FIRST CAR CAMPING SWING - March 15 - May 1, 2023:
The overview of who I saw, what I did, where I went after packing my Packer blanket and heading out! (Click on hyperlinks for detailed blogs about each location.)
March 15: Drove from Whitewater, WI to St. Louis, MO to see Gateway Arch NP, campground at Sam A. Baker SP near Patterson, MO
March 16: Drove to Fontainebleau SP near New Orleans, LA - electric campsite
March 17: Visited New Orleans, LA - if I visit again it will have to be with friends or a local
March 17: Left NOLA - drove to Sam Houston Jones SP near Lake Charles, LA - electric campsite
March 18-20: Drove to Austin, TX - stayed with my niece Maddie and her cat Orion - awesome!
March 20: Drove to Caverns of Sonora, TX - electric campsite
March 21: Drove to Hueco Tanks SP near El Paso, TX - overflow parking :)
March 22: Drove west - stayed near Butterfield RV resort near Benson, AZ
March 23 (am): Visited Saguaro NP - morning run and visited Red Hills Visitor Center
March 23 (pm): Drove to Phoenix, AZ and picked up my sister-in-law Cindy and nephew Murray from the airport - drove to the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa - stayed 3 days during Murray's baseball tournament.
March 23-27: Arizona Grand - watching baseball and visiting with family, including sister-in-law Dona
March 27: Drove to Joshua Tree NP - stayed in BLM dispersed camping area south of the park.
March 28: Explored Joshua Tree NP: Cottonwoods Visitor Center, Skull Rock, White Tank Campground, Lost Mine Trail, Cap Rock, Intersection Rock. Drove to Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground - electric site
March 29: Back to Joshua Tree NP to explore more. Boy Scout trail, Hemingway, Banana Cracks scramble trail for yoga :). Drove to San Clemente State Beach campground (originally Dana Point - but sewage closure- ew!) - tent campsite next to teenagers
March 30: San Clemente State Beach campground - teenagers gone, Pedro's tacos++, great views, borrowed electricity from nearby site, made a CA plan, lots of reading, writing, beach combing
March 31: Drove to La Jolla, CA to spend the day at the tide pools. Love! Free parking near beach. Overnight at Marriot parking lot - unfortunately near late-night revelers. Back to beach early a.m.
April 1: La Jolla tide pools and sea shore in a.m. - then Hwy 5 to L.A. - Lovely dinner with lovely friends in North Hollywood - stayed overnight in their "she shed"
April 2: Visited with dear friend in Woodland Hills. Drove to Pismo Beach State Park - tent campsite
April 3: Ran in Monarch Butterfly preserve, walked the beach, visited Dino Park. Hotel lobby, little free library, little bit sad. (See blog post "Lobby Crying in Pismo Beach".) Drove to Morro Rock - super windy. Slept at Morro Strand State Beach campground - tent site. Seafood dinner out at Tognazzaini's Dockside.
April 4: Drove to Monterey, checked into Inn by the Bay, Monterey. Walked Cannery Row. Ugh. Doc and Suzy and Dora and Mac and the boys and Henri and Lee Chong and Hazel are nowhere here. Only laser tag and tchotchkes and rampant commercialism. Found the lab, and cried for the loss of Ed Ricketts at age 52 - 75 years ago. Added a flower to his statue and walked straight to a liquor store, blasting a song from a friend in my headphones.
April 5: Went for a run and regrouped. Drove up the hill to Veteran's Memorial Park (Monterey) and booked a tent campsite. Campfire, birds, TAPS from nearby naval base. God is nigh.
April 6: Writing day at Pacific Grove laundromat. Mountain Mike's pizza for dinner. Zoom with GNO friends. Slept at Veteran's Memorial Park again.
April 7: Lou Lou's Griddle in the Middle for breakfast, then north out of Monterey. Hiked (ran like a child) through Henry Cowell Redwoods SP. Walked across Golden Gate Bridge (National Recreation Area) and back. Drove to Santa Rosa and slept in a Hampton Inn parking lot.
April 8: Drove to Eureka, CA - gorgeous drive of winding mountain roads and green rivers - then stayed in the guest room of a sweet friend.
April 8-10: Enjoyed great company in Eureka! Toured amazing CA towns each funkier than the last - Eureka, Arcada, Trinidad, Crannell - 4 used bookstores, creperie, wildlife refuge. Drove to Redwoods NP (Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center) and hiked the Karl Knapp Trail in Prairie Creek Redwoods SP.
April 10: Drove south - through Avenue of the Giants, followed my intuition to Clear Lake State Park - amazing campground with no one around but deer, osprey, eagles and California quail. Tent campsite.
April 11, 1am: 4.4 earthquake - welcome to California!
April 11: Clear Lake SP - Run, swim, air dry, repeat. Gorgeous day. I am a lake person.
April 12-13: Drove the Pacific Coast Highway. Hiking/yoga on numerous beaches, slept at windy, cliffside Salt Point SP campground. Sonoma County Public Library in Sebastopol for writing...cool town.
April l3: Drove south to catch Superbloom (read full story here.! Splurged on a hotel - La Quinta in Livermore, CA (north of San Jose). Continued south after a morning run on Mountain Drive.
April 14-16: Pinnacles NP near Soledad, CA - shared a flooded and discounted tent campsite with sisters from Florida on the first night.... racoons crawling on my car the second night. Still one of my favorite discoveries - lingered for 3 days. Bear Gulch trail, Moses Spring trail, Rim Trail Loop, Condor Gulch trail, Blue Oak Trail. WILDFLOWERS and CONDORS!
April 16: Almost f*d up - Lake Isabella is a dead reservoir town with scary police cars everywhere. Kerr River, alive, wild and raging below the dam was worth it to gain understanding. I see it, E.A. Changed gears and ended up at Red Rock Canyon SP. Gorgeous, happy accident. Wildflowers abundant.
April 17: Stayed at Red Rock Canyon SP a second night. Hiking, reading, resting, photographing desert wildflowers, planning ahead for Utah when my friend Gina would be joining me for 5 days.
April 18: Drove to Vegas - stayed at Gold Coast. Groceries, laundry, trash TV. Shifted car gear around.
April 19: Picked up Gina at 9:26 a.m. from LAS. 5 Utah parks in 5 days! We are now UTAH PEOPLE! Drove to Zion NP and set up tent at campsite in park, then hiked. Emerald Pools trail - Lower, Middle & Upper. Soup and quesadillas.
April 20: Explored Zion more - 7am shuttle to Riverside Walk, Hanging Garden, Weeping Rock, Big Bend (ranger with telescope on condors!) Packed up campsite, then Canyon Overlook trail and bighorn sheep on the way out of Zion. Drove to Bryce Canyon NP...Snow! View! Hiked Sunrise Point, Thor's Hammer, Queen's Garden Trail. Drove 30 minutes to Kodachrome Basin SP and set up camp. Spaghetti dinner and cold night. Beautiful tent campsite.
April 21: Explored Capitol Reef NP. Pack of deer and Hickman Bridge Trail. Chat with new friends Davin and Greg. I leave my phone at the top - hike back for it. Drove to Goblin Valley SP (OTHERWORLDLY. Hoodoos are weird.) Drove to Moab - checked into Rustic Inn - love it. Hot showers, brinner and stayed up uploading photos. Free postcards in the lobby, and GOOD complimentary donuts in the morning.
April 22: Up and at Arches NP by 8am - Visitor Center and ranger questions. IN AWE. 8 different short hikes - stayed all day. Pizza in Moab then drove to Dead Horse Point SP and set up tent, drove to overlooks. Stunned by the views here - rivals the Grand Canyon. Windy night, turned in early.
April 23: Up and out by 7am. Canyonlands NP - Grand View Point overlook at the end of Islands in the Sky road. Drove Gina back to LAS (6+ hour drive) to catch her flight. Not knowing her flight was delayed, I bought some fried chicken, restocked my car fridge, drove to St. George, UT and checked into a cheap, clean Econolodge with a hot tub with Ted Lasso and Mrs. Maisel for company. (Missing Gina.)
April 24: Spent the morning planning future itinerary. Then drove to Kanarra Falls - a canyon slot hike in freezing water. (Told by Zion Guru outfitters it is similar to hiking The Narrows in Zion- which is closed due to high, fast water.) By far my most difficult hike ever. Proud of me! Back to motel, hot tub and sleep.
April 25: Re-packed Lakester (Subaru) for car camping. Drove west toward a few sites I'd seen on Instagram near Kanab: Belly of the Dragon, Dinosaur Tracks. Underwhelmed after the NP's. Drove to Navajo National Monument - Sunset View campground - gorgeous! Hiked/ran on Sandal Trail to see cliff dwelling Be'tatakin. Displays of sweat lodge and hogan. High elevation = frosty windows.
April 26: Mesa Verde NP. Visited with ranger at Visitor Center. Hiked fire tower trail, Coyote Village & Far View community. Pictograph Point trail at a walk/run - awesome loop. Off to CO. Splurged on a room in South Fork, CO since none of the state forests are open for dispersed camping. Thinking about home.
April 27: Delightful night out at Denver restaurant - Colorado Campfire - with old camp friend Eric and new friend Vanessa. :) A great visit - and dessert was fancy s'mores! Getting a bit homesick.
April 28: Drove toward Nebraska - dispersed camping in Pawnee National Grasslands. Beautiful sunset over a protected prairie with no one else for miles. Willa Cather, Kent Haruf for regional reads.
April 29: Explored Niobrara River region in NE Nebraska. Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Falls Trail, Bryan Bridge, Smith Falls SP, overnight at Sharp's Outfitters & Campground, Brewer Bridge.
April 30: Explored Niobrara SP. I am in awe of the accessible cabins. An eagle circles. The view is straight out of Dances with Wolves. Mike should have seen this - canoed and camped here. I'll be back.
May 1: It's good to be home!
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