A Way of Life

Our first night in Utah was amazing, and our next two nights there didn't disappoint either. After packing up camp at what used to be Lake Powell, we headed towards Canyonlands National Park. We decided to skip what is supposed to be a spectacular park--Zion--for another time. We would like to go there during the "off" season so that we can enjoy the park rather than fight crowds of people. 

We opted for a scenic route through Utah, and although we were on the road for a long time it didn't feel like it because there was so much to look at along the way. We took a short drive through part of another popular park--Bryce--and then continued our way to our destination. 

The pictures don't do the landscape justice. Everything is so gigantic and the colors are constantly changing with the sun and the clouds. 

Eventually we reached our destination and set up camp at our home-away-from-home for the next two nights. Squaw Flat campgrounds in the park has large campsites with juniper trees and rock wall back drops. As we set up camp we quickly realized we got what we wanted--some warm weather. 

Once we set up camp we decided to explore the park some. Kevin took a short hike from one of the trails that led from our campsite, and then we drove the scenic route through the southern part of the park.

Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock(carved from 1000 BC - 1300 AD):

The next day we got up bright and early in hopes of beating the heat a bit and drove north to Arches National Park. We drove through the town of Moab and soon reached the scenic drive. It was gorgeous. Some of the features required a short hike to get there, but dogs aren't allowed on the trails and it was hot and crowded, so we mainly stuck to the scenic drive and overlooks in the comforts of our air conditioned truck. 

After taking the scenic loop through Arches, we stopped for lunch on a dog friendly patio in Moab and then headed back to Canyonlands to explore the northern portion of the park. Once again, gorgeous scenery greeted us as far as the eye could see. 

We decided to take the 2/3 mile hike to see the Mesa arch. I went first and then stayed in the truck with he dogs while Kevin ventured out to see it. The temperature climbed to above 100 degrees while I waited for him, but it was worth it! The short hike paid off big time with a beautiful stone arch framing a dizzying view. Of course Kevin was brave/dumb enough to walk across the arch! He took a picture while sitting on the top. 

After finishing our tour of Canyonlands, we headed back to our campsite for some dinner. Kevin grilled us some filet mignon and then we settled by the campfire to relax. 

In the morning we packed up once again (we are now quite efficient at this task) and headed east toward Colorado after stopping once more in the town of Moab--this time for a delicious breakfast. 

My crepe was yummy. 

We visited Colorado last summer and loved it, so we were excited to drive though it again. This time we found a campsite at Sylvan Lake just south of Vail, and we set up camp before driving into Vail before meeting up with a colleague from Hastings who was also vacationing in Vail. We stopped by their condo and chatted before heading into town to grab some dinner. I don't ski, but I am dying to come back to Colorado in the winter. I can only imagine how beautiful the mountains are covered in snow. 

Vail is a dog-friendly town, so we were happy to bring our dogs along to dinner. We enjoyed more conversation and food on a patio overlooking the ski slopes before heading back to our campsite for the night. 

I was super excited to take a shower at our campsite since it had been a few days since a nice hot shower, but when I went to the shower facility I discovered it was coin operated...and we used all our quarters on laundry...and the change machine was out of order. So...I washed my hair from a jug at our campsite once again. 

In the morning we got on the road again, this time heading toward Denver. We've started our journey back home, so from here on out we are headed East. We decided to stick to the main interstate--70--to try to make good time, but that was a bad choice. First we got caught in a snow/thunderstorm and then we got stuck in standstill construction traffic.

 We were hoping to be able to get camp set up in time to explore Denver, but decided to cut our losses and explore the small but cute town of Idaho Springs instead. Idaho Springs is home of the TommyKnocker Brewery, so we left the dogs in the Scamp and headed out to explore. The food at the brewery was delicious, and we also sampled the beers (all made on the premises). We also caught the first half of the USA soccer game before settling up our bill and heading back to the car to drive and listen to the second half. 

Eventually we arrived at Chatham State Park just south of Denver and set up camp before taking the dogs to the amazing dog park inside the state park. Although all of the campsites we have visited on this trip allow dogs, not many are exactly dog welcoming. This campground, however, welcomed dogs with open arms. The dog park was heaven for all of the pups roaming the area. There were dog fountains, dog paths, ponds, you name it. And they could run without their leashes. The weather was perfect and we spent an hour letting them run off steam after being stuck in the car all day. 

At sunset we headed back to our campsite and I finally took a nice hot shower before eating a hot dog fireside. We all slept soundly and enjoyed a slow paced morning before packing up camp and hiting the road once again. Chatham State Park was outstanding! I wish we had a park like it in Ohio! 

Today we spent most of the day on the road heading Eastbound. We generally try to avoid chain restaurants on our road trips, but we discovered a Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant when we exited to refuel, and since we've both never been to one we decided to try it out. Yummy! 

As I write this, I am sitting by perhaps our last campfire of the trip. We are at a state park in Nebraska and are thinking we may drive straight through to Columbus tomorrow. 

We are both sad to see this trip come to an end, but know that now that we have our Scamp we will be able to travel like this much more often. As Kevin says, "This isn't a vacation; it is a way of life." 

So Much to See

On Sunday morning (thankfully after a more peaceful night than the previous night) we woke up bright and early to pack up camp so that we could make our way down the winding dirt path without worrying about any cars. We made it down the now muddy 6 mile path in 45 minutes. Thankfully at the bottom of the road the tiny town of Polebridge welcomed us with their amazing bakery. I chose a Huckleberry Bear Claw and some milk for breakfast. It was delicious! 

After breakfast we started heading south to Flathead Lake. I had read about the lake online, and was excited to see the large lake with water so clear you could supposedly see hundreds of feet below the surface. However, because the weather decided not to cooperate with us the entire time we were in the state of Montana (it rained every day we were in the state), the water was choppy and clear water was not to be seen. 

We decided to stop for lunch by the lake and enjoyed some Montana barbeque. After lunch we decided to put some more miles in and headed to Piney Campground in Beaverhead-   National Forest. Our campsite was right on the water and there were hardly any other campers there, so it was a great place for the dogs and for us. Sunday was "Get Outdoors Day," so Kevin was able to fish without a Montana license. He tried fishing for a bit, but Vegas wanted to swim, so that pretty much scared any fish away! 

After Vegas swam and Kevin tried to fish for a while longer with no success, we made dinner (grilled spaghetti with zucchini and onions) and ate in the rain before deciding to nestle into the Scamp to read and relax a bit before falling asleep. 

A bald eagle at the lake: 

In the morning we packed up camp and continued our journey south in search of warmer dry weather. Our destination was Idaho Falls to meet up with a friend of Kevin/Kevin's brother from childhood. He is the state coordinator for Waterfowl Management for the state of Idaho, so once we arrived at his place (after driving all day in the rain of course), we went out to dinner to catch up and he took us on a drive to see some waterfowl. I'm told that the scenery in Idaho is amazing, and we were able to catch glimpses of it here and there, but for the most part the rain and the fog concealed the mountains from view. We spent a few hours laughing and chatting and then headed to bed after a much needed warm shower! 

The next day took us to Utah. Kevin drove through the state a few years ago on a road trip with a friend and he has been raving about it ever since, so I couldn't wait to see it. Utah does not disappoint. We have left the rain behind, and the views have been amazing.

For our first night in Utah, we found a campsite on a small pond nestled under pine trees. It felt like something out of a storybook. We set up camp and took the dogs for a hike to stretch their legs after a few long days in the car. Kevin made dinner once again (he has been quite the chef on this trip)--grilled chicken and veggies--and then we sat by the fire before turning in for the night. I knew the next day was going to be one of the best of the trip, so I was looking forward to the morning.

In the morning we packed up camp and headed to a place I've wanted to visit ever since we first started talking about visiting Utah. Located in Cedar City, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater hosts an annual Shakespeare Festival. The festival doesn't start until next week, but we were able to visit the theater and watch everyone prepping for the big event. I was in full on English Teacher dork mode once again, but even Kevin had to admit it was pretty cool. 

From there we got back into the truck and started out on our scenic drive through Utah. We've been fortunate to have visited almost every state in the US, and yesterday's drive is right up there with the glaciers of Alaska, the badlands of South Dakota, the rolling hills of Wyoming, the steep points of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the Grand Canyons of Arizona. The scenery yesterday was absolutely breathtaking. So many colors. So many different landscapes. So much to see. The winding roads had me gripping the seat at times, but the views were majestic. We decided to skip the crowds at Zion National Park and save our trip there for a time other than busy tourist season, but we drove through a section of Bryce National Park and decided to take a longer drive on the scenic byway to enjoy the views on our own. At times we were the only car for miles. 

Eventually we found an isolated campsite near what used to be a thriving lake/tourist spot. The lake has dried up almost completely in the last 15 years though, so it was strange to see a boat ramp heading down to a dry lake bed. The setting felt like something out of a postcard, and we took the dogs to explore the lake bed while the sun set behind the cliffs. 

While Kevin made dinner I reorganized the Scamp and washed my hair. By the time we were ready to enjoy our "Cowboy Joes" (Kevin's creation--sloppy joes + cut up hot dogs + baked beans) it was nearly dark so we used our headlamps and the campfire to see. 

Once the sun set, the gentle breeze that was keeping us cool turned into a wind, so we quickly cleaned up camp before everything blew away in the dark. Once again I was thankful that we had a Scamp to sleep in for the night. I think a tent would have blown away! 

We didn't let the gusty wind deter us, however. We put the dogs in the Scamp and walked a few hundred feet to the now unused cement boat ramp with a blanket. We settled back to look up at the completely cloud free star-filled sky. We saw a few shooting stars and picked out a few constellations before heading back "home" and heading to bed. This was the first night we didn't need our down comforter, and we slept with the windows open and the curtains blowing in the wind. I slept like a rock. 

This morning we had some cereal before packing up again to head to our next destination in Utah. We are currently heading to a campsite near two parks that reportedly have amazing things to see. I've been impressed by the views just along the side of the roads, so I can only imagine what we will see at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks!