<– Day 15 – April 1: From Cathedral Valley to I-70 | Overview  –>

Checking out Jack’s M-38A1 and Randy’s CJ-5 at the Boise Fry Company in Boise, ID.

Day 16 April 2nd: We spent Tuesday night, April 2nd, in Salt Lake City.

Day 17 (final) April 3rd:  On Wednesday April 3rd, we arrived home in Pasco after 5,198 miles of adventure. However, earlier in the day we had one last meeting and a large bet to settle. A little history . . .

In February of this year I spotted a set of mounted Terra Tires in Boise for only $50. Since he lives in Boise, I asked Josh if he could pick them up for me, but he told me his wife was having a baby that day. I asked if they could reschedule the whole baby thing since the tires were a great deal, but for some reason they didn’t think that was a good idea.

So, I asked Jack if he could pick them up, which he did for me (thanks Jack!). It just so happens that my darling wife was listening to me as I made final arrangements for the tires. I told Jack that we’d pick them up in early April on our way back from our Southwest trip.

After finishing my phone call, I hung up, only to see Ann giving me an odd look. She asked why we were going to Boise on our way back when we were supposed to return through California from the FC event. Well, that didn’t register with me. My brain suddenly kicked into high gear, sorting through thousands of jeeps posts and other useless information in an attempt to remember any conversation regarding a trip through California. Finally, there was a brief hint of some conversation months ago about us celebrating a honeymoon by driving north up highway 1.

Now, having been in several relationships with women one thing I have learned to do is fess up right away if you think you’ve screwed up. So, I told Ann that I had forgotten about the honeymoon trip. While you can imagine that went over well, I countered by explaining the value of getting the tires for only $50 and how important it was to meet with Jack and his friends.  While not swayed by my arguments, she did agree that it wasn’t practical to go through California on this trip. I breathed a sigh of relief!

But then, she threw down the gauntlet. She told me she didn’t think the tires would not fit in the back of the jeep since we’d be full of camping gear and clothes.

And thus, for the weeks before and during our trip, every time I mentioned Boise or the tires she teased me about having to rent a uHaul trailer to bring them home. I replied, confidently, that one way or another I’d get them into the jeep, even if I had to tear out the seats and ship them home. I really hoped I didn’t have to do that.

Our jeep before we tried packing the tires. It was pretty full. I was confident though.

Could I fit these tires into the back of our full jeep?

At 1pm on Wednesday we showed up to have lunch with Jack, Randy and Josh at the Boise Fry Company (they have great burgers and fries)!  Jack beat us to the restaurant. In the back seat of his M-38A1 were the tires. One look at them and Ann was sure she would win the bet. Ever confident and cocky, I began to unpile everything from the jeep.

I’m pleased to report that after re-arranging, packing, pushing, flattening, twisting, praying, and jumping up and down, I successfully managed to get the terra tires into the back of the jeep. They are now in Pasco awaiting transport to be tested on Biscuit in Renton. Yeah!

Victory! By dropping down the seats I was able to push stuff farther towards the ceiling. My wife lost graciously 🙂

Continue reading →

<– Day 14 – March 31: From Wolverine Loop to Cathedral Valley | Overview | Day 16 & 17 – Burgers and the Terra Tires Challenge –>

The rising sun at Cathedral Valley Campground.

After a night of light rain, we woke up to sun and clouds.  I wished we had a few days to relax, jeep and hike, but we had to return to Salt Lake to have  an April Fools’ dinner in the evening with my kids, so we broke camp early in the morning.

Cathedral Valley in the morning. Capitol Reef National Park.

To leave Cathedral Valley we had two options. We could go back the way we came (drive south then take the highways north) or head north towards I-70 and hope we could make it. The day before I asked the National Park Ranger if the roads led all the way to I-70. He said we could make it if we knew what we were doing and had a map of the area.

I felt we knew what we were doing, but we lacked an accurate map. Still, I figured we could make it without a map, because we had tall mountains on our left and the San Rafael Swell on our right. And, we had a compass. We had food, gas and water. All we had to due was keep heading north.

As we packed up camp for the drive north, a miracle occurred. I had thought I packed only one map: a general map of the US. It turns out that I had packed a second map: a map of the San Rafael Swell area. That map showed all the roads we needed to take in order to reach I-70. With the guess work out of it, we could relax and enjoy the trip a little more.

Our drive through Cathedral Valley.

Before we left the park, we stopped at a spot called the Gypsum Sinkhole. I didn’t see any gypsum, but there was a big hole. You can just see Ann’s shadow at the edge of the shadow.

Gypsum Sink Hole in Cathedral Valley, Capitol Reef National Park.

Continue reading →

<– Day 13 – March 30: From Cottonwood Canyon to Wolverine | Overview | Day 15 – April 1: From Cathedral Valley to I-70  –>

Sunday March 31 day break at Horse Canyon.

Technically, the March 30th night we camped at the Horse Canyon trailhead wasn’t allowed by the NPS. However, had we walked through the gate to the wilderness study area we could camp legally. Besides, it wasn’t like we hadn’t tried to find a camping spot in other places. Since we were all alone, we didn’t think it was a big deal. We didn’t make a fire and we left no trace we were there. Just the same, we broke camp at sunlight and began our second day in Utah.

We’d planned to return to Highway 12 once we got back to the Burr Trail. But, one thing I’d never done was cross Capitol Reef NP on the Burr Trail and then head north (normally I’ve driven south to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell). Ann was all for the impromptu route, so we drove north on the Wolverine Loop and headed east. Along the way we took a few photos (surprise, surprise).

Wolverine Loop Trail

The western entrance to the Wolverine Loop from the Burr Trail. This is all within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

Looking West on the Burr Trail Road. The early morning sun was lighting up the hillsides.

Continue reading →

<– Day 12 – March 29: Holbrook, Arizona, and Route 66 | Overview | Day 14 – March 31: From Wolverine Loop to Cathedral Valley –>

The southern entrance to Cottonwood Canyon Road

Last night we put together a plan to drive north from Williams on highway 89 and then take a little known dirt road short cut called Cottonwood Canyon Road that links highway 89 with highway 12. I’d driven that road more than a decade ago and wanted to tackle it again.

So, on Saturday March 30th we took off on an adventure. The first thing we encountered was a road closure. Highway 89 was closed near Page, AZ, due to some gaps in the road caused by moving earth. However, a detour of thirty miles got us around that issue.

This shows our entire route on March 30th from Williams, through Page, and ending at the Wolverine Loop Trailhead.

This is a closeup map showing the latter part of our drive.

By noon we were in Page, where we suffered an unexpected tragedy (the death of a wine bottle).

As I explained to my wife while picking up the glass from the broken wine bottle in the Safeway parking lot, it wasn’t my fault. Really, it wasn’t. Instead, it was the little crazy four-year-old who was riding like a mad-man around the busy parking lot while his father panhandled while riding a skateboard. The kid’s father had just asked us for money when his son crashed about three feet behind Ann. Meanwhile, I was in the process of opening the back door of the jeep. It happened like this:

1. I began to open the rear hatch door.
2. The kid crashed
3. As the door swung slowly upward, Ann yelled “no, no, no”
4. Ann’s attempts to stop me from opening the door bounced off me as if they didn’t exist, because I was wondering if the stupid kid was hurt.
5. I continued to lift the door.
6. Ann continued to yell “no, no, no”
7. I continued to ignore her (she was two feet away right in front of me)
8. I heard a noise of something sliding.
9. I heard the sound of glass breaking.
10. I heard the sound of me saying . . . “it wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my fault. it was that kiiiddd!”

Well, it went something like that. No matter how it happened, I was soon buying her another bottle of wine. Actually, 2 bottles. Happy wife, happy life.

Once that adventure was over, we were off to Cottonwood Canyon Road, which turns north from highway 89.  I won’t bore you with details. The road is dirt and the terrain varies wildly. Lots of tight turns, hills, and dust. Don’t drive it when wet. It is just under 50 miles. It rocks! Here are some pics.

Continue reading →

<– Day 11 – March 28: Petroglyph Rocks and Tent Rocks | Overview | Day 13 – March 30: From Cottonwood Canyon to Wolverine  –>

Our goal was to drive to Williams, Arizona, then drive to Prescott, before returning to Williams for the evening.

Our drive Friday from Holbrook to Williams

We had a busy day that started in Holbrook, AZ. If you have ever seen the movie CARS then you will recognize many of the sites in Holbrook. It’s a fun place to step back in time and cruise the old Route 66.  Here’s a picture of the Wigwam Motel. The prices on these run around $55. I wish I had known they were in Holbrook, because we would have stayed there. Note the old cars parked out front of some of them.

While looking around the town we came across this poor CJ-5 hiding sadly behind a mixer. It’s a project!

Continue reading →

<– Day 10 – March 27: Caverns & Aliens | Overview | Day 12 – March 29: Holbrook, Arizona, and Route 66 –>

Today we drove north from Tularosa to explore Santa Fe and “Tent Rocks”. Our final destination was Holbrook, Arizona.

Thursday’s drive from Tularosa to Santa Fe.

Part of the slot canyon at “Tent Rocks” National Monument

There is no way you can start off a morning wrong when you have hash browns smothered in green chiles and cheddar cheese. It was delicious dish we enjoyed at the local Tularosa gas station restaurant.

Following breakfast, we trekked north for a stop at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site run by the BLM. Within a relatively small area 21,700 petroglyphs have been identified. Within five minutes of hiking we were surrounded by petroglyphs of all sizes and shapes. It seemed every rock was marked.

After Three Rivers, we renewed our drive northward. On the way we discovered that Tinkertown wouldn’t open until Friday. Moreover, not too far from Tinkertown is Madrid, the town made famous by the WILD HOGS Movie. After pondering our options, we decided that we would have to save Madrid and Tinkertown for some other time.

Continue reading →

<– Day 9 – March 26: Space History and White Sands | Overview | Day 11 – March 28: Petroglyph Rocks and Tent Rocks –>

On Wednesday March 27th we spent the day exploring eastern New Mexico.

We began the morning with a beautiful drive east up to Cloudcroft, a town that sits at 9000 ft, making it popular destination for folks looking to escape the heat of the Alamogordo valley.  It was early, so not much was open. We continued until we reached the dusty town of Artesia, NM. My oldest son Karson had been ‘stationed’ in Artesia to get his final training for Fema Corps, but left Sunday (only 3  days earlier) for Brooklyn, where he will spend two months helping the Hurricane Sandy clean up process.  So, we just missed him!

From Artesia, we went south on Highway 285 until we reached Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

After entering the Carlsdbad’s visitor center, we had a choice. We could either take an elevator down or walk down to the caverns themselves. Ann thought it best to take the elevator, but was perfectly happy to let me walk down the winding pathway through a massive cave entrance, which leads to the caverns.

So, I started towards the entrance. At first the switchbacks were relative gentle…

But soon they got steeper. As the path led into the cave opening, moisture from the walls and ceiling bled onto the path, making it slippery in spots due to the angle of descent. 

Eventually, I reached an intersection. I was uncertain which way to go until I spotted a sign I thought would get me to the elevators. So, I turned right, unaware that I was actually heading into the cavern system itself. Once I realized my mistake, I then had to figure out whether it was quicker to head back the way I had come or venture forward until I returned back the the intersection starting point. Poor Ann was left waiting for me. I think it took me about 15 minutes to complete the entire circuit through the caverns at a slight job.

One I found Ann again, we I took my second stroll around the caverns, this time at a much slower pace. My photos of the cavern were mostly blurry, but this was turned out reasonably well.

Continue reading →

<– Day 8 – March 25: Tucson, A Titan, and Tombstone | Overview | Day 10 – March 27: Caverns & Aliens –>

On Tuesday March 26th, we touristed several spots around the Alamogordo area.

Our trek to several Alamogordo spots from Tularosa and back.

Be began the day by driving a short distance south of Tularosa, stopping at a Pistachio Farm and, possibly, the worlds largest pistachio!  We also found this Mad-Max-like crazy car.

Next we toured the city of Alamogordo and the New Mexico Museum of Space History. At the museum Ann spotted two pictures of jeeps.

Continue reading →