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!

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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.