Yellowstone!

This blog is actually being posted in real time...no need to play catch up on this one!

Initially, we had planned on camping in or near Yellowstone; however, Wednesday's news about the fatal bear attack at a local campground made us change our idea of lodging at Yellowstone. With Aaron needing to keep his tester and sugar in the tent, we didn't want to risk anything...especially since they are still working on identifying the attacker. We realize that bear attacks are extremely uncommon; however, we did not want to take the risk.

After enjoying a picnic, we headed into the historic park. I had not been to Yellowstone in ages and never realized how it really is its own entity, complete with gas stations, restaurants and shopping centers.

While Aaron and I were enjoying a serene moment by the river, our attention was brought to 'alert' mode when two guys drove buy screaming that a bear was heading right toward us. Not knowing where the bear was, Aaron and I headed back to the car. We headed up the road and were greeted soon after by cars stopped and people running along the roadside with cameras.

We joined the madness and pulled off to see one of the greatest views ever--a grizzly bear strolling along the river, searching for grub. Although I was a little disappointed to not see one while out on a hike, I'm also relieved to know that this encounter was nearby, but we had the relative safety of a river as a buffer.

We arrived to see Old Faithful almost right on time, since it was about ready to erupt. We were surrounded by tourists eager to see one of the most popular features of the park. As it was finishing its show, the woman to the right of me commented how "amazing" Old Faithful was while the woman to my left remarked how "disappointing" it was. To me, it's somewhere in the middle, although I would not ever use "disappointing" to describe it. I would say, its a magnificent feature, but not the most spectacular.

After watching Old Faithful, we headed back to West Yellowstone to check into our hotel and grab dinner. We ate at a 1950s style diner, where I found out how difficult it is to find a restroom in a tourist town. There was one bathroom, with a code (which I didn't realize I needed to have a code to get in). After impatiently waiting, I finally decided to see if I needed a key or a code to get in. Sure enough I did need a code, but someone else beat me to it. Someone who decided to clog the toilet. The restaurant wouldn't give me the code to use the employee restroom, so across the street I went. No luck...the man just spread disinfectant all over the floor. Down the street I went, finally, a restroom. I just had to maneuver around the tourists shopping in the crowded aisles of the store. Ah...the wonders of tourist towns!

Since I'm on the note of tourist towns, another wonder is how their merchandise can be so full of (for lack of better words) stuff made in China. Another wonder is how people can feel so compelled to buy it! There are some things that do look nice, but I would much rather prefer to buy a picture taken by a local artist or a piece of jewelry made by a local jeweler.

Today, we are heading out to see more of Yellowstone and then we will slowly start meandering our way back to Wisco!

Back We Go...Sort Of!

While we initially planned on heading up to Washington, we opted last minute to head to Yellowstone National Park since it was a more direct route back to Wisconsin.

Our route to get to Yellowstone involved a trip back through Las Vegas, through Utah (including the beautiful Salt Lake City) and to the east portion of Idaho. With mountains surrounding our view the entire time, we could not complain about the drive. Plus, there's always interesting things to see on the road. Perhaps the most memorable sight was a burly man on a Harley with a fifteen pound mutt in tow on his back seat. The little pup was decked out in biker gear, including a little black bad a** bandana around its neck. With its fur whipping in the wind, the dog seemed carefree despite the fact that it seemed precariously perched on the backseat of the Harley. I tried getting a picture, but the one I was able to capture (since I accidentally had the camera on the timer) was a far off view of the bike. We'll forgo posting that pic!

Adventures in Cali

Our first full day in California was a day trip to San Diego, where we visited the zoo and spent an evening on the beach. The San Diego Zoo was amazing! From the bus tour to the air tram, we were able to see almost the entire zoo, which was fortunate since about half of the time we spent on foot was occupied by trying to determine which trail would take us to which exhibit—which turned mostly into walking in circles around the same exhibits again and again.

Departing the zoo, we aimed for Coronado Beach; however, the air had cooled so much by the evening that swimming was not an option. Despite the cool air, a light walk on the beach was in order, followed by sushi.

Our second day in California was spent mostly just relaxing at the house, with the only departure from laziness being the short trip to the disc golf course followed by a short sunset walk in Wrightwood.

Feeling refreshed from the previous day's 'loungefest', Aaron and I took Lily, Stephen and Jenny's dog, for a hike through a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. The day could not have been better! The weather finally cooled down a bit and rather than blowing hot air, the wind was actually blowing a cooler breeze.

We wrapped up our last day in California with a short trip to downtown Wrightwood and eating dinner out on the porch.

California Dreaming

After spending another hot afternoon in Vegas, this time from the rooftop pool at the Trump Intercontinental Hotel, we headed out to sunny California.

Even at five in the evening, the scorching heat proved for traveling difficulties—luckily our only difficulty stemmed from having our car, which was too tall for the parking garage due to the our bikes being mounted to the roof, being insanely hot from the uncovered parking spot when the valet brought it around. It wasn't even the heat of the car that was so bad, it was really the cooler, with food still in it, that cooked in the sun's rays. I'll let you imagine how pleasant the odor was. For other cars, once on the road, it seemed that just about every half mile, we were seeing cars pulled over to the side as a result of shredding a tire or overheating.

Once out of Vegas, the site of travelers' woes seemed to decrease. Once we hit Death Valley, I could see a cloud of smoke off in the distance. We found out soon enough what the mystery cloud was: a truck's trailer had caught on fire, resulting in a traffic jam and an odor much less pleasant than our cooler. Thankfully, the driver was okay!

We pulled into Wrightwood, California at around 9 in the evening, where we set up at Aaron's brother's and girlfriend's house. Although it did not boast the most romantic accommodations, we were able to enjoy a relaxing stay in a mountain town.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas

In stark contrast from the outdoor mecca scene provided in Moab, we chose our next stop to be Las Vegas. From high rise hotels to casinos to haute couture clothing stores, we found ourselves in a far different world.

To make the experience really worthwhile, we sprung for a suite the five star Trump Intercontinental Hotel—a far cry from our previous accommodations. With a full view of Vegas from the fifty-second floor, our suite set the stage for a relaxing getaway.

Leaving the hotel for an evening on the Miracle Mile, we were not quite prepared for the scorching 102 degree heat. While we just wanted to peruse the strip, we found ourselves ducking in and out of casinos, stores and malls just to escape the nearly oppressive temperatures.

With the sun setting, our appetites started to rise. Apparently, everyone else must have been thinking the same thing because the waits at restaurants were enormous. Walking block after block, we became consumed by the thought of food and beverages. Ducking in and out of restaurants to only find the same results, a 45 minute wait, we finally happened upon a nice Mexican restaurant.

Walking up and down the strip after dinner, we were treated to seeing Vegas' lights in their fully glory. Flashing and blinking neon lights seemed to have altered the complete scenery of Las Vegas, while giving it the appeal that we've always seen in the movies.

A Note about Utah

While Utah may be a playground for outdoor enthusiasts, it is not extremely navigable in terms of being able to enjoy a libation or two. I remember going to Salt Lake City a few years back and needing a drink voucher in order enjoy a glass of wine. If you are not aware, Utah is Wisconsin's polar opposite when it comes to serving and consuming alcohol.

This time around, we didn't need a voucher, we were just limited to drinking weak beer (3.5%) and could not enjoy hard liquor while in the parameters of the restaurant's bar (although I could have enjoyed a margarita in the dining room, just fifteen feet away from the bar). Our server at bar of the Moab Brewery told us it was best if we didn't think too hard about Utah's drinking laws, he said he still couldn't figure them out after living in Utah his entire life.

Finishing Up Slickrock

My apologies for leaving the last blog post so abrupt. Blogging from my phone is a lesson in patience, and finding reliable wireless has been a challenge. Either way, here's the rest of the harrowing tale of Slickrock!

***

There was one point, probably around the 2 ½ mile mark, that I decided I was going to regret riding the full loop at Slick Rock. With it being only my second time out on my mountain bike and me not particularly liking steep climbs, this ride seemed to be too much of a task. It was at the same moment, however, that we ran into another couple going through the same struggle. After some brief chatting, we vowed to all ride together...and to all finish the loop.

Four hours, twelve miles, numerous rest...er scenic... stops, and several bruises and scratches later, we all crossed the finish line. Like first time marathoners, we left the trail feeling accomplished, victorious and questioning our own levels of sanity for what we had just done.

Looking back, now that we are fed and our thirst is quenched, we are grateful for the ride that we had done. There is no way that we would have felt satisfied leaving Moab without attempting this monumental ride.

Sliiiiiick!

The advice of the locals was to head out to the mountain biking trails early, really early, to avoid the intense desert heat. However, when our alarm went off at 6am, the sky was overcast and the ground was wet from the rain. Plus, Aaron and I were too tired to hit the trails that early.

Once we were finally able to get out of bed, we packed up (resolving that we would never stay at that particular, stinky campground ever again) and got ready to get out to ride. Even at eight in the morning, the day was starting out much cooler than we have been seeing on this trip.

After a quick breakfast at a cute little cafe, we were ready and set to ride Slick Rock! There are two options to ride: a 2.5 mile practice loop and the 12 mile trail. The reviews all suggested starting with the practice loop to get the feel of the steep hills and bumpy terrain of the full course.

Riding out onto the course, our fate would be determined by a divergence on the trail—one way was the short practice loop, the other direction would take us on the full ride. We decided to hit up the full course. This is, after all, one of IMBA's “Epic Rides”.

Moab or Bust!

We slowly traversed the highway from Glenwood Canyon (where we camped the night before) to Moab, Utah. Getting there, despite the oppressive heat, was a breath of fresh air since we were getting a little edgy from all the driving.

Our Number One objective out here was to do some mountain biking. After checking out a local bike shop and getting some recommendations, we were resolved to bike the infamous Slick Rock.

Our Number Two objective out here was to find a place to sleep. We debated back and forth as to the best place to stay. We decided on renting a cabin in a campground since the weather has been too hot to sleep while tenting it.

After setting up our cabin, we took a short drive over to the beautiful Arches National Park. The size of the park and the amount of what one can see and do is overwhelming, and the three hours we spent driving from site to site only allowed us to see an iota of the natural wonders within the park.

We did manage to take a short hike on the trail labeled “Primitive Trail” while visiting the North and South Windows of the park. Turns out that “Primitive Trail” is also synonymous for “Let's have fun with these people, not mark the trail and see how well they do.” The seclusion of the trail put Arches in a new perspective and took us out of the hustle and bustle of the tourist driven paths.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods was definitely a site we wanted to see along the way; and it did not disappoint (my only slight disappointment was that it is quite tourist driven...I was pumped to do a little more hiking).

On our drive over to Garden, the sky transitioned from crystal clear to ominous and overcast. Nevertheless, Aaron and decided to forgo lunch and head out to see the massive pillars, in case the weather took a turn for the worst. About half way through our leisurely stroll through Garden, the thunder and lightening, once off in the distance, moved close to the park and the slight drizzle turned into a full out downpour—causing us to dash off to the car.

Within minutes, the weather cleared and we were once again ready to check out the Garden. Aaron was fascinated by all the climbing options; I was just amazed by the beauty of the park. After prying Aaron's jealous eyes off the climbers, we toured the parameter of the park and even got to see some wildlife along the way. The best site was the rattlesnake slithering just off the path, taking refuge under brush.

After Garden, we made a stop in Vail for supper and continued our travel through Colorado. We wanted to make it to Moab that night, but between the intense heat and days of constant moving, we finally succumbed to our fatigue and caught a campsite right off the highway for a good night's rest.

The Climb!

Yep. It's still hot.

Despite the scorching heat, Aaron and I decided to leave Denver to search out a place to climb. Destination. Castlewood Canyon, one hour south of Denver.


After a short ride in the car, we arrived at the ranger station, where the ranger politely asked us for our $6.00 entrance fee. Whoops. We had a five dollar bill and nothing else, except spare change in the car. We were too far out to just run to an ATM, so we just decided to pay the remainder in spare change. After scrounging and digging, we came up with that dollar. However, that dollar also consisted of 35 cents stuck together with melted gum. Not our finest moment.

On to the climbing (I need to learn to be more concise in these entries!). We ended up meeting a local, Gary, at the trail head who gave us a great tour of Castlewood Canyon. After doing a few climbs with Gary, a meet up group also appeared; and soon there were about ten lines set up to climb.

After a long day of climbing, Aaron and I found a camp ground to crash at for the night. Setting up in the dark is never fun, nor is eating supper from a jam packed car at ten at night.

To Climb or Not to Climb

Day two in Colorado...and the heat persists. We knew, based on various radio stations, that there was a heat wave; but the intensity of the both the blazing sun and heat was more than we had anticipated. And I usually love the heat.

Next on our agenda was Boulder, with intentions of finding a local climbing hotspot. After checking in with our hotel to extend our stay another night, we plugged our route into our Tom Tom and headed over to our destination. With snow-capped mountains guiding our way, we pulled into Boulder mid-morning looking for a local restaurant for breakfast. The scenery was everything that I had anticipated, including barefoot hippies kicking around a hackey sack. Being in a college town, it seemed that there was no shortage of places to eat, so we picked a cute little coffee shop, where we sat outside and overlooked the Rockies. Our outdoor table even offered some wisdom—Live Life Like It's a Gift.

Given the heatwave, we were in no rush to sit out in the sun and climb, so we delayed our journey by checking out the local farm market and art display. It seemed as though almost the entire city was there—playing in the river, perusing the market and shopping.

Finally, we decided that we couldn't spend all day in the shade, so we headed over to the local R.E.I. To purchase the climbing book that was recommended and to get an opinion on a good place to climb. The dude we talked to recommended that we check out Boulder Canyon since there are so many different places to check out.

Turn out he was right. Just a short distance out of the city was a winding road that took you through the mountains, with a roadside climbing mecca paving the way. Everywhere we looked, cars were parked on either side of the road. Off in the distance, we could see people ascending their multi-pitch climbs or trekking down the mountain.

Our first climbing attempt was up a small face that was supposed to have an easy scramble at the top so we could set up our rope. Either the guidebook was full of sh** or we found the wrong place to climb. The way up was steep and full of loose rocks. One little slip and you would find yourself in a lot of pain (although you'd be at the car pretty quickly). After getting to the top and assessing the situation, we decided that there wasn't really a good place to set the lines and went back to our car to find another locale pointed out in the guidebook. People were already climbing it, and we couldn't quite figure how to get to where they were standing. At this point, we were already on the verge of giving up and our second attempt solidified our intentions. The trip, however, was not wasted. We found some great hiking trails and were able to see some great views along the roadway.

After a great dinner in downtown Boulder, we found a huge art fair along their pedestrian way. I meant to count how many blocks it was, but at least five blocks were full of artistic talent. Then it was back to dinner to meet up with some friends for drinks.

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rocky mountain high

after a less than refreshing night in the walmart parking lot, we made the nine hour trek to denver. on our way there we stopped to see the pony express station and multiple restrooms (after the third trip i was banned from any more beverages).

entering colorado was beautiful with the sun shining down on the rockies. neither of us have been to coporado so we were awestruck by its beauty and seemingly wide open landscapes, although aaron was a little less than awestruck with his ears constantly popping!

we got into denver right around noon and were able to check in early to our room. after a nice long nap and a trip to r.e.i., we met friends at wynkoop brewery for drinks and dinner. upon luann's urging, I ordered the vegetarian green chili and it was amazing! the drinks were fantastic, but we both discovered that the effects take a bigger toll when you're a mile up...it's a good thing we are well trained wisconsinites!

luann and Joe took us on a post-dinner tour of downtown denver where, of course, we had to visit the ginormous r.e.i. flagship store. we received great advice on places to comb and jotted down a recommendation on a book to check out.

the rest of the tour was enjoyable and made us a little envious of what denver has to offer, including a one of a kind citywide green bike program.

although our first day in colorado was splendid, the best part of the day was getting a good night's sleep!

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The Long Haul

We have been on the road now for 13 hours.

After a short snooze in our honeymoon suite (aka the KIA Spectra Suite at Hotel Walmart), we are rested and trying to get through Nebraska!

Our first stop will be Denver. Once we reach the Mile High City, we will officially be in honeymoon mode!

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On the Road!

After a series of setbacks we are finally on the road. While we were supposed to leave yesterday, we decided to delay our plans a day due to the lengthy process of packing. We did make it to Milwaukee to see Wicked then traveled home in a total downpour. Although the driving was less than fun, we did enjoy nature's fireworks with lightening in every direction!

Upon our arrival home, we were lucky enoigh to find water in our basement; fortunately it was just a small leak. Nevertheless, we still spent 3 hours cleaning up the watery mess.

Looking ahead now. We are on the road!

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Let the Journey Begin!

Aaron and I are about to leave on our honeymoon after 2 1/2 weeks of wedded bliss; and the countdown to our journey is T-1 day. So far, the progress we've made is uploading several apps on our new Android phones, Google mapping the United States and figuring a tentative route to take us to Wrightwood, CA. We figure we'll go north from there, just not sure where or when.

Packing is an entirely separate story. No list has been made, we've never been a fan of lists anyway. Even a simple trip to the grocery store with a list spurs a quasi-A.D.D. infused journey down the aisles just to return to the same aisles over and over as we move further down the list. They just don't seem to work. My packing thus far consists of a pile of clothes sitting on my dresser that are left over from not finishing putting my laundry away...and a stray pack of bobby pins.

Regardless of the packing situation, we're leaving tomorrow!