Moab, UT

We are about to spend our third night in Moab, Utah, a town in the middle of the desert, tri-sected by the Green and Colorado Rivers, and home to two of the country's most dramatic national parks. We are staying at a great campground near the junction of rts 191 and 313, putting us about half way between Arches Nat'l Park to the east and Canyonlands Nat'l Park to the west.

 

 

View from the parking spot at our campsite

 Friday morning we went into town for coffee and breakfast and discovered that Moab is, as we expected, a very fun town that I pretty much love.

3 Fits, all the same! Moab, you feel like home.

A good example of my favorite kind of art/jewelery, and one for sale at our fav coffee shop- I like this town :)

After breakfast we drove out of town and stopped at the trailhead for Corona Arch, a scenic hour-long hike that is located between the two parks, near our campground. It was a beautiful start to the day, and definitely got us excited to go see more of the area. So we went home, packed a picnic lunch, and set back out for Canyonlands, about a 40 minute drive (though, the drives here hardly ever feel long- the speed limit is usually around 55, and you're cruising through one of the most visually interesting landscapes even Dr. Seuss could dream up).

On the way out to Corona Arch, about a mile from where we started

Corona Arch- our first Arch viewing! Unreal.

Corona Arch from a higher viewpoint

We love it!

Next, we did 3 moderately-long hikes in Canyonlands: Mesa Arch (awesome), Upheaval Dome (weird- check out the mysterious story if you're so inclined) and Whale Rock, an easy and beautiful climb from the road (which is already up in the sky) to the top of one of the most massive rocks in the park, giving you a panoramic view of the place. We also went out to the Grand Viewpoint, which is also amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

View from the Grand Viewpoint- the white rock layer is more sturdy than some other layers, and thats why it remains in so many places

View from Whale Rock

Whale Rock, off the other direction

 We left the park around 6 and went back to Moab in search of a local swimming hole, which was promised to us by the writer of some blog about such things. We walked for about 30 minutes out along a trail following creek in the outskirts of town, but never actually found the swimming hole. It was a beautiful hour nonetheless, and at the end I of course jumped into the stream and laid down in the 8-inch deep water, because it is effing HOT here and I was desperate for that swim. It was nice!

Creek walk, swimming hole FAIL

Then we stopped by the Moab Brewery for a drink (delish) and went home to cook (on our NEW campstove, thanks Wendie!) and sleep.

Today (Saturday) we went to Arches. Unbelievable stuff to see here. We did a longer hike out to Delicate Arch, which was spectacular, and then did some shorter hikes (and climbs) around the Frames, Double Arch, Balanced Rock and a few other cool sights. Definitely our most scenic day on the road so far.

Delicate Arch- me doing Standing Bow Pulling pose underneath

Turret Arch

Me climbing up Turret Arch- props to Kelsey Shannahan, photographer

Frame Arch. Gorgeous day behind.

Balanced Rock

 We finished off our day some shopping in Moab, some more local beer, and now we're back at our little tent. Hiking all day in the desert, it turns out, is pretty exhausting. So, we're enjoying some early bedtimes...but I have to say,  so far we've managed to cook all our meals at our campground, enjoy plenty of beverages, make friends with our neighbors, and even make progress in our books. Life is pretty good at the campground.

We leave in the morning for 3 days at the Grand Canyon to conclude our adventure :( I will make sure to update at least once more!

Also... I'm going to the Gorge.
Lots of love
xo
Cory

Colorado, in pictures

Hi friends,

Hope all is well with you! I'm a little worried about my friends on the East Coast, as Irene approaches. Everyone please stay as safe, we're thinking about you. We are in Utah now, after spending Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday in beautiful Colorado. I think pictures are the best way to share our experience, but briefly, here's what we've been up to:

Jess welcomed us to Dillon CO on Monday night, and took the day off from work on Tuesday to show us around her amazing backyard. We drove north and checked out Rocky Mountain National Park, did some beautiful short hikes around the mountains and mountain lakes. We stopped on the way home in the town of Hot Sulphur Springs to have a long soak in the hot mineral water before heading back to Jess' house to cook, and shower, and do laundry, and get ready for a week on the road.

We left Dillon early Wednesday morning to drive south on Rt 24 toward Great Sand Dunes National Park. We were only briefly held up, on account of running literally STRAIGHT into the USA Pro Bicycle Race, taking place in Colorado this week. We went as far as we could go on 24, but the field was coming toward us and eventually we were told to pull over and wait until the race went by. So we did, and what a happy accident it was- the star bikers blew through pretty quickly but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

The Great Sand Dunes are located in the San Luis Valley, a high and huge desert-like valley in the southern Rockies. It is one of the most stark and beautiful places I've ever seen- absolutely worth a visit. Unfortunately, when we finally got close, so did the weather- in the form of violent thunderstorms moving through the area. So we checked into a sweet little campground nearby, set up our *new* tent (in very high winds, no problem, we handled it), made dinner, and waited it out. Thankfully, near sunset it looked like there was a clearing which meant an opportunity to go into the park and walk around, so we jumped. It was dry but still cloudy as we headed in, but we maintained hope that we could climb all the way to the summit. We got pretty high, and saw a beautiful sunset, but it started looking ominous again after the sun went down. So, sadly, we didn't make it but halfway to the top of the 800-foot dunes (The highest in the US). Apparently, the top is prime ground for getting struck by lightening, and it was getting really dark, so yeah we chickened out. Still, the scenery was breathtaking, and we stayed as long as we safely could, playing around in the sand. I'll never forget it. The most amazing thing to me was that it was literally DEAD silent there. We sat down at the edge of a mountain of sand, and couldn't hear anything but our hearts pounding in our ears from the climb. No wind, no water, no sound at all. I can't remember ever hearing so much nothing before.


Today, we woke up and and once again headed west, toward Utah. We stopped at some more very beautiful hot springs in the morning, located on a land trust nestled into the Sangre de Christo mountains at the edge of the San Luis Valley. From there, it was about 6 hours of driving to Moab, UT. For anyone interested, we took the scenic, winding Rt 114 through Gunnison National Forest (gorgeous) to Rt 50, which connects to Rt 70 in Grand Junction, CO, which is a short distance from the Utah boarder. Then we cut south to Moab along Rt 191.

And here we are, in the most scenic campground you could possibly imagine. We are staying for the next 3 nights at a BEAUTIFUL campground tucked off the access road between Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We'll spend a few days exploring the desert before heading to the Grand Canyon.

Loving and missing my friends and family
Xoxo
C

Headed into the Rockies! And glad for it.

First things first: time to buy a new tent

Dillon, CO

Grand Lake White Cap Wheat, local and yummy

Grand Lake, southern entryway to Rocky Mtn Natl Park

Hiking near a waterfall in RMNP

USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Buena Vista, CO. They entire field went by in about 10 seconds

The Sangre de Christo Mountain range, eastern boarder of the San Luis Valley

Driving into the San Luis Valley, in crazy weather

The sun made a brief appearance, so we finally made it into the Sand Dunes park and started climbing

Sunset from halfway up the dunes

View of the Sangre de Christo range from the dunes at sunset

2 hikers coming down from near the top at dusk- storm clouds brewing above

Just after sunset

2 different hikers, descending a different peak, well after dark. Based on their laughing and rolling around, we think they were probably drunk.

Arriving in Moab- another patch of sunshine, and another rainbow

Sunset at our newest campground. Goodnight world.

Catch up: Missouri and Kansas

So, we are currently in Colorado! We arrived yesterday (Monday) in the early evening and we've had a great stay here so far. We haven’t had any internet connection in a few days, but I was writing a bit as we went along. I only have a few minutes to be online, so today I'm just going to post my (previously-written) account of our trip from Hannibal MO through Kansas and into eastern Colorado, which took place over Sunday and Monday (8/21-8/22). Later in the week, I'll do some more writing and make an entry all about this beautiful, beautiful place known as Colorado.

The Mark Twain Riverboat, Hannibal MO

We left Missouri on Sunday morning bright and early. It was foggy but the Mississippi was beautiful, at least from our vantage point at Lover's Leap, a cliff outside of town. The story (naturally) goes that forbidden lovers (an Indian warrior and a princess from a different tribe) were chased here, and chose to jump to their death rather than be separated. It was very romantic for me and Kels, but we had to move on before the fog burned off to get to Kansas City for the Sox game.

Lover's Leap, Hannibal MO

So although we were taken with the town of Hannibal, we kept on truckin, and it was really only a short (but beautiful ride) all the way through Missouri from end to end (We started at the Illinois boarder and went straight through to KC on the Kansas boarder. We made it in about 3.5 hours). The rolling green hills and vast farmlands of Missouri were so beautiful and three dimensional, spotted with trees and going on as far as the eye can see. I sort of fell in love with it.

Kauffman Stadium, home of the KC Royals

We got to Kauffmann Stadium right on time at around 12:30pm, purchased some sweet left field tickets at the gate, and settled into the Midwestern sunshine, FACE FIRST, to watch Jon Lester and the Red Sox handily beat the Royals, 6-1. We worked on our tans while cheering on our team- it felt like it was about a million degrees as we melted in the heat of the day, but eventually the sun went down a bit, we moved into the shade, and got to enjoy a nice afternoon out of the car. Lots of Sox fans in Kansas City.

The game got out around 4:30pm, and looking forward, our next true destination was Dillon, CO, a town in the Rockies where I have an old friend. Unfortunately Dillion is about 10 hours from Kansas City. This is where the story gets kind of interesting. I knew ahead of time that it was going to be best if we could get a jump on the drive to Colorado and make some progress after the game, so I researched if there were any good parks around the area of Rt 70 going through Kansas. Turns out there is one, and it's Kansas' largest National Park, called Kanopolis (on Kanopolis Lake). It is smack dab in the middle of nowhere, but very beautiful, and about another 3.5 hours west of Kansas City. It was getting late but we decided to go for it, and we raced the sun all the way there. Once again got to our destination just in time to see the sun going down over the lake. GORGEOUS.

Sunset in Kansas

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy the scenery for very long, as we had to quickly figure out where the campgrounds were in this absolutely MASSIVE park and camping area. We found the sites I had read about just in time to set up our tents in the last of the daylight. Although the campground was well-developed, the area felt more or less deserted. There were a few RVs with horse trailers down the way from us, but we sorta felt like we were all alone- not a good feeling. It was a Sunday night, and the weather was looking questionable, and I think that's why it was so quiet. With the exception of dozens of white-tailed deer, roaming around everywhere you looked, we didn’t actually ever see any life up close. It was unsettling. It was also 80 degrees at 10pm, and we really didn’t want to seal ourselves into our sweltering tent, but we had to retreat in order to get away from the beetles (giant junebugs?) divebombing our lights. They even continued to try to get to the light through the tent, so we had to shut out our lantern and just...pretend to be tired. Really we were both actively trying to keep the creepy “we made a mistake” feelings to a minimum. Needless to say, it wasn’t our most comfortable night. But we both managed to sleep eventually, and when we woke up in the morning, safe and sound, we saw the sun rise. Then we promptly hit the road, anxious to leave Kansas and the memory of Kanopolis behind us.

Thank the Lord Baby Jesus

400 miles later, and we finally did cross into Colorado. Another 100 miles and we were in Denver, finally done with the endless miles of plains, and we began our climb into the Rockies. It’s unbelievable how they crop up out of nowhere- you’ve been driving on a straight and flat road for like, 500 miles- and suddenly you’re at 9,000 feet of elevation.

As we climbed, the temperature dropped from an oppressive 90 degrees down to the low 70s, the breeze picked up, and the air really felt so clear it was like breathing for the first time. Dillon, where my old friend Jess Plourde lives, is a sweet little ski town just about an hour west of Denver. It's absolutely spectacular. We've had an amazing 24 hours here so far, but I'll save that account for the next story, as we'll be in Colorado for a while and I'm sure I'll have more to share about it in a few days.

Unbelievably, we only have 8 days left. We plan to see about 5 more big national parks in Colorado, Utah and Arizona. I'll hopefully be able to access the internet again tomorrow night or Thursday :) Until then, know that I'm missing and loving all my east-coast people from here, about 2200 miles away from home, but I'm really happy to be here and looking forward to the rest of the trip. Much love to all... xo Cory

Hannibal, MO

So, Chicago didn't want us to leave, apparently- Mother Nature gifted us with some severe thunderstorms all morning and into the afternoon. We're talking torrential downpours, thunder and lightning, epic storms. Shannon, however, was totally calm and unfazed, ushering us into her little car for a driving tour of the city in the "daylight". This what it looked like:

Chicago, noontime on Saturday 8/20

We couldn't get any closer without getting struck by lightning...

Rain aside, it was a lovely morning. We went downtown for brunch and then stopped by Chicago's Millennium Park where Shannon let us out to see some amazing art. Such as,  the "Bean" of Chicago. Brilliant.









We left Chicago in the afternoon, still in the midst of some turbulent weather, and battled the traffic surrounding the city on our way to Hannibal MO. It was about a 5-6 hour drive and it was raining off and on the whole way. We were under a pretty serious storm cloud for the last 100 miles of the drive, but it was moving East as we moved West and the sun literally appeared to us shining down upon our destination.

The sun revealing itself upon Hannibal, MO, as we approached

Hannibal, MO (the birthplace of Mark Twain), is the first town on the Missouri side of the Mississpippi River, off Rt 72, which connects Illinois to Missouri (east to west). Our campground is located at the "famous" Mark Twain Caves, a historical monument at the site of some... caves... which Mark Twain  frequented in his youth and wrote about in Tom Sawyer and other books.

We arrived around 7pm so although we're only about 1/4 mile away from the river, we haven't yet had a chance to look around. We'll be investigating the site and brushing up on our history in the early morning.

Things are going smoothly on the camping front. We made dinner, organized our gear and set up our tent. Truthfully, the tent could benefit from being about 10 years newer than it is, but so far we've been able to fix all problems as they come along. Here are some pictures of our setup:

1984 wants its tent back from us. But we're keeping it.

 Relieved to have everything in order, we have been able to relax and enjoy the quiet of Hannibal MO. We called our friends and families, mixed up some drinks, and entertained ourselves listening to the troop of Boy Scouts who are camping across the way from us. They are extremely cute with their troop flag and their real fire. They admired our use of a laptop at a campground.

To address that point: Believe it or not, in 2011 there is free WiFi at your average campground. Really, I have to say, it's a bit of a marvel to be camping in the heartland of America these days. There is an RV across the way and I think they have the TV on. It's controversial, but so far we are genuinely enjoying the juxtaposition of authentic camping (incredible stargazing, total isolation, tent living) with modern technology (for keeping in touch with our families, making reservations for the coming days, and documenting our trip).

Boozing and Blogging

We were facing a 40% chance of showers going into the evening, but so far the skies are clear and bright, so we're going to get back to nature now. Tomorrow we head to Kansas City for an afternoon baseball game. Go Sox! Then... Kanopolis? Stay tuned.

xo
Cory and Kelsey

Chicago, IL

Hello from the Windy City

We completed our longest drive of the trip yesterday, about 9.5 hours from Niagara Falls to Chicago. Kelsey got behind the wheel of the Fit and did a great job with the manual transmission as we made our way through NY, Northern PA, Indiana and into Illinois.

We stopped for gas/lunch just inside Cleveland. Although we didn't get to explore the downtown area, we were both struck by the apparent state of the city. The evidence of the faltering economy is undeniable in some places. Our good fortune as human beings has been duly noted.

Chicago, on the other hand, is vibrant and beautiful. When we got near enough, we got off the highway and took Lake Shore Drive through the city so we could see lake Michigan up close. It was early evening and the scenery was beautiful.

Our first view of Lake Michigan- a glorious moment

Unfortunately, after we got done taking in the view, the traffic was outrageous. So after accidentally detouring straight through the hospital district at rush hour, we were very relieved to arrive (and find parking) at the doorstep of our good friend Shannon Falvey. For those that don't know Shannon, she went to GDA with me and Kels, and I think she is seriously wonderful.

Out on the town in Chicago

She has lived in Chicago for just over a year, in a beautiful old apartment in Lincoln Park in the northern part of the city, where she has graciously hosted us for the night. It's been great to catch up with her! She took us downtown to a trendy (swanky) rooftop bar last night with her friends. We had a wonderful time being out of the car, interacting with people other than ourselves, and generally stretching our legs in this new place.

We are just getting organized to get back on the road. We will leave this afternoon and drive about half the distance to Kansas City, our next destination. I've read about a small town in western Missouri called Hannibal, which is not in fact the scene of a horror movie but rather the historic birthplace of Mark Twain. It's a tourist destination with lots of touristy things to do, and as a part of that there are developed campgrounds right on the Mississippi River and that is where we intend to stay the night.

I will update again when I get the chance!

Love to all
xo
C

Niagara Falls, NY

Day One complete! Our first day was not without it's moments, but in the end it was a major success. We packed my Honda Fit with care and believe me when I tell you, it's a work of art. I have all the clothes that I own with me, as well as all our camping gear, food, etc etc etc. The Fit is fully loaded.

The Fit

The falls

We left Boston around 8am and made extremely good time all the way to our destination of Niagara Falls. We stopped for lunch around the Finger Lakes region and we were in Niagara by about 5pm. The park was quiet and uncrowded at that time of night- it was a beautiful time to do the traditional ride on the Maid of the Mist boat. We got to spend plenty of time taking it in before heading to our campsite. Niagara Falls is truly beautiful.

Kels and me on the Maid 

And a rainbow too

Then we headed 5 miles down the road to the luxurious Niagara Falls Campgrounds (complete with WiFi, wow). It has been a great place to do a first-run of our camping routine. We had plenty of daylight to work with when we arrived and it's a good thing, because right away we broke a key component of my tent (my mom's old 80's-style Sierra Designs beauty). But we are resourceful, and a little superglue + duct tape went a long way toward solving that problem. The tent is holding up wonderfully as we speak. The rustic old camping stove I purchased out of somebody's backyard last weekend also worked beautifully, and Kelsey's vegetarian chili was an EXTREMELY satisfying dinner :)

The only other major issue we had tonight (after the tent problem) was that the DC socket in my car, which we are using to charge our phones and other essential things for the next few weeks, suddenly stopped working just as the sun was going down. I tried to just let it go but it made me nervous to have something wrong with my car on our first night. So I decided to figure it out. And look, I might be blonde, but I put my thinking cap on, and the first thing I figured (how??) was that I should check the fuse. I didn't know how to do that before, but after reading my owner's manual, I figured it out. And I was right- it was the fuse. And the store here at the campsite had extra fuses for us to buy. And I installed the new one. Major problem #2- solved. We are a couple of geniuses, out here in the wilderness. Aren't you proud of us?!

Time for some rest- off to Chicago bright and early tomorrow :) We have lots of frogs nearby singing us to sleep- yay camping! Missing my people back home but still excited about the road ahead. More from us soon. xo.