I went up to Jackson, WY for the 4th of July (didn’t take a lot of photos really) and ended up taking a short day trip up to Yellowstone. First time I put my 1 year Natl. Park Pass to good use since …November! Enjoy the photos of Yellowstone and of the beautiful Tetons on my way back south.

Things of Note:
Almost peed on a moose.
Fireworks are best when viewed on the 3rd AND the 4th.
With every National Park I visit I realize that Sequoia National Park is by far the best.

I took a week off work to meet Becca and Nate in Oakland, CA as they returned from their 7 month trip abroad. We stayed with Leah, Nate’s sister, and had a grande time lounging around, drinking wine, eating cheese and playing Yahtzee. We took a day trip up to Dry Creek Road in Sonoma County for an all day Wine Tasting Event wherein we visited Wilson Winery, Quivira Winery, & Bella Winery and another one that I can’t recall the name of… (I wonder why I don’t remember the name of the last Winery we stopped at…)

We also took a day trip down to Santa Cruz where we enjoyed beautiful weather and watched the surfers enjoying themselves in the water around the Santa Cruz Surfers Museum. Both trips gave us lots of time to enjoy the beauty that is Highway 1 as it winds up and down the California Coast. It was a great week; great food, great city, great wine, great weather, mediocre company.

Couldn’t ask for more. Enjoy the photos.

And for even more fun, enjoy all the writing and photos that Becca and Nate have contributed to this wonderful week:

Hi & Thank You : Santa Cruz

Hi & Thank You : Sonoma County

Long before I lived in New York I remember finding my dad’s old Road Atlas that was clearly out of date but too important to throw away. I remember thinking that the idea of a Road Atlas that didn’t have relevance on today’s roads but had significant nostalgic value was something that seemed to go hand in hand with traveling…yet is something that is in danger of being under appreciated, and perhaps forgotten, in today’s digital culture.

I decided on traveling with only a Road Atlas long before the mystique of going West became a reality for me.  In fact, this realization came well before I started serious plans to travel, and even further before I bought my car or quit my job.

I had the opportunity to join the GPS Love–Fest that so many of my friends and family members are a part of, but was stead fast on going across the country with only the help of my rather exceptional internal compass and the pages of a book. I was offered a GPS as a birthday present before I started traveling, and one of my Uncles even offered up his old GPS  halfway through my journey…and when I think back about my experience, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to politely decline both of these gracious offerings.

Having traveled with friends and family who use (and often rely) on their GPSs, I do see the advantages that they present. I realize traveling without a GPS might not be as ‘easy’ in a lot of ways, but I found it more fulfilling. I realize the fact that one might not experience anything any differently with or without a GPS, but you sure as hell pay more attention to everything when you don’t have one. By this I mean you don’t rely on your GPS to direct you once you’ve made a wrong turn….blinding driving down an unfamiliar road, confident that the robotic woman inside your GPS will politely and calmly guide you to the nearest road that gets you back on track without making you feel a hint of embarrassment. Without that little robot suctioned to the glass of your windshield, you keep driving down a wrong turn to see where it ends up. Or, you make a mental note of the school you passed 5 minutes ago and if you get really lost, you can remember where to turn once you back track past it. And when you do get miserably lost, you do feel embarrassed, but only for a little while. This is where your fellow man (or woman) can offer up their non-computer-like guidance!  Asking for directions often times led me to some of the most amazing experiences on my trip (and I’m sure any number of other travelers will tell you the same thing).

My somewhat limited experience with traveling has also taught me that there are many styles of traveling. I’ve read a lot about how ‘getting lost’ and ‘finding your way’ on road trips are the best way to travel, but I have always been far too annoyed by aimlessly roaming around to fully appreciate that style of wanderlust. I wanted to be efficient (in order to save money on gas) but still find routes that were scenic and allowed me to arrive at my destination during the perfect time of day (ie: sunset/dusk). When you have a car and are in control of when you leave/arrive at a place, its always nice to get to your destination during the golden hour.

I realize that getting lost is inconvenient and not always fun. I also realize that Road Atlases have their downfalls. My particular map never seemed to zoom in quite far enough for me to see which road I needed to take in some of the bigger cities…but now I know those cities almost as well as I do Pittsburgh (my hometown) or New York (my alma-city-mater). My favorite memory of my Atlas comes from when I broke down in Abingdon, VA. The map split the left panhandle off of Virginia and the southern Kentucky portion was just as vague. I was literally stuck in a place that was on a crease in my map. At the time it seemed like the perfect metaphor for, ‘Why in the hell would anyone ever pass through this part of the country?’. I mean, when’s the last time you got stuck in the crease of a page? That’s some web 0.0 shit right there.

It also takes quite a bit more planning using just an Atlas. Part of my traveling routine involved looking up the best way to get from place to place before I actually started my drive…something that is pointless with a GPS…but it also allowed me to look at where I had been the day before and gave me some time to reflect on the place I was leaving and the places I was going.

By far the best thing about traveling without a GPS is that when I revisit the places I have been to, I recognize them. I remember them. I have memories of the places I passed through effortlessly, and the places I got lost. And I remember being annoyed at myself for getting lost…unlike the hindu cow of a woman directing you from inside her computer  box on your dashboard.

With a little bit of extra planning and some patience with yourself, you might find that traveling without a GPS can be far more rewarding than with one. If nothing else it will give you memories of the places you have seen but without the shiny digital glaze.

So last weekend (or so), The Hankeys and I drove down past Hanksville, UT to do some Slot Canyon’s in the San Rafael Swell in southern Utah. What is the Swell? I will tell you:

The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, USA about 30 miles (50 km) west of Green River, Utah. The San Rafael Swell, approximately 75 miles (121 km) by 40 miles (64 km), consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up millions of years ago. Since that time, infrequent but powerful flash floods have eroded the sedimentary rocks into numerous valleys, canyons, gorges, mesas and buttes. The Swell is part of the Colorado Plateau physiographic region.

.from wikipedia

I know…wow.

I did a trip to Utah last May and did some canyoneering with Corey Hankey (of the previously mentioned Hankeys) and was excited to get back into the desert. While hiking in the swell, we all decided that canyoneering is so fun because you can look around and enjoy the view the entire time instead of hiking to a destination and enjoying the view once you get there. The way the wind and water erodes these canyons is beyond amazing. The 3 Canyon’s we did (Little Wild Horse, Ding, & Dang) were all pretty tame as far as Slot Canyons go. I would recommend buying this book if you end up in Utah and find yourself wanting to hike into some canyons. Some canyons involve repelling, and swimming through pools of water and only have one way out (some you can turn around and go out how you came in). I am hoping to do some more technical canyons this summer once I  buy some repelling gear, etc.

The San Rafael Swell has a lot more than just its canyons. You can visit Goblin Valley State Park (which we also visited), camp out in the BLM land, go canyoneering, or do some desert hikes. No matter what your taste, the area has a lot to offer. Utah – you continue to amaze me…1 week I was skiing in 30″of fresh powder, and the next I was in the middle of the desert… Win.

A big thanks to my co-worker Geof for letting me know about this small town about an hour and a half southwest of Salt Lake. I drove out to Ophir hoping to find a deserted Ghost Town, but to my surprise there were quite a few people who lived out here. I noticed a lot of No Trespassing signs as I drove through town, but finally parked my car and hiked up a hill that appeared to have been carved out for mining purposes. I did some research on Ophir before heading out and thought I’d share what I discovered:

Soldiers of the U.S. Army discovered that which created Ophir in 1865. They noticed that Indians in the territory were using bullets made from silver. The soldiers soon found the source and proceeded to dispatch the Indians. They named the location St. Louis. When the find became public, the site quickly became a town with no official name. In 1870, it was officially named Ophir after the rich mines of King Solomon. During its heyday, a number of ornamental homes and buildings were constructed which, after the silver was exhausted and the town died, became mute testimony that good times do not last forever.

The town itself is a mixture of new/ old houses, old buildings (most of which have been preserved and heavily lacquered), and old mining equipment scattered next to the roads. A lot of these pieces of equipment have been put on display for the strangers who drive through this small town. Despite these ornaments of a time now passed, the residents seem to be rather protective of their town and the NO TRESPASSING signs are just as prominent as the old mining carts. (After a little research on the internet, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who seemed to notice all the ‘No’ signs).

I was really fascinated by this town. It seemed to have two sides to it. There was the small center of town which was ‘cutesified’ and preserved to maintain the status quo of what a ‘western town’ should be, and then there was this authentic side of town that was hidden up in the hills. The old rusty railroad tracks and railroad ties nestled high up on the hills surrounding this town is what really got my attention.  I couldn’t help but imagine all the activity that must have been going on up on these forgotten hills during the late 1800’s. The only evidence of anyone being here now are large rusty cables dangling from rock faces and the occasional footprints of other like minded explorers. There were also a couple mine shaft entrances that I found that were covered by bars or sealed completely.

This side of the American West is something I had always read about in textbooks as a child or seen in movies about gold pandering. It wasn’t until I was actually in the presence of one of these places that I really ‘got it.’ What a life it must have been to have actually lived here in the 1870’s! Even more fascinating is that people have actually built new houses in this deserted place in the last 5 – 10 years.
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The more time I spend in the West, the more I appreciate the duality between the stereotypical depiction of how things are out here, and the way things really are.  I’m not sure if they could exist without one another, and yet they don’t seem to be aware of each other. You would think that the rusty carts from the 1800’s proudly displayed next to the road would be a complete contradiction of the lacquered up ‘Town Hall’ that seems to be trying to hard to capture what this place was all about….and yet no one seems to notice how ridiculous it is that both of these things are trying to show you what is more ‘Western’. I think its a fascinating aspect of western culture and Ophir seemed to encapsulate it perfectly.

It's almost that time of year...

I have been searching for a bike like this for some time and as the guy who sold it to me said, “It looks like it found you…”. I’d say so. After a little TLC, it’s beginning to look miiiiighty fancy. Bike rides shall ensue. Literally.

I arrived in Oregon at around 35 mph due to the fact that I had a flat in Northern California and a spare tire on my car. I got some new tires and headed to Crater Lake. After a chilly night of camping, I headed up to Crater Lake to take in the view only to be hindered by heavy fog and rain. No big deal…I was able to see the amazingly blue water through the fog anyways. From Crater Lake I headed to Eugene where I drank delicious beer. After Eugene, I drove to Portland without knowing where I would stay…but ended up finding a place through a friend. Being unprepared turned out to be one of the better decisions I’ve made because Portland ended up being one of the most fun places I’ve visited.

My time in Portland involved a lot of exploring, delicious Voodoo donuts, rain, bike riding, a trip to Vanilla Bicycles, way too much time in REI, A secret show in a $2 million house party, carving pumpkins (not shown), and a lot of delicious beer. Special thanks to Nate for letting me stay with him and all his friends for accepting me as a friend for my short time in Portland.

More pictures of Halloween to come.

From San Francisco I headed north towards the Redwoods. After a long drive I stopped in Eureka for the night before hiking around in Redwood National Park. It was a foggy damp place. I didn’t see sunshine until around 4 when I headed out to Crescent City for the night. In the morning I said, ‘peace out Humboldt’ and made my way towards Oregon.

I was of course twarted by more car troubles. I got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere Route 199 on a windy road without cell phone coverage. Luckily, I am very good at changing tires and got it back up and running before making it to Oregon where I was faced with the difficult decision of buying new tires. No big deal, as they say. I was just happy to be in Oregon. Pictures from Oregon to come soon!

For all of those who have heard me talk about how amazing Roscoe’s Chicken N Waffles is…I finally got my second beautiful taste of it in Hollywood. I had chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s when I worked in LA during college…and hadn’t tasted its sweet combination in a long time. The last time I had chicken and waffles was in Brooklyn with Becca and Nate…but I have to admit…Roscoe’s just can’t be beat.