Today, Sherri & I started our spur of the moment trek across CA and OR to visit as many National Parks as possible. We drove almost 4 hours straight from Portland until we reached the western rim of Crater Lake. It was slightly cloudy when we arrived and was actually a little chilly since there were still traces of snow on the ground. After taking a bunch of photos and absorbing the beauty of the lake, we continued driving around the rim until we got to a visitors center that turned-out to be closed since we got there a half hour too late. Still, we took a mile-long hike along a path called “Lady of the Forest,” and got a chance to stretch our legs and eat a snack together. We then headed on towards the East side of the park where we caught some great views of Vidae Falls. Further on down the road we stopped at another overlook that gave us a birdseye view of “Phantom Ship” rock. As the sun began to set we decided to spend the night overlooking the sunset at Cloudcap Point as we hunkered down in the truck.
Expenses: $80 National Parks Pass, $40 AC power adapter for the truck, $72 gas
Miles Hiked: 1
7/9/2009
Sherri & I decided to catch the sunrise on top of Mt. Scott, the highest peak in the park, and we woke-up around 3am to start our trek up the mountain with headlamps lighting the path. There just so happened to be a full moon that morning which was bright enough to light our way by itself. The stars shone brightly and the peak stood ominously in the distance as we approached the summit. We soon noticed a fire tower perched on top of the peak, which Sherri called the freaky shack since it was all boarded-up and abandoned looking. Just past the freaky shack we sat down together and covered-up under a sleeping bag as we anxiously awaited the fire-blazing horizon and a full panoramic view of Crater Lake in its entirety. For breakfast, we ate our victory summer sausage as our reward for a successful accent—an old tradition. After we returned to the truck we finished driving around the rim of the lake and headed our way down to Lassen National Park where we were able to snag a tent site in Manzanita Lake campground. As soon as we set-up camp we grabbed a bite to eat and took a nap since we were so tired. We woke-up just in time to catch the sun setting beyond the lake, luring us down to its shore in order to soak-in the view. We then decided to take a night hike around the lake since it was such a beautiful evening, catching glimpses of Lassen Peak as the sun shone its final amber rays on the surrounding landscape. As darkness fell we could see and hear bats swooping down around us. When we strolled back into our campsite, Sherri whipped together a blazing bonfire where we warmed ourselves before turning-in for the night.
Expenses: $18 Campground, $32.50 gas
Miles Hiked: 6
7/10/2009
After sleeping-in a little, we began a hike up Manzanita Creek that led to a meadow surrounded by steep, craggy cliffs. We then drove through the remainder of the park until we arrived at the trailhead leading to Lassen Peak. Sherri was pretty wiped, but she knew I really wanted to do this climb, so she gave me a 2-way radio and told me to call her when I reached the summit. I was up and down within an hour and a half, and we then continued on to one of the most popular areas of the park known as Bumpass Hell. It was amazing being able to hike along walkways directly above live volcanic steaming vents and boiling mud pots. At one point, Sherri & I spotted our shadows cast onto a bunch of rising white steam and started striking poses—good fun. On our way out of the park we saw several deer out foraging as evening set-in. We drove for a few hours and then stopped at a rest stop to catch some shuteye.
Expenses: $1.95 Chap Stick
Miles Hiked: Sherri- 9, Jake- 12
7/11/2009
Today we drove several hours until we finally reached Yosemite National Park. We were fortunate enough to find a last-minute campsite that just happened to open-up for us due to a cancellation. The entire park was buzzing just like Disneyland with shuttle buses, crowds of people taking pictures at every pullout, and insanely backed-up lanes of traffic. Even still, we were fortunate enough to find refuge amongst all the commotion by wading in a creek nearby our campsite and catching some sun on huge boulders out in the middle of the water. After dinner we decided to head-out and explore the giant Sequoia forest. Of course, the trails were packed with people, but we were there late enough in the evening that as soon as we reached our destination, there was only the towering woods around us. On our way back we saw several deer and watched the long shadows of the trees dim into deep amber colors.
Expenses: $2.78 cappuccinos, $1.08 bean burrito, $36.50 gas
Miles Hiked: 6
7/12/2009
This morning we woke-up early in an attempt to beat the crowds on a hike up El Capitan. This trail ended-up being a real butt-kicker, but it was quite rewarding with up close views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and a breathtaking overlook of the valley. Unfortunately, the grandeur of rugged wilderness sure dissipates quickly with the clanking of garbage trucks, constant road noise, graffiti on all the trail markers, and wildlife walking around with Cheetos dust all over their face. Plus, all of our hardcore hiking energy was completely zapped away from us as soon as we saw people hiking our trail with flip-flops and penny loafers. Needless to say, as soon as we returned to the truck, we took a quick dip in the river and got the heck out of dodge. It was a pleasant drive exiting the other side of the park where there were far less crowds. On our way down the highway we took a side tangent road that supposedly led to a scenic area that some people told us is a must see. However, we somehow got lost and ended-up having to wrestle with one of my ultra frustrated episodes—not pretty. After some marital counseling and controlled breathing, we found the highway again and said never again to Mammoth Lakes. An ice cream sundae in the next town helped cool us down a little—literally and figuratively speaking, and we eventually pulled over into a rest area to sleep.
Expenses: $2.18 ice cream sundaes, $68.36 gas
Miles Hiked: 10
7/13/2009
Today we faced the unbearable heat of Death Valley. We actually survived the entire park without turning on the air conditioning, and our truck was thankful for that since it was working so hard up and down the steep passes. This place sure lived-up to its name, especially in the middle of July—what were we thinking? One form of entertainment was a whole string of runners participating in some sort of relay race whom we appropriately named the Death Runners. We crept through this desolate canyon drinking gallons of water and shedding buckets of sweat. This same day we reached Joshua Tree National Park where it was much cooler, and was full of incredible scenery. Jumbo Rocks was an area where we were able to climb around on huge rock formations and jump across deep chasms, surrounded by an endless expanse of cactus-covered desert. Each vista we explored offered new views and photo opportunities. After taking a tri-pod shot of us sitting upon one particular overlook, the wind picked-up and our camera suffered its first major injury by being blown over onto its head. We almost cried! Fortunately, the damage proved only to be cosmetic, and we were off to our next boulder jumping adventure. Hidden Valley took us on a mile-long hike that allowed us to see the evening sun cast brilliant colors on the canyon walls with distant mountains layered in the background. After leaving the park we continued driving toward Anaheim, CA where we hunkered down in the truck for another night on some neighborhood street where the only person still up was some random guy in a mobile wheel chair who nearly ran into our truck on his way by. Sherri & I both turned to each other with looks of astonishment and busted-out laughing. Our presence in the big city was now undeniable.
Expenses: $8.78 Taco Bell, $2.18 Ice Cream Sundaes, $49.60 gas
Miles Hiked: 1.5
7/14/2009
After waking-up to people walking their dogs, we decided to hit the beach for some fun and relaxation before checking into our hotel. There were lots of surfers out playing on the waves, a beach volleyball tournament getting underway, and a whole swarm of jr. lifeguards training for the Baywatch Olympics or something. The following day on the news we heard that there was actually a death amongst this group of swimmers, which didn’t surprise us one bit since the whole exercise looked pretty chaotic. I got a chance to do some body surfing and get thrashed around by the breaking waves a little while Sherri laid-out in the sun. As we were driving back to Disneyland Lane, we took care of some laundry and stopped at a park to throw around the Frisbee and feed some ducks in a nearby pond. After freshening-up from a week of camping, we decided to catch the opening mid-night showing of Harry Potter, “The Half Blood Prince.” After the movie, we took a shortcut exit that nearly trapped us in a creepy back hallway about the length of a football field that had a dimly lit exit sign flickering in the distance. It felt like we had just walked into the twilight zone since the building was under construction and we could barely find a safe way out. It was a long evening, but a nice and refreshing way to switch-up our vacation a little.
Expenses: $19 movie tickets, $15.74 Shakey’s Pizza, $179 hotel (3 nights), $3 parking meter
Miles Hiked: 3
7/15/2009
The Great Day of Rest is what we called today since we barely woke-up in time to catch the free continental breakfast and then headed back to our room to sleep another 3 hours. The only thing on our agenda was an afternoon appointment with a time-share vacation company that offered us $100 and a free lunch just to listen to their sales pitch. After that, we picked-up some wine coolers from the store and soaked in the hot tub for a while.
Expenses: $5.60 wine coolers, +$100 Lowe’s Gift Card
Miles Hiked: 2
7/16/2009
Today we headed straight for Disneyland and quickly got in line for the busier rides. Since we mastered the art of fast passes, we successfully avoided wasting time standing in long lines. Sherri led us through the maze of people and knew every single shortcut in the park. Our favorite rides were the “Screaming over California” roller coaster, a 3-D “Toy Stories” shooting gallery, and the "Grizzly Mountain" whitewater river ride.
Expenses: $286 Disneyland Park Hoppers (2-days), $18.25 IHOP lunch
Miles Hiked: 5
7/17/09
Another day at Disneyland allowed us to visit some of the other exhibits and rides that we didn’t get a chance to hit the day before. At the animation center, we attended a cartoon drawing workshop where we were taught how to draw Donald Duck. Sherri’s sketch was a masterpiece. Once we had our full of Disneyland, we beat the mad rush of parade viewers and hit the road. On our way out of town we saw a full-on police bust with helicopter floodlights and megaphones yelling “get out of the car now!” Unfortunately, about 20 miles out of Anaheim I noticed the battery indicator turned on in our truck. Sherri’s common sense helped us decide that it would be best to pull-off the highway and try to find an auto shop before we get stranded somewhere much less convenient. None of the shops were open since it was too late in the evening, so we parked in front of Pepboys and slept until they opened.
Expenses: $11.50 McDonald’s lunch
Miles Hiked: 5
7/18/2009
As it turns out, our alternator had bit the dust, and $280 later we were back on the road. As we pulled into Sequoia National Park, we found out that the campgrounds were of course filling-up fast. We drove all the way through to the Lodgepole visitors center where we set-out on a beautiful hike along a creek to a waterfall engulfed by huge canyon walls. After dinner, we drove to Grants Grove where we snagged the very last available campsite. We played some UNO in the tent and called it a night.
Expenses: $280 new alternator, $18 campsite, $58.26 gas
Miles Hiked: 3.4
7/19/2009
After tearing down camp and shoveling down some instant oatmeal, we headed for Kings Canyon. Once we reached the end of the road past Cedar Grove, we packed lunch and hiked up into the canyon. We followed the Kings River, which roared its way down through massive rocks and ledges. Our pleasant scenery was soon interrupted by a group of people who chose to swim buck-naked right off the beaten path…it was a brief yet very disturbing sight. Eventually, we came around to a clearing in the forest and found ourselves staring up at Mist Falls, which was literally spraying everything in its path. As we were fixing lunch and enjoying the view, dark clouds began filling the sky and thunder could be heard off in the distance. Shortly after, we were hiding under shelter in the trees from a total downpour, and the thunder was banging off the canyon walls like an amphitheater. Seeing lightning so high in the mountains was a little frightening, but we made it down safely and the rain actually proved to be quite refreshing. There is very little road access to this park, which is why we were so excited to backpack. Unfortunately, the California National Park Service is completely Blackbearaphobic and restrictive towards camping destinations, making it more trouble than it’s worth. We then drove all the way up to San Francisco that night and slept at a rest stop.
Expenses: $4 toll bridge, $38.75 gas
Miles Hiked: 8
7/20/2009
Six Flags today! The park didn’t open until 10:30 so we killed some time by making some breakfast and scoping-out a parking spot in town to avoid the $15 parking fee at the entrance. We enjoyed a full day of thrill rides and animal shows that were pleasantly less crowded than Disneyland. That night we met-up with an old friend of Sherri who happened to live in a town that we were passing right through on our way up to the Redwood National Park. Kristi was very accommodating and it was fun to see her and Sherri laugh about old times.
Expenses: $7.82 Taco Bell, $60 Six Flags tickets
Miles Hiked: 3
7/21/2009
The air was much cooler now that we were following the northern coastline, and we actually had to put on sweatshirts as we hiked through the Redwood forests. This area reminded us of Oregon, and we were feeling much closer to home now. We enjoyed viewing all the rivers alongside the road, and made a mental note to keep this area in mind for future kayak trips. Two weeks of traveling on the road were beginning to take its toll on us, and we were getting anxious to get home. That afternoon we decided to make the long haul back to Portland after a full trip of fun adventures and great memories.
Expenses: $3.18 Cappuccinos, $12.97 Pizza Hut, $40 gas
Miles Hiked: 2
Total Trip Expenses: $1477
Total Miles Hiked: 68
