Days 19-21

We started north through Wyoming and got into a whole lot of nothing. It seems that the entire eastern half of Wyoming is comprised of endless, monotonous beige hills. But then we hit the western part, where the mountains and rivers came out of nowhere. It was striking to see the contrast of the soft, low-lying sage brush to the tall, dark, pointed fir and spruce.

 We stopped a few times along the way to enjoy the massive rivers and incredible scenery, then drove straight into the Grand Teton National Forest. The Tetons are not a long range, but they are like natural sky scrapers! So tall and steep that the final approach to the summit on most of the peaks can only be acheived by some very technical rock climbing.

We opted to take a trail that went by Jackson Lake, the largest lake in the park, so that we could get a good view of the entire mountain range. When we got there, we actually turned back around to get our swimming suits because the pristine lake and surroundings beckoned so strongly. And it's a good thing we did, too. Though the water was frigid at first, it only took a little getting used to, then it felt great. Even purifying. At one point after diving many times in the deeper water in an attempt to touch the bottom, I swam out about a quarter of a mile to get a better view of the Tetons. Seeing those tall peaks, snow still clinging in the uppermost gorges, made me feel like a floating speck of dust. I laid back on the surface and looked at the cloudy sky with the mountains in my periphery, and lost track of which way was up. A little freaky, but it was cool to feel as if suspended in space even for a short time.

Being in a state of quietude around such stoic mammoths forces one to become introspective. Indeed a humbling experience.

Eventually Erica brought herself to take a quick dip as well, and she was happy for it. We left very fulfilled.

Before leaving the park we stopped by the small restaurant check on their prices. We found "Rocky Mountain Oysters" on the menu and HAD to give it a try. When in Rome, right? They were served deep fried. The flavor cannot really be properly described to someone that has not had them. They weren't bad though. Especially with the creamy dipping sauce that I didn't really care to know the ingredients of. Go try some bull nuts.

 It was a short drive from there to Yellowstone National Park. We were surprised by Lewis Canyon, a 200-foot-deep gash in the earth right next to the windy road, with a raging river in the bottom carving it still deeper. There were some stunning waterfalls on our way up to Old Faithful, and we kept stopping to take in the sights. We had our first sighting of a churning hot spring halfway there, and I got a piece of mud from inside the boundary (you are not supposed to cross over railings due to people falling through the thin crust over boiling springs) as a souvenir.

It was night by the time we reached Old Faithful. Every ninety minutes or so it will launch a boiling jet of super heated water and steam from between 100-200 feet into the air. We both have wanted to see that event for many years now, and the old geyser did not disappoint. In fact, from the moment we got there, we only had to wait 5 minutes until a violent boil signaled the beginning of the jet. It suddenly erupted, exploding higher and higher until it peaked at about 150 feet! It looked to me like the water main feeding the Devil's chambers had just burst into our world. The smell of sulfur was intense. Very rewarding.

Erica and I then went to one of the hotels that is constructed right there and used the facilities. Very rustic, old west architecture there. It was a treat just to be able to use those bathrooms. We slept at the luxurious Yellowstone Hotel that night, meaning in our car, in the parking lot. A good sleep nonetheless.

In the morning we had another good look at Old Faithful and then went to the even nicer hotel and hung out. We spent the rest of the day checking out just about every thermal feature on the landscape, from BEAUTIFULLY clear blue pools with deep bottoms to lethally acidic mud pots full of thick, bubbling pools of clay and minerals. The thermophilic bacterial form wonderfully colorful mats wherever the hot mineral water flows on the ground, and they made some pretty cool pictures.

We did a short hike there as well, up to Mystic Falls. They said it was as 70-foot waterfall, and I was very excited. What was not mentioned was that there were about 20 small hot springs feeding into the massive falls! We were happily surprised when we arrived, because you are very strictly forbidden as a visitor from touching any of the thermal features in the park and are constantly reminded of the very real danger of getting body parts boiled off or burned by acid or both. But here there were no barricades or signs or authority. Granted, the pools paled in comparison, but I was wanting to touch something since we got there. So I tried a pinkie finger first for acidity, and when nothing happened, I licked it. Nothing tasted or felt off, so I gave it a temperature-gauging touch. VERY hot in some places, but where it me the icy river water, it was PERFECT! I took off my boots and enjoyed the temperature swings in the mixing zone at the bottom of the falls for a long time.
What a treat to have such an intimate experience with this place.

As a huge storm system moved in, with plenty of lightning in the distance, we enjoyed a quick pine fire and toasted bread and tortillas until the fatter raindrops started to fall and swelled the river that we stopped next to. We observed the rest of the storm from the car, stretched out on the platform in back.

Now we are headed to the Salt flats in Utah, then Death Valley in Cali! Looking forward.

-Karl

Days 13-18

We woke up that morning 1 hour away from Capitol Reef National Park. Scenic Road 24 took us all the way into the park. Along the way,while Erica was driving, she opened the moon roof so I could stand up with half of my body out of the vehicle doing 70 down one of the most beautiful and unused highways I've even been on. The high wind pulled tears out of my eyes and into my hairline as I howled with joy at the experience.

We had no idea just how much there was to do at Capitol Reef. When we got there we listened to a short talk by one of the rangers about the area and learned of many features that we may have otherwise overlooked. Like the orchards from the Mormon settlers, where we filled our dry food box with free apples and pears. And the old pie shop where we tried DELICIOUS hand made salsas, preserves, and scones all made from local ingredients.

We also did our own little hike across the Fremont River which created the canyon there and hiked up to some pretty cool boulders that overlooked the valley. Very sharp echoes up there.

From there we went to Arches National Park, where we witnessed the largest natural sandstone arches in this nation (maybe the world?) and were quite humbled by both the hugeness of the giant rock formations and the vastness of the landscape itself. We did some off-trail hiking, saw the "Balanced Rock" (which seemed to defy gravity), checked out the "Garden of Eden", and saw the "Double Arch" and a dozen other massive arches.
Unfortunately we didn't have any more time, as we wanted to get to some hot springs in Colorado that night, so we had to leave earlier than we wanted to.

But the hot spring was worth it. We got there late and found a group there already, so we opted to go to sleep and come back in the morning. The stars were more bright that night than any other night thus far, the Milky Way clearly visible in the black night sky. Such a wonderfully cool and starry night it was that I decided to sleep on the roof of the Pilot and stargaze. For about an hour I had my eyes open, taking in the cosmic sight. I saw many shooting stars, and even a couple that streaked across 80% of the sky!
In the morning we went back to the hot spring as planned and enjoyed a much-needed bath in the super-hot water. We were the only ones there. What a cool place.

After getting some things done in town we met up with Dave and Kendra Stein, Kristian and Eunha Holdhus, Byron and Dasha Yoder, and their combined 9 kids to go camping. What a hell of a time we had! Some of the best camp food I've had (many thanks to Kendra and Dasha for that) and fantastic company.

We went with the entire group on a hike to Hanging Lake. For those who have not heard of it, Hanging Lake is one of the highest rated hikes in Colorado. There is a stream that you hike along and gorgeous stone cliffs all around topped with tall trees. But honestly I had my doubts if we would make it to the top with all these kids. Even with all the steep switchbacks and elevation change, however, every last person made it! In no small thanks the parents for carrying the smaller ones most of the way.

At the top was a pristine, CRYSTAL-CLEAR lake. The ecosystem there is so sensitive though, that the rangers do not allow anyone to touch the water. Kind of bitter-sweet. But beautiful nonetheless.

Dinner was once again fantastic, and when all the kids went to sleep the adults talked around the fire well into the night. It was great to catch up with such quality people after so long a time since our last meeting. And it was great to get to know the Yoders as well.

Kristian, Byron, and myself took the kids on one small hike the next morning, just before leaving. They had a blast.

We owe those guys big time for the good times and priceless memories that we gathered together.

Later on Sunday we visited with Erica's childhood friends, Camille and Justino Alves, as well as Justino's wife, Joelle. Wonderful people! We spent some time together in Washington Park in Denver, where we got some free food at a party. It was fun to see Erica reminisce with her friends. Then we went back to their place and played board games, during which time we laughed so hard it was hard to breathe. Good times. They let us crash at their place for the night.

Their very sweet dogs named Koa and Basil woke us up in the morning. First they licked and walked on us, then they just decided to snooze with us until we finally got up for real.

Justino had to go to work, but Camille and Joelle were able to stay behind and make us some French toast for breakfast with natural preserves and fresh berries. What a treat!
It was a reluctant goodbye when we left, as always.

So far this road trip has been incredible in terms of the things that we've seen and done. But the generosity that we've encountered on this trip is what continues to amaze me.

Next stop is Yellowstone National Park!

-Karl