Speed Update

Ok, I found out I don't really have any time to blog...so here is a highlighted update of my trip.

After Zion National Park we backpacked in Yosemite National Park for 3 days. It was awesome. I got to climb up half dome...it was really a climb because of the fact the support cables were "down" and it was like climbing a rope over a 500 ft wall on a 75 degree angle. Well worth the challenge though....got a great view of the park from the "diving board."

From Yosemite we went to San Francisco for the day...really cool city. I would put New Orleans and San Francisco as the 2 coolest cities (no particular order) we've been to so far. In San Francisco we did a boat tour under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz...2 really interesting landmarks. On the boat tour we also saw a ton of windsurfers and kitesurfers...made me jealous to say the least. What really made San Fran interesting was all of the street performers and street artists creating art right in front of your very eyes.


We left San Fran and headed up the coast on the historic Route 1 on our way to Redwoods National Park. Route 1 is famous for the views, but it must also be famous for cross-country bike rides because we must have seen at least a dozen bike riders doing some type of long distance trip. The Redwoods were really, really tall and big, which made them cool to explore in what seemed like a Jurassic Park setting (they actually shot part of the movie there).

After seeing the Redwoods we made our way to Yellowstone National Park. We made 2 overnight stops in Bend, OR (a really chill, little town) and Boise, ID. We then spent 4 days in Yellowstone National Park...and you really need 4 days to see it. We drove over 400 miles in the park alone going to the various tourist attractions and viewing animals. The coolest parts of the park were Mammoth Falls and the tons of animals we saw. We saw at about 7 black bears, 3 grizzlies, 2 wolves, 1 antelope, 1 moose, 1 coyote, 1 big horn sheep, and hundreds of elk and bison.

We left Yellowstone and spent a night backpacking in the Grand Tetons...a really beautiful place. We got rained on for the first time while camping...so that made for an adventurous and wet trip. The view from the Tetons and the view of the Tetons is amazing and def something you have to do if you are going to Yellowstone. We left the Tetons and spent the night in Logan, UT and then headed to Moab, UT.

I am currently in Moab (a cool place) where we ate dinner at the Moab Brewery and are heading to Arches National Park tomorrow. Ok, if you want more detail....check out Nat's blog. Only a week or so left on our trip!

Zion National Park (Sunday May 30th)

Let's see, I am gonna have to travel back in time to remember this one.

We left the Grand Canyon, :(, and spent the night CouchSurfing in Washington, UT. The next morning we went to Zion National Park in UT. We parked at the main entrance and bike rode 8 miles to the famous "River Walk." Since I had just spent the past few days at the Grand Canyon, Zion didn't seemed to have the wonder and beauty that everyone had described it with. The River Walk took us on a paved trail along the river with 150-200 foot cliff walls on both sides of the relatively small river. The best part was when we got to the end of the River Walk and The Narrows started. That is where the paved trail ends and people actually walk in the river through The Narrows. We came across a few people who had ventured out into the water, but returned quickly, stating the water was way too cold. Ignoring the statements, Nat and I decided to venture up the river anyways...still in sight of Natalie and others (what, do you think I'm that crazy?). After only a minute or so in the freezing water, Nat had to turn around. I was on my own to make it up and across the river. My toes went numb after only being in the water for 3 minutes, and I made it to the catecornered river bed. I ventured up the river bed for just a few yards to take a couple pictures that I couldn't have gotten otherwise, and then headed back. I made it back safely to the main trail, and headed back to our bikes. Come to find out, The Narrows was closed...whoops. We bike road back to our car and then hit the road for Yosemite National Park.

The GRAND Canyon (5/25 - 5/29)

When they say the Grand Canyon, they really mean the GRAND Canyon. We spent 4 days there and still felt like we had only seen half of it. So let me tell you about what we did see.


The first night we got there we set up camp in Mather Campground, which is part of the National Park. After we had set up camp we headed to "The Rim" for our first view of the Grand Canyon...it was seriously a "WOW" experience. Even after seeing tons of pictures, and dozens of movie clips, the Grand Canyon is something you MUST experience in your lifetime. The first evening there we saw the sun set from Yavapai point and then went and ate dinner back at our campsite. We also ran into a guy we had met at Carlsbad Caverns, so we invited him over to play some cards before we headed to bed.


The next morning we went to the Backcounty Information Center to try and get a permit to spend a night down in the canyon...we didn't get one. So we set off for the day and bike rode most of the Hermit's Rest rim trail area on the eastern part of the park. The trail provided us with some amazing views of the dark red, deposition clay rock. It seemed to be a lil less crowded then the other main canyon areas, and definitely gave us some great unique views of the canyon. After a quick rest and lunch we went to Yaki Point, the western edge of the park. From there we got some great views of the South Kaibab trail. We took a short shuttle to the western edge of the rim trail and walked the trail from there to Mather Point. Once again, the rim trail presented us with unbelievably beautiful views of the canyon. That night we saw a spectacular sunset from Powell Point on the Hermit's Rest rim trail.



The following morning we went to the Backcountry Information Center again and this time we got a permit! We were gonna spend the next night down at the base of the canyon. Nat had a little sun poisoning from the day before so she stayed back while I went and hiked part of the Hermit's Rest Canyon Trail as a little training session for the backpacking trip. Hermit's trail was a challenging hike as the trail was steep, not well maintain, and poorly marked...all which made for more of an adventure. The trail brought me into this seemingly unknown part of the canyon that gave me a little insight into the magnitude and wonder of the canyon itself. I did disobey the "rules" a lil bit by hiking in-between 10 am and 2pm in the canyon, something I do not advise doing. The sun was so powerful at that time and after a few applications of sunscreen I ended up hiking with a long sleeve shirt on in 95 degree heat. Thankfully, it was really windy, which helped me to stay cool during the hike.



The next day Nat still wasn't feeling great so she stayed back while I set off on my backcountry trip into the Grand Canyon. To beat the dry heat of the canyon, I started my 7.5 mi hike on the South Kaibab Trail at 5:30 am...just as the sun was lighting up the amazing canyon walls. The hike down the South Kaibab Trail was steep (thankfully I was going downhill), but it provided amazing views of the inside of the canyon. If you have the time and energy at the Grand Canyon, hike the South Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point and then head down the switch backs for only 40 yds or so....you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the inner canyon walls and landscape. Make sure not to hike too far down the trail as there is no water available and water ever goes down, must come back up (on the way down I must have seen 4 or 5 people who seemed ill-prepared for their trip or got in a little over their head).



Once I got to the bottom of the canyon I was greeted by the Colorado River and some shade at my campsite. I was done hiking by 9:30 am, set up camp, and then just sat in the shade for about 4 or 5 hrs...it was was too hot down their to move. I did venture out a lil to take an "ice bath" in a creek bed right by my campsite. On one visit to the creek bed I washed my face and looked up to see 2 mule deer looking at me from no more than 15 yds away. Once 4 pm passed by, the temperature dropped to a point where it was bearable to walk around. I went and explored the Phantom Ranch area, sat in on 2 ranger talks about the canyon, and then headed back to my campsite at dusk to catch some shut-eye.



I woke up at 4 am the next morning, packed up my gear, and was on the trail at 4:45 am. I headed out on 9 mi hike on the Bright Angel Trail, crossing a suspension bridge over the Colorado River once again. For the first few hours of my hike I was mostly by myself with the amazing landscape of the Grand Canyon all around me. I did run into a billy goat (I think that's what it was) on the trail, but the goat didn't mind me much and we both went our separate ways. Compared to the hike down, the hike out was actually easier on the muscles and joints in my body, just a little more of a cardiovascular workout. I cruised up the trail, taking a 10 min break every hr to rest my legs and eat a snack, and made it to "The Rim" at 10:15 am. From that point I grabbed a quick shower and then me and Nat were back on the road.

Petrified Forest

Let me try and catch up on everything thing I've done since the last time I blogged.

From Carlsbad Caverns we drove to Albuquerque, NM to stop at an REI to pick up a few last minute camping/hiking supplies. From there we drove to Holbrook, AZ which is right outside of Petrified Forest Naitonal Park. We ate dinner at a family-owned Mexican restaurant on the famous Route 66. The food was great and we actually discovered that the restaurant was a home base for the Disney movie CARS. After dinner we headed to our second CouchSurfing location, the house of Kip Woolford. Kip was an AMAZING host, as he really made us feel at home, and even made breakfast for us. He was also a park ranger at Petrified Forest, so we were able to get some inside information on the park. The next morning we went to the park, where we got to see Kip in action, and then we explored the park for a lil while. The petrified wood (wood turned into rock) was surely unique in its colors and wood grain-like patterns, but the story of how this desert land used to be a river full of logs was amazing. The park also provided an amazing view of The Painted Desert, which only got me excited for our trip to the Grand Canyon.