Day 149 - Sonoma to Big Sur

Dad and I stopped at the famous Muir Woods early in the morning on the way to the airport. We were there before the crowds and enjoyed the peacefulness.

After dropping Dad off at the airport I went to Costco to get four new tires. Road trip necessaries. I then continued south along route 1 to Pacifica and then further, in slow traffic, to Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz beach with its picturesque arches was packed and pretty.

The Bixby Bridge is a top feature along the Big Sur highway. The cliff drop off was dramatic.

I drove past campgrounds at dusk, trying to stay on the scenic road at this scenic time of day as long as possible. There was a modern house perked on a cliff side where this picture was taken. What a sunset!

Many miles later, I found a known boondocking road, winding up a national forest hillside, and secured a small spot with a mystic view.

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Day 18 & 19 - Las Vegas to Grand Canyon

If I could change one thing about my road trip plan so far, I would've bought the van in North Carolina months in advance, got it insured, checked out metchanically and converted to a camper before setting out on the road trip. The van stuff has been a bit of a hassle-- but it has worked out int he end. I drove five hours from Phoenix to Las Vegas on Tuesday in order to pick up my official proof of automobile purchase from the Hertz Dealer and get my car registered at the Nevada DMV. The last step to a legit legal Nevada vehicle. I wanted to get the DMV registration done that day but would've had to wait in line all night to be seen. So I got a cheap hotel in vegas, lost $100 gambling at poker:(, and got an early spot in line to get the van registered. A family friend's address would serve as my Nevada address. After resolving a minor issue with my Nevada insurance, I got my Nevada plates, paying $434 in fees--thieves. I drove to Walmart and bought a plug and play Siri...

Day 48 - Dead Horse Point

Cowboys used to corral horses beyond the narrow neck of this high point overlooking the Colorado River. They would then fence them in and when they returned take the strongest horses and leave the weaker ones to die without water at this to-be-named Dead Horse Point State Park. Terrible name and story, great views. 500 feet higher in elevation than the just-across-the-canyon Canyonlands Island in the Sky, Dead Horse Point does have a must-see view of the mighty Colorado and vast canyons behind. I arrived mid-afternoon and hiked the east rim trail a mile and a half to the far point, meandered along the west rim a bit and then hiked back along the road. Knowing sunset time was special in this canyon country, I decided to wait a bit for the sun to fall. I drove this time to the far point, then walked around in search of the best vantage point. Before the sun actually set, I drove on, first to a full closeby campground and then on an hour to Moab, to the campground f...

Day 170 - JMT Forrester Pass

The mountains had a surreal glow this morning as we climbed up towards the 13,200 foot high Forrester Pass. One of the wonderful things about the mountains is that they change appearance as the sun changes height, creating a movie-like experience as you walk. I felt so free and happy this morning--just in love with this light. After sixty minutes of walking, we stopped in the first sunny spot we could find to thaw out and rest. Another hiker came bustling up the trail behind us and stopped at the sunspot to shed a layer of clothing. Sly was a Canadian hiker, just turned 40, who seemed happy to see us. We struck up a conversation about travels and when we pushed off Sly asked if he could join us. We said yes of course. We hiked quickly up the trail, reaching a high plateau with epic alpine views. Selfie time! We skirted around a high alpine lake and then went up a ridge line ever further higher. We were at 12,000+ feet now and the world began to look small y...

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