Day 128 - Oregon Coast

One week ago, my phone went swimming in the Pacific Ocean. I had stupidly left my phone (my only computer on this trip) and my digital camera in my pocket while I crossed a shallow channel at the beautiful Secret Cove beach in southern Oregon. When the sand behind a rock suddenly disappeared, I sunk down to my waist and soaked both devices. I was able to recover my digital camera but the phone died when I tried to charge it. With my old phone back in use, this blog is now back in action.

A historic lighthouse on the beautiful Oregon Coast near Bandon was my first stop. The stone pier stretched deep into the Pacific and made me feel like a sailor in a storm.

Horses walking between the craggy rocks gave the nearby Face Rock Scenic Viewpoint a surreal feel.

My first hike of the day was at Floras Lake State Park, down a three mile stretch of beach with 100 foot cliffs towering beside. With nowhere to escape if a rogue wave came up, I felt a bit unsafe hiking along this beach, even though it was low tide and the waves never came close to the cliffs. Jump shot to show my enthusiasm for this beautiful place!

I later hiked to Blacklock Point on top of the cliffs (behind my head in the jump portrait). I hiked for several miles through enchanted-looking forests and suddenly emerged to this powerful view. Wow!

Blacklock Point was visited by one other group of people on that day and this picture captured the awe-inspiring feel of this rugged, remote, memorable place.

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Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion! I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together. David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S. and Canada....

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper. The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...

Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet! I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception. I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton. The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district. Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...

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