It's been quite a ride - good times and a great growth opportunity!
Emails to me are triggered when a comment goes up in any of the posts, so feel free to let me know what you think, what questions you have about anything, etc. I'll be sure to respond.
Also, I might be adding a few additional postings here and there (e.g. I'm still waiting for the 1st drop of rain or even a cloud for that matter out here), so check back periodically.
Thanks for tuning in and for all of your comments!! I can honestly say that there were some challenging times during the trip and the comments invariably motivated me and made me feel really connected with people again.
Later.
Andrew
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Trip learnings...
Ok, so along the way there were a bunch of situations and experiences that made me think about stuff (and there was plenty of time to think!!)
Here are a few learnings to delivery strategic value and minimize unwanted "costs" (stress/anxiety) in one's life (yeah yeah, the corporate speak is alive and well!!):
How do you eat an elephant?
..."One bite at a time" (due credit to a wise manager from my past on this phrase ;) As I look back on the trip, I realize it would have been too overwhelming at the start to think about the whole 5,800+ miles ahead. If I had done that, I probably would have rushed through it. If you can enjoy where you are and what you're doing right now, you get the huge dividend in the end without even thinking about it! I definitely have the tendency to worry about things, but if I can remember the trip in the face of what feels like a mammoth task (e.g. getting out there and finding a new job) I think things'll be much more manageable!
Decisions decisions...
You know, the majority of decisions in a big company don't seem to be made by one single person - there are teams, meetings, consensus building, extensive data gathering and analysis, etc. as a means of risk reduction in decision-making. This trip was a really unique experience in that all day every day I was making decisions that would have direct and immediate consequences. For example, sleep here at a campsite with availability even though it's right next to a busy road and you know it'll be a light sleep at best vs. keep driving and try for something better (and perhaps have to crash in the car if things don't work out). Similar scenarios were abundant: finding food, getting sidetracked at the expense of getting to your high priority activity for the day ("...well, maybe I can do both"), heading out in the heat to play around and go on that bike ride vs. risk the storm later on and losing out, etc. In the early stages of the trip these little things would gnaw away at me. What I realized as I went was that when you relinquish the need for complete control over the outcome, everything becomes a lot easier. There's a fine line between getting stuck in the quagmire of "analysis paralysis" vs. being completely impulsive. As funny as it sounds, the road trip helped me to find a better balance on this scale. Regardless of the decision, I was able to deal with the consequences or make adjustments on the fly! To put this another way, nothing is 100% predictable so don't kill yourself to "get it right" - no matter what happens, you'll deal and get through it.
Attitude - cherish the adversity...
This is similar to the above on decision-making but definitely merits its own section. I suppose the adversity (e.g. getting caught out in all night lightning storms in a tent in the middle of the desert when you're already completely exhausted) is a product of your decisions. Again, I found that your attitude is highly correlated with your need to control a situation (or its outcome). When I realized this, I got to the point where I'd actually enjoy and find humor in the hairiest of hairy situations (and even seek them out to an extent) - no matter what, it was going to make for a better story! Whether it's sleeping with a hammer because of the multiple black bear sightings in camp hours before, getting caught on the top of a mountain with a flat tire as a storm rolls in without any means of fixing it and having a 2 hour hike ahead, or even being in the middle of a corporate restructuring/downsizing, get in there and "muck it up" - embrace it!!! Your attitude is your choice - given the fact that you can't control the situation, what attitude is going to enable you to persevere (and make appropriate further decisions) in your current circumstances?
Speaking of perseverance...
There is a certain degree of fear (of unknown outcome, making a mistake and dealing with consequences, etc.) in anything. When Habs and I went canyoneering in Moab, we got to the first ledge and our guide basically told our group to harness up and get ready. Not exactly a lot of instruction and coaching for "newbies". It also would have been nice to get the feel for rappelling on a 20 foot practice wall or something before jumping right into the 140 foot real deal! Anyhow, I remember Habs getting the final pep talk from Herb (our guide) before going vertical. You can imagine the nature of the dialog (especially from Habs's side), but Herb's response is the key point here: "I'd be really concerned if you weren't scared". I think it's normal to have fears about things (again, this can be extrapolated well beyond something specific like rappelling), but your ability to persevere and get through it is the key. In the grand scheme of things, your immediate problems will quickly pass.
Self-inflicted pressures...
Although I've technically worked for 3 different companies during my 14 year career, this is a product of corporate mergers and integrations - I've literally been in the same geography/environment for the entire time. Things tend to get habitual and routinized. Sometimes it's difficult to even realize this (i.e. being able to see the forest through the trees). One of my beliefs in this environment was that in order to be successful and happy, I had to climb the ladder into the highest tiers of the organization. On the trip, I met many people that are "doing it differently" than all of the "rules" that I was accustomed to, yet seemed to be doing just fine. For example, an auctioneer from KS, or a guy biking from Chicago to Seattle and doing his work projects by night, or a family from FL on a bike trip in Crested Butte. In essence, the opportunity to step back helped me to challenge my beliefs and realize that there's no one right way to go about things. Everyone can make their own path, and success/happiness isn't seen through a single lens. My strong work ethic and desire to excel in the workplace hasn't changed, however I feel less pressure to follow someone else's road to success and more motivation to follow my own.
Here are a few learnings to delivery strategic value and minimize unwanted "costs" (stress/anxiety) in one's life (yeah yeah, the corporate speak is alive and well!!):
How do you eat an elephant?
..."One bite at a time" (due credit to a wise manager from my past on this phrase ;) As I look back on the trip, I realize it would have been too overwhelming at the start to think about the whole 5,800+ miles ahead. If I had done that, I probably would have rushed through it. If you can enjoy where you are and what you're doing right now, you get the huge dividend in the end without even thinking about it! I definitely have the tendency to worry about things, but if I can remember the trip in the face of what feels like a mammoth task (e.g. getting out there and finding a new job) I think things'll be much more manageable!
Decisions decisions...
You know, the majority of decisions in a big company don't seem to be made by one single person - there are teams, meetings, consensus building, extensive data gathering and analysis, etc. as a means of risk reduction in decision-making. This trip was a really unique experience in that all day every day I was making decisions that would have direct and immediate consequences. For example, sleep here at a campsite with availability even though it's right next to a busy road and you know it'll be a light sleep at best vs. keep driving and try for something better (and perhaps have to crash in the car if things don't work out). Similar scenarios were abundant: finding food, getting sidetracked at the expense of getting to your high priority activity for the day ("...well, maybe I can do both"), heading out in the heat to play around and go on that bike ride vs. risk the storm later on and losing out, etc. In the early stages of the trip these little things would gnaw away at me. What I realized as I went was that when you relinquish the need for complete control over the outcome, everything becomes a lot easier. There's a fine line between getting stuck in the quagmire of "analysis paralysis" vs. being completely impulsive. As funny as it sounds, the road trip helped me to find a better balance on this scale. Regardless of the decision, I was able to deal with the consequences or make adjustments on the fly! To put this another way, nothing is 100% predictable so don't kill yourself to "get it right" - no matter what happens, you'll deal and get through it.
Attitude - cherish the adversity...
This is similar to the above on decision-making but definitely merits its own section. I suppose the adversity (e.g. getting caught out in all night lightning storms in a tent in the middle of the desert when you're already completely exhausted) is a product of your decisions. Again, I found that your attitude is highly correlated with your need to control a situation (or its outcome). When I realized this, I got to the point where I'd actually enjoy and find humor in the hairiest of hairy situations (and even seek them out to an extent) - no matter what, it was going to make for a better story! Whether it's sleeping with a hammer because of the multiple black bear sightings in camp hours before, getting caught on the top of a mountain with a flat tire as a storm rolls in without any means of fixing it and having a 2 hour hike ahead, or even being in the middle of a corporate restructuring/downsizing, get in there and "muck it up" - embrace it!!! Your attitude is your choice - given the fact that you can't control the situation, what attitude is going to enable you to persevere (and make appropriate further decisions) in your current circumstances?
Speaking of perseverance...
There is a certain degree of fear (of unknown outcome, making a mistake and dealing with consequences, etc.) in anything. When Habs and I went canyoneering in Moab, we got to the first ledge and our guide basically told our group to harness up and get ready. Not exactly a lot of instruction and coaching for "newbies". It also would have been nice to get the feel for rappelling on a 20 foot practice wall or something before jumping right into the 140 foot real deal! Anyhow, I remember Habs getting the final pep talk from Herb (our guide) before going vertical. You can imagine the nature of the dialog (especially from Habs's side), but Herb's response is the key point here: "I'd be really concerned if you weren't scared". I think it's normal to have fears about things (again, this can be extrapolated well beyond something specific like rappelling), but your ability to persevere and get through it is the key. In the grand scheme of things, your immediate problems will quickly pass.
Self-inflicted pressures...
Although I've technically worked for 3 different companies during my 14 year career, this is a product of corporate mergers and integrations - I've literally been in the same geography/environment for the entire time. Things tend to get habitual and routinized. Sometimes it's difficult to even realize this (i.e. being able to see the forest through the trees). One of my beliefs in this environment was that in order to be successful and happy, I had to climb the ladder into the highest tiers of the organization. On the trip, I met many people that are "doing it differently" than all of the "rules" that I was accustomed to, yet seemed to be doing just fine. For example, an auctioneer from KS, or a guy biking from Chicago to Seattle and doing his work projects by night, or a family from FL on a bike trip in Crested Butte. In essence, the opportunity to step back helped me to challenge my beliefs and realize that there's no one right way to go about things. Everyone can make their own path, and success/happiness isn't seen through a single lens. My strong work ethic and desire to excel in the workplace hasn't changed, however I feel less pressure to follow someone else's road to success and more motivation to follow my own.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Trip statistics...
Trip duration: 33 days (not including time on Martha's Vineyard and Maine)
Trip dates: Sunday 7/8/2007 - Thursday 8/9/2007
# of countries traveled through: 2 (Canada!!!)
# of states traveled through: 16 (ME, NH, MA, NY, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NV, CA)
Miles traveled: > 5,894 (this was the approximate number of miles that I logged en route going from night "A" destination to night "B" destination, etc. I would invariably drive around each destination once I got there. For example, I spent 3 nights in Fort Collins CO and my days were spent driving out to hikes and bike trails. There was also a lot of driving around for food, etc. If you throw in an additional conservative 10% or so, the whole shebang was a good 6,500).
Accommodations breakdown (click to enlarge):
Speeding tickets/pull-overs, etc: 0 (come on...this shouldn't be too much of a surprise...I don't know if the Honda these days could bomb around even if he tried!!)
Road kills: 0 (plenty of bugs and stuff, but fortunately no animals - the closest I came to hitting anything was on a dark night while driving out to a campground in Fruita CO - 5 different rabbits sprinted right out in front of the car in the span of about 5 mins!)
Oil changes: 2 (Madison WI and Grand Junction CO)
Longest distance in a day: 591 (and unfortunately, this was "day 1" going from Maine to Ottawa...what a way to start!! This was also the day my GPS died and I lost all cell phone signal upon crossing the border). Coincidentally, the 2nd longest driving day (clocking in at 455 mi) was the last day of the trip going from Death Valley north through Mammoth/Yosemite and then home.
Car washes: 2 (one in Casper WY was to support "troubled teens"...I wouldn't exactly call it a thorough wash, but I felt good about supporting the cause! The second one was "for real" - I was feeling way beaten down after all night thunderstorms in Fruita CO and then having to wake up pre-dawn anyways to drive Habs to the Grand Junction airport...I really needed some good Chi and this hit the spot (and I even got one of the above oil changes right next door at the same time, in addition to a sweet IHOP stack of cakes ;)
# sodas: 0!!!! (yes folks, the days of dr. peppers and mountain dews are over.....at least for now ;)
# frosties: Didn't really keep track, but not too many. Sometimes I'd hook myself up with a couple of Coors Lights while working on the blog at night or if I went out to eat.
# beef jerkies eaten: A lot (for some reason I started getting into the jerky along the way...I suppose it was so prevalent in all of the gas station food marts and it always seemed to tie me over for a while. Well, that and I really got into those "messing with Sasquatch adds")
Pounds lost: ~ 9 - 11 (difficult to say exactly due to typical fluctuations in water weight at any given time, but the difference is certainly noticeable and it feels great to have blown away most of that desk jockey spare tire)
# of national parks visited: 11 (Arches, Badlands, Bryce Canyon, Colorado National Monument, Death Valley, Devils Tower, Minuteman Missile, Mount Rushmore, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, Zion)
# disc courses played: 10.25*
Martha's Vineyard - Riverhead Park
Columbus, OH - Griggs Reservoir Park
Deforest, WI - Vallarta-Ast DGC
Stewartville, MN - Bear Cave Park
Adrian, MN - Adrian Disc Golf Course
Spearfish, SD - Black Hills State University
Casper, WY - Casper Disc Golf Course
Fort Collins, CO - Edora Park
Aspen, CO - Aspen Mountain
Palisade, CO - Riverbend Park
*Moab, UT - Camelot Adventure Lodge (a valiant effort to get there, but had to bag it after the 1st hour going 9 mph on rugged dirt roads)
# bike flats: Several, but only 1 really bad one where I didn't have the tools to change it out and I had to hoof it with the bike for a couple of hours (Hewlitt Gulch in Ft. Collins CO)
Best bathroom/shower: I think the KOA in Mitchell SD was the cleanest - No probs with the showers or anything in there. I suppose a close second would be the hostel in Crested Butte. Overall I have to say it was easier to find showers and bathroom facilities than I anticipated. Once I got away from the east coast, there were bathrooms in probably 99% of gas stations and rest stops. Also, even in campgrounds that didn't have showers or running water, typically there'd be some sort of facility in town where you could pay a nominal fee for a shower (e.g. $5 at the Poison Spider bike shop in Moab UT).
Worst bathroom/shower: From a standalone bathroom perspective, I couldn't get within 15 feet of the Badwater Basin one in Death Valley (the searing heat was definitely contributing to a certain ripeness in the air!). Ironically, I think one of the toughest showers I took was at the Deforest WI campsite (very 1st night in the tent!) - lots of spiders and bugs in there...I was definitely shampooing with one eye open).
# of laundry times: 6 (Columbus OH, Badlands SD, Casper WY, Crested Butte CO, Fruita CO, Kanab UT). Two comments on laundry: 1) I definitely didn't anticipate the ease and opportunity to do laundry on the road. Many campgrounds (established ones like KOA's) have laundry, and similar to the shower situation there are laundry facilities in towns where campgrounds are more rustic. 2) I'd say I used only about 10% of the clothes I had packed. This was definitely a product of the warm temps and sun-filled days. I would go through about 4-5 pairs of shorts/t-shirts/socks/underwear and then end up finding a place to do laundry at night and the cycle would start again (i.e. if you scan through those pics you'll never see too much variety from a clothing standpoint...come to think of it, maybe I was like that at Pfizer/J&J too!!!!!)
Best camping: The night in Death Valley (wildrose campground) was tops - it was totally sweet to be the only one out there in a rocky canyon with perfect temps, breezes, crystal clear skies, no moon, and several shooting stars. This seclusion was different than other camping experiences where I was the only one out there (e.g. Honeycomb Rocks in UT) in that it was in a national park (as opposed to off in the middle of nowhere) and it was much less "foresty" (being able to see what's around you in a wide open space seems to help!). Another good night in the tent was in the KOA outside Badlands NP in SD - an established campground well away from any major roads with plenty of amenities (e.g. Indian tacos and pancakes!!), few people there mid-week so nice and quiet, and awesome night temperatures with breezes.
Toughest camping: The night at the Deer Creek Speedway campground in MN was pretty rough - I think it would have been a much different experience if it wasn't Saturday night with races going on. People were up blasting the tunes and drinking and stuff until about 4am!! Another challenging time that broke me down a bit was the final night in Fruita CO. This was the night of Habs and my all day canyoneering trip down in Moab UT followed by the 100 mile drive back up to the campground (so we could get her to the Grand Junction CO airport for an early a.m. flight). We were wiped out, but ended up having to hang out in the car for most of the night while thunder/lightning storm after storm rolled in...everything was completely soaked. Definitely had to dig deep to find that "bring it on, challenge and adversity rocks" attitude then!!!!
Percentage of sun (vs. some form of inclement weather): ~ 98.46% (I figure it rained/stormed for about 12 hours of an approximately 778 hour trip. The only extended rains/storms were in and around the Rockies - Crested Butte, Aspen, and Grand Junction)
Gas $: ~$500 - $600
Dining/Grocery/General food $: ~$600 - $675 (This includes several multi-person meals - e.g. when Habs met up with me for a few days in CO/UT, when I stayed with friends/family I would try to take them out for dinner or whatever, etc.)
Camping $: ~$265 (for 18 nights = ~$15/night)
Hotel/Motel $: ~$370 (for 5 nights = ~$74/night)
Other $: Yes, there were definitely misc/entertainment expenses that would be entirely dependent on what kind of stuff you'd want to do on your own trip!!!
# hours spent working on the blog: I'd say at least 80 - 100. I got into quite a little routine each night off-loading pics from the camera and fixing them up for the web, writing the commentary, uploading the pics, etc. If I fell behind, it was killer to catch up again. Also, I took my time with the stats and learnings captures! It was a lot of work, but I look at the finished product and to me it was so worth it. I definitely feel a big sense of accomplishment, and I think it will be cool to revisit in the future.
# days missing Habs: Who? What? Oh, of course I meant every day ;)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Misc pics from the "end of the road"!!
Both cars ended up fitting in the driveway, otherwise I suppose it would have been sayonara to the beetle ;)
Went on a huge hike over the weekend...got a little lost and it turned into a 10k!!
Ok, so the key element in this pic is not the Golden Gate in the background - it's my "California haircut"...when I finished the trip I was in desperate need of a fight with the lawnmower, so I found a barber shop in downtown Los Altos. The barbers in there kept yelling out to everyone "hey, let's give this guy a California cut" like every few minutes and telling everyone that the NJ guy was now a Californian and stuff - you know, your basic hazing!! I was nervous there for a bit but it turned out ok (really, it did...there's just a 40mph wind in the below pic).
Last but not least, there's this great little BBQ restaurant near us called Armadillo Willy's (http://www.armadillowillys.com/). Well, I suppose restaurant status is debatable, but it's awesome. Here's my staple - the Willy's Deluxe sandwich (with the BBQ chicken and hot sauce) with sides of spicy peanut slaw and Texas toast!! This might be a serious pancake contender...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Bonus post - Yosemite!
Ok, so after the mountain biking in Mammoth when I decided to throw in the towel and head home, I let the GPS do the work without really thinking. Within 30 mins, I was at the east entrance to Yosemite National Park (which "entitled" me to a $20 "toll"!!) Oh well, at least now I've got some justification for posting a few Yosemite pics from Memorial Day weekend ;)
Yosemite is an awesome place. We did a lot of hiking and "quasi-camping" (i.e. there are semi-permanent tents in the park that you can rent out - this would be a 3-walled cinder block structure with a canvas tarp over the top - see Housekeeping Camp http://www.yosemitefun.com/housekeeping_camp.htm). I figured since this camping experience went fairly well that I could hack it cross country in my own tent!
In the southern part of the park you'll find the giant Sequoia trees. They're amazing to see up close!
Pics:
View from the valley...
Abundant waterfalls in the park...
View from a hike...
Here's another stitched series of photos...be sure to scroll right!
Habs thinking she's all cool with the OC shirt in a giant sequoia tree. Apologies about the following pics - it was a terrible time to take pics with the hard light in the middle of the day (super highlights AND super shadows...tough stuff), but there was no alternative (and when I say stuff like "this pic is going to blow, so let's not take it", Habs wigs out on me!!)
Yosemite is an awesome place. We did a lot of hiking and "quasi-camping" (i.e. there are semi-permanent tents in the park that you can rent out - this would be a 3-walled cinder block structure with a canvas tarp over the top - see Housekeeping Camp http://www.yosemitefun.com/housekeeping_camp.htm). I figured since this camping experience went fairly well that I could hack it cross country in my own tent!
In the southern part of the park you'll find the giant Sequoia trees. They're amazing to see up close!
Pics:
View from the valley...
Abundant waterfalls in the park...
View from a hike...
Here's another stitched series of photos...be sure to scroll right!
Habs thinking she's all cool with the OC shirt in a giant sequoia tree. Apologies about the following pics - it was a terrible time to take pics with the hard light in the middle of the day (super highlights AND super shadows...tough stuff), but there was no alternative (and when I say stuff like "this pic is going to blow, so let's not take it", Habs wigs out on me!!)
Mountain biking in Mammoth and heading home
My plan for the day was to go from Death Valley up to Lake Tahoe for some more mountain biking. A few hours into the trip I got sidetracked in the Sierra Nevada mountains - another trout hatchery and then some riding at Mammoth.
The ride at Mammoth was super tough. I don't know if it was the massive elevation change in a few hours, the 30mph head wind, or the deep sand on the trail (maybe a combo of all of the above!), but I was totally dead after an hour. At that point I decided to throw in the towel and head home since I was only a few hours out - will have to check out Tahoe another time and give it at least a few days! Besides, the Death Valley camping last night can't be topped - nice to end on a high note!
Pics:
Standard stuff at the hatchery...
...but then a really nice stocked river on the premises where you could see all of the trout "working out" in the cold clean currents!
So here's the ride on Mammoth Rock Trail (I wish it was a little more rocky...the singletrack was super soft and I thought I was going to die!!)
Made it!!
The ride at Mammoth was super tough. I don't know if it was the massive elevation change in a few hours, the 30mph head wind, or the deep sand on the trail (maybe a combo of all of the above!), but I was totally dead after an hour. At that point I decided to throw in the towel and head home since I was only a few hours out - will have to check out Tahoe another time and give it at least a few days! Besides, the Death Valley camping last night can't be topped - nice to end on a high note!
Pics:
Standard stuff at the hatchery...
...but then a really nice stocked river on the premises where you could see all of the trout "working out" in the cold clean currents!
So here's the ride on Mammoth Rock Trail (I wish it was a little more rocky...the singletrack was super soft and I thought I was going to die!!)
Made it!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Death Valley
Drove over to Death Valley National Park. On the way, I was a bit disconcerted that it was so cool out - I was hoping to experience the relentless heat of the desert down there. Sure enough, as I got to the lower elevations my expectation was exceeded!! It was a really awesome experience. What was interesting was that there were some resorts and hotels down in Death Valley (e.g. I even drove by one that had tennis courts), but they didn't seem crowded at all (maybe in Dec/Jan things pick up ;)
I found the visitor center in Furnace Creek and went to talk to a ranger about hiking trails. One of the park service staff immediately told me that I was already displaying early signs of heat stroke and that if I exerted myself at all I would die and no one would find me out there for days or weeks. We compromised - he hooked me up with some smaller walks around some of the park's attractions (which were totally awesome and better than the hike probably would have been anyways!)
I definitely ended up having the best camping night of the trip here too. I drove up to a campground at about 4000 ft ("Wildrose") where it was in the mid 70's overnight. The campsite was in the middle of a rock canyon and I was the only person out there. The sky was incredibly clear, and I sat there watching shooting stars and listening to coyotes howl for a couple of hours. Totally awesome experience!!
Pics (pardon my indulgence on these...I ended up taking and posting a bunch because it was so nice and random out there):
Surprise surprise, another little ghost town in Rhyolite (right near the entrance to Death Valley NP). Kind of cool to check it out, but definitely uninhabited (unlike the others where you get the sense that you're being watched)
It was so nice and hot in Death Valley (like 110+). In a lot of places (especially where the charred black rocks were all over the place), it actually smelled burnt like the rocks in a sauna when you pour water on them...
Like walking around on another planet or something...
There was a salt flat called the Badwater Basin that was below sea level. You could walk around on it and stuff. It was like having a hot hair dryer blowing at you the whole time down in there - really windy but super bakey!!
A mini lake of "bad water" - probably pretty salty!!
So there was this bathroom in the parking area...I had to go, but couldn't walk within 15 feet of it without gagging (imagine the relentless sun/heat beating down on a place like this for months at a time!!)
Interesting terrain at the "Devil's Golf Course"
I found the visitor center in Furnace Creek and went to talk to a ranger about hiking trails. One of the park service staff immediately told me that I was already displaying early signs of heat stroke and that if I exerted myself at all I would die and no one would find me out there for days or weeks. We compromised - he hooked me up with some smaller walks around some of the park's attractions (which were totally awesome and better than the hike probably would have been anyways!)
I definitely ended up having the best camping night of the trip here too. I drove up to a campground at about 4000 ft ("Wildrose") where it was in the mid 70's overnight. The campsite was in the middle of a rock canyon and I was the only person out there. The sky was incredibly clear, and I sat there watching shooting stars and listening to coyotes howl for a couple of hours. Totally awesome experience!!
Pics (pardon my indulgence on these...I ended up taking and posting a bunch because it was so nice and random out there):
Surprise surprise, another little ghost town in Rhyolite (right near the entrance to Death Valley NP). Kind of cool to check it out, but definitely uninhabited (unlike the others where you get the sense that you're being watched)
It was so nice and hot in Death Valley (like 110+). In a lot of places (especially where the charred black rocks were all over the place), it actually smelled burnt like the rocks in a sauna when you pour water on them...
Like walking around on another planet or something...
There was a salt flat called the Badwater Basin that was below sea level. You could walk around on it and stuff. It was like having a hot hair dryer blowing at you the whole time down in there - really windy but super bakey!!
A mini lake of "bad water" - probably pretty salty!!
So there was this bathroom in the parking area...I had to go, but couldn't walk within 15 feet of it without gagging (imagine the relentless sun/heat beating down on a place like this for months at a time!!)
Interesting terrain at the "Devil's Golf Course"
Check out the colors in the rocks...
There was a nice road that meandered in and around some desolate rock fields. Very peaceful out there!
I was heading to the campsite ("Wildrose" was at a higher elevation up in those mountains and much more bearable than the 90+ degree nights on the valley floor) and ran across these sand dunes. I caught them about 30 mins before sunset. It was awesome to walk around out there!
Yeah, you can see how I side-stepped Vegas. I'll head back there soon with Habs, but this time I figured I'll protect the wallet until I've got some steady income again (I'm not exactly a lucky gambler!!)
There was a nice road that meandered in and around some desolate rock fields. Very peaceful out there!
I was heading to the campsite ("Wildrose" was at a higher elevation up in those mountains and much more bearable than the 90+ degree nights on the valley floor) and ran across these sand dunes. I caught them about 30 mins before sunset. It was awesome to walk around out there!
Yeah, you can see how I side-stepped Vegas. I'll head back there soon with Habs, but this time I figured I'll protect the wallet until I've got some steady income again (I'm not exactly a lucky gambler!!)
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Looking for aliens on the Extraterrestrial Highway...
The Honeycomb Rocks campsite turned out to be a really cool spot once the sun came up - tons of big boulders and rocks all over the place. Worth the effort to get there!
My activity for the day was to check out the "white mailbox" on the Extraterrestrial Highway (rt. 375 in NV). This is a remote and desolate spot outside of a military base ("Area 51") where there are a lot of UFO sightings (or at least military aviation tests of some sort ;) Net result = I'll leave you guessing here...scroll to see pics!
Pics:
Sweet little campsite at Honeycomb Rocks. Definitely no "bandits" (too far away for anyone to bother!!)
Before heading out of town, I got to take a shower (and bathroom, breakfast burrito, telephone, etc.) at the gas station...this place was totally happening. I'd bet it's a great Friday/Saturday night hangout spot - not too much else in town!!
You know when you fly out west and you see all of the circular farm fields from the window? I saw one of the irrigation systems in action (yeah, I'm so easily amused!) As you can see, the farmer's field is really out in the desert and everything that doesn't get the water is brown or is a rock. Basically the sprinklers on the water pipe are constant, and the wheels move forward about 6 inches every couple of minutes. I didn't have the patience to watch a complete revolution around the field ;)
I passed through another ghost town right near the Utah/Nevada border...eerie just like the one in CO...
...and potentially dangerous!
Pretty desolate out there, but really scenic...
I tried to befriend this guy but he seemed a little skittish and wouldn't let me get too close
So here's the white mailbox on the Extraterrestrial Highway. There's a little parking area to the left of it where you can hang out and watch the night sky. I had also read on the Internet somewhere that you can pitch the tent right there in the parking lot, but I decided not to - it was super windy and there were a lot of flies (although I wonder in hindsight if sweating all day every day exacerbated that problem ;) Anyways, I hung around for a bit and hoped to see something...
...and waited for a little bit longer for night to fall...
...and finally chowed down a nice dinner in the car after seeing squat. There weren't even any other people out there looking around or anything. Once the sun went down, a whole bunch of bugs came out. I guess the aliens aren't too into that!
My activity for the day was to check out the "white mailbox" on the Extraterrestrial Highway (rt. 375 in NV). This is a remote and desolate spot outside of a military base ("Area 51") where there are a lot of UFO sightings (or at least military aviation tests of some sort ;) Net result = I'll leave you guessing here...scroll to see pics!
Pics:
Sweet little campsite at Honeycomb Rocks. Definitely no "bandits" (too far away for anyone to bother!!)
Before heading out of town, I got to take a shower (and bathroom, breakfast burrito, telephone, etc.) at the gas station...this place was totally happening. I'd bet it's a great Friday/Saturday night hangout spot - not too much else in town!!
You know when you fly out west and you see all of the circular farm fields from the window? I saw one of the irrigation systems in action (yeah, I'm so easily amused!) As you can see, the farmer's field is really out in the desert and everything that doesn't get the water is brown or is a rock. Basically the sprinklers on the water pipe are constant, and the wheels move forward about 6 inches every couple of minutes. I didn't have the patience to watch a complete revolution around the field ;)
I passed through another ghost town right near the Utah/Nevada border...eerie just like the one in CO...
...and potentially dangerous!
Pretty desolate out there, but really scenic...
I tried to befriend this guy but he seemed a little skittish and wouldn't let me get too close
So here's the white mailbox on the Extraterrestrial Highway. There's a little parking area to the left of it where you can hang out and watch the night sky. I had also read on the Internet somewhere that you can pitch the tent right there in the parking lot, but I decided not to - it was super windy and there were a lot of flies (although I wonder in hindsight if sweating all day every day exacerbated that problem ;) Anyways, I hung around for a bit and hoped to see something...
...and waited for a little bit longer for night to fall...
...and finally chowed down a nice dinner in the car after seeing squat. There weren't even any other people out there looking around or anything. Once the sun went down, a whole bunch of bugs came out. I guess the aliens aren't too into that!
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