The Loneliest Highway into Canyon Country

After a few needed days of rest, relaxation, and fun with Laurie and Art, we hit the road with our eyes on the Grand Canyon with hopes of taking long trip in the backcountry- away from the hordes on the canyon rim. About four hours into the drive we called the Backcountry office for some information about our options and were told it was near impossible to get a backcountry permit- Bummer... 

Quick side note: if you haven't yet, please read "Polemic: Industrial Tourism & the National Parks"  by Edward Abbey.  If you don't want to do that go to the Yosemite Valley or Grand Canyon mid June-you will see what he is saying.

Anyway, after the disappointing discussion with the ranger we looked at our trusty atlas and decided to go to Great Basin National Park- why not? Neither of us had been there, and it would probably be a heck of a lot less crowded than the canyon- plus would make for an easy drive to Moab afterward.

We ended up on Highway 50 out of Reno and learned about it being “The Lonliest Highway in America” and it sure was- a beautiful drive through the high desert and mountains of Nevada 

A delicacy of the road

Awesome roadside camp for Lunar Eclipse

Upon arrival at the National Park we easily got a great campsite, cooked some good grub, and stayed a few nights to hike around the area. 

Then we got to EXPLORE CAVES!!!

A few days later we hit the road to Moab for some desert fun, and desert fun we had! Living in the van, cooking breakfast at trailheads, kayaking epic canyons, and biking Utah's best single track- does it get any better?

It just might- tomorrow we head to Canyonlands National Park for an extended stay to explore the box canyons, spread out the gear, and stop some miles. 

Oregon Impressions

After getting Olive settled with the cousins in Portland, we left the city to explore some local rivers.

First stop, the Hood River for a paddle down the Dee to Tucker run. Despite a slightly sketchy put in requiring a hike across the “mushroom factory” to get to the river, it was a really fun run! It had a series of great creeky 3+ drops at the beginning, and really fun class 4 splash factor boulder gardens at the bottom.

Second stop, East Fork Lewis just up the hill from Battleground, Washington. This river and the surrounding forest is the epitome of the Pacific Northwest. It was lush, green, and rained the ENTIRE two days we were there. 

(we found a newt!)

While I took a day to myself for a long jog and to recover from wet cold kayak clothes, Jeff took a paddle down the river with our new friend Jack. Jeff loved this run, I’m sure you can tell why from the pictures below...

After Jeff's paddle, my jog, and a quick detour to save a couple stranded in the middle of the woods with two shredded tires from off-roading their bmw x5 (Yes, two tires. No, we don't know why they off-roaded this vehicle.), we ended at a nice rainy campground right next to the Lewis river for a fancy campside birthday dinner!

Then one last quick trip back to Portland for a final birthday celebration with our friends Heather and Erik...

... and we were back on the road headed for our final paddle in Oregon on the amazingly beautiful and scenic Molalla river. We were fortunate enough to be joined by our new friends Jack, Keith and Steven for almost all of our first time paddling the “Three Bears” section of the river.

For our last Oregon adventure, four days snowshoeing around Crater Lake... 

First campsite of the trek

View from the top of the watchmen

Dry ground to take breaks were rare, so we were sure to take advantage when we found them...

Our photos of Ghost Ship Island don't quite do it justice

This almost vertical hike to bypass a sketchy avalanche zone was incredibly tiring ... 

Final campsite of the trip!

Back home!

Now off to Arizona! Special thanks to Aunt Laurie and Uncle Art for letting us lick our wounds for a couple days in Ashland after Crater Lake.

The First Leg

Getting into the groove of not having a schedule, timeline, or commitments is harder than we thought. Leaving Tuesday with high hopes of making Portland from Modesto in one shot, for no reason really- we had no where to be...

Why rush it?

Anyway, coming over Siskiyou Pass around dinner time, with plans to eat with Aunt Laurie and Uncle Art in Ashland, we started discussing the idea of an 11PM arrival in Portland. “We can do it!” we were telling each other- both feeling the drain of a long drive up the 5 in the rain with a cat. Then Annette looked at me from the passenger seat and asked why were we in such a rush to get to Portland. Why hurry through dinner with our friends? Why not stay in Ashland and finish the drive tomorrow?

By far the best idea of the day

We hit the road later than we expected Wednesday (again, learning to flex "the schedule”) and made a quick pitstop in Eugene to say hey to cousin Callie.

Then finally- PORTLAND! 

Our awesome cousins are going to keep and eye on the cat, and I think She is going to love it here

Who wouldn't?

 Hitting the road tomorrow to check out the Columbia River Gorge and do some boating- maybe..