Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Day 28: Houston, Texas
Total Miles Traveled: 8,679
Black No. 1: 1
Jack Rabbits: 0
Well, once again I must apologize as I have been unable to post an update until now. My last post was from Lee Vining, California. Since then I have spent some time in Las Vegas, northern Arizona, southern Utah and New Mexico. I did not have internet access in any of these places, except Las Vegas. Since having clean clothes to wear trumps updating this blog, I decided to do some laundry in Vegas rather than post an update. So, let’s get started…
I left Lee Vining on Wednesday morning to go to Death Valley. My trip up to that point had included largely cloudless skies and temperatures that rarely made it out of the 60s. It was quite spectacular. I knew those days were gone as I was heading into the desert southwest. When I left Lee Vining, which is at an elevation of almost 7,000 feet, early that morning, the temperature was 30 degrees.
On my way to Death Valley, I drove through the Inyo National Forest, which is located on the eastern side of the Sierra’s in California. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m just an accountant and am certainly not an expert in biology, chemistry, ecology and other earth sciences, but I would like to think that I do have some basic knowledge in these areas. After all, I was a biology major in college for the majority of my college career. Does this look ironic to anyone else?
If so, please let me know as I had been in California for several days at this point and was unable to tell if irrational thought had rubbed off on me. This could, however, be one of those classic situations in which I couldn’t see the forest for the…sagebrush and stubby grass. I just wonder what the tree-huggers actually hug. (These kinds of thoughts keep me awake late at night when the power goes out.)
Anyway, while pondering such things, I finally made it to Death Valley. This was my second time at Death Valley, so I had an idea of several places that I wanted to visit. I started out at Ubehebe Crater. Many years ago, this volcanic crater blew volcanic ash all over the surrounding area. In some places this ash is up to 150 feet deep.
I also went to Dante’s View, which is approximately 5,500 feet in elevation. The temperature here was 83 degrees. Dante’s View provides a nice vantage point to see the entire Badwater Basin.
After leaving Dante’s View, I headed towards the Badwater Basin. On the way, I stopped at Zabriskie Point
I also stopped at the Natural Bridge. As I turned down the dirt road that leads to the Natural Bridge, I noticed a sign that indicated the hike was a little further than I thought, so I backed up and off to the side of the road to consult my maps and hiking guides as I did not want to make a 2 mile round trip hike in 114 degree heat. (That’s an 84 degree change in temperature from my morning in Lee Vining, for those of you keeping score at home.) As I decided that the hike was manageable (after all, it’s a dry heat), I started to head up to the bridge. One little problem was that my truck didn’t move when I stepped on the gas. Oh, snap! Apparently I had pulled a little too far off of the dirt road onto the really fine desert sand. Thank goodness Black No. 1 is 4-wheel drive. Once she was in 4-wheel drive…I still didn’t move and managed to sink all four of my tires almost up to the axle. Oh, snap!
Just as I’m starting to try and figure out how the heck to get myself out of this one, four Arab guys roll up. Only one of them spoke English, but not very well. After explaining that I was stuck, these guys were more than willing to assist in getting me unstuck. After about 30 minutes, we had managed to dig out all four tires. Thank goodness I packed a small camp shovel! To make a long, dirty story a little shorter, we finally freed Black No. 1.
Those guys were very helpful and I was certainly thankful for their help. However, one of them was filming the entire thing, so now I’m probably on some Arab equivalent of YouTube looking ridiculous. Anyway, at this point I was sweating profusely (remember that it was only 114 degrees) and covered in the fine desert dust that seemed to be everywhere. I was filthy and ready for a shower. Also, I was so hacked off that I didn’t every make it to the Natural Bridge, but I did learn a valuable lesson, which is to pay attention to the “soft shoulder” signs. (I didn’t take any pictures of this event as I didn’t want there to be any proof, however, you can look for it on YouTube.)
I did make it to Badwater Basin, which is the lowest spot in North America.
Here are some other pictures from Death Valley:
Upon leaving Death Valley, I proceeded to Las Vegas for a much needed shower.
Thursday morning, I took Black No. 1 to have her oil changed and get a few additional items checked out as I had been noticing some things in the way she was driving (also, I hit a deer). After spending much more time and much more money than I had intended, I was off to the Toroweep area of the Grand Canyon.
Toroweep is approximately 60 miles west of the Visitor’s Center at the North Rim. It is only assessable by dirt roads. I started towards Toroweep from St. George, Utah. The road leading to the canyon from St. George is the longest, at approximately 80 miles, but I’ve heard that it is the most scenic. The road goes by Mount Trumbull and good portions of the road were pretty rugged. However, it was pretty scenic:
The Toroweep overlook provides what some people consider the best viewpoint of the canyon. I don’t think that it’s the best, more on that later, but it certainly does provide the best vantage point of the river compared to any of the overlooks that I’ve been to (and I’ve been to most of them). You basically have a direct view of the river from 2,500 feet directly above it. Good thing I’m not afraid of heights. The first part of the overlook I walked up to provided me with this view (note the rafters!):
Since I spent so much time in Vegas having work done on my truck, I didn’t get to Toroweep until late in the day. As a result, the light (sunlight) vs. dark (shadow) contrast in many of my pictures isn’t very good, but several did come out pretty well.
In that last picture (note the poor contrast), you can just make out the two rafts on the southern (right) bank in the middle of the picture. I had my binoculars and could also see several tents on that bank. I think that one of my next adventures just may be floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. That has always been something I’ve wanted to do and this certainly reinforced that desire.
I left the Toroweep area via the Fredonia (Arizona) road. This dirt portion of this road was approximately 60 miles, but was well maintained and much easier to travel than the St. George road. However, I did a good portion of this road at night. There were quite a few cows on the road. I can say with some certainty that when you’re doing 50 down a dirt road at night, seeing a black cow standing there will make you slow down after you almost soil yourself. I also saw numerous rabbits and deer. The actually got a rabbit, but the deer wanted no part of Black No. 1.
I spent all day Friday at the North Rim. The area that I was most excited to see was Point Sublime. The road to Point Sublime is approximately 17 miles long and is, to say the least, unmaintained. My dad and I had tried to see Point Sublime about two years ago. We got about 8 miles into it and had to turn back as it started raining hard and these “roads” are impassible when wet. They are almost impassible when dry.
This road was by far the roughest that I was on for my entire trip. It was very rocky and went up and down the side of the mountains. It took me two full hours to drive the 17 miles (one way). Here is a sampling of pictures I took on this road:
Now, that last one may not look like much, but it is looking up a pretty steep hill and contains several pretty deep divots. I actually bottomed out my truck at one point and at another had all four tires spinning without moving. (Oh, snap! Not again!) After backing up and trying again, I finally made it up the hill. This portion of the road is downhill going to Point Sublime and uphill coming back, so I didn’t have much choice but to make it up the hill. Just so you know, it was much easier going down that hill. It’s still very bumpy, but it is easier!
On my way back from Point Sublime and before I got to that nasty portion of the road, I saw some German guy and his wife in a rented Escalade (the Tahoe equivalent, which ever one that is). He said that he didn’t know if he could make it back up that hill. I’m not sure if he made it or not, but I was shocked that anyone would take a rented car on that road. If it wasn’t 4-wheel drive, then he was in trouble.
Anyway, Point Sublime was certainly aptly named. This is my favorite overlook in the Grand Canyon, not only because it is simply amazing, but also because of the journey to get there. From this viewpoint, you have an approximate 300 degree view of the canyon. I was the only person out there for about an hour. It was so quiet that you could hear the birds soaring when they came by. Awesome. Enjoy these pics:
I spent the rest of the day visiting the rest of the North Rim view points. The following pictures are from Bright Angel Point, Imperial Point and Cape Royal:
If you look closely at the last picture, which is at Cape Royal, you can see the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim.
On Saturday, I went first to Monument Valley. I’ve always really liked Monument Valley and enjoyed my visit again this time. Within the visitor’s center, there is a big exhibit about the Navajo Code Talkers utilized by the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Being a huge history buff, I spent quite a bit of time looking through the various displays.
Here are a few pictures I took while driving through the Valley:
I looked for Airwolf, but never found it.
After leaving Monument Valley, I was able to snap this picture:
It was at this point that I said to myself, in my best Forrest Gump impersonation, “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now.”
The road home lead through my sister’s house in New Mexico, but I still had some other scenic places to stop, including Mexican Hat:
I also stopped at Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay), which has been one of my favorite places since I first went there in high school. Just outside of Canyon de Chelly, I stopped for gas in Chinle, Arizona. While at the gas station, this guy and his very attractive wife were filling up their Audi. I noticed that they were at a bank of pumps that were diesel only. Now, I'm not sure if the guy had pumped any fuel or not, but I actually heard this from the guy, “Oh, crap! This is diesel.” Now, I’m usually a pretty reserved guy, but I took this opportunity. I went right up to the wife and said, “Hey, Baby. I’m smart. I can tell the difference between regular unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel.” Apparently she goes for the good looking, but dumb sort, because I got nothing.
Anyway, here are some pictures from Canyon de Chelly:
I was able to spend Sunday in Grants, New Mexico with my sister, brother-in-law and nephews. Here are some gratuitous shots of me and the kids:
After stopping to see my folks in Abilene, I am now back in Houston. The closer to Houston I got, the hotter and more humid it became. I had excellent weather, for the most part, on my entire trip. The last time I was rained on was in South Dakota. Within 45 miles of Houston, you guessed it, rain. Once again, I find myself asking why I still live here!
I had quite a trip and really enjoyed my time on the road. I saw a lot of beautiful country. I’m a big believer in “See America First,” and most of this trip was spent in places that I had never been before. I met some very nice people and some very “interesting” people. I encountered, by far, more foreign people at the various National Parks than Americans. Come on, my fellow countrymen, I urge you to see your own country.
I received some strange looks when I explained to some people what I was planning for my trip. They couldn’t understand why I would want to do something like this by myself. Part of my desire was to explore some places that I had not been to and part of it was that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I also wanted some time alone to ponder my future.
In one of my more poignant moments on the road, Rascal Flatts’ version of Life is a Highway began playing on my iPod. I was in northern California on Hwy 211 right on the Pacific Ocean, the sun was beginning to set and it was a gorgeous day. I began to get very philosophical by wondering if I’m on the right highway in my life. Sometimes I wish there were a little more road signs to point the way or, even better, a GPS device that would just tell me which way to go. (Actually, forget the GPS idea. That would take the adventure out of life, but occasional road signs would be nice.) I wish I could say that I came to some definitive conclusions regarding my future, but, alas, I have not. (I do have some ideas, but will keep them to myself as people I work with read this blog.)
I hope you’ve had as much fun looking at some of my pictures and reading about my travels as I have had coming up with the material.
Black No. 1: 1
Jack Rabbits: 0
Well, once again I must apologize as I have been unable to post an update until now. My last post was from Lee Vining, California. Since then I have spent some time in Las Vegas, northern Arizona, southern Utah and New Mexico. I did not have internet access in any of these places, except Las Vegas. Since having clean clothes to wear trumps updating this blog, I decided to do some laundry in Vegas rather than post an update. So, let’s get started…
I left Lee Vining on Wednesday morning to go to Death Valley. My trip up to that point had included largely cloudless skies and temperatures that rarely made it out of the 60s. It was quite spectacular. I knew those days were gone as I was heading into the desert southwest. When I left Lee Vining, which is at an elevation of almost 7,000 feet, early that morning, the temperature was 30 degrees.
On my way to Death Valley, I drove through the Inyo National Forest, which is located on the eastern side of the Sierra’s in California. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m just an accountant and am certainly not an expert in biology, chemistry, ecology and other earth sciences, but I would like to think that I do have some basic knowledge in these areas. After all, I was a biology major in college for the majority of my college career. Does this look ironic to anyone else?
If so, please let me know as I had been in California for several days at this point and was unable to tell if irrational thought had rubbed off on me. This could, however, be one of those classic situations in which I couldn’t see the forest for the…sagebrush and stubby grass. I just wonder what the tree-huggers actually hug. (These kinds of thoughts keep me awake late at night when the power goes out.)
Anyway, while pondering such things, I finally made it to Death Valley. This was my second time at Death Valley, so I had an idea of several places that I wanted to visit. I started out at Ubehebe Crater. Many years ago, this volcanic crater blew volcanic ash all over the surrounding area. In some places this ash is up to 150 feet deep.
I also went to Dante’s View, which is approximately 5,500 feet in elevation. The temperature here was 83 degrees. Dante’s View provides a nice vantage point to see the entire Badwater Basin.
After leaving Dante’s View, I headed towards the Badwater Basin. On the way, I stopped at Zabriskie Point
I also stopped at the Natural Bridge. As I turned down the dirt road that leads to the Natural Bridge, I noticed a sign that indicated the hike was a little further than I thought, so I backed up and off to the side of the road to consult my maps and hiking guides as I did not want to make a 2 mile round trip hike in 114 degree heat. (That’s an 84 degree change in temperature from my morning in Lee Vining, for those of you keeping score at home.) As I decided that the hike was manageable (after all, it’s a dry heat), I started to head up to the bridge. One little problem was that my truck didn’t move when I stepped on the gas. Oh, snap! Apparently I had pulled a little too far off of the dirt road onto the really fine desert sand. Thank goodness Black No. 1 is 4-wheel drive. Once she was in 4-wheel drive…I still didn’t move and managed to sink all four of my tires almost up to the axle. Oh, snap!
Just as I’m starting to try and figure out how the heck to get myself out of this one, four Arab guys roll up. Only one of them spoke English, but not very well. After explaining that I was stuck, these guys were more than willing to assist in getting me unstuck. After about 30 minutes, we had managed to dig out all four tires. Thank goodness I packed a small camp shovel! To make a long, dirty story a little shorter, we finally freed Black No. 1.
Those guys were very helpful and I was certainly thankful for their help. However, one of them was filming the entire thing, so now I’m probably on some Arab equivalent of YouTube looking ridiculous. Anyway, at this point I was sweating profusely (remember that it was only 114 degrees) and covered in the fine desert dust that seemed to be everywhere. I was filthy and ready for a shower. Also, I was so hacked off that I didn’t every make it to the Natural Bridge, but I did learn a valuable lesson, which is to pay attention to the “soft shoulder” signs. (I didn’t take any pictures of this event as I didn’t want there to be any proof, however, you can look for it on YouTube.)
I did make it to Badwater Basin, which is the lowest spot in North America.
Here are some other pictures from Death Valley:
Upon leaving Death Valley, I proceeded to Las Vegas for a much needed shower.
Thursday morning, I took Black No. 1 to have her oil changed and get a few additional items checked out as I had been noticing some things in the way she was driving (also, I hit a deer). After spending much more time and much more money than I had intended, I was off to the Toroweep area of the Grand Canyon.
Toroweep is approximately 60 miles west of the Visitor’s Center at the North Rim. It is only assessable by dirt roads. I started towards Toroweep from St. George, Utah. The road leading to the canyon from St. George is the longest, at approximately 80 miles, but I’ve heard that it is the most scenic. The road goes by Mount Trumbull and good portions of the road were pretty rugged. However, it was pretty scenic:
The Toroweep overlook provides what some people consider the best viewpoint of the canyon. I don’t think that it’s the best, more on that later, but it certainly does provide the best vantage point of the river compared to any of the overlooks that I’ve been to (and I’ve been to most of them). You basically have a direct view of the river from 2,500 feet directly above it. Good thing I’m not afraid of heights. The first part of the overlook I walked up to provided me with this view (note the rafters!):
Since I spent so much time in Vegas having work done on my truck, I didn’t get to Toroweep until late in the day. As a result, the light (sunlight) vs. dark (shadow) contrast in many of my pictures isn’t very good, but several did come out pretty well.
In that last picture (note the poor contrast), you can just make out the two rafts on the southern (right) bank in the middle of the picture. I had my binoculars and could also see several tents on that bank. I think that one of my next adventures just may be floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. That has always been something I’ve wanted to do and this certainly reinforced that desire.
I left the Toroweep area via the Fredonia (Arizona) road. This dirt portion of this road was approximately 60 miles, but was well maintained and much easier to travel than the St. George road. However, I did a good portion of this road at night. There were quite a few cows on the road. I can say with some certainty that when you’re doing 50 down a dirt road at night, seeing a black cow standing there will make you slow down after you almost soil yourself. I also saw numerous rabbits and deer. The actually got a rabbit, but the deer wanted no part of Black No. 1.
I spent all day Friday at the North Rim. The area that I was most excited to see was Point Sublime. The road to Point Sublime is approximately 17 miles long and is, to say the least, unmaintained. My dad and I had tried to see Point Sublime about two years ago. We got about 8 miles into it and had to turn back as it started raining hard and these “roads” are impassible when wet. They are almost impassible when dry.
This road was by far the roughest that I was on for my entire trip. It was very rocky and went up and down the side of the mountains. It took me two full hours to drive the 17 miles (one way). Here is a sampling of pictures I took on this road:
Now, that last one may not look like much, but it is looking up a pretty steep hill and contains several pretty deep divots. I actually bottomed out my truck at one point and at another had all four tires spinning without moving. (Oh, snap! Not again!) After backing up and trying again, I finally made it up the hill. This portion of the road is downhill going to Point Sublime and uphill coming back, so I didn’t have much choice but to make it up the hill. Just so you know, it was much easier going down that hill. It’s still very bumpy, but it is easier!
On my way back from Point Sublime and before I got to that nasty portion of the road, I saw some German guy and his wife in a rented Escalade (the Tahoe equivalent, which ever one that is). He said that he didn’t know if he could make it back up that hill. I’m not sure if he made it or not, but I was shocked that anyone would take a rented car on that road. If it wasn’t 4-wheel drive, then he was in trouble.
Anyway, Point Sublime was certainly aptly named. This is my favorite overlook in the Grand Canyon, not only because it is simply amazing, but also because of the journey to get there. From this viewpoint, you have an approximate 300 degree view of the canyon. I was the only person out there for about an hour. It was so quiet that you could hear the birds soaring when they came by. Awesome. Enjoy these pics:
I spent the rest of the day visiting the rest of the North Rim view points. The following pictures are from Bright Angel Point, Imperial Point and Cape Royal:
If you look closely at the last picture, which is at Cape Royal, you can see the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim.
On Saturday, I went first to Monument Valley. I’ve always really liked Monument Valley and enjoyed my visit again this time. Within the visitor’s center, there is a big exhibit about the Navajo Code Talkers utilized by the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Being a huge history buff, I spent quite a bit of time looking through the various displays.
Here are a few pictures I took while driving through the Valley:
I looked for Airwolf, but never found it.
After leaving Monument Valley, I was able to snap this picture:
It was at this point that I said to myself, in my best Forrest Gump impersonation, “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now.”
The road home lead through my sister’s house in New Mexico, but I still had some other scenic places to stop, including Mexican Hat:
I also stopped at Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay), which has been one of my favorite places since I first went there in high school. Just outside of Canyon de Chelly, I stopped for gas in Chinle, Arizona. While at the gas station, this guy and his very attractive wife were filling up their Audi. I noticed that they were at a bank of pumps that were diesel only. Now, I'm not sure if the guy had pumped any fuel or not, but I actually heard this from the guy, “Oh, crap! This is diesel.” Now, I’m usually a pretty reserved guy, but I took this opportunity. I went right up to the wife and said, “Hey, Baby. I’m smart. I can tell the difference between regular unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel.” Apparently she goes for the good looking, but dumb sort, because I got nothing.
Anyway, here are some pictures from Canyon de Chelly:
I was able to spend Sunday in Grants, New Mexico with my sister, brother-in-law and nephews. Here are some gratuitous shots of me and the kids:
After stopping to see my folks in Abilene, I am now back in Houston. The closer to Houston I got, the hotter and more humid it became. I had excellent weather, for the most part, on my entire trip. The last time I was rained on was in South Dakota. Within 45 miles of Houston, you guessed it, rain. Once again, I find myself asking why I still live here!
I had quite a trip and really enjoyed my time on the road. I saw a lot of beautiful country. I’m a big believer in “See America First,” and most of this trip was spent in places that I had never been before. I met some very nice people and some very “interesting” people. I encountered, by far, more foreign people at the various National Parks than Americans. Come on, my fellow countrymen, I urge you to see your own country.
I received some strange looks when I explained to some people what I was planning for my trip. They couldn’t understand why I would want to do something like this by myself. Part of my desire was to explore some places that I had not been to and part of it was that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I also wanted some time alone to ponder my future.
In one of my more poignant moments on the road, Rascal Flatts’ version of Life is a Highway began playing on my iPod. I was in northern California on Hwy 211 right on the Pacific Ocean, the sun was beginning to set and it was a gorgeous day. I began to get very philosophical by wondering if I’m on the right highway in my life. Sometimes I wish there were a little more road signs to point the way or, even better, a GPS device that would just tell me which way to go. (Actually, forget the GPS idea. That would take the adventure out of life, but occasional road signs would be nice.) I wish I could say that I came to some definitive conclusions regarding my future, but, alas, I have not. (I do have some ideas, but will keep them to myself as people I work with read this blog.)
I hope you’ve had as much fun looking at some of my pictures and reading about my travels as I have had coming up with the material.
# posted by Marcus @ 10:01 AM 
