit of backstory: Saab cars have had a direct ignition module (that sits on top of the spark plugs and replaces the distributor in traditional ignition systems) since the 1980’s. The DI system increases efficiency and is supposed to work better with turbocharged cars. All good things, except for when they fail! The DI module had already failed on this car once before, so I was prepared…

I pulled the spare DI out of my trunk (drive a Saab long enough, and you’ll always have one of those in the boot), undid the 4 torx screws and swapped it out. It started right up without issue! The spare thew a check engine light (it was loaned from a friend and not 100% functional, I ended up getting a brand new part in Denver), but I tightened the bolts and was on my way soon enough. Total time for repair: 10 minutes.

My next major stops were Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in Southern Utah. I was excited to get back out in the wilderness after spending several days in California cities.

 

Road Trip: Santa Cruz to LA

We made our way down the Pacific Coast Highway again to stay with Lizzy’s other brother in LA. It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for a drive. We stopped at the famous Carmel-by-the-Sea for a quick run to the beach. We also tried to visit Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, but the line for parking was SO long that we eventually bailed. 2015-06-20 10.17.20
Instead, we stopped at Cafe Kevah for a quick cup and to take in the views from the balcony.
2015-06-20 12.25.28

We didn’t drive Route 1 the whole way – it got crowded in the afternoon and really slowed down. Still, the portion I drove was windy, fun and filled with spectacular views.

We spent the night in LA: got some great Asian food for dinner, shared a few California beers, soaked in the hot tub and had a well-deserved rest. The next morning (after brunch, of course) I dropped Lizzy off at LAX and she headed back East. I was headed back East, too, but it would take much longer. Those updates to come soon!

Road Trip: Santa Cruz, CA

After our time roughing it in Yosemite, Lizzy and I were looking forward to the comfort of staying at her brother’s house in Santa Cruz, California. Comfort, and a shower. Probably more a shower than anything!

After we had cleaned up, and had some real food in us (no more of that freeze-dried backpacking stuff!) we spent the next day exploring the Santa Cruz area. We visited UCSC and the arboretum there, which had interesting exhibits of plants from semi-arid climates like Australia and New Zealand. Next was some coffee from Verve Coffee Roasters, an awesome shop on Pacific Ave in downtown Santa Cruz. They had a huge range of different roasts brewing, all of which were light roasts (I think I found my favorite coffee shop). The one I chose had distinctive orange peel notes and was delicious!

We then visited the Santa Cruz wharf and got some fresh shellfish for lunch. Stagnaro Bros is at the end of the wharf, and delivers quick to-go orders of their best stuff. We chose crab cocktail, shrimp ceviche cocktail and some clam chowder to go with it, all of which was delicious. We ate on the wharf with the herds of sea lions calling out beneath us.

We also visited Natural Bridges state beach, known for the walking trails, abundant butterflies and the beach, which had used to have three natural “bridges” made out of rock. Unfortunately, only one is still standing due the persistent erosion by wind and water.
2015-06-19 14.12.00

 

For dinner, we gathered some friends together (Kevin came to see us from Palo Alto!) and had a cookout at Davenport beach. My mouth is watering just thinking about everything we grilled! Not pictured: red snapper, chicken skewers, more vegetables. We hiked up a path close to the beach to catch a windy sunset, too. Have you ever seen a cloud that so closely resembled a shark?

2015-06-19 19.57.05-32015-06-19 20.33.182015-06-19 20.13.05

 

Road Trip: Yosemite National Park

I’ve been attached to Yosemite since I got into climbing freshman year at Brown, and I was thrilled I finally had a chance to visit the park. Lizzy and I planned to do a three day backpacking trip to really get out into the wilderness. She also hadn’t been backpacking before, so it was a great chance to teach her all about backcountry camping! We spent the first night in the Crane Flat campground so we could get a backcountry permit the day before starting our hike. We also explored Yosemite valley at this time, including the famed mirror lake (not pictured: half dome off to the right of the photo).
2015-06-15 18.40.28

For dinner that night: lentil curry that turned out way better than you would expect for camping stoves. It took about two hours of cooking, and we didn’t pack our bags as planned, but it was worth it!

The next morning we packed and headed to the chilnualna falls trailhead, the starting point of our hike. How’s that heavy pack feel?
2015-06-16 10.34.11
We were greeted by 5 miles of steep uphill terrain in 95 degree sun. Reaching the waterfall at the top was a perfect reward.. there were pools of water flowing into each other and eventually over a cliff, hundreds of feet down into the valley below. Perfect spot for lunch and an afternoon swim! 2015-06-16 13.05.50We spent the first night at a site a few miles upriver from the falls, and the second by a mountain lake. Every day we had spectacular views, mountain meadows and granite monoliths that had stood the test of time along the way.2015-06-17 17.58.43 2015-06-17 18.22.56

We covered about 20 miles over the three day trip, most of it on steep terrain. Not bad for a first-timer! Yosemite is a huge park with a wide range of different environments, though. We only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. I can’t wait until the next chance I get to explore more of the park!

Road Trip: California Coast

We were headed south, down to Yosemite National Park. The best way to drive in California (okay, maybe I’m a bit biased) is along the coast. The Pacific Coast Highway, made up of route 1 and 101, runs most of the West Coast and combines spectacular views with fun, windy roads. We stopped along the way at Cape Perpetua for some hiking along rough winds and surf.

2015-06-13 15.33.16

We spent one night in the Redwoods (Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park) and a second in Oakland, CA. First time driving over the Golden Gate! I hear it’s always this cloudy?

2015-06-14 18.54.13