Cross country road trip again! - Atlanta, GA to Ottawa, IL (Days 1-4)

I wish I could say I have been looking forward to this one as much as I was the last one, but that would be a big ol' lie. I am, however, excited about having it over with (too bad that is still 5 days from now). It will mean all of my possessions are reunited in the same city, and that I will be living in an awesome place - the San Francisco Bay Area. Honestly, I really lucked out with my EIS placement. I think I am going to love it out in California. The weather, the water, the mountains, the wineries, the hiking, the biking, well, I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. The best part is that now that I have a car I will be able to access all of it (one of the unforeseen downsides of living in NYC sans vehicle, at least for me).

EIS started on July 1 in Atlanta, GA. I have already survived living in a hotel for nearly a month and all of the associated pros and cons of living such a life. My friends, both old and new, made it bearable and actually quite fun. Believe it or not, I was sad to say goodbye to the hotel. Scratch that, I was sad to say goodbye to my friends in the hotel (and in Atlanta), not so much hotel life. By the time I reach my new home, I will have been living out of a suitcase for 4 months, so I am very much looking forward to getting back into a routine, particularly one that involves exercise. I am supposedly training for a November 1 marathon. I need to get my butt in gear.

Anyways, I digress, back to the cross country road trip. CDC is paying for part of my move, a whopping $3000. When I left Atlanta for NYC I downsized from a 3 bedroom house to a studio apartment, and while I got rid of a lot of stuff, I still ended up with a storage space in Atlanta. I also ended up with a storage space in NYC when I vacated my apartment last April. With a place big enough to hold everything out in CA, I had to figure out how to get everything there from two different cities. Ideally, I would have had professional movers do everything for me, but let's face it, with a $3000 budget, that wasn't going to happen. The most economical method was for me to do it, hence another cross country road trip. And this isn't just any cross country road trip, it is an Atlanta to NYC to Richmond, CA road trip - bleh.

One might say perhaps, NYC to Atlanta to Richmond would be the more sensical route, but since I was already in Atlanta for work I picked up the moving truck (a 22' monster) there and loaded up my stuff. I got myself to Roanoke, VA before stopping for the night. It was a long day. Day 2 was spent going from Roanoke to Edgewater, NJ - just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Hudson to my storage space in the Bronx. All in all the day's driving wasn't so bad, but naturally I hit Newark at ruch hour heading toward NYC. Talk about instant stress. I quickly learned that being the "nice" driver wasn't going to get me anywhere, so I took a more agressive approach. Namely, I went where I wanted to go and let the size of my truck scare off all the little cars.

Before I go too much further, I should stop to say that I did hire "professional" movers to load my truck for me in Atlanta - Atlanta Peach Movers. The reviews online were good; however, that is about to change because I will be adding my 2 cents. When I made my reservation, I made it clear that there would be some packing that needed to be done and specifically requested that they have packing supplies with them. Two guys showed up with a little bit of tape and saran wrap left in the truck from another move. They didn't even have a hand truck, let alone boxes. Luckily, I had gotten a few boxes from a friend and had a hand truck in the storage space, so my packing needs ended up being covered (not that that makes things okay). Packing the truck was a different matter entirely. They did a horrible job. I'm not a professional mover, so when we closed up the truck after loading, things looked good to me, but when I opened it up again in NYC things were a mess. Boxes had fallen and broken open, so there were books all over the place. My big antique mirror had fallen, but luckily didn't break (the mirror part at least, the woodwork will need further inspection once it is unpacked in CA). I am quite concerned about breakage because of these guys' incompetence. On the bright side, the guys I hired in NYC, Big John's Moving, were great. They fixed everything that had fallen because of the Atlanta guys and super securely loaded all of my NYC stuff. It has not budged. Yay for Big John's Moving and boo, hiss for Atlanta Peach Movers.

I soloed the Atlanta to NYC drive but am super happy that my friend Michelle in joining me for the NYC to Richmond leg. It is making it so much better. I'm rather stressed out over this whole process, so I am really glad she is here with me. Arriving in CA 4 days from now will not come soon enough, but having her with me is making a really not fun thing at least a bit of fun.

The two of us made it to my folks' place in OH last night and are now in a divey hotel in Ottawa, IL. When staying in a hotel on this trip, I've been staying in Choice Hotels (Comfort Inns, Quality Inns, etc.), and the ones in Roanoke and Edgewater were quite nice. The one in Ottawa, IL, not so much. It'll do though - there don't appear to be any bed bugs (yes, we felt the need to check).

Thanks to Michelle for taking pictures along the way.

The long open road ahead of us.

Farms in Pennsylvania

Chillin in the passenger seat

Our new trucker life

You have to admit that we've got to be the cutest truckers out there

Farms in Illinois

My Arrival in California

Since I had completed, or should I say attempted, all of the hikes that I wanted to do on my own at Zion, I headed out early. My plan was to get to Rebecca's in Point Richmond, CA sometime on Saturday. Since it was only Friday, I had some some time to play with. I decided that I would go through Death Valley National Park on my way. I wasn't totally sure what to expect when I got there, i.e., unbearably hot temperatures, so I figured if it didn't work out that was okay. I could always push on towards Rebecca's. When I entered the park, it was only in the 80s, although when I started descending into the valley the temperature began to rise. By the time I reached the visitor's center it was in the low 90s. When I emerged from my vehicle it didn't actually feel so bad. It is a dry heat afterall. I decided to go for it, although my thoughts of possibly camping there that evening were definitely out.

I asked one of the park rangers at the visitor's center what he recommended I do if I only had a few hours and he said I should go to Badwater Basin (the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere), drive through Artists Drive, and then check out the vistas from Zabriskie Point and Dantes View. It seemed like a good plan to me, so I headed out.

View driving from the "Fiery Furnace" visitor's center to Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin - elevation=282 ft below sea level - the temps hit 100 down here and it was still before noon.

Badwater Pool

The salt flats

I passed a couple of other sights I thought might be interesting on my way from Badwater Basin to Artists Drive, but they required hiking at least a mile in 100 degree heat to get to them, and I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I will come back during cooler months at some point.

Views from Artists Drive

Views from Zabriskie Point

Views from Dantes View

After finishing up at Dantes View my GPS wanted me to exit the park near where I was and drive south and then back up through the Central Valley, kinda of making a J shape. I wasn't all that excited about that route so I had it configure another. The next one had me driving back through most of the park, over Panamint Range and Inyo Mountains, and then heading north on 305 which take between the Inyo and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This sounded much nicer.

The Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park - I would have missed them had I gone with the original route.

View from a vista in the Inyo Mountains

The Sierra Nevadas

By about 7:30 that evening I started looking for a place to saty for the night. I had already given myself permission to stay in a hotel, but by the time I decided I would start looking for one, they seemed to have disappeared. I passed several camping opportunities along 305 but it was drizzling a bit, so I passed them up in hopes of coming a cross a hotel or dryer weather at least. Before I knew it I was on the road cutting west through Yosemite National Park. I came across a campground in Lee Vinig prior to entering the park and decided I would stop there for the night. I was already at a fairly high elevation and didn't really know what I would encounter inside of the park. Plus, this campsite was only a couple of miles from a gas station, so after I set up camp and ate dinner (which included locking all of my food and toiletries ina bear box - the first one I had encountered on my trip), I went there to brush my teeth. It was pretty much pitch black by the time I got back to my campsite, so I headed straight to sleep. It did get cold that evening, but it wasn't nearly as cold as my nights in Bryce Canyon. I stuffed plastic bags and my dirty laundry into the bottom of my sleeping bag, but I didn't find it necessary to tie plastic bags around my feet.

Daylight came early but I wasn't quite ready to get out of my warm sleeping bag yet, so I let myself doze off and on for a while. I was only about 4 hours from Rebecca's, so I knew I didn't need to hurry. When I couldn't sleep any longer I got out bed and packed up camp as quickly as possible. It was quite cold outside, and for the first time since I went camping in MO there was dew on the outside of my tent. It made my finders freeze that much faster. I was so happy once everything was back in my car and I was in it with the heat cranked up.

The park entrance was still several miles away from where I camped and several thousand feet above me.

Ellery Lake - elevation 9538 ft - this lake was shortly before the entrance to Yosemite located at Tioga Pass (elevation 9945 ft - the highest elevation I would reach on my journey)

Views along my way through Yosemite National Park

Yosemite was beautiful and I definitely want to go back. I never even entered the main part of the park where Half Dome and El Capitan are located. Luckily, I will soon live only a few hours drive from the park and with my National Parks pass good through the end of June 2010, I'm sure I will be back.

I reached Rebecca's around lunch time on Saturday. The drive into the Bay Area was full of emotions, partly excitement for reaching my destination, partly sadness for my journey coming to an end. I was also excited about the new chapter of my life I was about to begin and a little bit scared of the transition I was about to go through. Luckily, I already have a few friends in teh Bay Area and it was so good to see a friendly face when I arrived at Rebecca's. I got my stuff inside, the camping stuff hung up to dry, and was soon in the shower washing away the last four days of hiking grime. It felt so nice.

I got to see so many more places than I had originally thought I would when I set out from my parents in OH, and I feel like I have mearly scratched the surface at some of them. Of all of the places I went to, I most want to return to Canyonlands. There are two other sections of the park that I want to see, and next time I want to be better prepared to go backpacking and get a bit more off the beaten path. I'd love to take my bike with me as well and soend a day down the road at Arches riding the length of that park. I'd also like to return to Zion and tackle the 14 mile hike that I didn't do this trip, and who knows, maybe I'll have the courage to get up Angel's Landing next time around. Utah is a beautiful place and there is one more National Park there that I didn't attend, so I'll definitely go back someday.

My Prius after the 5100 miles I drove between my parents in OH and Rebecca's in CA. Tens on thousands of bugs lost their lives in teh making of this journey.

Zion National Park

I survived my second night in temperatures in the 30s in Bryce Canyon without much difficulty. The plastic bags on my feet made a huge difference! One of them came loose during the night and it didn’t take long for my foot to become so cold it woke me up, but I re-secured it and was back to sleep in no time. Once I awoke for the morning, I packed up camp as quickly as possible so I could find refuge from the cold in my car with the heat cranked up.

The drive from Bryce Canyon to Zion was only around an hour and a half. Once I got close I started looking for campground options. I had tried to reserve a campsite in the park online but it said they were all already booked, so my hopes were not high for finding anything inside of the park. My route was going to take me through the East Entrance; where as most of the “attractions” were closer to the South Entrance, which would also be my route of departure. There was a campground right outside of the East Entrance that I considered staying at, but I pulled into and got a bad vibe, so I decided to take my chances on the other side of the park. The drive through the park was very windy as I descended into the canyon. I also had to go through a mile long tunnel, which was kind of neat. Prior to reaching the South Entrance, I came across one of the campgrounds and surprisingly it did not have a “Campground Full” sign up. I promptly drove in and secured a spot. As I was setting up camp, I heard a rustling in the tall grasses nearby. I apparently had chosen a campsite that also served as the home of an unusual little critter. He looked like a gerbil, but I didn’t think they were wild animals. According to this website they are but not in the US, so who knows. I tried to get a picture of him, but by the time I got back with my camera he was gone and not to be seen again.

Zion National Park doesn’t allow private vehicles into the main section of the park during the peak season, so you have to take a shuttle instead. I really liked this because I didn’t have to move my car or find parking the entire time I was at the park. After setting up camp and eating lunch, I jumped on the shuttle at the visitor’s center and headed to the back of the park – a place called The Temple of Sinawava. You’ve got me. The shuttle drivers did all sorts of talking about the Biblically named places in the park and about the Mormon pioneers who named them, but this one, nada. I’m guessing something Native American. Anyways, the Riverside Walk trail is back there and at the end you start wading through the river towards a place called The Narrows. I took my time getting to the back and did a couple of river crossings but soon became nervous about falling over because of the current and ruining my good camera. I decided that perhaps I would come back later with my cheap camera in a plastic bag and go further.

A cheeky squirrel along the Riverside Walk trail. The squirrels and chipmunks were even bolder here than at Bryce Canyon.

The trail to The Narrows

After that hike, I headed to another area called Weeping Rock where I hiked both the Weeping Rock trail and the Hidden Canyon Trail. The former was short but steep, but the latter was longer, although still only a mile one way, as well as steep. It also came with a warning against people with a fear of heights attempting it. I do have a fear of heights but I can generally get past it in most situations. I figured I could always turn back if needed. I did make it to theHidden Canyon although there were a few scary moments for me. I ate a snack there before heading back out.

Hidden Canyon

It was still relatively early in the day at this point, so I decided to hike yet another trail. This time I created a 3 mile loop by combining the Middle Emerald Pool Trail, Upper Emerald Pool Trail, Kayenta Trail, and an unnamed trail along the river. It was another nice hike, but the “Emerald” pools weren’t anything too spectacular. I would hesitate to call them emerald. Since this hike began and ended at the Zion Lodge where there is a café, I treated myself to frozen yogurt. It was quite tasty, especially after being outside in the sun and heat all day.

Zion Canyon and the Virgin River from the Middle Emerald Pool Trail

The Lower Emerald Pool

It was full of tadpoles

Upper Emerald Pool

A butterfly I encountered along the Kayenta Trail

After my break, I got back onto the shuttle to head back to my campsite. On the spur of the moment I decided to jump back off at the Canyon Junction stop and walk the rest of the way back on Pa’rus Trail. I was so tired by the time I reached my campsite. I had hiked about 10 miles that day. I quickly ate dinner and got ready for bed. I read until it was dark enough to sleep and then zonked out.

Views from the Pa'rus Trail

My plan for my second day was to hike the Angel’s Landing and Watchman Trails before heading back to the Riverside Walk trail again. The Angel’s Landing Trail was to be my longest individual hike of my stay at Zion (5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1488 ft). It also came with a warning against people with a fear of heights doing it but since the Hidden Canyon Trail had gone as well as it did, I figured I’d give it a go. This was despite the fact that I had heard that there was a section with some odd hundred feet drop on one side and an even larger some odd hundred feet drop on the other. Things started off well. The first two miles went by fairly easily given the elevation I was gaining. I made it through the section called Walter’s Wiggles and soon came upon the final half mile. It looked daunting, but I was determined to at least give it a try. I started up but eventually reached a point that I just couldn’t go any further. I knew that physically I could easily reach the top but my mind was saying no way. I was to the point that my fear was making more unbalanced so I turned back. At the time I turned back I thought that I was really close to making it to the top and was so disappointed in myself for giving up, but after I got a further back and gained that perspective I realized that I had barely made a dent in the final half mile by the point I turned around. That made feel a little better, plus I saw what was waiting for me further down the trail and knew I never would have made it. I spent a bit of time hiking another trail that was up there before heading down, so I did get to enjoy the scenery from the top of the canyon.

Walter's Wiggles looking up

Walter's Wiggles looking down

A sign I encountered right before beginning the last half mile of the trail. I did not encounter one of these at the Hidden Canyon Trail...

Looking down from where I decided I could not go any further

Looking up from where I decided I could not go any further. To me it looked like it ended just around that bend and I still couldn't make myself go any further.

There is someone in this photo in jeans and a pink shirt just below my turn around point.

All of Angel's Landing - I still had such a long way to go.

Views from the Angel's Landing Trail

View of the Court of the Patriarchs - the three white peaks are called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Compared to the Angel’s Landing Trail, the Watchman Trail was a piece of cake and I flew through it in nearly half the time the trail guide had estimated it taking.

View from the Watchman Trail

After completing the Watchman Trail, I did swap out my camera and head back to the Riverside Walk Trail. I quickly made my way through the first mile back to the water section of the trail and headed up the river. I was quickly past my turn around point from the previous day, but my progress slowed once I rounded a bend and saw people in water up over their waste. I hadn’t been prepared that. The depth of the water in and of itself didn’t bother me, I just hadn’t dress appropriately to get my clothes wet since everything I had encountered on my first trip was at most knee deep. I was wearing quick dry items, but they weren’t going to dry fast enough for me to get back on the shuttle to my campsite. Had I known, I would have brought something to change into. I also learned that trekking poles would also have been handy because the number of times I came close to getting wet from losing my balance on the rocks in the river. Ultimately, I turned back again but with the resolve to return again someday completely prepared to make my way up river.

By the time I did make it back to the shuttle, I was starving. I had once again hiked at least 10 miles. I didn’t feel like the peanut butter and honey sandwich waiting to be made back at my campsite was going to make a dent in my appetite, so I decided to treat myself by getting a burger and French fries at the café at the Zion Lodge. It was so good, although I think anything that wasn’t peanut butter and honey at that point would have tasted fabulous. Even though I had devoured a large quantity of food, I was still hungry and capped off my meal with a vanilla ice cream cone. Yummy! Then it was back to my campsite. It was still fairly early, but I got ready for bed and passed my time reading until it was dark enough to go to sleep. I was so tired.