Great American Odyssey

iFive:K and Alaska Planning

2008-04-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2008

I ran another race last night: the iFive:K in downtown Charleston. The race started at the maritime center and continued down in front of the battery. There were only about 300 people running, so it was a much different experience than running with 30,000 in the Cooper River Bridge Run. I finished in 28:52.99, which I realize is still a long way from fast. I had a good time though. I also noticed a few other Boot Campers running. I guess I'll be seeing them bright and early again in about ten days. Not sure I'm ready for that again, at least maybe not until classes are over.

In other news, I'm planning a trip to Alaska. We'll be flying out at the end of July for a week-long stay. Right now our itinerary includes a glacier-viewing, whale watching cruise at Kenai Fjords National Park on our first day, with another day there for hiking or kayaking. After that, we'll be heading back to Anchorage for a night before taking the Alaska Railroad up to Denali National Park for three days of trying to pack in as much as that park has to offer. It's shaping up to be pretty expensive, but I'm confident it will be well worth it.

Cooper River Bridge Run

2008-04-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2008

I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run yesterday here in Charleston. This is a 10K (6.2 mile) run that crosses the Ravenel Bridge connecting Charleston and Mt. Pleasant. This is the first time I've participated in any kind of distance run and, in fact, this is the longest distance I've ever run. I've never had any interest in running, except in training for basketball and hiking. I've been participating in Boot Camp this Spring, however, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I ran with two other people from my med school class and we had a really good time. We sort of took it easy and finished in 1:13:33, which I thought was pretty respectable considering we had exams last week, so none of us had done anything physical in the previous seven days. Anyway, the race was a fun experience and the Cooper River Bridge is an amazing piece of architecture. Running across it definitely gave me a different perspective on just how massive it is, and what complex engineering must go into designing something like this. As for running, I've already signed up for a 5k in Charleston later this month. This time, hopefully, I'll have some time to practice beforehand.

About Boot Camp: I signed up for this workout this semester, kind of on a whim. I wasn't in shape at all and I thought that maybe Marine Corps drill instructors would be able to motivate me to push myself a little more than I generally do in the gym. I think attention span is my biggest problem; I get so bored at the gym doing anything other than playing basketball. Boot Camp was a great experience and I've already signed up for the next session this summer. The workout is intense, but doable and the instructors, it goes without saying, are great motivators. I think that I was probably in the best cardiovascular shape of my life at the end of the 12 weeks, so I'm hoping I won't let myself slide too much before the next session starts!

Return to Yosemite

2008-03-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Last week, I returned from a trip out West to Yosemite and San Francisco. I met up with a friend from college, Nick, and two guys from Indiana, Ryan and Nathaniel. We spent one night at Nick's place in SF before heading out to Yosemite.

Yosemite was my favorite place of all the parks I visited this summer during my long road trip; so, I was excited about the prospect of returning, especially knowing that there would still be snow on the ground. With much of the higher elevation areas under significant snow cover, we weren't able to do any hikes that went much over 5000'. Still, we managed a nice scramble up to the edge of Lower Yosemite Falls and, the next day, a fairly strenuous day hike past Columbia Rock to a nice view of Upper Yosemite Falls. I think the highlight of our hiking experiences, however, was a short, easy trip around Mirror Lake with some spectacular views of Half Dome and North Dome. The stillness of the lake provided the perfect reflecting pool for the huge rock walls.

We spent both nights camping in Upper Pines campground. There was plenty of snow on the ground and the sleeping situation was pretty frigid with temperatures dipping into the low 30s. My three partners didn't bring sleeping pads (inexperience, I guess), so they were pretty miserable the first night. The next day, all three of them bought sleeping pads at the Curry Village store.

I was sleeping in my +20F rated REI Kilo Plus, on a Therm-A-Rest 4 self-inflating pad. Even so, I was pretty frigid; but certainly not miserable. I could've worn more layers inside the bag; but I was using most of my insulation for a pillow. Since we were car camping, we didn't have to worry so much about weight. Nick bought a cheap 6-person tent from Wal-Mart (can't remember the brand, Ozark Trail or something) and it actually seemed pretty solid. It had a tremendous amount of space. I'm 6'1" and I was nearly able to stand straight up inside; and, with four big dudes, we were able to keep some nice buffer room in between us. However, considering how cold it was, we might've been better off huddled together in a smaller tent.

Having lived essentially all of my life in the Southeast and Southern California, I don't have a lot of experience with snow and this was my first multi-day experience with significant snow exposure. Truthfully, a lot of the valley was clear of snow, but Upper Pines is so thoroughly shaded by the, well, pines that temperatures there seemed to stay a lot lower than in much of the rest of the valley. Anyway, I learned the importance of having plenty of warm, dry socks to rotate as they become wet, which they inevitably do (especially if you're just wearing trail runners). Still, I don't regret my shoe choice. My feet were only cold at night, and I think I could've avoided even that if I had just brought one extra pair of socks (I brought 3). I should've been fine with 3 (one to wear, one to dry and one to sleep in) if only I had been a little more conscientious about drying the wet socks.

On Sunday, we headed back to San Francisco and started recharging the batteries. The next day, we headed over to Berkeley to check out their campus. It's definitely very active in terms of protests, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. There's basically a Swiss Family Robinson living in the trees at the proposed sight of a new athletic building.

After leaving Berkeley, we headed back to San Francisco to visit Telegraph Hill and hopefully catch a glimpse of its famous wild parrots. We didn't have any luck, though. I was lucky, however, in that I unwittingly bagged another peak by walking to the top of Telegraph Hill. I wouldn't have guessed that the only high point I'd reach on this trip would be in the city of San Francisco and not in the wilderness of Yosemite.

I still think San Francisco is a great city. Not sure if I'd want to live there; but it is a place I'll probably consider when it's time to look for a residency in about 3 years. Being back out West, I realized how much I miss it, even though I'm pretty happy with my life in Charleston.

Zoo Atlanta/Brasstown Bald

2007-08-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Today, we visited Zoo Atlanta, one of the nicer zoos I've been to, probably second only to the San Diego Zoo. We were there when it opened and headed straight for the Panda Bear exhibit. Zoo Atlanta has three pandas: 11 month-old Mei Lan and her parents Yang Yang and Lun Lun. When we arrived, the bears were sort of lounging around, chomping away at some bamboo. It wasn't long however, before Lun Lun roused her daughter and started playing with her. It looked like they were biting and scratching each other, but I guess that's how bears play. We watched the pandas for almost an hour and they were very active and entertaining.

Next, we checked out the gorillas and orangutans. The gorillas are separated into four different habitats. One is a bachelor group of all male gorillas and another features a large silverback with his harem of females and four small, "toddler" gorillas. We stopped by for the afternoon feedings and saw one juvenile gorilla who was doing flips, sliding across the ground and slapping the others on the back.

The exhibits at Zoo Atlanta are very well designed and most of them offer close up views of the animals. Despite the fact that the temperature was about 100 degrees, the ample shade of the zoo kept us from being miserable.

After leaving the zoo, we headed out of Atlanta and toward Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. I didn't have very high expectations for this stop on the trip, but I was looking at it as an opportunity to bag a state high point and maybe some great mountain scenery. Well, it was a pleasant surprise. We arrived at the summit at about 7:30 p.m. after a short 0.6 mile walk to the top. With the sun descending, the Appalachian mountains were beautifully lit. On top of the mountain is a large visitors center and lookout tower. Normally, I find it annoying when summits are covered with a bunch of man-made junk; but, in this case, the tower was necessary to have any kind of view and the whole structure was so well designed it didn't seem too offensive.

After leaving the bald, we drove on to Dillard, GA to spend the night. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina.

Georgia Aquarium/World of Coca-Cola

2007-08-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 7

This morning, we headed straight to the Georgia Aquarium, the only aquarium in America to house whale sharks. As you might guess, we headed straight for these giant fish, the biggest fish on Earth. The whale sharks are housed in a giant tank with wrasse, grouper, sting rays, a hammerhead shark, and a variety of other fish. The whale sharks on display were probably about twenty feet long, dwarfing the 800 lb. groupers swimming nearby. It's entertaining to watch any animal that big, but I wish we could've seen them feeding, or had a view of them from above, as they spent most of their time swimming near the surface. One day, I'd love to dive with these gentle animals. They are sometimes sighted off the Georgia coast.

The Georgia Aquarium is the best aquarium I've visited. The layout makes sense and is attractive and easy to navigate. All of the exhibits are interesting and many offer large viewing windows, allowing continuous perspectives on the animals as they swim about. Some other highlights were the Beluga whales and the otters.

After leaving the aquarium, we headed next door to the World of Coca-Cola. If you like Coke, this is a place with a lot of information about Coke. And a lot of Coke advertisements. And a lot of Coke products. It's extremely, extremely clean and gives the same sort of feeling as Disney World: "Today, you have no problems." Some of the stuff is interesting, but I thought it could've done a better job of showing how Coke is made. I guess the secret formula really is secret. The highlight of the experience was the tasting, where we were able to sample 72 different Coke products from all around the world. My sister and I sampled every one, and by the time I was finished, I felt like throwing a trash can through one of the plate glass windows, I was so jacked up. One thing I noticed, the rest of the world seems to prefer fruity-flavored soft drinks. Also, I noticed that the drink called "Beverly" is probably the worst drink I have ever had. Steer clear of that the next time you are in Italy.

Stone Mountain, Georgia

2007-08-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2007

I haven't been on a family vacation since probably the summer of 2000, but now that I'm back in South Carolina with nothing to do for a few more weeks -- and with my sister in the same situation -- we decided it would be a good time to load up the Gylls family and head to Atlanta.

Today, we visited Stone Mountain, which is about 20 miles outside of Atlanta. It's a giant granite dome rising seemingly out of nowhere above the green Georgia landscape. It's somewhat reminiscent of some of the domes in Yosemite, though not as spectacular. What is does have, however, that nothing in Yosemite has is three Confederate heroes carved into it. From left to right there is Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The carving is, in fact, larger than Mount Rushmore (which my loyal readers will already know is not as big as is widely believed). The figures themselves, by my estimates, are roughly the same size as the Rushmore carvings. The carving, which is the largest high relief sculpture in the world, was begun by Gutzon Borglum who is better known for carving (you guessed it) Mt. Rushmore. Borglum's work, however, no longer exists on Stone Mountain, as it was detonated when a second sculpture, Augustus Lukeman, took over with a somewhat different vision.

We took a cable ride to the summit, where we milled around for a while and took in the views, which were largely obscured by the hazy sky. When it was time to head back down, my mom and sister headed back for the cable car, but Dad and I decided to walk down the 1.4 mile trail to Confederate Memorial Hall. Well, the heat was absolutely brutal and the walk was a lot tougher than I expected. Still, we made it without much problem.

We're staying in Atlanta tonight and over the next couple days will be checking out the zoo and aquarium.

The Epilogue

2007-07-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

As I was driving alone over the last few days of the trip, I began listening to an audiobook by John Hodgman entitled The Areas of My Expertise. In it, he describes what it takes to become a professional writer, saying that one must first learn to believe that other people care about what you have to say. “This is very difficult for some people,” he explains. “But for some, it comes very easily… These people are assholes.” I’ll leave it to all of you to decide which part of that applies to me and you should feel free to keep all conclusions to yourself.

Moving across the country, leaving behind my friends and starting a new career, this trip largely was meant to serve as a way to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one. But, as many people have noted, the trip took on greater meaning as it evolved. Seeing the inspiration people seemed to draw from the very notion of such an adventure, it quickly became clear that this trip was less about the changes in my own life and more about finding Man’s place in the world and discovering the true meaning of America.

With that in mind, the first topic I shall discuss is what I have named “surprise places.” Obviously, when I planned the trip, I had some idea about what destinations interested me; but, in covering so much distance, there’s a lot of in-between space that couldn’t really be planned for. This, of course, is one of the great appeals of a road trip. I’ll give a couple examples:

1. Leaving Portland and driving along the Columbia River Gorge, where the wind blows off the river and bounces off the steep rock walls so that the river moves like an ocean and the car was at times nearly buffeted off the road.
2. If you’ve ever been to Seattle, you know that Northwestern Washington is full of giant, rocky mountains. Southern Washington, however, is full of rolling, treeless hills where you can see so far that it feels like you’re looking down from an airplane.

Also, we were surprised by a number of towns. We ended up staying in Jackson, WY just because it was too expensive to stay in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson was the closest thing. This turned out to be a happy accident as Jackson is a great little resort town that I hope I can visit again someday. In South Dakota, we spent some time in Rapid City, which is known as the City of Presidents. For one reason or another, they have a statue of a different U.S. president at nearly every street corner in their downtown. Sometimes I surprised myself at the places that made me say, “I could live here.” Rapid City, SD might sound like the kind of place you’d get sick of quickly; but I grew up in a small town, so it doesn’t seem that bad to me. In fact, this trip sort of re-framed the way I look at Santee, the town where I grew up. It’s the kind of place that, if you were on a road trip and you needed to stop somewhere for the night, it’d be perfect. It is a great 12-hour town.

Now, let me talk about some of the parks. I only hope that my experiences, dear readers, might serve you if you are fortunate enough to be in the position to visit any of these amazing places. So, let me share some of my vast expertise.

Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park – Never heard of it, you say? Well, it’s an amazing park that you can see in a day and could easily spend a weekend in if you want to do some hiking. If you want to see big trees, this is the place to do it. The sequoias are so huge and, in these lush forests surrounded by mountain vistas, this first day excursion was one of the best spots of the entire trip.

Yosemite – This was my favorite park and it really has it all. If you want to see the park from the car, driving through Yosemite Valley and up to Glacier Point will be enough to make the trip absolutely worthwhile. I nearly skipped the drive up to Glacier Point, but I’m so glad I didn’t. The views from this spot are perhaps the most amazing I’ve seen, possibly second only to the Grand Canyon. Also, there are tons of great hikes here. If I ever get back, I’ve got a few ideas of other hikes I want to take. Again, I can’t overstate how great this place is. All of you in L.A. , it’s only six hours away. If you need an idea for a short vacation, seeing Yosemite and Sequoia would be a great trip and would only take you a few days. These are definitely two places you will always remember.

Redwoods – This is another great place to see big trees, but in a slightly different setting. Instead of the mountainous terrain of Sequoia N.P., Redwoods N.P. is situated on the coast. I found these trees to be slightly less striking than the Sequoias. This forest was once much larger and, in fact, is older than the Rocky Mountains. If that doesn’t amaze you, read it again.

A drawback of this park is that it is a mishmash of National Park land, State Park land, and privately owned land. Halfway through the park is a little town that is completely Disneyified. While it’s still fun there, I felt it kind of cheapened the experience in a way.

Crater Lake – As a single scenic moment, Crater Lake is one of the best you could hope for. The dark blue water surrounded by gray, snow-capped peaks and lush evergreen forests gives the sensation of an extra-terrestrial landscape. Unfortunately, I’m not sure when the park is totally open. We were there in mid-June and it was still 70% closed due to snow. I guess July is the right time to visit; but, really, any time you can see the lake is a good time.

Glacier – This is probably the most rugged park. First of all, it’s in Montana, which is pretty much the most rugged place in America. It’s so rugged, they don’t even pay sales tax. Going-to-the-Sun Road is definitely a great thing to see and lets you see much of what’s great about the park on a scenic drive. However, of all the parks we visited, I think this is the one that most appeals to the adventurous. There are tons of places to hike in a drastic setting, with jagged peaks rising above peaceful lakes or grass meadows. Plus, this is Grizzly country, so that kind of ups the excitement.

Yellowstone – With its volcanic legacy, the landscape of Yellowstone is certainly impressive: especially its vents and geysers. But, my favorite part of this park was the wildlife. If you bring binoculars or a camera with a powerful zoom, you are going to get to experience bears, bison and loads of other animals in a way you probably won’t anywhere else. And all you have to do is drive along a loop road. I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for backpacking and other active pursuits here, but it seems to be less of the focus than in places like Yosemite and Glacier. This is a very accessible park, so if you’re getting up in years or have young children, this is the perfect spot for a vacation. I’ve heard that it’s also great in winter, but I’m not really a winter animal.

Grand Teton – If you’re going to Yellowstone, G.T. is so close that it would be a foolish, foolish mistake not to visit it. While it’s mostly a scenic drive looking out at a prominent mountain ridge, there are also plenty of spots to view wildlife and some interesting exhibits on early life on the frontier. In fact, some show I watched on the Travel Channel named it as the best park to watch wildlife. I’d have to disagree and say Yellowstone takes that prize; but I could be convinced that maybe we just caught Grand Teton on the wrong day. It’s in the National Elk Refuge, and in winter there are loads of elk roaming about. Also, it’s supposed to be a great place to spot a moose.

Mt. Rushmore – Finally see in person what you’ve seen so many times in pictures. I don’t know; I thought it’d be bigger.

Devils Tower – This is such a strange formation that seeing it in person gives the sense of stumbling onto some alien monolith. However, I wish that they had kept the original Native American name, “Bear Lodge.”

Badlands – A great park to drive through. Actually, I think this would also be a nice place to get into the backcountry because there are no bears, you can camp basically anywhere, and the scenery is great everywhere you look. Also, if you have a motorcycle, this is probably the park for you.

Mammoth Cave – If you’ve ever been to Carlsbad, you can skip this one. Also, Luray Caverns in Virginia is much more impressive. This was probably my least favorite stop on the trip. I’d love to try spelunking though, and this park offers at least two guided introductions to that practice.

Great Smoky Mountains –By the time I made it to this park, I just wasn’t quite in the mood to expend the energy to get out away from the crowds, and I really think that’s the only way to enjoy this park. Still, the Smoky Mountains are absolutely beautiful and it gives you the feel of almost being in a rain forest. I really hope I get to do a substantial hike up there in the near future.

The opportunity to see wildlife up close in their natural habitat is one of the big draws of these parks and it’s easy to understand why. Being close to another animal in the wild is one of those experiences that makes you feel truly alive. There’s a sense of shared space that makes you realize that we, as humans, don’t really own the world. I know that sounds over-the-top, but I really do believe that standing on face-to-face with a wild animal forces you, at least momentarily, to alter your perception of your place in the world.

On this trip, I didn’t have any encounters that were quite as intense as seeing a black bear while I was alone on San Gorgonio, but we did have an interesting encounter with a deer who was grazing along the trail in Glacier. He just stayed there eating and wouldn’t move despite the fact that we were probably only about 10 yards away. Eventually, we had to take a longer way around him, at which point he finally decided to walk away.

Obviously, seeing a bear and a deer are too very different experiences; but they both give you a feeling of being on a sort of equal footing with the animals. Most of the time, our encounters with animals are through a fence or across a crevasse at the zoo. Standing face to face with one in the wilderness is entirely different.

While I am on the subject of wildness, I should also talk about my beard. The last time I was clean-shaven was January 22. Since then, I have let my beard grow with very infrequent trimming. In fact, I had not groomed my facial hair in any sense for probably 8 full weeks before leaving for the trip. At this point, it is impossible to eat or drink without finding a thick deposit of whatever it is one is consuming lodged in one’s beard. Also, beards are magic. I’m convinced that when I got free passage into the historic entrance of Mammoth Cave it was entirely because the ranger was intimidated/seduced by the power of my beard. Also, at the blackjack tables in Deadwood, mere strokes of my beard often caused the dealer to bust. Recognizing that this magic is too dangerous to be used back in the domestic world, I have finally shaved my beard. Once again, like all of you, I will have to rely solely on my wits and charm, without further recourse to magical twirls of unkempt facial hair.

So, that just about does it for the Epilogue. I hope it was all you hoped it would be. I’m sure many of you are very disappointed, because you know I am capable of such great things. All I can say to you is that I offer my humblest apologies and my deepest thanks for reading what I have to say.

Day 25 - Great Smoky Mountains

2007-06-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 30, 2007

The word "verdant" is thrown around a lot these days, but it would be hard to imagine a setting where it is more justified than in the Great Smoky Mountains. Compared to the other mountains I've seen on this trip, these are certainly the greenest. The "Smoky" name comes from the natural mist -- a combination of organic compounds and water vapor -- that constantly drapes the mountains.

I started the day with a drive to Cades Cove loop, which was a slow-going "scenic" drive without much scenery. Honestly, it was like someone had taken the traffic from L.A. and dropped it in the Tennessee mountains. This took about 4 hours and, frankly, I could've done without it.

My next stop was Clingman's Dome, which is the highest point in the park. Unfortunately, with storm clouds swirling and the mist extra thick, it was hard to see anything.

I think I'll be coming back to this park. It's not that far from where I live now and I think that there is more to see than what I did today. With it being a weekend in the peak season, the crowds were out in force and, at the end of my trip, I just didn't quite have the motivation to pack it out away from them. I wandered on the Appalachian Trail for about a half hour and, even then, I could feel a marked difference in being away from the lazies. Maybe I'll go back one day and hike the leg of the AT that crosses through the park. I saw a woman at Clingman's Dome who was patching her feet with duct tape; she looked like she was on an AT thru-hike. I think it will be quite a while (read: infinite time) before I try that. But, you never know. It definitely sounds like a great experience and I could probably be talked into it pretty easily. So, I guess what I mean is I probably won't be doing it on my own.

Anyway, after leaving the Smokies, I drove straight to Santee, my hometown. The trip was absolutely amazing, but it feels good to be home.

Day 24 - Mammoth Cave

2007-06-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 29, 2007

I suffered my worst injury of the trip this morning. No, I wasn't mauled by a bear and I didn't fall into a cave hole. I burned my bottom lip with hot coffee. I guess this goes to show you that you are probably more likely to get hurt doing everyday things than by a wild animal.

Today, I visited Mammoth Cave, one of the largest caves in the world. It has been formed by millions of years of erosion washing away the limestone beneath a hard sandstone layer. Unfortunately, it was not quite as exciting as some other caves I've visited in the past, such as Carlsbad and Luray. It was, however, an interesting tour and it did make me want to try spelunking someday. That will have to wait for another trip.

The tour ended near a formation called Frozen Niagara. It looks like what you are probably imagining: a stone waterfall. Like most cave formations, it has been slowly formed by water dissolving limestone and then re-depositing it. The time scale of these formations is perhaps the most impressive thing about them. When you're imagining something this size forming from slowly dripping water, it's difficult to wrap your mind around just how long it would take.

After leaving Mammoth, I started my journey to the final destination of my trip: The Great Smoky Mountains. After driving through the worst weather of my trip, I finally made it to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, two towns on the outskirts of the park. Basically, imagine that Myrtle Beach has been transported to the mountains. These two towns are essentially sprawl, stretching out from the base of the mist-covered mountains. It's sad to think that one day the haze that gives the Smokies their name might no longer be natural mist, but smog instead.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on leaving early and heading into the park to see as much of it as I can in one day. I know I want to stop at Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park; but, other than that, everything is up in the air. Once I'm done, I'll be driving the rest of the way to Santee, SC.

This trip has been wonderful and in many ways I'm sad to see it come to an end. On the other hand, the past three days of nearly non-stop driving have been exhausting and I'm looking forward to not being behind the wheel for a while.

I've seen so much on this trip that I may never see again and that I might never have seen otherwise. I would adivse anyone who ever has the chance to drive across this country to take it and make the most of it. Perhaps I'll be able to talk about the sum of my experiences on this trip in a more coherent way when I have had a few days to let everything settle. For now, I will put such musings aside in favor of flippant remarks and simple observations:

Caves are awesome. But they are not as good as mountains...

Or bears.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting the entry for tomorrow's adventures or the highly anticipated epilogue. But, dear readers, rest assured that you will not have to wait too long.

Day 23 - The Long Drive

2007-06-28T20:45:00.002-07:00

Thursday, June 28, 2007

I spent all day today driving. I left Omaha around 9:30 and just got into Bowling Green, KY at about 10:30. It's been a long day and not too exciting. Unfortunately, most of the drive was through pretty boring grasslands. When it comes to driving, it's true what Jack London, The Doors and that kid from Into the Wild all said: The West is the best. The West is also behind me, as today I crossed the Mississippi River.

Anyway, I don't have too much to report from the day, so I'll just give a few random notes in lazy list format.

Agent Orange made it safely back to New Jersey.

Wilco's new album is not that great.

M.I.A.'s album drops Aug. 20 (can't remember if I already mentioned it; but it's worth noting twice).

I covered over 700 miles today, so I'm hitting the hay soon. Tomorrow, I'll be heading out to Mammoth Cave in the morning and then driving toward Great Smoky Mountains National Park (the final stop of the trip) in the afternoon, most likely. Since I don't have much to say about today, I thought I might reflect on the trip as a whole. But then I thought, "No, I won't." In fact, I'll save that for an epilogue I'll write when the trip is completely over. So, make sure you keep reading, even after the final day's entry is posted.

I've enjoyed my first blogging experience. It's definitely added something to the trip for me by forcing me to reflect everyday on what I've seen and done. Now, I'm sure many of you are thinking that these reflections are on about the level of a third grader describing his first viewing of Lord of the Rings: "Awesome!" "Spectacular!" Well, keep in mind I've been writing these things at the end of long days, in crappy hotel rooms, and without a professionally trained editor, secretary, or valet. Just wait until you read the Epilogue. Then you can judge me (but most likely you will be stunned into amazed and reverent silence).

Also, let me say thanks to everyone who has emailed me to tell me how much they're enjoying the blog. More people have faithfully followed my ramblings than I had anticipated and hearing from you has kept me writing instead of packing it in after the first weekend. In fact, I've even discovered that I have at least one reader who I have never met in person. So, I'm pretty proud of that.

Anyway, if you are enjoying the blog, it's always nice to see comments in the comments section. It helps me prove to other people that this isn't entirely an exercise in narcissism (although it mostly is) and that I actually do have readers.

Maybe I will keep writing about my adventures even after the trip is over. And if the day-to-day minutae of my life can't sustatin such an undertaking, I'll just start making things up.

Day 22 - Live Free or Die Hard

2007-06-28T20:45:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Agent Orange and I started the day with lunch at one of the crappiest Indian restaurants on record before heading over to the Rapid City Carmike to watch Live Free or Die Hard. Now that’s a movie. If you like watching one man kick ass while the bureaucrats fail over and over, then you’ll like this. It reminded me of old Westerns, with one man having to step up when the system fails.

After the movie, I drove to Rapid City Airport to drop Agent Orange off for his flight back to New Jersey. I was only about ten miles away when he called to tell me it was cancelled. So, he’s shacked up at the Rapid City Radisson tonight, waiting on a 6:30 am flight, while I’m down in Omaha, staying in a surprisingly nice-for-the-price motel. There’s one drawback, however: I’m in an adjoining room and I can hear almost everything the couple in the room next to me is saying. I can’t exactly make out words unless I press my ear to the door (as if I would do that). I wonder if things will get interesting later. From the sound of the cough that guy just let out, I’m guessing it’s not that kind of night. Regardless, I have ear plugs.

Tomorrow will be a full day of driving. I’m trying to get close enough to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky that I’ll be able to see it Friday morning. I covered approximately 571 miles today. Considering I didn’t leave Rapid City until about 3:30, I think that’s pretty good. I’ll be trying to cover around 693 miles tomorrow; but I do have all day to do it.

Day 21 - Badlands National Park

2007-06-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

We left Wall early this morning and headed to Badlands. This park is situated in the midst of formations of rock layers formed by erosion. There are some nice views that are kind of reminiscent of The Painted Desert. It's a pretty harsh environment, without a whole lot of wildlife to view. The exception, however, is the prairie dogs. In one section of the park, they're everywhere. It's called Roberts Prairie Dog Village and the small animals and their burrows were everywhere you looked.

Also, there's a spot where they're doing an archaelogical dig called The Big Pig Dig where they're extracting fossils of an extinct, pig-like animal called Archaeotherium. Here, we talked to a ranger for a few minutes who explained some of the history of fossils in the park.

Afterwards, we drove back to Rapid City for dinner. I had read somewhere that M.I.A's new album was to come out today, so with our time to kill we drove around and looked for it. Unfortunately, I found out later that it doesn't come out until August 20. That was pretty disappointing. I thought it was going to give me something to look forward to over the 1200 mile drive I have coming up over the next two days.

I'm taking Agent Orange to the airport tomorrow here in Rapid City. We've had a really great time and I've still got more to come. Hopefully, I'll be at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky on Friday, but it's going to be two days of hard drivin'.

One other interesting note from today: as we were driving down an unpaved farm road leaving Badlands, a grasshopper landed on the windshield and crawled down onto the wiper blade. Even though we were driving 50-60 MPH, he managed to hang on. Even as we stopped to get gas, he didn't move. As we got onto the interstate, we figured 80+ MPH speeds would blow him off; but somehow he stayed on the windshield wiper. At one point, we slowed to about 45 for construction, and he crawled down under the hood from the top. We figured we would never see him again and he might be cooked by the heat of the engine. So, we forgot about him, drove for probably another half hour and had dinner. After dinner, we drove to the movie theater in Rapid City to see what time Live Free or Die Hard is playing tomorrow so we can catch it before we have to drive to the airport. When we started to drive away, the grasshopper was on the windshield. Keep in mind, nearly 4 hours had passed since this insect had jumped onto the car. As we pulled away, he hopped off. It was pretty incredible. If we see him on the car tomorrow when we're leaving the hotel, I'll be a little freaked out.

Day 20 - Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial

2007-06-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 25, 2007

We started out this morning with a trip up to Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickcok and Calamity Jane are buried next to each other. A lot of the "characters" from the HBO show are buried up there.

Next, we headed over to Mt. Rushmore. I had been looking forward to this stop on the trip and it was definitely a sight worth seeing. However, I think I thought it would be bigger or more impressive in some way. Maybe I'm just getting jaded by all the amazing things we've seen on this trip. It was interesting, though, to learn about how the statue was carved. Apparently, after years of working on the mountain, the explosives experts were able to blow the rock apart within inches of the actual finished surface. The pavilion leading up to the main viewing area is nicely set up, with the flags of all 50 states flying along a pathway that leads to an overlook with a view toward the mountain. We had to try over and over again to find someone who could take a decent picture of us. For some reason, everyone we asked took pictures either without the mountain in it at all, or with heavy focus on the ground.

Continuing on our tour of mountain monuments, we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is a giant statue of Crazy Horse that has been under construction for about 50 years and is being built entirely with private funds. It's much bigger than Mt. Rushmore; in fact, the entirety of the Mt. Rushmore monument would fit inside Crazy Horse's head. We also saw some Indian dancing, which was kind of entertaining. I wish we could've seen them dynamite part of the mountain, but it didn' happen while we were there.

We stopped in Rapid City, SD tonight and watched Evan Almighty. It was pretty disappointing. I guess it's a fun family movie; but it's really not very funny. There is a funny baboon who dances, though.

We're staying in a town called Wall tonight in South Dakota before we go to Badlands National Park tomorrow. This town is a real dump -- probably the worst town we've stayed in on the trip! This kind of got me thinking about what towns we've been in that were surprisingly good or bad. As I've said before, Fresno, CA; Medford, OR; and Wallace, ID are three of the squattieset places. But, we've also had some nice surprises. Eureka, CA was a great town with a quaint, relaxed feel. Jackson, WY was a nice litle resort town that seems like a fun place for a weekend vacation. Deadwood, SD was also a really fun place to spend a day. I think anyone could easily spend a weekend there and have a great time gambling and checking out the historical sites.

Unfortunately, Wall, SD is not one of the better places. But, tomorrow we should be seeing some great terrain. I think Badlands will be a little different from the parks we've been visiting recently, so hopefully it'll be a fun change.

Day 19 - Devils Tower & Deadwood

2007-06-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 24, 2007

We headed out this morning for a scenic drive through Wyoming's striking terrain, marked by the different layers of rock made visible over millions of years. I should also note that this is the first time on the trip I've been a little drunk as I write this.

After driving for a few hours, we reached Devils Tower. This was another "wow" moment as we drove over a ridge and suddenly the tower came into view. It's definitely a striking piece of terrain: a tower of igneous rock exposed by ages of erosion. It's easy to see why the local American Indians consider it to be a holy place. In fact, they have a legend about how it was created that involved a girl who knew bear medicine changing into a giant bear and chasing other members of the tribe until a rock and a tree grew to give them a safe haven.

We took a 1.3-mile hike around the tower, which affords some nice views of the six-sided columns that, depending on your perspective, were created either by crystallizing rock or a giant bear's claws. There are tons of bikers is these parts. Apparently the Black Hills of South Dakota are some kind of huge attraction to them and Devils Tower is another gathering point for their rallies.

After leaving the tower, we headed to Deadwood, South Dakota. It's another Palm Springsesque spot, although more rugge than either the Springs, Jackson, or Couer D'Alene. Despite having plenty of casinoes and cowboy re-enactments to rope in the tourists, some of its citizens still look like they could be heading out to work a claim in the morning.

After dinner at the Number 10 Social Club, we went to watch a "play" re-enacting the trial of Jack McCall, the man who killed Wild Bill Hickok. The play wasn't that great, but Agent Orange got cast as one of the witnesses. Seeing him attempt a Southern/Dakotan accent was definitely the highlight of the play.

Next, we headed to the Number 10 Casino/Saloon, which is the actual place where Wild Bill was shot and killed. We gambled for hours on $2 minimum tables and finished up about even. Unlike my last trip to Vegas, $2 hands are pretty chillaxed and I didn't have to deal with the constant pressure of feeling like I could be cleaned out at any moment. The pit boss also looked like he might've been around in 1876, when the town started up.

Day 18 - Grand Teton National Park

2007-06-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 23, 2007

We slept a little later than usual today and then wandered around Jackson for a little while, trying to find a spot for breakfast. I really think Jackson is a cool little place. It has a Western feel to it in the fake, tourist sense without seeming too fake or touristy. There is also a place called The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which basically lets you know the place rules.

We spent the rest of the day in Grand Teton Park. Our first stop was an old homestead where a guy name Meron had set up a Ferry back around the turn of the century. We ran into a ranger who spontaneously took us on a tour and told us all about the two Meron brothers. They basically lived in a one room shack and made a living by charging people to take them across the river. What I took from this is that in those days you really had to be self-sufficient. These guys came out here, built a house, and then set up a ferry. They weren't professional builders or anything; but in those days you had to know how to do everything. I have no idea how to build a house. Or a ferry.

Later, we took a hike to a place called Hidden Falls and another called Inspiration Point. Much of the day was spent searching out views of these spectacular mountains. We also drove to the top of Signal Mountain, which gave some great views of the surrounding valley. We were hoping to spot a moose, but we never found one.

Also, a couple days ago a jogger was mauled by a Grizzly Bear just outside the lodge in Grand Teton Park. Today, we saw the trail where it happened. Apparently the bear was protecting an elk carcass that she and her cubs were feeding on. They've said the bear won't be put down, as this is normal behavior, but the area has been closed off until Elk calving season is over.

We drove through Cody, Wyoming as we began our journey toward Devils Tower. Apparently, this town is all about Buffalo Bill Cody, as there are five museums and five dozen businesses named for him. There was also a rodeo going on.

Day 17 - Yellowstone and Grand Teton

2007-06-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 22, 2007

After breaking camp, our day got started quickly when a black bear crossed in front of my car not more than 10 minutes after leaving camp. He walked right across the road in front of us, probably only about 25 yards ahead. We pulled up alongside him to snap some pictures as he headed into the meadow. We were probably within 10 yards of him. Trying to respect the rules of bear encounters, we didn’t stop for long.

Our big project today was a hike to the top of Mount Washburn, about a 6.5 mile hike that gains 1400’ on the way to the 10,000+’ peak. At the top there is a fire lookout station where some ranger apparently lives by himself for about five months out of the year. From here, you get a nice perspective of the variety of the park’s landscape. In fact, Yellowstone is the world’s biggest active volcano and its caldera surrounds much of the park. From the summit of Mount Washburn, you can see the canyon, the mountains, and even steam rising from some of the geysers.

On our way out of the park, we came across another bear jam. This was another Grizzly, foraging on a ridge next to a herd of bison who were keeping a watchful eye on her, forcing her further and further away. The whole scene was pretty distant, but we did get a good look at the bear through the viewing scope of a very friendly couple. The enthusiasm of these wildlife watchers really shows in how readily they offer up their equipment and insight to a couple of road-weary vagabonds.

Once we left Yellowstone, it was only a short drive to Grand Teton National Park, where we drove down the John D. Rockefeller Parkway, with great views of the mountains to the west. We didn’t do a whole lot of stopping today, because we’ll be going back through tomorrow. We did get some more great views of bison, however.

We’re staying in a hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, which is kind of like Palm Springs, but in Elk Country. There are lots of restaurants and cowboy bars, which is pretty cool. This would be a great spot for a group trip, with lots of opportunities to wander down streets that resemble Western movie sets and drunkenly say things like “pardner.”

Day 16 - Yellowstone National Park - Day 2

2007-06-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 21, 2007

We started today by catching another eruption of Old Faithful before heading up toward Canyon Village. We spent most of the day viewing wildlife and had some pretty great sightings.

Our first sighting was a smaller group of 3 bison hanging out in a forest clearing. We stopped the car and were able to get within about 30 yards of them before they sauntered off into the woods. It’s worth nothing that, in Yellowstone, the guidelines for wildlife viewing are 100 yards for bears and 25 yards for other animals. This was an exciting encounter, but it was just a taste of what we would see later.

As we continued on our journey to the northern part of the park, we passed great herds of bison, probably numbering between 30-75 head. It wasn’t long before we reached a long lineup of stopped cars, looking out into a broad valley. We stopped to see what was going on found out that a Grizzly was just down the ridge, probably about 100 yards away. We waited a short while, and sure enough, a 3 year-old female Grizz was foraging down in the meadow. We watched her for a while as she rooted around. From a distance, it was hard to tell how big she was, but I got the feeling she was relatively small, especially compared to the big males which can reach 10 feet in height. If I had to guess, I’d probably say she’s stand about five and a half feet.

Once we left the Grizzly behind, we came across two bison walking about 5 yards off the road. We slowed down to take pictures, matching their speed. Suddenly, the two of them locked horns and then bolted toward the road. They pounded across the pavement right in front of us, leaving us to wonder what they might have done to my car if they had decided to take a different course. As far as wildlife encounters go, this was pretty exciting.

Eventually, we reached Canyon Village and took short hikes on Uncle Tom’s Trail – a long staircase with a great view of Yellowstone Canyon and of the falls – and Artist Point, which is where one of the most famous renderings of Yellowstone was created. Yellowstone Canyon is somewhat striking. Most of the landscape in Yellowstone is broad, hilly meadows, surrounded by forest and bordered by mountains in the distance. So, it’s somewhat surprising to see such a large canyon right in the middle of the park. The colors of the walls are most likely what gives the park its name.

As we headed north, hoping to find a campsite, we came across another “bear jam.” This time, it was a black bear, about 25 yards off the road. We stopped the car and joined the crowd of onlookers. It wasn’t long before the bear decided to go on the move and actually started moving closer to the road. At one point, he was probably no more than 15 yards from us. Per the ranger’s instructions, we tried to keep our distance from him; but, as we headed back to our car, there wasn’t much we could do. The ranger stopped the two of us and a young family and gave us a little bit of a lecture about keeping our distance from bears. I think he should’ve given the lecture to the bear.

Next, we headed into the Lamar Valley, where we picked up a few more wildlife sightings. We were within 10 yards of a bighorn sheep, saw a group of goats grazing, and even got a distant view of a wolf through the binoculars of some friendly wildlife watchers.

After taking a sidetrip to Mammoth Springs, which was a little disappointing, we finally made it into the camp. With no threat of rain here, we were able to keep the rainfly off the tent and sleep with a view of the night sky.

Day 15 - Yellowstone National Park - Day 1

2007-06-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

When we hit the road this morning, I was the most tired I’ve been on the whole trip. I think I coked it up (Coke Zero, that is) a little too much last night as we pushed to Helena, so I didn’t sleep very well. That combined with the canoeing and hiking yesterday must’ve taken a toll (not to mention my butt bones are really sore from sitting in an aluminum canoe). Either that, or two weeks on the road is starting to add up.

We made it into Yellowstone, the first National Park, around 16:00. After a quick stop at the visitor center, we started checking out some of the geothermal phenomena of the park. Our first stop was a spot called Fountain Paint Pot. This was a half-mile trail on raised wooden planks through an area of steaming hot springs and bubbling mud pits. The stench of sulfur is thick in the air around these openings, which reach deep into the earth.

The next area we checked out was Midway Geyser Basin and Prismatic Spring. The interplay of colors in the pools is pretty impressive. The water is especially blue because of microscopic particles suspended in it, and the underlying ground is colored green and orange by different species of thermophilic bacteria.

On the way to our next stop, we saw a couple of elk. We stopped for a few pictures and they actually started walking toward us, until they were within about 5 yards. We had seen elk before at Redwoods; but this was a much closer encounter and we could really get an appreciation for the size of these animals.

We also got a distant look at a bison. Hopefully, we’ll get some closer looks at these before we leave. Speaking of bison, Agent Orange had it for dinner. I don’t understand why anyone would want to eat these majestic creatures, especially in a sanctuary dedicated to preserving them. It’s the same complaint I have about zoos and aquariums serving meat. Why is it when people look at animals, the next thing they want to do is eat them?

Our final stop for the day was at Old Faithful. We sat and watched for about 30 minutes before the geyser slowly started bubbling and then erupted in a powerful gush reaching probably close to eighty feet. It’s almost unsettling to think about the activity under our feet that can produce something like this (and certainly much more).

We’re staying tonight in the Old Faithful Inn, which is a National Historic Landmark. It’s basically a giant log cabin (and smells just like The Cabin), one of the largest wooden structures in the world. The rooms are pretty rugged, in a sweet way. We had dinner in the downstairs dining room, which was also pretty nice.

Day 14 - Glacier National Park

2007-06-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Around 1:00, Agent Orange woke me up because he thought he heard some kind of breathing outside the tent. Turns out it was probably me breathing inside the tent. We both stepped outside about five minutes later and neither of us were eaten. About 4 hours later I decided to pee in nothing but boxers, which was probably more dangerous considering it was really cold. It's amazing just how quick you can start shivering. Getting back inside that sleeping bag really felt great.

We broke camp a little late -- around 9:30 -- and headed over to Eddie's for breakfast. Huckleberries are big here and we had some Huckleberry yogurt with our huge breakfast, which was quite good. Next, we rented a canoe and headed out onto Lake MacDonald. It took us a little while to get the steering figured out, but eventually we got the hang of it and had fun exploring the lake. I was a little annoyed that the rental company gave us boundaries on where we could take the boat and that there is a law about wearing life jackets (they don't even have sales tax here, what do they care about laws?); but it was a great way to spend the morning.

Next, we headed over to the other side of the park -- St. Mary -- which took about two hours. Here we took a hike up into the high country to get a view of a glacier. The ranger we spoke to beforehand warned us that we'd be in territory where Grizzlies are often sighted. So, we had to be sure to make plenty of noise as we hiked the trail. Luckily, we had recently memorized the lyrics to Hoo-Yip, the song from the closing credits of Grizzly Man.

The trail essentially follows a stream until it moves above the trees and into some steep meadows that look exactly what you would picture a Grizz rolling about in. All the way, there are giant mountains rising up out of the valley, with snow scattered all over them. At the end of the hike, we realized that it's not that easy to identify a glacier compared to other big deposits of snow. I'd say we most likely saw the glacier we set out to see, but it's hard to say for sure at this point.

After finishing the trail, we drove the leg of Going-to-the-Sun Road that is open on this side of the park. It was shorter and less scenic than yesterday's drive, but still had some great mountain views.

Finally, we exited Glacier and started the drive to Yellowstone along winding roads through farmland where horses and cows have gotten fed up with being fenced in and sometimes wander right out onto the road. After stopping for dinner at a Subway in Blackfeet Indian territory, we pushed on for Helena, the capital of Montana.

Day 13 - Glacier National Park

2007-06-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

We drove through some light snowfall this morning as we left Idaho and entered Montana. Despite a full day of driving yesterday, we still had a lot of road ahead of us this morning. Finally, around 15:00, we rolled into Glacier.

Glacier is about as beautiful a landscape as one could imagine. The forests are deep green, the lakes perfectly teal and the grey mountains are covered in white snow. Unfortunately, as we pulled in, it started to rain heavily. Thankfully, it didn't last long and we were able to set up camp under fairly clear skies. With it being late in the day, we decided to start our time in Glaicer with a drive on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is an approximately 60-mile long path that winds around the lakes and through the mountains of the park. It's an engineering marvel with spectacular vistas around nearly every corner. The road is closed about 27 miles in, where it has yet to be plowed, but I think we probably got to see the best parts. The trip ended next to the Weeping Wall, which is a steep rock face where water seemingly flows out of nowhere, through cracks in the rock. Also, on the ridge far above were a couple of mountain goats; but, we could only get a glimpse of them through the binoculars some lady loaned to us.

After grabbing dinner in Jammer Joe's near the park entrance (they actually serve Fat Tire, prompting 3rd Stop nostalgia), we headed to our campsite at Fish Creek. It doesn't get dark this far north until about 21:30. Still, we were setting up camp in near total darkness. We stashed our food and other scented items in the bear locker and stuffed ourselves into my 2-man backpacking tent, which is significantly smaller than a double bed. After some initial discomfort, we actually got a decent night's sleep.

Day 12 - Mt. Hood, Lake Coeur D'Alene & The Long Drive

2007-06-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 17, 2007

We left Portland this morning and headed onto the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway. After driving through some thick fog, we finally got above it and rounded a corner onto a great view of the summit of Mt. Hood. It's over 11,000', but for some reason I thought it was bigger (over 14k'). From the ski lodge where we stopped, it didn't look that as intimidating as I'd pictured. It's a very prominent peak, however, with no other peaks nearly that high anywhere to be seen.

After leaving Mt. Hood, we headed out onto Columbia River Scenic Byway, which was a nice surprise. The river was really choppy, almost like a bay. Across the river, there were rolling, treeless hills stretching off to the distance, and walls of rock rising up on the side next to us.

We made into Washington, which was basically just miles and miles of hills as far as we could see. It was nice scenery and we made good time from there until we finally made it into Idaho.

We stopped for a few hours at Lake Coeur D'Alene to have dinner and check the place out. It's kind of like Palm Springs, except instead of being in a desert, it's near a lake. There were a lot of people hanging out at the resort that we stopped at, but it's hard to figure out what they were really doing there (chillaxing, probably).

After Coeur D'Alene, we planned to drive into Montana. But, seeing that the road was tough to drive at night, we decided to stop a little early in a town called Mullan. Unfortunately, the only hotel there was one that looked like it was straight out of Vacancy. So, we turned around and headed back to a town called Wallace. We filled up with gas at one of the three remaining stations in America that doesn't allow you to pay at the pump, and perhaps the only station in America with a camoflage-wearing family of wanderers hanging out in it.

The hotel we ended up in is actually pretty nice. Tomorrow, we'll be driving into Glacier and most likely camping there tomorrow night. Today marked the first day in the trip that I was actually getting closer to home; so, that's something.

Day 11 - Portland

2007-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Today was a pretty chillaxed day. We slept kind of late and did some much-needed laundry before heading into the city after lunch.

We started with a trip to the Rose Test Garden and Japanese Garden. Portland is known as the City of Roses, which is obvious when you're in the Rose Test Garden. It's a very nice park. Next we headed into the Japanese Garden. This was a bigger slightly nicer version of the Tea Garden in San Francisco. Although, one Tea Garden is enough for a trip like this, so we didn't spend too much time in this place, even though it was a relaxing environment.

In fact, Portland is a very green city and seems like it would be a nice place to live. It's big enough to feel like a real city, but small enough to be easy to get around and it doesn't feel oppressively crowded. We spent a little time wandering through Pioneer Square, which is basically a nice mall in the center of the city. We also saw the Portland building and the statue of Portlandia, which is the second largest bronze statue in the United States, behind the Statue of Liberty. Apparently this building is renowned for being the first major postmodern building in a downtown area.

Tomorrow, we start the long drive to Glacier National Park in Montana. In fact, tomorrow might be the first full day of driving without actually reaching the destination. Although, we do have a couple scenic stops along the way in Mt. Hood and Lake Coeur D'Alene in Idaho. After nearly two weeks on the road, I'm a little fatigued, so I'm glad we had today to kind of recharge before the long drive.

Day 10 - Crater Lake

2007-06-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 15, 2007

We put Medford behind us at about 9:30 this morning as we headed for Crater Lake. After driving through the dense, green forests on the way to the park for about 60 miles, we started to see snow on the ground. At first, I suspected they were just isolated patches, but there turned out to be quite a bit of snow, so much so that the eastern half of the park was closed. This was disappointing, because it meant we couldn't climb Mount Scott -- the highest peak in the park -- or take the boat ride to Wizard Island. However, the disappointment didn't last long.

Crater Lake is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sights I have ever seen. It is hard to imagine a more calming sight than an almost totally still, perfectly blue lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains and vibrant green trees.

After staring out at the lake for a little while, we had dinner at the Crater Lake Lodge. This is a quant little hotel right on the rim of the crater, with spectacular views. I'd really love to stay here one day. It's hard to imagine a more relaxing location.

Once lunch was over, we headed out for two short hikes. The first was about a 2.5 mile round trip on the Garfield Peak trail. The path to the summit was snowed over; so, after crossing one snow field on our way to a point overlooking the Phantom Ship (a rock formation rising out of the lake), we headed back to the Lodge area.

Next, we hiked over to a rocky outcropping with a beautiful view of the entire lake. We sat here for probably half an hour and I think it was probably one of the best moments of my whole life. Crater Lake more than met my expectations.

After leaving the park, we decided to push for Portland, and that's where we are now. We'll be staying here tomorrow night as well and hopefully having a chance to relax after covering a lot of miles in the last two days.

Day 9 - Redwood National Park

2007-06-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 14, 2007

We started the day with an hour-long drive up to Redwoods National Park. This is an amazingly lush forest, especially compared to the Southern California photos I’m used to. There’s so much moisture in the air, which is key to these trees’ habitat. Like the Sequoias, these trees are strikingly big. We did a 2.5 mile hike through one of the groves, and found a dead tree that was somehow hollowed out all the way to the top, like looking up into a chimney. Also, at the trailhead, we saw about ten elk. These things are huge! Males weigh up to 1000 lbs., according to the rangers we spoke to, who were infinitely more helpful than the Yosemite backcountry rangers.

After driving north to the town of Klamath, we stopped at a privately owned redwood grove that was a little too touristified for my taste. The highlight, however, was a cable car ride to an ~800’ summit overlooking the ocean and the forest. “Neat” is probably the right word to describe it. Exiting the park, we passed some nice coastal scenery, with craggy rocks jutting up from the waves.

I’ve been traveling in California for nine days; but, today we finally entered Oregon. We stopped in Medford for dinner, which was an utter disaster. First, we tried Abby’s pizza. The pizza was totally wrong and equally disgusting. Next, we stopped at some fish restaurant, where the manager told us they had plenty of vegetarian dishes. Of course, what he meant was that they would take the meat out of any of the pasta dishes on the menu. This was nothing compared to what was to come. At a Denny’s clone called Shari’s, I ordered some kind of Western BBQ burger, with a garden patty substituted for the beef. Of course, I guess I should’ve also mentioned I didn’t really need the three strips of bacon on top of it! I mean, why would you put bacon on a veggie burger? Why!?

I’ll be glad to brush the Medford dust off my feet tomorrow morning when we head up to Crater Lake. I’ve been looking forward to this park for a while, so hopefully it’ll live up to what I have pictured.

Day 8 - Golden Gate & Avenue of the Giants

2007-06-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Today was mostly a travel day. We started out by filling up on a huge complimentary breakfast at the hotel before heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge. On the way, we took a detour down what’s known as the world’s most crooked road. Well, it was. In fact, the hills in San Francisco are steeper than anything I’ve driven in the mountains so far.

After driving aimlessly through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for a little while, we made our way over the bridge. It was kind of an exciting moment. We stopped on the other side for a little while to take some pictures and to walk a little ways on the bridge. The views of the city and Bay there are pretty spectacular.

Once we’d left San Francisco, we started the long drive north. First we passed through Wine Country. The scenery’s not bad, but since wine is about the least interesting thing in the world to me, we didn’t stop anywhere. Afterwards, we started to get into big tree territory, riding up the Avenue of the Giants. This should just be a small taste of what we’ll see tomorrow in Redwoods National Park.

One of the highlights of the day was a stop at some little tourist trap place called Confusion Hill. It was built around the premise that gravity or Earth’s magnetic field is distorted at that point or some nonsense. It’s basically a bunch of exhibits where you’re disoriented. There are a few spots where when two people stand across from each other, one’s taller, but when they switch, the other is taller. There’s also a house built at an angle that gives some weird photo opportunities.

We stopped for the night in Eureka, which is actually a pretty cool place. After dinner at a little Italian place that turned out to be really good, we went to see Knocked Up, which was also really good. I haven’t laughed that hard at a movie in a while – I was pretty surprised.

Day 7 - Alcatraz & San Francisco

2007-06-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

We started this morning with a 9:00 departure for Alcatraz Island. The boat ride over treated us to some nice views of the Bay and the city. Arriving on Alcatraz, it's kind of surprising to see that the island is kind of beautiful. There are a lot of different species of plants there and tons of seabirds. Inside, however, is a different story. While the guides were instructing us where to go, I commented that I felt I really had to follow their instructions to the letter, or I would get in some kind of trouble. I guess I was already broken.

Alcatraz is really a terrifying place. Just imagining what it would've been like to be locked up there, with little to no prospect of leaving is the kind of thing I have nightmares about already, so this probably won't help.

After our time on the inside, we had lunch at a place called Tarantino's, with a great view of the Bay and of the Golden Gate Bridge. After all this, I was starting to think that San Francisco was a pretty great city. Little did I know, something was about to change my opinion of the city forever.

After mulling over our options, we decided to head to Golden Gate Park to check out the Japanese Tea Garden and the bison (hopefully). We rode one o fthe historic cable cars down to Union Square, which was another great-looking spot. Then, however, we stepped into Bum Territory. It started with the usual bum approaches, which we ignored as basically anyone would. But while I was looking at the map, a bum came up and started really getting in our faces and then started pounding his fist into his hand right next to my head. I wasn't really paying attention before that, but that was enough to make us decide it was time to start moving. We got on the 71 bus toward Haight-Ashbury, which proceded to pick up a revolving collection of bums, drunks and lunatics. By the time we reached the park, I felt I needed a shower and maybe a de-lousing.

The park was nice, but there's a lot of construction there. We stopped for some tea in the Japanese Tea Garden, which was a really nice spot. I was excited to see the bison, but apparently they herd them up and hide them away for the night at 5:00, so we missed them. Anyway, hopefully we'll be seeing plenty of big animals in Yellowstone.

We headed back to the South Bay (nice) area after this. We spent some time in what seemed to be the financial district, which is also very nice. We had dinner at an Indian placed called Gaylord. I don't think it's associated with the one in L.A., but it did prompt me to have a weird "leaving L.A." moment. After taking my first sips of Taj Mahal, I started thinking it would be cool to hang out in Gaylord's bar when I get back to L.A. Then I caught myself and realized that's not happening. Anyway.... Agent Orange ordered his Kofta extra hot, saying, "I know I'm an American, but I can handle it." Well, they gave him what he wanted. I took one bit and broke a sweat. To his credit, he finished most of it. That's some of the hottest stuff I've ever put in my mouth.

All in all, I like the city quite a bit, just stay off the bus. Tomorrow, we'll be checking out the Golden Gate Bridge and then heading up through Napa Valley on our way to Redwoods National Park. It's been fun to be in the city for a few days; but I'm excited about getting back out on the open road.

Day 6 - Whale Watching and S.F. Giants

2007-06-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 11, 2007

I started today by throwing everything into the car and heading down to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey to head out on a whale watching cruise. I should also mention that I was dressed like the Gordon's Fisherman. The boat eased out of the harbor, past the same group of Sea Lions that I saw yesterday, and out into the ocean. The water was a little rough, but just enough to be exciting.

About 30 minutes into the trip, the captain announced that some whales were spotted just out on our starboard side. Then, all of a sudden, they came out of the water right next to us, surprising even the captain. It's pretty amazing seeing these animals up close. Almost like clockwork, they would swim near the surface for about two minutes, then dive for five minutes before surfacing again. Each time they dove, they would raise their tales in the air before descending. At one point, they rose up headfirst, filtering fish from the water.

Aside from the whales, it was nice being out on the water in Monterey. For one woman, however, it wasn't so nice. She rushed to the edge of the boat and vomitted over the side right in front of me. She apologized, but it didn't really bother me. In fact, I thought about taking a picture.

After the cruise, I drove up to San Francisco where I caught a quick nap in the cell phone waiting lot before Agent Orange arrived. We headed to our hotel and took a quick stroll around Fisherman's Wharf (making it my second Fisherman's Wharf of the day). After a quick stop in a magic shop where we saw a few demonstrations, we decided to head over to AT&T park and catch the Giants game. This is a new park and it's really nice. I'm not a huge baseball fan, but it was still a nice place to hang out. Bonds hit a home run, so that was pretty cool.

Day 5 - Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row

2007-06-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Today was the most relaxed day of the trip so far (or "chillaxed" as I heard some young folks saying in Yosemite). After another fine continental breakfast -- this time from Howard Johnson -- I headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The design of the aquarium is very interesting; but, I found the exhibits to be a little lacking compared to what I've seen at Long Beach (my favorite), Charleston, and Chicago. I love otters, so I was excited to see their extensive otter display, but even this was a little disappointing. The highlight had to be the various displays of jellyfish. They do a great job of showcasing the animals in unique displays and with great lighting. Presentation is really this aquarium's strength.

I also attended a brief presentation discussing jellyfish, which was pretty interesting. The only problem -- and this applies to this aquarium in general -- it was a little too child-oriented. Almost all of the questions came from kids, such as "What's the biggest jellyfish?", "How old is the oldest jellyfish?" and "What's the most poisonous jellyfish?" I guess that's what I get for going on a weekend. Turns out the answer to that last question is the Box Jellyfish of Australia, which carries enough venom to kill 32 people. I only wish Karl Pilkington had been there to ask, "What's he so mad about?" On that same note, I wish I could've found an "educator" to explain to me why Octopuses are always trying to get into jars.

Of course, the most ridiculous behavior I saw came from an adult. One woman was actually tapping on the glass of the jellyfish tank. Now, I have to ask: just what was she expecting? It's annoying enough when people tap the glass of a fish tank; but, at least you know that they're trying to get the fish to look at them. A jellyfish has no eyes. What's it going to do? There was also the man who was ahead of me in line to check out in the cafeteria who, after learning that there were no drink cup lids or straws for environment reasons, blurted out, "Save the fish!" and then laughed and glanced over at me as if A.) he had made a joke and B.) it was OK for him to look at me.

I also happened to be standing next to a tall nerd and his wife and kids for a while. For a minute I thought I had stepped into a time machine. I could totally see that being me in ten years, explaining to my 7 year-old kids the mating cycle of a parrotfish. Honestly, it doesn't sound that bad. Although, this was not nearly as sweet as the last time I traveled through time and saw an overweight white guy and a persian guy rolling through Beverly Hills in a Benz, puffing on cigars (obviously, Future Rashad and Future Kevin, grown fat with success).

I ended up leaving the aquarium sooner than I had planned and decided to wander around Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. It's a really beautiful area down there, even if it is basically a tourist trap. I could see it being a nice place to retire. At the end of the pier at Cannery Row there was a big group of Sea Lions sunning themselves on the rocks. Frankly, that was cooler than anything I saw at the aquarium. I never realized just how noisy these animals are! They're also pretty fun to watch. Some of them just kind of laze around, while others playfully swim and duck in and out of the kelp.

Next, I drove down to Fisherman's Wharf, where I walked into a couple of the places offering whale watching tours. I decided to sign up for one tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited: I've never seen a whale and this is something I've always wanted to do. They say they spot whales 95% of the time, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. It sounds like we'll probably see some Humpbacks, but there could be an outside chance of seeing an Orca or a Blue Whale. That'd really be something if I saw the largest plant on Earth and the largest animal, all within a week.

I headed back to the hotel early to kind of rest up. I'm having a great time so far, but I needed a couple hours to kind of chillax. Plus, the Sopranos series finale is tonight.

Tomorrow, I'm picking up Agent Orange from the airport in San Francisco and it'll be time to begin the trip's Bravo Leg with a couple of days sightseeing in S.F., which according to many of my friends is pretty much the best place on Earth.

Day 4 - Half Dome Ascent, Part 2

2007-06-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 9, 2007

After dreaming about bears all night but luckily not confronting any, I woke up at 5:45 and prepared to push for the top of half dome. I was on the trail at about 6:50 and at the base of the steep staircase leading up to the dome at about 8:15. From this point, it was some of the toughest hiking of my life. Again, it was like climbing a giant staircase, but above 8000’, so my lungs were really having to work. Eventually, the staircase fades away and it’s just a scramble up a steep granite face. At one point, I stopped because I wasn’t sure which way to go and didn’t want to take the quick way down by mistake. I waited on a hiker behind me, who didn’t find it any easier. Then, a third hiker passed both of us, quickly ascending the slope like some kind of mountain goat. I only mention him because he comes into play later.

Anyway, I made it up the granite slope, to the base of the final ascent: the cable-aided portion. I searched through the pile of old work gloves to find a pair that wasn’t too rotten. I looked up and saw mountain goat-man coming down. Now, I knew that he hadn’t already made it to the top, even as fast as he was. As he reached the bottom, I heard him say, “It’s so steep. It’s just not worth it.” Now, as you may or may not know, I am very afraid of heights, which begs the question, “What was I doing up there in the first place?” Well, seeing this guy turn around so close to the top, I had some misgivings as I started up the cables. It was incredibly steep and, frankly, I was terrified. All it would take would be losing your grip on the cables and you’re looking at almost certain death. I made it maybe halfway up before deciding I had to head down and regroup.

I was about halfway back to the bottom when I ran into a man who was probably about 50. I told him that I was on my way back down to rethink things. He told me he’d been up 6 times before and told me I could follow behind him and he’d talk me through it. It was kind of like in the movies when the air traffic controller talks a stewardess through landing the plane or a surgeon explains to a waiter how to do an appendectomy over the phone. He was asking me questions about where I work and I told him that I had worked for New Line Cinema for five years and was now about to start med school. Anyway, I stayed focus on the ground right in front of me, avoiding looking left or right, where it was clear how steep the slope really was.

Before long, we were at the top. It was worth it. After being tempted to give up so many times over the course of the two days, I felt a real sense of accomplishment making it to the top. The views were amazing, with straight dropoffs all around.

The hike down was a real slog and I was so happy to see my car at the trailhead, especially since it hadn’t been broken into by a bear. I was so exhausted by this point that I decided to forego the other hike I had considered and headed out of the overcrowded Yosemite Valley and started the drive to Monterey.

It’s amazing the variety of terrain in California. Since I left L.A. I’ve seen dense forests, jagged mountains, rolling hills and flat plains that could’ve passed for Kansas. Now, I’m at the coast, in Seaside, which is about 3 miles from Monterey. Tomorrow, I’ll be going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After spending the last four days in Naitonal Parks, it’ll be nice to have a more relaxed day.

Day 3 - Half Dome Ascent, Part 1

2007-06-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

June 8, 2007

Today was brutal. I started out excited for my overnighter/weekender in Yosemite; but things got off to a bad start. From the trailhead parking lot, I somehow took a wrong turn onto a horse trail. Dodging piles of horseshit as I tried to find my way, I passed the same white-haired grandma about 3 times, each time getting advice on where to head, then second-guessing her five minutes later. Turns out she knew what she was talking about. I ended up on the right trail but without realizing it. Since I didn’t know I was on the trail, I was actually walking the wrong way, headed to the trailhead that I should’ve started from originally. Finally, I started the 8.5 mile hike after wasting about an hour and a half and walking probably close to three worthless miles. That’s not even mentioning the fact that the tube came out of my hydration bladder, soaking the bottom of my pack and all my clothes from the waste down. Needless to say, I was pretty fed up.

The hike to the summit of Half Dome starts out on the Mist Trail, which passes Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, which are both pretty spectacular. It’s one tough climb to the top of Nevada Falls. Imagine a 1500 foot staircase hewn (yes, hewn) into a mountain. That’s like taking the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building. Of course, you'd have to build some more stairs to the very top of the spire and you'd still be a little short of 1500'. From here, things leveled off on the approach to Little Yosemite Valley: the first spot to camp, approximately 4 miles and 2.5 hours from where the hike began.

Here, I walked to a ranger station tucked outside of the campground because I had a question about where my permit would allow me to camp. Well, I learned a few interesting facts. First, not all rangers are helpful. In fact, this guy couldn’t have been much less helpful. He knew next to nothing about where to camp above Little Yosemite Valley, but said I could stay in that campground if I wanted, despite the fact I had been told when I was issued my permit that I couldn’t camp there. Second, I learned that the life of a backcountry ranger is quite similar to that of a homeless bum or Tom Foley (who lives in a van down by the river). If I didn’t know they were government employees, I’d have feared for my life. In fact, for all I know, these two guys may have killed the real rangers weeks ago.

Anyway, I was faced with a dilemma: push on for higher campsites or set up camp for the night (it was about 16:00 at this point). I briefly considered setting up camp and making a summit push; but I decided against it, remembering my experience racing the sun on San Gorgonio. After the way the day had started, the last thing I wanted to do was stumble around in the dark looking for a campsite. Instead, I decided to push on and try to camp on the Northeast shoulder, about 2.5 miles away. I hiked for about 1.5 miles/45 min. and met a few people who told me there was nowhere to camp up any higher. Now, I think there probably is; but being alone, the other campers in Little Yosemite valley seemed pretty inviting (not to mention the pit toilets, which would mean not having to shit in the ground during the night). So, I turned around, headed back to Little Yosemite valley and set up camp. Chalk up another wasted 3 miles or so. I probably hiked 10 miles today to cover 4 miles of ground. Again, fed up. Tomorrow, I’ll want to wake up at dawn to head to the summit. I’ll probably be one of the first up there. Hopefully it will be better than today.

Day 2 - Yosemite National Park

2007-06-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2007

There's nothing like starting the morning with a Days Inn continental breakfast. Especially when the fruit tastes like it might be made of wax. (Real time note: I have Fast Cars and Superstars on television right now and Brad Daugherty is one of the hosts. I can't get into why this is awesome right now, but trust me.)

Anyway, today was my first day in Yosemite. Despite the fact that this hotel advertises itself as 14 miles from Yosemite, which is technically true, it's actually about 50 miles from Yosemite Valley, which is the heart of the park. So, after about an hour of working the transmission on winding mountain roads, I was starting to think my 3-4 day stay in Yosemite might be off to a bad start. Then, I came through a tunnel to one of the most spectacular views I've ever seen. I had no idea that Yosemite had this sort of Grand Canyon-level jaw drop power.

I continued on into the valley and spent a few hours driving and walking around, taking pictures. Mainly, I was trying to get a feel for the place before I go in tomorrow for my trip up Half Dome.

After my time in the valley, I drove up to Glacier Point which gives a wider look over the surrounding mountains and the granite landscape of Yosemite. The view from Glacier Point is the kind of perspective that makes you feel so utterly tiny. Even after seeing the granite formations from within the valley, seeing the magnitude of it all from above is shocking.
After leaving Glacier Point, I started a short hike to the summit of Sentinel Dome (8122').
It was an easy hike up a pretty gradual slope; but from the summit, the view of Half Dome (pictured) was a little intimidating. That's my goal for tomorrow. It's an 8.5 mile hike to the summit -- the last stretch is a steep, cable-aided ascent. I'm hoping to make it to the top tomorrow and then camp at the base overnight before hiking out the next morning. Then, Saturday morning I'll make the decision about whether I'm going to do Yosemite Falls as a day hike or try to add on the longer trip to El Capitan for a second night.

Something I've noticed the last two days is that there are a lot of Europeans in these parks. I don't really get it. I had no idea what to expect from Yosemite and I've lived a few hundred miles from it for 5 years. How do they know about it? And how do they get here? Fly into Fresno and drive? Can you imagine if you had never been to America and you flew into Fresno? I'd just stay on the plane and say, "Forget it. Take me back."

(Back to Fast Cars and Superstars: This is Laird Hamilton's chance to win my respect. Let's see what kind of time trial he can put together. I feel like after my last two days of curvaceous driving, I could kill on this show.)

If I write anything tomorrow, it'll probably be in a tent, so I'll post it when I get a chance.

Day 1 - The Beginning

2007-06-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

June 6, 2007

After some choked-up goodbyes last night after dinner with Matt, Lauren, Niky, Mariel and Zoe at Real Food Daily, I left Los Angeles at 7:30 this morning. It took me 30 minutes to get out of Beverly Hills; but after that it was smooth sailing for the rest of the day, driving-wise. In fact, as first days go, today couldn't have been much smoother.

I've lived in L.A. for five years and today was the first time I saw Six Flags Magic Mountain. Whatever. The mountains around it are really gorgeous: most of them have no trees. I don't know why this is. My first guess was a recent fire, but now I think that is almost definitely wrong. More likely, it's something to do with the soil. Anyway, passing Six Flags and on the way to Bakersfield is a pretty scenic drive through some valleys. Then, you come out into flat country that reminded me of drives up to The Cabin. Too bad I didn't have anyone with me today to read the latest issue of Cosmo. If only there was a podcast.

I arrived at the entrance to Sequoia National Park around 12:00, which was a little later than I had planned, but not too bad. Immediately, I was treated (by nature, I guess) to a beautiful canyon vista with a river running through it. Just past the visitor center, there was a natural rock tunnel, which would make more sense if I could figure out how to post a picture of it.

Of course, the main attraction here are the big trees. Entering the Giants Grove, it's immediately obvious that the magnitude of these trees is so unlike almost all others that they almost don't seem real. For some reason, I kept thinking of the plastic trees on putt-putt golf courses. When I touched the Sequoias, I almost expected them to be the same hollow plastic and not real wood. They are, however, made of actual living wood and, in fact, the "General Sherman" tree is the biggest living thing in the world. I had to take a minute to let that sink in. The tree is also estimated to be 2,200 years old. Being among these giant trees is an almost surreal experience and one of the most amazing things I've seen.

Also, my Southernness requires me to point out the irony that a giant tree is named for a general known for ruthlessly burning things.

I also managed a quick climb up Moro Rock which is basically a big granite peak with a staircase carved into it. At the top, there were thick clouds all around and warning signs about the danger of lightning strikes. I just looked at the pictures I took today and, frankly, it looks about 1000 times more ominous than I remember. If I had seen those pictures, I might've decided that it was a bad time to go up. Anyway, no one got thunderbolted. The clouds, however, were a warning sign. Not long after, on the trail to the General Sherman, tiny hail drops (are they called drops?) started falling. It was about 55 degrees up there all day, but hail? That was definitely a surprise.

After driving through Kings Canyon, which is kind of Sequoia's less interesting sister park (although it does feature a nice Sequoia grove with a giant named General Grant. What I want to know is where is General Lee? I guess he got the Duke boys' car, but I think maybe we should find the tallest pine tree in the South and name it the General Lee as well.), I headed for Fresno, planning to stop there for the night. Well, Fresno is a dump. It doesn't even feel like California. It kind of reminded me of Texas in the sense that it's a flat city kind of stuck in the middle of nowhere, which is what a lot of Texas is, in my experience (no offense to my Texan friends, who will probably agree). Anyway, I decided to push on to Oakhurst, which is about 15 miles south of Yosemite and that's where I am now. (Also, Oakhurst has the added bonus of being about 2000 feet higher above sea level than Fresno, which might give me some help with the altitude tomorrow. I was really feeling it today in Sequoia/Kings Canyon, much of which is over 6000'. And skipping lunch didn't help.) The plan for tomorrow is to drive into Yosemite, get a feel for it, and pick up the wilderness permits for my backpacking trip, which is scheduled right now for two nights, but might change depending on how much ground I can cover tomorrow. Since I drove into Oakhurst after dark, I haven't had any glimpse of the surroundings, so I'm hoping to wake up to some great American scenery tomorrow morning.