July Update

 Go read the blogs from my summer travels. There are 14 highlighting aspects of my travels with photos. 

I spent the entire month of July plus a little bit of June on the road this summer. I visited 10 national parks. I camped in six of them. I camped for a total of 16 nights across 26 nights of the trip. 

I checked many more things off my date, myself bucket list- My running total is up to 64/100 activities. 

I listened to multiple audiobooks. 

I had a lot of time in my own head- that isn't always the best, but I'm still glad I did this trip. Go read the blogs.

Getting Home

 This blog picks up where great basin leaves off and culminates with me getting home. 

I left great basin and started what should’ve been a slightly less than 5 Hour drive to my accommodations in southern Idaho. 6 1/2 hours later I got to my hotel. I got sick on the road and ended up being delayed by about 90 minutes as a result because I kept trying to drive even though I was physically ill, which was stupid. I should’ve just stopped and waited for it to pass. 

When I got to my hotel, I was feeling quite a bit better and ordered takeout from a chain restaurant because I know the food is consistent and that I don’t tend to have reactions to it. But overall, today was a drive day and a rest day basically all of the days on the way home rest days. I’ve done a lot this month and I eased into it with three drive days on the way out and I’m easing out of it with three drive days on the way home. So I am just putting my feet up and the women’s gymnastics team As they compete in Paris. 

Day 2

I’m meticulously planned nearly every detail of this entire trip and have been planning since August 2023. I did not however, bother to look to see the operating hours of a restaurant in Boise that I was really excited to try. Come to find out they are closed on Mondays, so the entire purpose of me being in Boise I can’t enjoy because I have to leave early from Boise on Tuesday morning to get to a tour in Pendleton. All that to say is that this trip has taught me the importance of flexibility and that you don’t always get what you want in fact dinner plans that I had been really excited for the first night on the road also got canceled because the restaurant ended up closing for the month of June. 

If my hotel had been refundable, I probably would’ve canceled the night and Boise and gotten something closer to where I’m supposed to be in Oregon but it’s a nonrefundable hotel so I’m sure I will find plenty of things to do in Boise today. 

Well scratch that—- I made it a few miles down the road before my check engine light and X-mode lights went on and I lost most electoral systems. Thank goodness for auto zone for letting me know it was an EVAP pump issue and it is drivable for today. I was able to get an appointment for the car at Subaru in Boise, but that took everything else out for today until I can get it fixed. 

Dealership from the same thing wrong with it AutoZone dead only it took an extra 90 minutes. They didn’t have the part in stock and I have an appointment to have my oil changed in my hometown on the fifth anyway so I just called them. They’re ordering the part and everything will be done after I get home. The downside is my cruise control won’t work. My lane assist won’t work. The safety features that are electrical also won’t work and neither will hill climb assist. That really bothers me is no cruise control because that means I have to be a lot more focused when I’m driving, which maybe isn’t a bad thing but at the end of 30 some odd days on the road I miss it. 

I went to downtown Boise, which is a nice break from the rest of Idaho. Walked through freak alley, which is a compilation of murals my local artists, which was really cool.

 I then went to Bitter Creek ale House, and had a really good cocktail as well as a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for lunch. On the way back to my car, I stopped at a local shop called Lee’s I got myself a few chocolates for the road. They also have free samples so that’s enough to stop in. 

I then checked into my hotel in the suburbs of Boise.

Went out for Greek food got cat called three times between walking there and walking home. That’s not what I mean when I say it would be nice to have attention again.

But I got my food, went back to the hotel and watched the Olympics. 

Another night in. 

Day 3 - no pet hotels

The hotel I spent last night and is pet friendly and I’ve now made a note to self that I don’t want to stay in pet friendly hotels. The dog in the room next-door to me was very loud late into the evening, which hindered my ability to sleep. We also lost power in my room twice, which meant that my phone didn’t charge. 

There is a Krispy Kreme around the corner from my hotel so I did get Myself a hot and ready donut before getting on the road. 

I got on the road around 730 mountain time in order to get to an 11 o’clock tour in Pendleton Oregon Pacific daylight time. Made up the hour on the road and enjoyed the quick tour about how some really beautiful Well, blankets are sourced from sheep within the The Pacific Northwest, Crafted predominantly in Washington and Oregon. And then got myself my big souvenir. I know that they have a factory outlet there and it’s often very small and minor things that are putting something in a factory second I also knew the blanket that I was really hoping they would have.

And I’m super excited that they did have the crown of the continent blanket with one very small black dot where there shouldn’t be one which doesn’t bother me at all. I am certainly not perfect, And saving $100 on a trip that has been more expensive than I planned in so many ways is a small victory. 

I enjoyed walking around historic downtown Pendleton as well as the historic homes in the area.

Before getting on the road to La Grande, Oregon About an hour back east. This is my only time backtracking on my trip. 

Once in town, I walked around their historic downtown district and had my first experience at a gourmet soda shop. These are really popular apparently in communities that have a large Mormon population and are used as locations instead of coffee, shops, and bars. It was interesting. I don’t think I quite understand the but I am sure there are plenty of Mormon people that would say that they don’t understand the allure of cocktail culture that I enjoy.

I got out to Lake Lodge at 4 o’clock and was in the Hot Springs by 4:15. The lake itself is literally steaming and is that about of 180° we don’t swim in that it would kill you pretty quickly. There are five tempered tubs Ranging from 102-105°. They also have a cold plunge tub. I tried. I made it about halfway in before getting out having my whole lower body feel like pins and needles and very desperately needing to get back into the hot tub.

After 15 to 20 minutes in the tubs, I ran out of water and took a much-needed air-conditioning break in my room, which is gorgeous. 

I had dinner at the thermal pub on site before going back out to the tubs for another soak. 

This is a super romantic hotel that I’m sure on weekends or in the winter is very busy with couples and would maybe make me feel bad because two days from now I’m finalizing my divorce papers; But today there’s maybe two other rooms booked which means I basically have this entire gorgeous resort to myself. 

Day 4- the end 

I slept like a baby last night maybe the best night sleep I’ve had in a while. My muscles just melted In the final hotspot of the night and I took a shower before bed with beautiful aromatherapy items that the hotel provides before crawling into a comfortable bed. 

I did wake up this morning a.m. to homing pigeons outside my window, so just be aware of that.

I had a lazy morning in bed before getting up for 2 final dips in the spring before driving home.

The only downside of this hotel is that it is more boarding house or bed-and-breakfast style in that not every room has its own bathroom so I’m sharing mine with at least one other person which isn’t bad because the hotel is so empty but if it were busy, I think I would want a room with my own bathroom and the future they do offer them. It’s just not all of them.

After a ton of traffic and construction and single lanes, I made it home. Tomorrow is going to be very emotional, but that’s a problem for tomorrow. Today is laundry and cleaning my car. 

10 Essentials

 If you spend any amount of time hiking or camping you've likely heard of the 10 essentials. So here is how I handled them both camping and hiking. It should be noted that I don't do long hikes. I capped out this summer at about 4.5 hours on the trails and no longer than 7 miles a day. 

1- Navigation

    Car- Google Maps, Paper Map I pick up as I enter each new state, off line maps

    Hiking- All Trails both online and office map options. I also have a Satelite com system for emergencies. 

2- Sun protection

    Car- Sun Shade for when I was parked. Sun Glasses and Sun Screen

    Hiking- Sun Screen especially in stick form made it easier to re-apply on trail. Wide brim hat. UPF clothing from Eddie Bauer. 

3- Insulation

    Car- I have heated seats

    Tent- 40-degree bag + synthetic Quilt 

    Hiking- Wool hiking sock, Down Puffy Jacket and Rain Coat, Thin but warm layers 

4- Illumination 

    Car- Flares in case of emergency and reflective vest for visibility on the road

    Hiking/Tent- Rechargeable head lamps- I had 2 in case on ran out. A normal flashlight with 3 intensity settings. 

5- First Aid

    Car- The kit in my car had everything, over the counter and prescription medications, extra band aids, disinfectant, Epi Pens, Instant Ice Pack and Instant hot patch. 

    Hiking- I always carry my epi-pens and a small pill box that has a limited supply of all the larger bottles that are in the car kit. Extra sunscreen, lukotape, and bandaids, as well as 2 electrolyte pack. 

6- Fire

    Car- Water proof matches, 2 different cooking methods and a fire blanket to aid in putting out a fire. 

    Hiking- 3 water proof matches in my First Aid kit. 

7- Repair kit

    Car/ Tent- Repair kit for my tent and sleep pad. 

    Hiking- I don't bring one as I'm not taking anything with me that would require a repair kit. 

8- Nutrition

    Car - 2 Bins of dried food/shelf stable items and 2 coolers. 1 Small cooler for beverages and 1 larger cooler for meat, dairy and other perishable items. 

    Hiking- Snacks, both sweet and salty to take on the hike. 

9- Hydration

    Car- I purchased two 3-Litre bottles a year ago and just keep filling them up. They are the perfect size for me to navigate with and there is always somewhere to fill up water jugs. They also make it easy to re-fill my own bottles. I always have at least 1 filled.  I also have two 1-Litre bottles of water and a 2-Litre water bladder. When everything is full I am carrying 10 Litres of water the minimum I ever allow in the car is 3 Litres. 

    Hiking- In cooler weather I carried two 1-litre bottles. 1 Bottle was pure water and the other had electrolyte powder in it.  As the weather got hotter and hikes more difficult I increased to 2-3 Litres of plain water and 1 Litre of Electrolytes.  It was on a trip where i was maxed out with 4-Litres that I actually ran out of water on a hike- I only had .2 miles left, but it wasn't fun to realized if I'd been any further back that I could have been in some serious trouble.  

10- Emergency Shelter

    Camping- My car is my emergency shelter.  When I camp I'm always within 100 feet of my vehicle so if something goes wrong with my tent, I will get in my car.  On this trip I experienced several major storms in which me being in my tent is the only thing keeping the tent on the grown, so I can't imagine switching to my car, but it's always an option. 

    Hiking- I carry one of those really small emergency bivvy bags. It basically is like an emergency blanket but triangular in shape. 

My Other Hiking Essentials:

Day Pack- I used to carry a 30 litre day pack it was way to big. So the last gift from my ex this past Christmas has really been a nice addition to my gear. I use a 20 Litre Ultimate Direction day pack and it's truly the perfect size for me. 

Proper Footwear- I love my trail runners.  I use Altra Lone Peaks. I use to believe you needed a high ankle support- but that's just not been the case for me.  The big toe box and zero heel drop has been a game changer to help me enjoy hikes- Also they are obnoxiously brightly colored and I love that about them. 

Support for when Nature Calls- A carry a small trowel (which is completely useless in the dessert and rocky onlytrails), a spray hand sanitizer and a kula cloth (alternative to TP)

Emergency Support- 

    Car- Self- Jumper Cables - can also be used to charge electronics in an emergency. AAA membership- I get the Premium any time I have a big road trip planned. Worth the peace of mind. 

    Hiking- I went with a Zoleo- I thankfully didn't need it but I'm glad I had it. Again it takes away the anxiety to know it's there if needed. I liked being able to text my parents that I got to a remote campsite that I otherwise would not have had any service. 

Great Basin/ Gravel Roads

 I left Capitol reef this morning, And drove to the small town of Monroe, Utah. On the edge of town is a small Hot Springs outpost called Mystic, Hot Springs. They offered two pools and a half a dozen bathtubs to soak in the mineral water.

I would call this mineral pools rather than Hot Springs that the temperature of the pool and tub was relatively low and seem to be heated by the sun rather than actual hot water.

It’s not bad it isn’t 100% what I was expecting. An hour later, I did leave feeling more relaxed. My skin felt softer on my muscles. A little bit soothed. 

After the Hot Springs, I continued on the road To Baker, Nevada, which is just across the border from Utah. I’m staying at hidden Valley Ranch, which is breathtaking, But very much romantic retreat and a little weird for me to be staying at as one person; but I’ll keep it on a list of places to visit in the future- maybe with someone new. 

The ranch has a little grocery store of sorts where you can use your breakfast tokens to purchase your own food, which I really like because I have breakfast options for myself for tomorrow, but it was nice to be able to get some thing for dinner so that I don’t have to go back on the very windy Mountain roads in the dark. 

I woke up early in the morning to get to my 830 cave tour at Lehman caves in great basin national park. My 10th and final national park for the summer. The cave tour was amazing and they mentioned that there will be a crawling tour that will be returning to the park in the next couple of years so I will absolutely be going back. 

Capitol Reef

 Day 1 (Utah day 4) 

Got into the park around 2:30 PM got my tent set up and drove to a nearby town to pick up some groceries and two last bags of ice because after this I’m in hotels and Airbnb and don’t need to keep my coolers cold anymore. 

I’m glad I got my tent set up before I went and got groceries because on my way back but downpour started. The grounds themselves the part I didn’t get to explore much before the rain, but I’m really excited to see what this park offer. 

I took a short hike in the evening, made myself a simple dinner and made a pretty early night of things because it sounded like the storms were coming back in.

 Day 2 Last night was the first night this whole trip that I’ve wanted nothing to do with my sleeping bag. it was just too hot. I barely used my quilt and even then only for a few hours in the middle of the night. So my sleep set up has definitely changed from all of the layers to a sheet and my vintage sorry that I’ve been so into a very, very light quilt. 

It was windy and rainy last night, but I did wake up to a beautiful rainbow this morning. Before checking out, Gifford house and picking myself up a fresh made cinnamon roll. Then continue to do some exploring throughout the park and just beyond park.

A little bit before noon I did the Hickman bridge hike which is 2 miles round-trip and has a 400 foot elevation change. 

After that, the car was running low on gas so I ventured outside the park to refill my tank and pick up an ice cream treat for myself because it is very hot. It’s not Moab hot but it’s very hot, after hiking in direct sun light. 

I then made my way back to camp, made up some lunch and made an attempt at napping, but it was so hot even with the fan that I decided to take a drive in air-conditioning instead. 

I stopped at a cidery called Etta’s place and had some great siders and means. I love finding high-quality craft beverages in tiny town America.

I drove back to camp. I made myself dinner before taking a nap so I can be awake for the stars at 10.

Staying awake for the stars was absolutely worth it. They are breathtaking.  I slept well and left the park after grabbing another cinnamon roll and some pie from Gifford House(a requirement)

Arches, Canyon Lands and Moab

Day 1 

If you read my previous blog, you know last night was awful for so many different reasons. So the first thing I did today after getting to Internet access was to cancel my campground and book a hotel for the next three nights in Moab. The thought of being at a remote campsite without access to running water in 100° heat didn’t sound or feel like a good choice for me. So I did something else.

When I started planning this trip back in August of last year, I thought I was a healthy marriage. I had hoped that the man that I am no longer with me for parts of this trip, or that in seeing that, I could take on a camping trip and be outdoors and hike every day that maybe we could do something like this together in the future. We could take a trip that was my pace of outdoors, and that would be enough. I realized this morning that I’ve been trying to prove my worth and value to him while I’ve been on this trip to prove my worth and value to someone who has made very clear that they aren’t interested in me. So I don’t need to push myself past my limits I can have a hotel for three nights. I can take care of me because I’m the only person who’s going to do it. 

On my drive up to Moab I stopped at the needles district section of Canyon lands national Park, and did a 2.4 Mile hike and spent Time totally alone in meditation on the edge of a cliff, reminding myself to be good to me to care for myself and to do what I always tell my students to do which is to put your mental health first. 

I checked in at my hotel right at three relaxing for about an hour before I felt like I could stand up in a shower got clean went out for dinner got myself some well-deserved frozen yogurt given that it was 97° at 7 PM and made an early night of it at my hotel. Knowing that tonight, I will not have to worry about my tent blowing away or hail or rain or snow or dehydration or exhaustion. I think I’m finally ready to start healing. 

Day 2

Had a relaxing morning, Before driving up to Arches. Based on the fact that it was only 80° when I got there I made the decision to take on the hike today because my pass for tomorrow is late in the afternoon. I don’t trust that I’ll be able to do it then. 

So today I took on the devil and I won. Some of the barriers that I’ve gotten in the way of me hiking in the past, are fears of vertical drop offs having to scramble and having to keep track of when it’s not clearly marked, I did all of those things today I will admit to losing a few times, I still made it out. It took me just under four hours To do a 5 1/2 mile hike where the top grade was 60% and 30% or more of the trail was 8% or more that’s a lot for me and I am very proud of my body for carrying me through. It was also horrifying, but I’m proud of myself. 

After four hours of hiking, a completely depleted body I decided that was enough for today and I will do the simple walks at arches tomorrow. 

I want to be clear that you never have to earn Bread pudding, but I did earn it tonight

Day 3- The highest highest, and the lowest lowest

Doing a zip line is on my dating myself bucket list and I’ve seen dozens of signs pretty much everywhere that I’ve gone this summer. After the hike, I did yesterday the thought of waking up tomorrow morning and doing an intense hike did not sound fun zip lining across however absolutely sounded fun, so I got the last 8 AM spot. 

Zip lining was the highest of highs. The feeling of weightlessness of being completely free was needed.

After the tour, I went to a local spot called Jailhouse Café for I couldn’t decide between the two pancakes, Swedish or ginger apple so I got one of each; The ginger with Dutch apple butter was my favorite. 

I walked back to my hotel. I had one freeze dried peach, crisp, and had a crown pop out. After 11 dentists within a five hour radius, because yes, Moab is in fact the middle of nowhere. 4 Were totally out of office for the week, And I’m on 7 waitlist. And was told pretty much every time not to keep my hopes up because I’m not the only one on the waitlist. I have things for the pain and I can go to a shop today to get dental cement to try to temporarily fix it, But realizing that I have to do all of this, these are the days that in solo travel. It would be really nice if there was someone else here so I didn’t have to feel alone. 

I started today on the highest of highs and my lunch. I’m crying in my hotel room not because I’m solo right now or at least not exclusively because of that but because my whole life is a solo adventure now. And there’s a lot of fear that.

I considered staying in my hotel room all day and honestly, it would’ve been a valid response some days just need to be Turned off, But there were a few things in arches that I still wanted to see, and I had a time to pass for three so I got myself to arches and made sure to get to double arch And delicate arch to really feel like I’ve done the park

but at 104° outside I couldn’t enjoy much more than that so I called it quits. Because I really don’t need another emergency this trip. 

Honestly, at 104° It was too hot to get in the pool outside when I got back from the park. So I made dinner in my hotel room and relaxed until it was cool enough to get in a pool.

When the temperature friendly dipped below 100 I went down to the pool and definitely enjoyed cooling off before heading to bed

Day4  I woke up this morning and packed up the hotel room and headed for island in the sky. Within Canyon lands. Moab itself is remote enough, but canyonlands takes that remote us to a whole new level. Didn’t do any hiking today because I was already hot and just wasn’t in the mood for anything resembling the 3 to 7 mile hikes that this district offers. I did get a few nice photos though

That’s it for the Moab area more to come in the next blog

Mesa Verde

 Mesa day 1

I enjoyed the loops to do look outs short quick hikes easy enough enough paths. The visitor center at the start of the park is also quite informative and provides a lot of historical information on the people that lived on these lands. 

Hailstorms welcomed me to the to the campground; followed by torrential rain. During a break in the storm, I was able to get my tents set up. I then sat in my car and listened to an audiobook.

When the storm had passed, but the sky was still filled with clouds, I drove to Parkpoint, a place I had earlier in the day, but what I knew would make for fantastic views of sunset given it’s the highest point in the park. My highest points might be getting lower; this one just over 8000 feet.

But the views are staying spectacular. It did make for an incredible sunset.

I drove back down to my campground, hoping that I would see some stars however, the cloud cover made that nearly impossible. The moon is incredible brighter than the sun. The universe’s perfect night light. 

Mesa day 2

Woke up early 

Went on a morning hike before it got too hot. Spruce Canyon- the reminder that what hikes down must hike back up. I enjoyed the museum but it looks like it will get much better after the renovation are done. 

I went up to park point- the highest in the park again to enjoy the view. 

Went to balcony house around 1:30 it had just started to rain. By the time the tour started over half the people had left the tour and the rain was getting worse and turning into hail. 3 min into the tour and I was drenched. 

I overcame some challenges today. I climbed a 30+ foot ladder on a cliff edge- in the rain and crawled through very small tunnels to get out of the cliff dwellings. After yesterday’s pain and anger I needed to face some fears on my own. 

The rain had lightened up a bit for me to get to my car but quickly turned and got much worse including lightening now. I couldn’t think about trying to make dinner. So I found a brewery in Durango to drive to and enjoyed a beer and a pastie(comfort food) before returning to camp. Thankfully my tents both survived and I should be able to get a good night sleep before I head to Utah tomorrow. Only 4 more parks to go.

Honestly I am feeling ready to go home, but know the next few days will be good for me too. 

Day 3

Wind and storms ripped through the camp last night. so hard it picked up the corners of my tent ripping the stakes out of the ground, my body, the only thing holding my tent to the ground. It’s kind of how I felt about my life the last seven months my body is the only thing holding me to the ground. Holding me down as my entire entire world ripped apart.

I meant  my vows when I said them. I meant till death to us part I didn’t realize it would be the death of my heart and that my body would have to keep living. didn’t realize my soul would feel so broken and I would have to keep going. Marriage is hard and we both gave up in so many ways and I wanted to put the pieces back together. I wanted to try but living in a place where someone is indifferent to you is a hell I don’t wish on anybody and last night as the storm tried to rip my tent apart, I felt like I was reliving those days. As I approach the finite end of my marriage, the legal end of my marriage I feel like my tent in the wind last night doing my best to anger myself to the ground. Everything trying to rip me apart.

Sand Dunes

 On the way down to the Sand dunes, I stopped and explored the garden of the gods for a little bit. I wish I could’ve stayed longer, but the weather wasn’t cooperating, and I knew that there was also a chance of rain at the Sandune tonight and wanted to make sure I got there and could at least get my tent set up before the rain started. This was the right call, but I would love to go back someday and spend more time there. 

I got two great Sand dunes national Park around 4 o’clock went to the visitor center. Got a map and then went to my campground to get everything set up just as I was putting the last steak in the ground for my tent. It started to rain really hard so I retreated to my car to get my air mattress inflated. I had to fully deflated after Rocky Mountain so my dad could fit in the car, so inflation is about a 15 min Adventure, as I can’t tolerate the sound of the air pump for more than a few minutes, but it is absolutely worth it because my mattress is comfortable and leads to pretty good sleep. I’m also also going to be camping for the next eight nights and don’t plan to deflate it in between locations so I’ll only have to top it up.

After dinner I went on an evening walk down to the dunes- about 1 mile from my camp site. It must be a dry year as the “lake” wasn’t much more than a small stream but it’s against an amazing backdrop of the dunes. 

After my walk I got to work on this parks stack of post cards. It’s fun to send the people I care for a glimpse of the road. I finished up the cards and set up my chair for some stargazing. I’ve been going to bed early most nights on this trip but the stars will be so bright from out here I couldn’t resist. However we need to talk about the bugs.  These bugs are bigger and more per than any I’ve encountered this far. I am sprayed head to toe in 12  hour bug spray and yet the mosquito are crawling everywhere even landing on my nose and fingers while I’m walking. 

The stars were spectacular as was the moon full bright and lighting up everything. It was like sleeping with a perfect nightlight. When we had the place in the country, I could go out and look at the stars at night; it is one of the few things that I have missed.

Life all national park campgrounds have been to quiet hours are between 10pm and 7 AM. Everywhere else that has been strictly at 10 PM. Parents put their children in bed everyone quiets down and I can sleep. Last night however, quiet hours started more around midnight. There were still many fires going, children running around and camp songs being sung even after that but it got soft enough to sleep. I did wake up incredibly rested at 6:30 this morning like more rested than I woke up in the Airbnb for three days not sure what that says about me, but it definitely says a lot of positive things about my air mattress. Probably one of the best purchases I made for this summer.