Petrified Forest National Park

Sunday, September 25, 2016 - 6:30pm by Lolo
157 miles and 3 hours from our last stop

Travelogue

Lolo on the Blue Mesa TrailLolo on the Blue Mesa TrailThis was a big day, one to which I had been looking forward to for many miles and miles – a day of pure fun, with a tiny bit of driving wrapped around it.

We hadn’t been to a new National Park in many years. Actually, technically this was not a new park for us, but I am counting it as such, because we did not give it justice when we passed through here back in 2002 on the way home from one of our aggressive cross country trips. After about 4,500 miles in 2 ½ weeks, trip fatigue had set in, and all I could get the family to do when we got here was to drive to the Kachina Point Lookout and have their picture taken with the colorful badlands of the Painted Desert behind them – cranky faces and forced smiles and all.

Today would be different. We had a whole day to devote to the Park and I was planning on exploring every nook and cranny.

The park is actually divided into 2 sections, divided by I40. The section south of I40 contains one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood. North of I40 are the colorful rocks and buttes that make up the badlands of the Painted Desert.

Painted Desert InnPainted Desert InnThe best way to see the park is to drive the 27-mile park road, stopping at various viewpoints and hikes along the way. We began our tour at the Painted Desert Visitor Center, just a short distance north of I40.

While at the Visitor Center I took note of the Painted Desert Diner behind the gift shop and suggested strongly that we should consider getting lunch there later. But first, we had some exploring to do.

We drove north on the park road, stopping first at the historic Painted Desert Inn, which overlooks the painted desert from Kachina Point – the site of our 2002 family photo. As much as I love pristine, untouched natural beauty, I also love learning about how people interacted with it. The Painted Desert Inn was the perfect place to do just that.

Wandering around inside, we learned a bit of its history from the informative exhibits. Back in 1924, a gentleman named Herbert Lore hired Native Americans to build the original Inn, as a place for travelers along the old Route 66 to stop in for a meal and to shop for Native American crafts. The building was originally constructed using petrified wood, which was abundant in the area.

Old Diner in the Painted Desert InnOld Diner in the Painted Desert InnIn 1936, the National Park Service purchased the Inn from Lore and enlarged and renovated it in the pueblo style, covering the petrified-wood walls with stucco. The building was closed during the final years of World War II, but reopened afterwards by the Fred Harvey Company, which hired famed Hopi artist Fred Kabotie to paint several murals inside.

The Inn closed in 1962 when the Painted Desert Visitor Center opened, and plans were made to demolish it because of structural problems. However, forward-thinking people that recognized its unique mixture of Spanish and Native American pueblo styles, as well as the value of Kabotie’s beautiful murals, argued for its preservation.

Today it is a National Historic Landmark restored to its 1940s appearance. It houses the Painted Desert Inn Museum, which celebrates the area’s cultural heritage. The old lunch counter and bar room downstairs are nostalgic to look at, but unfortunately they are just that – historical artifacts. As a hungry traveler, I sure would have liked to sit on a stool at the counter and order lunch for 35 cents, just like back in the 1940s.

Herb shopping for a new vehicleHerb shopping for a new vehicleAfter the Inn, we strolled the short distance out to Kachina Point before getting back in the car to continue along our drive. Right before we got to the overpass over I40, we pulled over to look at an old rusted out car alongside the road, a tribute to old Route 66, which used to travel through the park. It reminded me a bit too much of our Suburban.

It was at this point that I realized that I had made a boo-boo. The only place to eat in the Park was back at the Visitor Center, and the only way to get to the southern section of the park was from where we were right now. There was no way we were going to happily spend a day of hiking and exploring the rest of the park on empty stomachs, so we drove back the 5 ½ miles to the diner in the Visitor Center that I had scouted out earlier in the day.

Being the only game in town, I kind of expected the diner to be a rip-off, but it was unbelievably reasonable and delicious. I had a lamb stew with cornbread for less than $5 and Herb had a meat Navajo taco for about the same.

More Blue MesaMore Blue MesaTummies full, we were ready to set out for a day of exploring the Park. The best way to see it is to drive the 27-mile park road from one entrance to the other. We had already covered the 6 miles of the northern section (twice in, fact), so we retraced our steps, waved hello again to the Suburban’s rusty brethren, and crossed over I40 into the southern part of the park.

About 12 miles south of I40, we turned left off the scenic drive and continued on the Blue Mesa Road to a panoramic overlook atop the mesa. From there we followed a paved path from the mesa top down to the valley floor, winding our way around and amongst the beautiful, blue-, gray-, and white-striped badlands of the Painted Desert. Being amongst them was so much more rewarding than just gazing at them from a scenic viewpoint above.

Their texture was really interesting as well – kind of like elephant-skin. The hills are composed of silt, sand, clay, and gravel, but it is the Bentonite clay in them that gives them both their bluish color and wrinkled appearance – they swell with moisture when the rains come, and then shrink when it dries.

Vibrant colors of a petrified logVibrant colors of a petrified logBesides the beautiful badlands, there were plenty of colorful petrified logs scattered along the edges of the trail, as if they had been split by an ancient lumberjack before turning to stone (the logs that is, not the lumberjack). What a rich pallet of colors. The deep golds, greens, purples, and yellows of the logs, complemented the grays, blues, and browns of the surrounding hillsides beautifully, making them a perfect foreground for a very colorful photo.

The hike was only a mile, but there so much reward along the way.

After Blue Mesa, we drove about 10 miles south on the park road to the Rainbow Forest Museum, near the southern entrance to the park, from which we would start our second hike of the day – the Long Logs Trail to the Agate House Ruins.

From the Rainbow Forest Museum parking lot, we walked east along the park road a short distance to the Long Logs trailhead. From there we headed south on what used to be an old access road. At about ½-mile from the trailhead we came to a junction, and headed right towards the Agate House. We would save the Long Logs Trail for our return.

Agate House RuinsAgate House RuinsIn about ½-mile, we arrived at the Agate House, an 8-room building constructed entirely of chunks of colorful petrified wood. Archaeologists believe that it was occupied between 1050 and 1300 by ancient Pueblo people.

In the 1930s, under the direction of archeologist Cornelius B.Cosgrove, Jr., the ruins of the Agate House were partially reconstructed by the Civil Works Administration. Although it not a completely accurate replication of the original structure, it does give a better idea of what it might have been like to live here 700 years ago.

The house sits upon a knoll overlooking the badlands – I guess even the Pueblo people appreciated a good view. Although it is the only house in sight, the hundreds of similar petrified wood structure sites found throughout the park, show that it was likely once part of a much larger Pueblo community.

We retraced our steps back to the Long Logs trail junction, taking note of the numerous chunks of petrified wood alongside the trail. We looked at them differently now. In the eyes of the ancient Pueblo people, these were not just beautiful objects to look at, but useful building material.

Long Logs TrailLong Logs TrailBack at the junction, we took the 0.6-mile Long Logs loop past some of the largest specimens of petrified trees in the park – some as long as 116 feet. Geologists believe that this area was the site of an ancient logjam, where years of floods and mudslides buried a pile of conifer trees, making this one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park.

All in all, the hike to the Agate House and Long Logs was 2.4 miles – once again, a short hike with lots of reward.

For our final activity of the day, we decided to do one of the backcountry “Off the Beaten Path” hikes that required a bit more route finding skills, as there are no set trails or markers. The ranger at the Visitor Center had suggested “Martha’s Butte” as an interesting destination that would take us away from civilization for a bit. Plus, the butte has a solar marker petroglyph, which appears sliced in half (half light / half shade) during the summer solstice sunrise. Hopefully, we would find it.

"Off the Beaten Path" to Martha's Butte"Off the Beaten Path" to Martha's ButteAs directed by the ranger, we parked at a dirt pullout just before the Dry Wash Bridge near milepost 22. From there we crossed the road and followed the wash north for awhile before it bent sharply to the east. We were now heading northwest towards Martha’s Butte, about a mile away. Once the butte came in sight, it was quite easy to find our way.

There was another smaller hill just south of Martha’s Butte, where we stopped first to admire “Walker’s Stump,” a large petrified log sticking out of the clay hill at a strange angle. It got its name “stump” because it was originally thought to be just that – a petrified stump. However, in 1936, park naturalist Myrl Walker did some excavating and proved that it was just a log embedded in the clay.

When we got to Martha’s Butte, we noticed several scattered boulders at its base adorned with petroglyphs. One spiral one in particular was quite interesting and we wondered whether we had perhaps found the solar marker. Hard to tell when it is neither sunrise nor a summer solstice. However, looking it up later on the internet confirmed that it was indeed the solar marker.

Solar Marker on Martha's ButteSolar Marker on Martha's ButteWe walked around the entire butte, admiring the many other interesting images carved into the rocks. Most of them were geometric patterns, but there were plenty of birds and four-legged animals as well.

What a great destination, and so secluded. We hadn’t seen another soul the entire time. Plus, it was kind of fun not being confined to a set trail, but being allowed to wander about somewhat aimlessly, just with a general direction in mind.

The whole hike, including our often random rambling, was 2.3 miles with only 40 feet of elevation gain.

I wish we had time to do another “Off the Beaten Path” hike, but it was getting late and time to head on to find a place to stay for the night.

We made one more stop at Newspaper Rock to gaze out over an area of rocks with over 650 petroglyphs carved on their faces. Obviously this area was hugely significant and sacred to the ancestral Pueblo people that called what is now Petrified Forest National Park their home.

Pueblo artPueblo artFeeling quite satisfied in having finally given Petrified Forest NP the time and admiration it deserved, we drove to nearby Holbrook, just 20 miles away, and checked into a Travelodge for the night.

From there we later walked to Mesa Italiana, a cozy restaurant, just ¼ mile from our motel, serving pizza, pasta, and other Italian specialties.

What a fabulous day it had been – three great and very distinct hikes with a variety of natural beauty and cultural history, and then Italian food to bring it to a close.

Description

Painted Desert at Petrified Forest NPPainted Desert at Petrified Forest NPPetrified Forest National Park, which is located along I40 in eastern Arizona, consists of two main sections. The section south of I40 contains one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood. North of I40 are the colorful rocks and buttes that make up the badlands of the Painted Desert.

The best way to see the park is to drive the 27-mile park road from the southern entrance to the north. A good first stop is the Rainbow Forest Museum. Behind the museum is the ½-mile, self-guided Giant Logs Trail, which leads through one of the four major concentrations of petrified logs in the park. The largest petrified log is Old Faithful, which is 9 ½ feet in diameter.

A short spur road leads to Long Logs and the Agate House. At Long Logs there is a ½-mile loop trail that leads through the largest concentration of petrified wood in the park. Some of the logs are as long as 170 feet. The 1-mile-long Agate House Trail leads to an Anasazi pueblo made of petrified wood.

Petrified log imitating a rockPetrified log imitating a rockContinuing north on the park road, you'll come to the Crystal Forest where the petrified logs were once filled with quartz and amethyst crystals. Although gem hunters have taken most of the crystals before this area was a National Park, there are still some very colorful logs to see along the 0.8-mile loop trail.

Further north, a 3-mile spur road leads to Blue Mesa, with its blue and purple-striped badlands. A fairly difficult, 1-mile loop trail descends into the mesa. Many consider this to be one of the most scenic trails in the park.

The next stop is the Puerco Indian Ruin, the remains of an Anasazi village occupied in the 1100 - 1300s. There are also petroglyphs carved out of the patina of the rocks surrounding the pueblo.

Petroglyphs by Martha's ButtePetroglyphs by Martha's ButteThe park road then crosses I40 and enters the Painted Desert portion of the park. Along the road to the Visitor Center there are 8 overlooks, each affording a different perspective of this colorful landscape. One of the most spectacular is Pintado Point, the highest point along the rim of the Painted Desert. At Kachina Point is the Painted Desert Inn, now closed, and the trailheads for the Painted Desert Wilderness Trail and the Painted Desert Rim Trail. The Wilderness Trail steeply descends in switchbacks down the face of the badlands onto the floor of the Painted Desert. With a backcountry permit, you can camp here and watch the sun set over the badlands. The Rim Trail runs along the rim of the Painted Desert from Kachina to Tawa Point. Along the way there are spectacular views of the colorful badlands of the Painted Desert.

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Amarillo, Texas to Grants

Saturday, September 24, 2016 - 6:30pm by Lolo
361 miles and 7 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Herb at Stone Age Climbing Gym in AlbuquerqueHerb at Stone Age Climbing Gym in AlbuquerqueOnce we hit New Mexico, the scenery began to change for the better – more beautiful vistas of colored rock, mesas, and badlands. It felt like we had finally reached the West and that the SuburbanShip (the Lunatic Module) – knock on wood (or rust in this case) might actually make it home.

Since there was no physical activity yesterday due to the false promise of a fitness center at the Super 8, I searched once more for a climbing gym on route, to stretch the muscles and break up the monotony of another long driving day.

I repeated my methodology of a few days back, and used the Waze mapping app to search for terms like “rock,” “granite,” and “climbing” along our route. Once again, it worked. I found Stone Age Climbing Gym, just a stone’s throw (no pun intended) from I40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I then continued my routine of calling to inquire about parking 45-feet of vehicles and was told that there was ample parking along the street across from them. They were right! We parked along the curb right across from the place.

The gym was great, but then again, as I previously said, I have rarely met a climbing gym that I didn’t like. The only down side to visiting new gyms is that you have to get belay tested in each one to make sure you know what you’re doing and won’t let your partner fall to the ground. I definitely agree that checking one’s competency is a necessity, but I wish there was some kind of nationally recognized belay certification so that you didn’t have to waste a half hour every time you visit a new gym. Plus, I zoned out and almost failed this one when I spent a bit too much time setting the rope through the belaying device.

Fortunately, the fog lifted and I rallied. We spent the next couple of hours joyfully climbing in what was a really nice gym.

Another hour and a half on the road brought us to our resting place for the night – a Travelodge in Grants, NM, which was located in walking distance to several dining establishments. After a quick Yelp and Trip Advisor search, we headed to the Asian Super Buffet, just a short distance from the motel.

“Super” was right. This place was unbelievable. I have never seen so much food for $9.99 a person. I could have eaten $30 worth of shrimp alone. Needless to say, we were so stuffed afterwards that we definitely needed that walk back to our motel.

Description

Continuing west along I40 with a side trip to Stone Age Climbing Gym in Albuquerque

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Miami, Oklahoma to Amarillo

Friday, September 23, 2016 - 6:15pm by Lolo
453 miles and 8.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Guess what state we're in?Guess what state we're in?Another long driving day – Oklahoma is certainly long. Thankfully, the SuburbanShip was behaving beautifully.

When looking for a destination for the night, we usually try to check in at least by 5:00, so we have time to relax a bit before figuring out how to feed ourselves. Amarillo, Texas seemed just about right.

Since the fitness center in the Econo Lodge back in Illinois gave me the opportunity to burn off some pent-up energy, I used “fitness center” as one of my criteria when using the Trip Advisor app to find a motel in Amarillo. Another criteria that we were looking for was walking distance to a restaurant, so that we wouldn’t have to face another Subway hero. That was a little more difficult in that I had to use Google Maps, zoom in on motels, and then see what was nearby.

The Super 8 Amarillo West looked like it would do the trick.

Hello TexasHello TexasI will always remember this motel for the interesting exchange I had with the proprietor. While checking in, I asked her where the fitness center was. Much to my chagrin, she said, “About 4 miles away. We have free passes for you to use.” When she saw the disappointed look on my face, she said, “Why do you need a fitness center. You already look fit.” Herb and I tried not to crack up. I don’t think she really got this fitness thing.

After a shower and a drink in the room, we walked to nearby Joe Daddy’s, which was a pretty loud and rowdy local establishment, with Texas BBQ, “adult” drinks, and a live band. It was just the kind of place I would have pictured in Amarillo, Texas.

Description

Drive I44 southwest to I40 and stop at a Super 8 in Amarillo, Texas

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Greenville, IL to Miami

Thursday, September 22, 2016 - 6:15pm by Lolo
373 miles and 7.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Zenith Climbing Center in Springfield, MOZenith Climbing Center in Springfield, MOWhen we hit St. Louis, rather than continuing west on I70, we headed southwest on I44 to eventually link up with I40, a much gentler alternative, in terms of mountain passes and steep grades, than I70 or I80.

I didn’t think I could take another day where the highlight was stopping at a Subway in a truck stop, so I suggested we look for a rock climbing gym to get in some physical exercise, and break up the monotony of the drive, and hopefully combat the ill effects of a diet of Subway heroes.

My first step in implementing this bold plan was to use the Waze phone app to plot our route. Then I performed a search along route for terms that might appear in the name of a climbing gym, such as “rock,” “granite,” “climbing,” etc.

Bingo! I found the Zenith Climbing Center in Springfield, Missouri, just 7 miles south of I44.

The second challenge was to find out if we could park our 45-feet of tonnage somewhere nearby. I called the gym to ask, and was told that there was a church nearby with a very large parking lot where he felt confident we could fit.

Great! We were quite excited.

I have rarely met a climbing gym I didn’t like, and Zenith was no exception. It was practically brand new and almost completely empty, because most of the staff and people that climb here were off at a climbing competition in nearby Arkansas, a competition that Herb had actually heard of. It’s called 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, and is very unique in that you are scored on how many routes you can complete in a 24 hour period.

So, basically we had the gym to ourselves, which was great. It took us awhile to get used to the route grades here. Every gym tends to rate the difficulty of climbs differently, so we had to kind of figure out through trial and error which routes were appropriate for our abilities. In the case of this gym, the gradings were really stiff, meaning that they were really hard for their grade. While in some gyms, I can comfortably do 5.10s and even the occasional 5.11a, I struggled through 5.9s here – much more realistic to outdoor climbing.

Invigorated from our climbing session, we continued on another 2 hours before settling in for the night in a Microtel Inn in Miami, Oklahoma.

I don’t even remember what we had for dinner, but if I was to guess, it was a Subway hero or salad.

Description

Driving I44 towards I40 with a stop for the night in Miami, Oklahoma

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Brother's house in Ohio to Greenville

Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 6:15pm by Lolo
386 miles and 8 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

The first of many many truck stopsThe first of many many truck stopsWe said our goodbyes to my brother and his family and continued our way west. Fortunately, it was an uneventful, mole-free day – just more truck stops, Subway sandwiches, and Econo Lodges.

After 8 hours of driving, I was desperate for some form of fitness, but there really was no place to run from the motel. That was why I was so happy to find that the motel had a fitness center with a treadmill. I’m not really a treadmill fan, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I figured why not.

That evening I ran for 45 minutes, longer than I ever do on a treadmill. In fact, Herb even came to look for me at one point to see if I was okay. I was so glad to see him, because I couldn’t get the AC working and it was really hot in there. My hero Herb came to the rescue and plugged it in – why didn’t I think of that?

We ate our Subway salads, watched some TV, and went to bed. I hope this wasn’t going to become too much of a pattern.

Description

Drive along I70 from Ohio, through Indiana, to an Econo Lodge in Greenville, Ohio

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Breezewood, PA to Brother's House in New Albany

Monday, September 19, 2016 - 6:15pm by Lolo
284 miles and 5.5 hours from our last stop - 2 night stay

Travelogue

Boat makes it to Jimmy'sBoat makes it to Jimmy'sWe hit the road early – not much else to do in an Econo Lodge in Breezewood, PA, and started the 6-hour drive to my brother’s house in New Albany, Ohio. He had arranged a place for us to park our 45-feet of stress just across from his house in an area where they were constructing new homes.

Things were going along pretty smoothly until about ½ hour away from Jimmy’s, when we began hearing a rattling sound coming from the boat trailer. Herb stopped and saw that the crack on the fender had extended to the point where he was concerned it would fall off. We tried calling a couple of boat trailer places to see if they had a replacement fender, but no luck. Instead we stopped at a Home Depot and Herb bought some clamps to keep it in place.

After leaving Home Depot, we began hearing a new sound - scraping noise coming from the driver side front tire, which seemed to correspond with the rotation of the wheel.

Herb said he felt like he was playing Whack-a-Mole, and the moles were winning.

Rusty loose dust shield - Problem solvedRusty loose dust shield - Problem solvedHe had no idea what the new problem was, nor how long it would take to repair, so we told my brother we might be moving in for awhile.

As with our day at the Jersey shore, we decided to just enjoy the evening with my brother and his family, and not worry about the problem until the morning – it seemed like we were doing a lot of that lately.

Bright and early the next morning, Herb took the tire off the Suburban and saw that a piece of the very rusty, disc brake dust shield had broken off and was rattling around causing the noise. Since the broken off piece wasn’t essential to the braking system, Herb just removed it. When I saw how rusty things looked behind the wheel, I seriously questioned our wisdom in driving this thing across the country. However, at this point, there wasn’t much of a choice.

Since we were able to whack our second mole relatively quickly, we had the rest of the day to enjoy. My brother brought us to the lovely Inniswood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve in nearby Westerville, Ohio, where we spent a few peaceful hours strolling through the woodlands and various gardens.

Charlie in actionCharlie in actionBefore leaving the next morning we accompanied Jim on his morning constitutional with Charlie. Walking Charlie was quite a unique experience. He was so interested in sniffing everything along the way that he actually walked sideways, sort of like a crab, while my brother dragged him along. I had never seen anything like it. He also liked to mark his turf frequently with a little poop - I think there were about 3 of these "markings" on this walk alone. When we asked Jim if Charlie had been trained at all, he said “No, that would take away his personality.” Ok good. At least he hadn’t been ripped off by a dog trainer.

Time to hit the road. I am always sad leaving my brother's house. He and his wife are such great hosts that a visit with them is always a treat. The good food and laughter definitely lifted our spirits.

Description

I70 to my brother Jimmy's house in New Albany, Ohio

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New Jersey to Breezewood

Sunday, September 18, 2016 - 6:15pm by Lolo
250 miles and 5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Hitting the RoadHitting the RoadThe day of reckoning was upon us.

After showering off the gasoline that had poured on his arms and chest during the fuel line repair, Herb put on a brave face and said, “Let’s go.”

I have to admit that I was quite nervous about our chances of making it cross country without a breakdown or calamity of some sort, but if I had to do it, I couldn’t have had a more competent pilot than Herb.

Our first planned destination was my brother’s house in New Albany, Ohio, but since we got such a late start because of the fuel line repair, we decided that we would just try to get a few hours of driving under our belt and then get to Jimmy’s relatively early the following day.

Not another Travel Center Subway!!Not another Travel Center Subway!!Knock on wood, everything seemed to be working fine and the Suburban, as it always has, ran like a champ. I kept a running text dialogue going on with Herb’s brother and our friend Randy, both capable mechanics, who were very interested, and concerned, with our progress. Randy considered our journey more analogous to that of a NASA space mission than a typical road trip, and dubbed our vehicle the SuburbanShip (the lunatic module).

We soon realized that finding places to eat and sleep were going to be a challenge, because with our 45-feet of length (Suburban plus boat), we were more like a semi than a car. It looked like it was going to be truck stops all the way.

We had our first, of what was to be far too many, Subway heroes at a Pilot Travel Center and bought a salad to have in our motel room that night. Fortunately, along the interstates, most motels had truck parking, so we were able to settle in at an Econo Lodge in Breezewood, PA, without too much difficulty.

Description

Making our way west on I76 through Pennsylvania to an Econo Lodge.

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Flying back to our roots

Monday, September 12, 2016 - 6:00pm by Lolo
178 miles and 3 hours from our last stop - 6 night stay

Travelogue

Sunset over Sandy Hook BaySunset over Sandy Hook BayBeing back in New Jersey felt so normal – I guess it should, as it was our home for 60 years. The flight went smoothly, and we were at my brother’s house in Monmouth Beach in time for dinner that night.

I couldn’t help comparing the ease of our arrival on the East Coast with the arduous journey we had ahead of us driving back to the West Coast in a 21-year-old, rusty Suburban, towing a 20-foot Grady White. For now, I would try not to think about it and just enjoy visiting old friends and places – and Herb could enjoy getting reacquainted with the underside of the Suburban.

The first two days were spent pretty much as planned, working on the vehicles to ensure they would safely get across the country. Lots of work for Herb, and his very helpful brother, but at least there were no major surprises.

Final cruise in the AtlanticFinal cruise in the AtlanticOn the third day, Herb felt confident enough in his progress to take the day off so that we could head up to our hometown in north New Jersey to visit with friends. We even made time to climb at Gravity Vault, our old climbing gym before going out to dinner at the Saddle River Inn.

On day 4, we decided the boat needed to say goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean, so we launched it in Keyport and took it for a 25-mile cruise over to Sandy Hook and back. Afterwards we went out to dinner with Herb’s brother and his wife at a typical Jersey Shore establishment called On the Deck - and that is exactly where we sat – “on the deck” overlooking the Bay.

Being able to sit outside comfortably is probably the thing we miss most (besides our friends) about the East Coast. The weather is absolutely beautiful in Sonoma County, but the swings in temperature during the day are huge. It can be 80+ degrees during the day, but come nightfall, it quickly drops into the 50s.

There's nothing like old friendsThere's nothing like old friendsWe pretty much were ready to hit the road on Saturday, but we added one more day in New Jersey, so that we could meet two very dear friends at the beach on Sandy Hook, which is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. On the way to meet them at the beach, we stopped at a McDonalds for coffee. When we got back to the Suburban, we smelt gasoline. Herb bent down to look under the truck, and sure enough, there was gas leaking from our fuel line.

The leak was pretty slow and our friends were already on their way to the beach, so we decided to just go ahead with our plans for the day, and worry about the leak tomorrow. We put a pan under the leak while we were at the beach.

I’d have to say that I was very proud of Herb. I know how frustrated and concerned he must have been about the leak, but he did manage to put it out of his mind for the day, and we had a really terrific time – perhaps the beers helped.

While at the beach, I remembered that there is a second thing that I miss most about the East Coast – sandy beaches where the water is actually warm enough to flop around in the waves. Northern California beaches are drop-dead gorgeous, but nobody (except wet-suit clad surfers) actually goes in the water.

Rusty SuburbanRusty SuburbanBefore leaving New Jersey on Sunday, we (and by we, I mean Herb) had the not so tiny issue of the leaky fuel line to deal with first. Thank God for Herb’s brother’s knowledge.

What Herb had to do was cut out the rusty section of the fuel line, which was leaking, and quickly replace the missing section with rubber hosing. Right before he began the surgery, his brother wrapped rags around Herb’s upper arms. When Herb looked at him a bit quizzically, Ron responded, “When the gas starts pouring out, it can really burn your armpits.” Oh boy. This was not going to be fun.

However, Herb, my hero, worked so quickly that his armpits were saved and the patched together fuel line was no longer leaking.

It was time to hit the road.

We hitched the boat trailer to the Suburban, said our goodbyes, and with much anxiety and trepidation, started the long drive west. Why did the Donner Party keep coming to mind?

Description

I think "New Jersey" speaks for itself.

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Home

Saturday, November 5, 2016 - 10:30am by Lolo
183 miles and 4 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Home sweet new home! It's a whole lot easier ending a great vacation when there is a wonderful new home waiting for us at the end in Sonoma Valley

Description

Our new home in Santa Rosa

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Pinnacles National Park

Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - 10:15am by Lolo
190 miles and 4.5 hours from our last stop - 4 night stay

Travelogue

High Peaks RegionHigh Peaks RegionIt has been far too long since we’ve been to a new national park, so we were quite excited to be heading to Pinnacles. It was new, not only to us, but it was new to the National Park list – promoted in 2013 from a National Monument.

The park is divided into an eastern and a western section, without any roads connecting them. Since the campground and most of the action is located in the eastern part, that is where we headed.

I had made camping reservations a few days ago, so we were set. In my haste to make a reservation on Recreation.gov, I did not notice that there were electric sites, so I booked a non-electric one. Although we can dry camp just fine in our Lazy Daze, we certainly do appreciate the amenities electricity can provide – our little heater for the cold nights, the ability to keep lights on without draining the battery, microwave, hair dryer, etc. It would have especially been nice since the days were so short and it was dark by 5:30.

Pinnacles CampgroundPinnacles CampgroundHowever, the Pinnacles Campground actually does have electric sites, which we discovered on a late afternoon stroll through the campground on the 3rd of our 4 nights there. Herb gave me a bit of a dirty look, as I am supposed to be in charge of such things and apparently had failed miserably. Oops. Unfortunately, the office was already closed, but we were back there first thing in the morning to switch our site.

Pinnacles is quite small by national park standards – just 26,000 acres, but I took that as a personal challenge to conquer all its nooks and crannies in our three days here.

Day 1 – Condor Gulch, High Peaks, and Rim Trail Hike

If you only have one day to spend in the Park, I think the High Peaks Trail is far and away the best thing to do. It’s fairly strenuous – 7.5 miles with a 2,236-foot elevation gain, but there is much reward along the way.

We started off by driving to the Bear Gulch Day Area where the Condor Gulch Trail begins. From there, we hiked up a smooth, winding trail, constantly keeping our eyes out for California Condors, which according to neighbors of ours that had visited the park in late May, were quite abundant and not very shy of people – quite disconcerting considering they do have a 9-foot wingspan.

High Peaks RegionHigh Peaks RegionAfter about a mile, we came to an overlook and gazed out over the canyon we had just climbed, but try as we might, there were no condors to be seen. Shortly after the overlook, we met a fellow hiker coming down from the High Peaks who told us that he hikes this trail all the time, and this was one of the few times that he had not seen one.

We continued up the Condor Gulch trail for about another ¾ of a mile before turning left (west) onto the High Peaks Trail. The scenery had already been quite impressive, but now things got really good as we wound our way through the pinnacle formations that give the park its name. At about mile 2.3, we came to a junction with the Tunnel Trail, where hikers have the choice of continuing on the “Steep and Narrow” High Peaks Trail, or taking the milder, but slightly longer Tunnel Trail. Both converge again at the Juniper Canyon trailhead in about 0.7 miles.

We chose to take the more exciting High Peaks Trail, which led us through narrow passageways, and up and over steep rock formations, with near-vertical drop-offs off to side. Fortunately, in the more precarious sections there were steps cut into the rock to form staircases and handrails to grip onto. As long as I can hold onto something, I am usually okay with heights, so I found this section of the trail really fun.

Precarious section of High Peaks TrailPrecarious section of High Peaks TrailWhen we converged once more with the Juniper Canyon Trail near Scout Peak, we scrambled up the rocks alongside the trail to get a better view while eating lunch. To pass the time searching for non-existent condors, I used my Iphone to read Herb fun facts about condors from Wikipedia. For example, we learned that California condors do not have a sense of smell and have to rely on other scavengers, like vultures, to find dead carcasses to eat. Then they just swoop down, scare the smaller birds away, and feast. No wonder they almost went extinct. They also defecate on their legs to reduce their body temperature. Not exactly great lunchtime conversation.

At about 5 miles into our hike, we came to the junction with the Rim Trail and decided to take it rather than go directly back to the car. One of the assignments the boys had given us on our visit to Pinnacles was to research the rock climbing possibilities, and the specific climbs they wanted us to look at were along the Rim Rock/Moses Spring loop.

The Rim Trail actually goes along the top of climbing routes, rather than along their base. We took a path labeled Discovery Wall, which was one of our homework assignments, and spoke to a few volunteer climbers that were working on replacing bolts on the wall. The type of rock in Pinnacles is volcanic breccias, which is much more delicate and likely to break off than walls of granite or basalt. That’s why, despite its rather close proximity to San Francisco, the boys had avoided climbing here as of yet. The thought of a hold coming off in your hand is a bit disconcerting.

Along the Rim TrailAlong the Rim TrailHowever, these guys certainly seemed to love climbing here and had done so dozens of times. They also told us about a wall a short distance away called Top Rope Rock, where Herb would not have to lead a climb, but could just set up a top rope on for us to use -- good idea, as I am not 100% confident in my ability to belay him on lead. Perhaps tomorrow.

We continued our hike along the Rim Trail to the Reservoir. From there, we could have gone through Bear Gulch Cave, but it was getting late, we were tired, and really had no desire to crawl around in a cave. Instead we walked upright like Cro Magnons on the Moses Spring Trail. Along the way, we passed The Monolith, the second rock wall we were asked to research.

It had been a great day – 7.5 miles of great scenery and a good workout.

We got back to the campground just in time to bring out our beach chairs and sit in the sun a half hour before it dipped behind the mountains and things cooled down real fast. I hate these short days, especially without electricity in the motorhome.

Day 2 – Rock Climbing on Top Rope Wall

Herb setting up on Top Rope WallHerb setting up on Top Rope WallUntil I get my lead belay certification, Herb and I are somewhat limited in what we can climb when it is just the two of us. That is something I really need to work on. However, fortunately, Pinnacles had a Top Rope Wall, also called Teaching Rock, which was perfect for us.

It was right near the Discovery Wall where we had talked to the climbers yesterday. We parked at the Moses Springs parking lot, hiked 0.1 miles along the Moses Spring trail, hung a right onto the High Peaks trail for another 0.3 miles, then turned left on the Rim Trail for another 0.2. From there a side trail off to the left brought us to the top of the camel hump, aka Teaching Rock, aka Top Rope Wall, aka Lolo Rock.

Anchors were already set up on top of the rock, so all Herb had to do was setup a top rope, throw both ends of the rope down to the base of the rock, and come down to the base himself via the walk-off path around the side. This allowed us to safely belay each other and climb.

Climbing at Top Rope WallClimbing at Top Rope WallThe routes to the top varied in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.9. We weren’t exactly sure which route was which, but I certainly hope that the first one we tried was the 5.9, because I got stuck below the bulge and couldn’t get much further. Herb, of course, did it just fine and then suggested that I try going slightly to the right around the bulge rather than straight up over it. Although still challenging for me, I was able to get the complete climb. We did another one to the left of the first climb as well.

It was very interesting rock – very different from anything we have climbed on before. There were all these angular pieces of rock that looked like they were cemented to the rest of the rock. Some of them were good to grab onto – others, not so much. Still it was lots of fun and satisfying. Plus, now I could say I climbed at Pinnacles before the boys did.

It was a beautiful day and our campsite was actually quite nice, so we went back around 3:00, so we could spend an hour or two just relaxing and reading in the beach chairs.

Day 3 – Hike to West side of Park

As I mentioned earlier, Pinnacles is a small national park, so given a few days, one can pretty much walk all its trails. So, that was pretty much our goal for the day – to hike the Old Pinnacles and Balconies Trail over to the west side of the park and then come back via the High Peaks Trail. Also, we hoped that going through the High Peaks section of the park again would give us another shot at seeing California Condors.

Old Pinnacles TrailOld Pinnacles TrailThere aren’t a whole lot of roads in the park, so getting to trailheads is quite simple. This time, instead of veering left at the fork for the Bear Gulch Day Area, we hung a right on Old Pinnacles Road to the trailhead parking at the end.

From the parking lot, we walked about 0.2 miles to the junction of the Old Pinnacles and Bench Trails. Although most of the hiking guides suggested taking a left onto the Bench Trail and doing the loop clockwise, we chose to stay right on the Old Pinnacles Trail, because we wanted to do the High Peaks Trail section in the opposite direction from what we had done two days ago – that way the views would be different and it wouldn’t feel like a repeat.

The first 2 miles or so of the Old Pinnacles Trail were along a wide sandy trail through a dry canyon populated with pine trees and brush. No big views or big climbs, but a very pleasant stroll. At about 2.1 miles we arrived at Balconies Cave. I think most people hike this trail because of the cave, but we’ve done so many caves and scrambling over rocks in our day, that we decided to literally take the high road – the Balconies Cliff Trail which went above it.

Juniper Canyon TrailJuniper Canyon TrailAt about 4 miles, we came to the Chaparral Ranger Station and Parking Area, which is the western access to Pinnacles National Park. From there we hung a left onto the Juniper Canyon Trail where the scenery and the topography began to change. For the next 2 miles, we climbed over 1,000 feet through a series of switchbacks with views of pinnacles and interesting rock formations across the canyon.

At the trail junction for the Tunnel Trail, we turned left (northeast) onto it and continued climbing until the junction with the High Peaks Trail at about mile 6. This was the junction we came to from the other direction two days ago, where we chose to go south through the "Steep and Narrow" section with handrails to keep from falling off the steep drop-offs.

However, today we were headed east on the High Peaks Trail back towards the Old Pinnacles trailhead. All that climbing we had done up to now finally paid off, because it was pretty much all downhill from here.

High Peaks HerbHigh Peaks HerbThe next mile was the only repeat from our previous hike, the section between the Tunnel Trail and Condor Gulch junctions – but a section well worth repeating, as it is probably the most scenic part of the park, with amazing views of the rock spires rising out of the pine and chaparral-covered ridges towards Bear Gulch in the south and the bulging canyon walls of the Balconies to the north.

As we continued along the 2-mile section of the High Peaks Trail between Condor Gulch and the Bench Trail, the views of rock spires and monoliths gave way to views of ridges and canyons – less dramatic, but still quite lovely.

When we reached the Bench Trail, we turned left (north) and hiked about another mile back to our car. All in all, we had hiked 9.8 miles with a 1,885-foot elevation gain through some very awesome scenery.

It was time for a cold beer back at the campsite where we now had electricity – Woo Hoo!

I forgot to mention that once again, despite our best efforts, we had not seen a California Condor, even though we hiked for a second time through the High Peaks region, which is where they are most commonly seen.

Descending the High Peaks TrailDescending the High Peaks TrailHowever, later that afternoon while relaxing in our beach chairs, sipping our well-deserved beers, gazing at the sky above the campground, we spotted some very large birds riding the thermals along the ridge.

We couldn’t make out the distinctive white markings under their wings from this distance, so I went over to the campground viewing area and looked through one of the telescopes. I was joined by a gentleman quite knowledgeable about birds that confirmed for me that they were indeed condors and that immature ones do not yet have the white markings.

If I had only known that condors are more easily spotted from a beach chair with beer in hand, I wouldn’t have had to do all that vigorous hiking.

After 10 nights out on the road dry camping, we spent our first evening in a water/electric site enjoying the wonders of electricity, as if for the first time – microwaving, blow drying my hair, turning lights on, running the heat, watching movies – even if we didn’t need to.

Pinnacles is truly a wonderful park, and one to which I am sure we will return to again and again – or at least until I have fed a condor out of my hand.

Description

Pinnacles National Park

View from Condor Gulch TrailView from Condor Gulch TrailIn 2013, 26,000-acre Pinnacles National Monument graduated to the status of National Park. The park is located a little over two hours south of San Francisco, east of the Salinas Valley. The park is named for the towering rock spires that rise abruptly out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains.

These rock formations are the remnants of an extinct volcano that erupted 23 million years ago. As the Pacific plate crept northward along the San Andreas Fault, it split a big chunk off from the main body of this volcano and dragged it 200 miles northwest to where Pinnacles is today. Millions of years of weathering and erosion have resulted in the formations you see today.

The rock in Pinnacles is quite unique. It is breccias, a type of sedimentary rock composed of broken angular fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix of smaller particles.

Bear Gulch CaveBear Gulch CaveEarthquake and volcanic activity were also responsible for the Pinnacles’ Balconies and Bear Gulch talus caves, formed when boulders fell into deep, narrow gorges and lodged between the rock walls, forming a roof over the canyon. Today, these caves are home to several species of bats.

The Park is divided by the rock formations into an eastern and a western section with no road connecting the two. The Visitor Center and Campground are located on the east side of the park.

Activities in the park include:

  • Hiking the 30 miles of trails
  • Rock climbing – however, the volcanic breccias and tuff is weak compared to the granite and basalt rock of other climbing areas
  • Exploring the Bear Gulch and Balconies talus caves
  • Watching California Condors soar on the thermal drafts over the high peaks section of the park
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