Great Plains, Badlands, and Beyond

[Been powering through the trip. This post covers Tuesday morning thru Friday morning]. 

Restful, if brief, night of sleep in Butte. On the road by 8am (Tue). Some pretty stretches as we drove through Bozeman and Billings (what's with the 'B' names in MT?!). Outside of Billings, we picked up I-94, which heads northeast toward North Dakota, while I-90 heads southeast toward South Dakota.

Outside Livingston, MT, near Yellowstone

Karri had seen a forecast that mentioned 60+ mph winds and we started to feel them shortly after Billings. For the rest of the day, driving across the Great Plains, we had strong gusts from the north that required two hands firmly planted on the steering wheel, making for stressful and exhausting driving.

After about 7hrs we arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the badlands of western North Dakota. Roosevelt lived here in his youth and credits the area for giving him an appreciation for nature. We checked in at the visitor center and got a recommendation on a 5-mile hike - deciding this would be a good way to see some of the park, stretch our road-weary legs, shake off the stress of driving in the wind, and enjoy some fresh air. It was a great choice.

The trail combined portions of three trails - Big Plateau, Maah Daah Hey, and Ekblom - to form a loop. We started by crossing the Little Missouri River - took our shoes off and waded through water up to our knees - then ascended through a canyon up to a very windy plateau, before looping back. Along the way we saw and heard thousands (seriously) of prairie dogs scrambling amongst their burrows. Their bark(?) - a warning call to alert others of the presence of approaching danger (us) - is a high-pitched chirp that reminded me of Monty Python's 'Knights of Ni'. Later we saw a handful of antelope, and then a herd of ~50 bison (from a comfortable distance of about a quarter mile). The park is known for its bison and we were thrilled to see some on our short hike.

Start of the hike - crossing the Little Missouri River

Looking back after successful river crossing

One of the few prairie dogs that didn't dive into his burrow as we passed

Bison herd

Antelope grazing

Final stretch of the hike as the sun was getting low

Back in the car, we hustled on to Bismark, again arriving well after dark and opting for a hotel instead of camping. Thursday morning we got an early start to drive the rest of the way through North Dakota and on to Minnesota and Wisconsin. We stopped briefly in Minneapolis to get our bikes checked out and to pick up a few accessories for the ride, then continued on to Madison, WI for another hotel night, staying a block from the beautiful Wisconsin State Capital building. Friday morning we drove through the University of Wisconsin campus before hitting the road for the final stretch to Cleveland. If all works out, we're hoping to squeeze in a short bike ride along the way.

Meeting up with some of my family for dinner tonight in Cleveland, then on to Pittsburgh in the morning. In less than 24 hours, we'll be starting our ride on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal trails!

On The Road Again!

Greetings from Butte, Montana!

A couple weeks ago, I made a (late) decision to join my brother Bob and friends on a week-long bike trip from Pittsburgh to DC starting October 3rd. Then Karri decided to join us for a portion of the ride. Last week, Karri and I decided we'd turn it into a roadtrip. After the ride, we're planning to spend some time in New England, hopefully catching some of the last fall colors, before driving back home.

Packed and ready to go!

We left Seattle around 9:30am this morning, got through downtown quicker than expected, and hopped on I-90, planning to make it to Butte - or maybe stretch it to Bozeman - Montana. We stopped in Spokane for a great 6-mile bike ride on a portion of the Centennial Trail. The trail follows the Spokane River as it winds through downtown, past housing developments, office buildings, Gonzaga University, parks, restaurants, museums and more. Neither of us had spent any time in Spokane, and we both agreed we'd like to visit again - post-Covid.

Waterfall on the Spokane River

Along the Centennial Trail in Spokane; the structure behind us was built for the '74 World's Fair

Our plan is to van-camp on the drive east, but today we realized we'd be arriving in Butte (or Bozeman) well after dark, so we're opting for a hotel tonight. We decided to stop in Butte - about 9.5hrs of driving - arriving at the Hampton Inn around 10:30pm MT.

Planning for an early start tomorrow so we can get to Bismark, ND before dark. No reservation again, but we are planning to camp near a reservoir just outside of town.

On to Moab and Arches National Park

[This one should get me caught up. Covering Friday thru Saturday afternoon.]

Up early to finish packing and break camp in Fruita. We intentionally stalled a bit to wait for Gifford House to open at 8am so we could buy one of their homemade cinnamon rolls that we had spied the day before (delicious, but we both agreed our daughter Victoria's are better!).

On the way out of the park, we stopped a couple times to take in some of the views, including petroglyphs - art carved/painted into rock faces by ancient natives around 600-1300 AD.

Fruita barn on the drive out of camp

Fremont culture petroglyphs (figures in the middle of the photo)

We drove about an hour through sparsely populated, gray-but-beautiful landscape before stopping for a great breakfast and solid wifi at Duke's Slickrock Grill in Hanksville, Utah. We blindly stumbled onto this place - and it was delicious. We've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of food at roadside restaurants - most serving locally raised/grown food.

Somewhere between Capitol Reef and Hanksville

Cowboy breakfast at Duke's Slickrock Grill

We got to Arches NP around noon and decided to check things out, even though we were staying outside the park Friday night. We drove a few miles into the park, stopping frequently to snap pictures and take in the scenery. It felt a little like driving through the gallery of a clay sculptor with massive, incomplete sculptures lying around.

The one in the middle is appropriately called 'Balanced Rock'

The one on the left is called 'Three Gossips'

After an hour or so, we headed into Moab to check things out and pick up some groceries. Restocked, we headed to our hotel, the Red Cliffs Lodge, which was significantly nicer than we were expecting - a pleasant surprise. It's a 17 mile drive out of Moab along the Colorado River, through a canyon of soaring red cliffs. 

Drive to the Red Cliffs Lodge

The Lodge has large, cabin-style rooms with decks looking out over the river, a large pool, laundry facilities (much needed at this point in the trip!), a restaurant, horse stables, and more. We learned that several movies have been filmed here - include 'Rio Grande' starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. We quickly did laundry, replenished our ice and water, then showered and headed to the pool for half an hour before a 6:45 dinner reservation at the Lodge restaurant. Dinner was amazing! The whole experience at the Lodge was an unexpected-but-much-appreciated guilty pleasure - we're supposed to be roughing it, right?!

Poolside R&R!

The view from our dinner table on the deck of the restaurant.

Early to bed, up at 6, packed and on the road to Arches at 7. Karri had identified a few shorter hikes to views of some of the park's signature arched rocks. We had read that Arches is one of the busiest national parks and, as usual, wanted to beat the crowds. We were treated to some beautiful, morning-sunlight sights.

Turret Arch

South Arch

Double Arch

Delicate Arch

We stopped at our campsite at Devil's garden - at the northern end of the park road, dropped off some stuff, then drove back down for one more hike.

Sand Dune Arch

Broken Arch

At this point, we felt we had seen most of the sights - with plans for a 7.5mi hike (Devil's Garden) Sunday morning to see a couple more. The skies turned dark and my WeatherBug app popped a lightning alert for the area. As any responsible hikers would do, we decided to seek cover... and drove back to Moab for a cold beverage, an afternoon snack (that turned into dinner), and wifi at The Spoke on Center - a cool bike-themed restaurant/bar in the heart of town.

We're considering another revision to our plan... maybe only 1 night camping in the park, as we feel we've seen most of it. Karri is scouting options for Sunday afternoon/evening - centered around giving us an opportunity to hike Corona and Bowtie Arch Trail on Monday, which is highly recommended - and not located in a national park. We'll decide in camp tonight...

Song Spot: Several, but 'Can't See The Light' by Reuben and the Dark got me through a couple hikes

Hiking: ~7mi (Sat)

Biking: 0

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

[Out of cell/wifi range for most of Tuesday. Stopping for breakfast at Burr Trail Outpost - a great spot with espresso, breakfast burritos and solid wifi.]

About an hour out of Bryce, we entered Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - a 1 million acre (used to be 1.9 million; somebody decided that was too much) natural area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It's a vast, rugged area that was apparently one of the last places to be mapped in the contiguous United States. 'Staircase' refers to the descending geological layers that are visible in different sections of the park.

The scenery is spectacular - and constantly changing as you drive: sheer canyon walls, vast open spaces, Bryce-like rock formations, green valleys, rivers, and winding highways. Tough to describe.

With no reservation for the night, we stopped at a visitor center in the town of Escalante to see what our options might be. The center was closed, but we identified several potential camping spots. Our top choice was a first-come-first serve campground with only 12 sites, near the trailhead to a highly rated hike to a waterfall. We grabbed lunch at a great outdoor mexican restaurant, then hit the road. At about 1:30 we pulled into Calf Creek Campground where we were very pleasantly surprised to find an un-claimed campsite! It was meant to be.

Just outside the town of Escalante

One of many scenic overlooks

Entrance to the campground. There's a creek running beneath those trees.

We paid for our site, then jumped back in the van to head to the tiny town of Boulder, Utah to replenish our ice supply. Headed back to camp, changed into hiking gear, and headed for the Lower Calf Creek Falls trailhead, about 50 yards from our campsite. It's a 2.8mi (each way) hike through the creek canyon to the falls.

Trail was sandy - at times like walking on a beach

One of many great views along the trail

It had been sunny and hot (low 90's), but some rain clouds started rolling in about halfway up the trail. Given the recent electrical storms we've witnessed, we're both conscientious about getting stuck in a thunderstorm. We decided to press on and enjoyed a refreshing drizzle just as we got to the falls.

Wildflowers and rainclouds

Made it!

Quick swim under the falls

The rain stopped so we stayed for half an hour, then packed up and headed out as it started to drizzle again. The wind started blowing and it felt like it was really going to pour, but 10 minutes later the rain stopped and the sun started to come out.

Clouds clearing

Blue skies

Got back to campsite around 6. Cocktail while we setup camp, then dinner of chicken-apple sausages. After cleaning up, and packing up as much as possible for an early departure, we sat out and watched the night sky. Karri got some more great stargazing photos. 

Moon rising over the van

Sagittarius (thanks star-gazing app) 

This was the most 'primitive' campsite we've stayed in, but we both liked it the best - so far. The trees/shrubs made for great privacy, we were 20 feet from the creek and a small swimming hole, and had a great view of the nearby cliffs. The creek provided a perfect soundtrack for a great night of sleep (at least for me - Karri didn't sleep as well).

Packed up quickly this morning - didn't even make coffee - and were on the road at 8:20.

Almost ready to go

Heading to Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef NP today. Looks like just over an hour-long drive. Karri's been scouting hikes/sights while I write this. :)

Song spot: This was the first hike with no particular song in mind (at least not that I remember)

Hiking: ~5.5mi

Biking: 0

An Amazing Day in Bryce Canyon

Decided to 'sleep-in' til 6:30. Showered and packed up before grabbing a Covid-modified buffet breakfast (you walk the line and a server fills your plate) at the hotel. Nothing fancy, but tasty and filling.

Loaded the car and headed to Sunset Point to start our hike - the 'Figure 8' that combines portions of 3 different trails. Gorgeous blue skies, about 65 degrees. On the trail at 8:15 with few cars in the parking lot and few hikers on the trail. 

Hitting the trail at Sunset Point

We started with a steep, switch-backed descent on Wall Street and were immediately rewarded with close-up views of the pink rock formations, known as hoodoos. We both had the feeling we were entering sacred ground - even feeling a little emotional at times (or could have just been too much coffee at breakfast :) ). 

Switch backs dropping us into the Canyon

Looking up from the Canyon floor on Wall Street

After a mile of mostly downhill, we got to Peek-a-Boo trail - a hilly, challenging 3-mile loop with spectacular views of the hoodoos. You can't help but make out different shapes - faces, animals, chess pieces, cathedrals, etc. 

We read about a local legend that the Legend People lived here long before the natives. They were ruled by Coyote - a benevolent god with a trickster sense of humor. The Legend People were selfish and careless, and Coyote eventually grew irritated with them. He invited them all to a feast, then cast a spell that froze them all in place. Hiking the canyon, you can almost imagine ancient people encased in the rockery. 

We also read that geologists say the hoodoos are formed from frost wedges (Bryce gets 200+ days of frost each year) that create small cracks that expand through continued erosion - eventually leaving tall, side-by-side stacks. I think the legend is more fun. 

A lone tree

Hoodoos against a gorgeous blue sky

Several natural portals along the way

After completing the loop, we walked a short connector trail to the Queens Garden trail, which was also beautiful, though not as impressive as Peek-a-Boo. Queens finishes with a steep climb back up to the top of the Canyon at Sunrise Point. 

Along Queens Garden trail

Climbing out of the canyon; Color contrasts were amazing

Sights like this everywhere

Then we walked half a mile along the Canyon Rim Trail back to Sunset Point. The total hike was shorter than we had expected, about 7.5mi.

View from Sunrise Point overlooking a portion of the trail we hiked

We got to the car at 11:45, tired/hot/sweaty/dusty from the trail. A shower sounded really good (we honestly weren't planning to shower daily!) so we decided to hustle back and try our luck at the hotel (checkout was at 11am). They hadn't cleaned our room yet and Karri was able to sweet-talk the front desk attendant into giving us a new key! 20 minutes later we were refreshed and ready to head to our campsite in the park at Sunset Campground. 

Over leftover pizza and cold beers, we discussed a modification to our plan. We intended to hike the 8mi Fairyland Trail Tuesday, camp here again, then get an early start Wednesday to drive through Escalante National Monument, on the way to Capitol Reef NP. We've heard and read great things about Escalante and are thinking more time there might be nice. The Fairyland Trail sounds great, but looks like it will be similar to today's hike. 

After some R&R in camp, we biked back to the visitor center, stopped for a cold beverage at Bryce Canyon Lodge, then on to the viewpoint and trailhead at Fairyland, just to see what we might be missing. 

Great bike trail along the first 5 miles of the park

Got back to camp around 6:15 for a cocktail. Steaks for dinner. Quickly cleaned up, then biked to Sunset Point for... sunset. The setting sun (behind us) cast beautiful light on the hoodoos in the distance. 

Tough not to smile :)

Back to camp at dusk. Karri set up the tripod and got some amazing nighttime sky photos. 

Exhausted after an amazing day, we climbed into bed around 10. Temps dropped into the mid 40's overnight. Great sleeping!

Up, breakfast, packed and now off to Escalante!

Song spot: Johnny Cash covering 'Desperado' while descending into the Canyon. Tom Petty 'Wreck Me' got me through the tough hiking stretches. 

Hiking: ~7.5mi

Biking: ~9mi