Mon, August 6, 2007

MEM-LAS
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
August 3-12

• Departed camp around 8:30 (so early...) and drove to Arches National Park. Drove to Devil's Garden at the end of the road and took a 1.5 mile hike to Landscape Arch, which is the longest natural arch in the world at 290 feet. We saw a lot of other arch formations, but nowhere near the 2,000 that the park claims to have. It's possible that it's all a big hoax. We will get to the bottom of it, for sure.
• Drove to Moab, Utah and ate at a Mexican place (Nick had a burrito verde, Brad had a super burrito). Walked around Moab for a while - it's pretty touristy, but it's a nice place...and full of Native American crap for sale.
• We had a few pints at the Moab Brewery, then headed south 0n UT-191 to Monticello. Stopped at the visitor center there and talked to an old guy who told us to head to Dalton Creek Campground inside Manti-La Sal National Forest. So we did. And we were pleased. We got there around 3 PM and were the only campers there - the camping area had about 15 sites. It was really quiet, and there were a lot of deer...they felt the need to intrude on our campsite on more than one occasion, coming up to us within about 6 feet. Nick kept a table between himself and the deer but Brad was a hero and didn't run. Also lots of cows roaming the countryside.
• Elevation ~8,500 feet
• Dinner - BBQ chicken, sauteed zucchini/onions
• Beer of the day: assortment of the last 2 days, and PBR, Natty Light
• Mileage: 690
  

Sun, August 5, 2007

MEM-LAS
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
August 3-12

• Departed Hollow Flats around 10 AM. Went to Bryce Canyon National Park - more rocks! Lots of foreigners, checking out our natural landmarks and formations. Good to see people learning and enjoying our land. Short hike to Sunset/Sunrise points proved to be quite a cool experience - the views were amazing. Rock formations called Hoodoos covered the canyon - hoodoos are massive rock spires pop up from the ground like totem poles. Click on the link for more information.
• After leaving the park, we took US-89N to Richfield. Ate at a Pizza Hut because we wanted a salad bar. But read the rules if you do this - you do not want the waitress scolding you for visiting the salad bar twice. This is apparently against the rules.
  
• We took I70 east and after getting on the interstate, noticed a sign informing motorists of the lack of services for the next 100 miles or so. It was our belief that this sign should have been placed before the interstate. Because we ran out of gas. In the middle of the desert. Ended up pulling off the interstate and contacting UT highway patrol, who put us in contact with a service station (in Green River) east of where we were (Ghost Rock Lookout). Within 25 minutes or so, a truck from the station pulled up and provided us with our gasoline...for a steal at $200 (plus the cost of gas, of course).
  
• Getting back on the highway, we continued on I70, east to UT-191S, toward Arches National Park. Arriving near the park, we learn that the camp was full, which was not a big deal since we don't really care for NP camping anyway. We continued up the highway a bit farther to Oak Grove - a small patch of BLM land along the banks of the Colorado River. There was a burn ban, so we weren't allowed to have fires, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway - storms began rolling in, pouring rain and shooting lightning everywhere. We were in bed by 10 pm and it ended up raining all night.
• Beer of the Day: Golden Spike Hef, Bitch Creek Pale
• Dinner: sandwiches and chips
• Mileage: 560 total
  

Sat, August 4, 2007

MEM-LAS
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
August 3-12

• Departed hotel around 9 and hit a Wal-Mart for supplies ($102). Drove from Nellis to Hollow Flats (somewhere between Cedar Breaks and Long Valley Jct). On the way, we drove through Zion National Park. Very cool place - incredible sandstone formations and lots of wildlife - and it is easy to want to stay. Unfortunately, there were no fires allowed and campgrounds at the park were pretty full (of screaming children), and this was not a place we really wanted to be. So after touring the park for a while, we continued driving.
• Stopping at a house advertising firewood for sale, we met a retired gentleman who had quite a collection of animals - chickens, peacocks, billygoats...large ones. Large, smelly billgoats. (we know they smelled because he insisted we pet them.) He was quite a character, and full of information, which of course helped us - not that we needed to know how the irrigation laws in southern Utah worked, but he did give us some good camping location tips. He mentioned Dixie National Forest, accessible by taking US-89 to UT-14. We stopped at a visitor center and they directed us to a fairly secluded area (except for ATVs). It was a nice site - cooler here; elevation was about 6,000 feet.
  
• High temperature today was 107 degrees. Here in the forest it ended up around 75 degrees...nice to be out of the desert!
• Beer of the Day: Moab Brewery Scorpion Pale, Wasatch Apricot Hefeweissen, Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale
• Dinner: Turkey brats and corn
• Mileage: 230
  

Friday, August 3, 2007

MEM-LAS
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
August 3-12

• Memphis to Las Vegas flight. Arrived at 9 PM and got the rental car. Drove to Super 8 Motel in Nellis, about 16 miles north of the city. Ate at the hotel restaurant - Blueberry Hill (the name alone should have been a clue) - a shitty, 24 hour family diner style eatery that served greasy chunks of food...but also beer (shitty beer). No redemption for that.

2006 - Sat Aug 5

MEM-SEA

July 29-August 6

Washington, Oregon

• Left and drove along the north side of Olympic NP via 101 to get to the ferries. We had lunch and then took a ferry to Seattle. Got to Krista and Larry's and then showered (!).
  
• Celeste came over and we all had a few beers, then went out with Angie. We met up with Brian at his work, had a few more.
• The next day, (Sun, Aug 6) we refueled and went to the airport.
  
• Final mileage: 1100

2006 - Friday, Aug 4

MEM-SEA

July 29-August 6

Washington, Oregon

• We left around 9:30 to look for a canoe outfitter. Headed to Forks, WA (after Brad backed the car into a trash can), which seemed to be the only town around within 100 miles or so of Olympic. We ended up finding a place, but they only did kayaks and expensive raft trips - the water was too low for canoes.
• We headed to the Hoh Rain Forest and went on 2 short hikes. Very pretty - lots of MASSIVE trees and lots of ferns/moss everywhere. (Just for the sake of mentioning it, there is a section in our notes that states "paid $15 to go 4 miles - government nazis!" yet I do not think that either of us will ever remember quite what that means).
• Went to Ruby Beach at low tide hoping to see some star fish...but ended up seeing only sea anemones. The beach was very pretty, with huge rock outcrops, fog, and lots of logs on the shore.
• Went back to the campsite (and had some ice cream on the way), which was fuller (meaning, more kids), but it was still pretty peaceful.
• Beer of the Day was the remainder of the week's stash. We were feeling the pressure to drink the rest of it before heading back.
• Dinner: BBQ chicken and corn on the cob.
• Mileage 919
  

2006 - Thur Aug 3

MEM-SEA

July 29-August 6

Washington, Oregon

• Departed camp at 9:30 am and drove north along the coast on Highway 101. The drive was very scenic - 101 runs up the coastline. We passed through several small towns and over the 4 mile long Astoria Bridge.
• Arriving in Olympic National Park, we stopped at Kalaloch Campground on the coast, but it was packed with RVs and children (the 2 things we try to avoid at any cost). We drove a bit farther northeast to Hoh Oxbo and got a great FREE site (#1). It was very private, right on the river. There was an area at the end of the campground with access to the river, where there were small falls, currents and pools - the water was a very blue-green color. We met a nice lady from Seattle who told us about a kayak/canoe outfitter that we decided to check out the next day.
• Some German bike riders (who we named Klaus and his brothers) came to our campsite with a small metal bowl, asking to borrow some coals to start a fire. They did not speak English well at all. Nick ended up going to help them build a fire. Turns out they were bicycling from Vancouver to southern California. Meanwhile, we are sitting in a campsite worrying about what kind of beer is next. Priorities.
• Beer of the Day: Drop Top Amber (Portland), Kena Fir Rock Pale Ale (Hawaii), and a wide assortment of leftovers. Dinner was chicken brats and potatoes.
• Mileage 825 total/239 today, temperature 63-75º

2006 - Wed, Aug 2

MEM-SEA

July 29-August 6

Washington, Oregon

• Left the hotel in Portland around 10 am via I-26W and drove to Tillamook. There, we toured the Tillamook Dairy - cheese being made right in front of our eyes! We saw lots of large patrons in line for free cheese samples. We decided on a bag of cheese curds. So tasty.
• Stopped at Fred Meyer for supplies ($51).
• Ate lunch at the Sea Shack in Wheeler, OR. Nick had grilled Tillamook provolone cheese and Brad had grilled halibut sandwich. Waitress told us about nearby camping. So we drove to Mohler Road and then took a dirt road to Cook Creek. Very private campsite on the creek. Mountain views and no one around for miles - perfect. We heard only 2 cars drive down the dirt road in 5 hours. Free camping. We picked a ton of blackberries - there were LOTS of bushes around. We built 2 dams on the creek (which we later learn is an illegal act).
• Dinner was wild salmon, veggie burgers, zucchini and onions. Beer of the Day: Fire Station #5, Brush Fire Summer Ale, Henry Weinhard's Hefeweizen
• Mileage 586 total/121 today
• Temperature today 75º

2006 - Tues, Aug 1

MEM-SEA
July 29-August 5
Washington, Oregon

• Left camp and went to Eagle Creek area to hike. Hiked about 2 miles in and saw 3 waterfalls (Metlako, Lower/Upper Punch Bowl). Trail was pretty treacherous , with a 100-foot fall directly to the side of the trail, and no rails/ropes - but we're men.
• Ate breakfast at a restaurant that had Indian artifacts everywhere. Brad had marionberry pancakes (recipe). Went to Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery where we saw a 450 pound sturgeon! Very cool - a must-see.

• Drove to Portland and checked into the Days Inn downtown. Had a beer at the Marketplace Pub and then took the streetcar to the Pearl District. PD is an eclectic neighborhood in the city that prides itself on trying to hard, it appears to us. Cool area though. Had a beer at a restaurant called Paragon, then walked around and checked out some shops.
• Hit up the Bridgeport Brewery and had beers/pizza along with bad service (see, we don't forget these things). Went to Rogue Brewery and had (lots of) beers. Took the streetcar back downtown and had a beer at Marketplace
• Temperature today was about 75º.
• Mileage 465 total/63 today.

2006 - Mon, July 31

MEM-SEA
July 29-August 5
Washington, Oregon

• We departed our campsite around 9 AM. Drove to Ape Cave (links to Wikipedia - interesting article), which was part of a massive lava field in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. There was no one around, which is pretty rare for such a seemingly touristy place. We decided to explore a bit, threw on some layers to keep warm, hiking shoes, and grabbed the lantern. It's wilderness, people...there are no lights. You enter down a passageway which is about in the center of this giant 'worm' underground. You can go to the left, travel .75 miles and come back, or go to the right, about .5 miles to another exit. We're men. We went the long way. It was an experience, just being in a place where you couldn't see a thing, it was so dark. Brad was not a fan of turning off the lantern and taking it all in with the remaining senses. We got to the end of the tube, and the ceiling of the cave got lower and lower and lower until it was only about 6-8 inches. Brad stayed behind while Nick did the belly-battle-crawl as far as he could...and had to back out the same way after about 40-50 feet. Scary. Claustrophobic.
• Went to the Lahar Lookout to view Mount St. Helen's but it was pretty cloudy around the top. There was a better view when we were a few more miles away. Spent a few hours exploring the area, checking out rock flows, different views of the volcano, etc.
• Drove south to Stevenson, WA on the Columbia River, where we had lunch at the River Cafe. Nick had egg salad and Brad had fish & chips. Good food, we agreed.
• Crossed the Bridge of the Gods (Col. River) and went to Multnomah Falls, which is the 2nd highest year-round falls in the US. An old lady recommended Eagle Creek to camp, but there were only a few sites and all overlooked the interstate (84). Rode east to Wyeth Campground - more secluded. Campsite #10 ($10). Went for ~3 mile hike on trail 411, which was pretty steep, but had excellent views of the Columbia River Gorge and huge rock cliffs.
• Much warmer today - (78-82º)
• Beer of the day is Full Sail American IPA and Twilight Amber
• Dinner - BBQ chicken (seeing a theme here?), coal-cooked potatoes and beans.
• Mileage 402 total/123 today.

2006 - Sun July 30

MEM-SEA
July 29-August 5
Washington, Oregon

• Brad was up early - around 7 AM and went into Fremont for coffee and scones. Krista gave us maps and some chairs and a cooler to use. We left Seattle around 11 AM heading south on I-5
• Lunch was some expensive Mexican food where Brad claimed to have the best chimichanga in years.
  
• Took Hwy 504 toward Mt St. Helen's, but decided to go farther south to Hwy 503, which was the southern route. Stopped at a Fred Meyer and got supplies ($87). Got to Cougar, and found camping area. Most on-water sites were taken but found one on the side that was quiet (#34). Camping was $15.
• Dinner was BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. Beer of the Day: Scuttlebutt (Everett, WA); Moose Drool dark ale; Fire Station #5 (Portland).
• Mileage: 279 total/202 today
• Dark at 9:30
  

2006 - Sat July 29

MEM-SEA
July 29-August 5
Washington, Oregon

• Flight from Memphis to Seattle. Arriving in Seattle, we learn Nick's bag ended up in Minneapolis instead. Airline promises to deliver the bag to Krista and Larry's house, where we will be staying that night.
  

• We picked up the rental car (a pimpin silver Hyundai Sonata) and drove to Angie and David's in Covington. We ended up driving into the city and had lunch and beers (Mac & Jack) in Fremont Brian, Brad, Angie, David
  
• After lunch we made our way to Krista and Larry's, had a beer, then went to Hale's for a few. That evening we went to Capital Hill and played pool and had drinks. After getting back to K & L's place that night, the bag was delivered. We were drunk and tired, and ended up in bed by about 1:30.

with Brian, Angie, and David.

• Mileage 77

Charleston, South Carolina

late April/early May 2006
Brad's 30th birthday

• Rented a house in Folly Beach, just south of Charleston. The house is really nice - very close to the beach, plenty of room. Stacie (with her camera in a sock) and Kara come from Charlotte, Colleen took the train from DC, and Carrie came in from Jacksonville. Brad and Ellan took a flight from Memphis to Charleston, and Nick drove from Memphis to Charleston. Laura flew in from Lexington.
• Over the 3 days that we were there, we visited the beach a few times, flew kites, went to a great tapas bar (Meritage), did some shopping downtown, and visited a few bars. Bars with shopping carts.

• After rolling around in shopping carts, we went to a couple different bars. One happened to be a honky-tonk, local biker bar. Quite frightening. At one point, there was a person "singing" onstage. Ellan, ever the curious one, inquired to no one in particular "who's the retard onstage?" The man behind her, ever the informative one, responded "it's my son". At that point, it was clear we probably were not all that welcome...not that we were before...
• We left the bar and ended up getting a ride in a truck from a young local couple. They took some of us back to the house...with the exception of Carrie. Who called. And was curious about "where the fuck everyone is" and why she was left there. Oops. When ya got this many kids, it's hard to keep track of everyone, ya know? Carrie ended up back safely at the house, where the couple who gave us a ride were hanging out. It became clear that the female half of the couple looked like Jessica Simpson. She found this flattering (we think), probably until minute number 43 of everyone commenting about how much she looked like Jessica Simpson.
• One afternoon, the girls went to lunch and after a not-so-pleasant dining experience, came back to the house with a great story and an even greater photo of an unfortunate-looking troll they named Scary Mary. Here is Kara, going all Vanna White on Scary Mary's ass:
• And a day or so later we were all preparing to go our separate ways, so we all had lunch on a rooftop patio restaurant downtown. Brad flew back to Memphis, and Nick drove on to North Carolina to see Tony and Jill in Sylva.

Mexico City, Mexico

MEM-MEX
Dec 28 2005 - Jan 2 2006

• Flew USAir from Memphis to Mexico City with a connection in our old North Cackalacky city of Charlotte. First class!
• Landed in Mexico City and fought our way through the crowded, unorganized Benito Juarez Airport and hired a driver to take us to our hotel, the Hotel Angel in a borough of the city called La Zona Rosa, downtown. The driver was very courteous and was eager to speak to us. Problem was, Nick was the only one able to communicate outside of Brad's outbursts of "lechuga, papas fritas!". Turns out the driver is also available for hire outside of the normal taxi duties. He suggested we hire him to take us up to the Teotihuacan Pyramids, about an hour north of the city. We told him we would consider it and in return he provided his business card.
• Arriving at the hotel, we checked in to our room and proceeded to give the driver a call to schedule a trip to the ruins. He agrees to meet us at the hotel the next morning and will take us to Teotihuacan for about $60 each. Then we got ready to get a start on the day - we were ready to drink some tequila. It's Mexico. Upon leaving the room, we discovered that the door to our room was not locking properly. A maintenance worker in the hallway helped get it fixed.
• We then head on foot to a few areas we were interested in seeing downtown...Paseo Reforma and a few other landmarks. After about 10 blocks a few bars got in our way of this and we ended up playing pool and doing a few afternoon shots of tequila blanco.
• Moving on to another establishment, we set up camp at its bar, where a friendly bartender thenceforth poured tequila down our gullets and forced us to continue drinking Dos Equis for the duration. Should it be going down this easy? Didn't matter. SOMEHOW, at the end of the evening (meaning, we were too drunk to continue), around 10 pm, we stumbled back to the hotel with the aid of Brad's perfect sense of direction.
• What's this? Hotel door not locked? Hmm thought this was taken care of (as we were assured) before we left. Cue drunk Americans' anger. Run 4 flights downstairs (no time for elevators...this is an emergency). Front desk clerk apologetic, yet doesn't seem to grasp the reason for our anger (something could have gotten stolen, duh). He gives us another room. We lug our belongings to this new room, and covering where there should be a balcony view is...a massive banner on the side of the hotel. Cue drunk Americans' rage. Run downstairs (again, in an emergency do not use an elevator). Desk clerk mildly annoyed at us. Yelling ensues (from Brad...in English...in a city where ONE person has yet to utter an English word). Not helping, needless to say. We demand another room, and this time we also demand an open service bar in the room. Because, you know, only more liquor can really make us forgive the hotel. Upon denial of this seemingly appropriate compensation, we demand the hotel manager. The desk clerk instead suggests the police. We decide to call his bluff and say that this is a good idea, and to get the police involved. He did. And there they were - somehow - in front of us, asking questions, within 2.5 minutes. And they refused to speak English. So Nick has to describe in Spanish the travesty and injustice that had just been done. The police lose interest and walk out the door. The manager is finally called and he arrives (speaking English!) to give us a new room. But no liquor. He offers a free dinner instead, which we accept. During said dinner, Brad is convinced that the cook in the corner of the restaurant staring at us has poisoned the dinner and refuses to eat it, and orders the waiter to wrap it. After leaving the hotel restaurant and heading through the hotel lobby, Brad decides that the best plan is to feed the desk clerk, so he tosses the foil package on the desk and yells something like "you hungry? eat that!". All in all, the new room suffices and for the rest of our vacation, we attempt to go through the lobby with our heads down, and not during nighttime hours.
• The next morning we met the taxi driver and he takes us to the pyramids. The drive takes about an hour, and given the events of the previous night, we are not exactly in a chatty mood. The driver, however, seems oblivious and continues to chat to Nick in Spanish the entire trip. Teoticuahan is an experience, too much to write about here, but check out the link to learn about its history if you are interested. We climbed pyramids, followed guided tours that weren't meant for us (because we didn't pay for a guide) and went to a few museums. This is where both realized that it's Nick's birthday!
• The next day we went to the Bosque de Chapultapec, a (very) large urban park, where there are museums, a castle, a zoo. Walked around for a while and on the way back to the hotel Brad bought (and ate) a torta from a street vendor. Mistake, you say? Not until we started drinking that evening was it clear. And then the drinking stopped and other things commenced. Enough said. You are warned.
  
• It's New Year's Eve and neither of us feel all that great now. One wrong move and it's over...at least we wake up when the shouting and fireworks are happening at midnight, grunt a "happy new year" and then fall back asleep
• With Brad (and now, Nick) feeling a bit better the next day, we head to Centro Historico, visit the National Cathedral, Zocalo (public square 2nd only to Red Square in size).
• Jan 2 we take one last walk of shame through the hotel lobby and ask them to hire a taxi to take us to the airport. We are charged for making a call to a cellular telephone, but we pay the $2 and get into the taxi. Upgraded to first class on the way back.
  

2005 - Sat July 9

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Got up around 9 am. Packed up the stuff and went to breakfast at Two Sisters, downtown Missoula.
• It's colder - about 65 degrees. Left Missoula around 11:30 am and headed south via I93 to Boise. Arrive around 6:30 pm and check into hotel. Flight is tomorrow, July 10 - back to Little Rock.
  
• Final refuel - $30
• Final mileage for 2005 trip 1,445
  

2005 - Fri July 8

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Ate breakfast at a downtown Missoula cafe/bakery called Bernice's. It's surprisingly hot (~90 degrees) for being in Montana.
  
• Went to the Smokejumper's Museum and took a tour around 11 AM. Check out the link to the museum - it's a pretty interesting place. This is where firefighters are trained/stationed for fighting forest fires that are pretty inaccessible. So they jump from aircraft into them. And you thought your job was tough.
• The real fun begins. Big Sky Brewery - took a tour, had some beer samples. Tasty. Their Moose Drool Ale is one of our favorites to this day.
• Bayern Brewery. Had samples and a pint. Very distinct background flavor in all of their varieties of ales...Not a favorite.
  
• Kettlehouse Brewery. Small, local brewery. Had at least 10 different beers to choose from. Had many samples and a couple pints. We are pretty drunk.
  
• Lunch follows around 4:30 pm, thank god, at a restaurant called the Iron Horse. Along with a pitcher of Mirror Pond. Too drunk to finish it. Went back to Katie's to nap (pass out) at 5:30. Woke up at 9 pm and decided to go to a bar. It's called Al and Vic's. As exciting as the name might suggest. Had one beer and paid cash (no tabs/cards) and left. Went to the Old Post bar - cool place, nice bartender. Lots of good local beers. Honky-tonk band playing. 7 beers = $18.
• Refueled today - $32
• Mileage 1050 total/30 today
  

2005 - Thur July 7

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Left campsite at 8:30 am. Got to Apgar entrance at 9:30. We took Going to the Sun Route up to Logan Pass (~30 miles). Takes about 1.5 hours. Turned around at the top of the mountain pass and came back toward West Glacier entrance to the park.
• Left Glacier at about 1:30 pm and headed to Kalispell MT. Ate lunch at a Taco Bell there.
• Off to Missoula! We are planning on staying with a relative (Katie) of a Memphis friend (Ellan) who has been generous enough to offer her basement apartment. Takes about 3 hours to get there from Kalispell because of slow drivers and construction. Hit up a Dairy Queen for blizzards. Got to Missoula around 5:30 and went downtown after showering at Katie's.
• Went to Rhino's and played pool and had beers. Went to the Union Club which had slow service but great food. Brad had a philly with sweet potato fries and Nick had a curry chicken sandwich .
• Bed around 1 am.
  
• Mileage 1020 total/250 today

Missoula

2005 - Wed July 6

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Had powdered donuts for breakfast and then started on a 12 miled round trip hike on Akokala Trail to Akokala Lake. Stoped after about 4 miles or so and walked back. Mosquitos were unbearable. Went to Polebridge Mercantile and got some insect repellant and ice. Picked up some more firewood on the way back...you are allowed to pick up wood from the ground.
• RAIN RAIN RAIN. Well, only for about 10 minutes.
• Today's Beer of the Day: Same as last night, and the night before.
  
• Took the short walk to the lake and hung out there on the shore for a bit. Saw 2 rainbows over the lake following a short rainshower.
  
• It's louder tonight, even though we are still in a remote area of the park - near the Canadian border. Canadians are loud, apparently.
  
• A buck insisted on appearing, ninja-style, in our camp again - uninvited and unannounced.
• Brad wears slippers outside. Nick wonders why and thinks that is silly.
  
• Dinner is BBQ chicken, with potatoes cooked with onions in foil over the coals, and a can of vegetarian baked beans.
• mileage 772 total/16 today

2005 - Tues July 5

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Left Kaniksu National Forest around 10:30 am and headed to Montana - crossed the state line around 12, and got to Kalispell, MT around 3 pm - just south of Glacier National Park. Arrived at Glacier around 4 and paid the $20 entry fee. Ate lunch at Lake McDonald (turkey/chicken wraps). Drove to Bowman lake via lot of long winding dirt roads through the northern part of the park (about 20 miles in). Set up camp (#14, $12/nt). Walked to Bowman Lake and had a few beers. Postcard perfect! Amazingly still lake with mountains on each side, reflecting on the lake.
  
• Lots of mosquitos! Wildlife spotted: deer (in and out of our camp all night!), coyote
• Dinner: Brats/veggie burgers with roasted zucchini (camp cooking is awesome)
  
• Beer of the Day: Quail Spring IPA, Hucklberry Wheat (Great Northern Brewing Co) and PBR
• 2nd refuel: $24
• Dark at 11 pm (mosquitos have finally gone away)
• Mileage: 756 total/236 today

2005 - Mon July 4

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Leave Ponderosa St Park @ 8:30 am. Cross 45th parallel at 8:45
• To Lewiston, ID...a glorified Butte, MT - Pop 30,000. Had lunch at a Waffles 'n More at 11 PT. Outside of Lewiston, we get spontaneous on that Idaho ass and stop at a casino in the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Gambled on video slots - no video poker here. Brad: -$2. Nick: +$2.
  
• On to Spokane, WA. First refuel is $33. Not too much to look at here. The drive through eastern Washington is nice but boring - rolling hills get old after a while.
  
• To Sandpoint, ID, about 70 miles away. Had a beer at a place called Eickerdt's. Denise at Outdoor Adventures recommends camping area at Lake Pend Orielle. Takes some effort to find (wrong dirt road) but we set up camp in Kaniksu National Forest and have a fire by 6:30. We have the best fire poker sticks ever.
  
• Dinner is BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. MMMM!!
• Mileage: 520 total/400 driven today
• Darkness sets in by 11 PM

2005 - Sun July 3

LIT-BOI
July 3-10
Idaho, Washington, Montana

• Decided to fly out of Little Rock instead of Memphis because tickets were much cheaper. We stayed the night at a hotel near the airport and took a shuttle to catch our flight. We were able to leave the car in the hotel parking lot for the week.
• Arriving in Boise, Idaho (famous for potatoes!), we picked up the rental car (maroon Hyundai Sonata) and hit up the local Wal-Mart for supplies (we know it's an evil place but we generally don't have a choice). We donated $103 to the local economy. After shopping, we tore into some Mexican at a place called Casa Mexicano. Concensus = overpriced, mediocre Mexican (and we are authorities on good Mexican).
• Head to McCall, ID (pop 3,000). It was getting late, so we stopped and camped at Ponderosa State Park. Picturesque (massive Ponderosa Pines everywhere) but crowded (lots of screaming children). $20 for a campsite (#77) and $10 for 2 bundles of wood. Watched the sun set over the lake, around 9:15 pm.
• Dinner was veggie burgers grilled over the fire.
  
• Beer of the day: Moose Drool Brown Ale (Big Sky Brewing Co) and Loft Ale. Also, PBR as the non-BOD.
• Darkness set in at 10:25 MST
• Mileage 120
  

2004

CLT-SLC

Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

We flew from Charlotte, NC into Salt Lake City. After shopping for some supplies and gear (like a grate for cooking over fires), we took off in the rental car (a little red Hyundai Accent) via Interstate 15N. Driving through the southern Idaho desert, we came across signs for a place called City of Rocks, a US National Reserve. This was where we stayed the night. We were able to look out at the scenery right at the entrance to the reserve. The place was an amazing collection of jagged rocks, massive boulders and huge cliff faces. The reserve is popular with rock climbers, but as we passed through the camping area, we realized that we were the only people there. Watching the sun set on the cliff in front of our tent was by far the best part of the night. Oh, yeah - camping was free!

After leaving City of Rocks, we drove through a few small towns like Pocatello and Arco, site of the Idaho National Laboratory. Stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument an

d Preserve, an expanse of lava rocks stretching through about 400 sq miles. Did some hiking, went through a small underground cavern created by flowing lava, then took off for Harriman

State Park, where we stayed the night. Hiked through the forest and arrived at some pretty incredible water falls.

The next day, we drove into Montana and went to the town of Butte. We hadn't really heard much about Butte, and probably for a good reason...there was nothing there. Butte was an old

mining town and it was clear just driving through that its heyday was long past - so that is what we did...passed through and continued on to Bozeman, where we set up camp...in a hotel. Brad was in need of a shower. After walking around the downtown area for a while, we drove outside the city a bit and went for a pretty strenuous hike up a large mountain and ate a lunch we had packed at the lake at the top of the mountain. Ate dinner at some chain restaurant where we were served by a nice (but Republican) college student.

Off to Yellowstone National Park! We spent two nights camping outside of Yellowstone.

Driving through the park is an experience - we saw sulfur pits, hot springs, forest (including parts of the park damaged by fire), lakes, rivers, waterfall all in the course of a day's worth of driving in the park. Animals: elk, deer, eagle, fox, lots of buffalo...and of course, Old Faithful. Leaving the park, we drove

south through Grand Teton National Park. The mountain range was pretty incredible - Grand Teton Mountain reaches more than 13,000 feet into the sky and the entire Teton range is more than 40 miles in length.

That afternoon, we were driving through the desolation that is the state of Wyoming and in the process of discussing where to camp, Brad must have been a bit distracted and sped past a state trooper. Needless to say, there isn't too much for those guys to do, so he had some extra time to pull us over. After issuing Brad a citation, we inquired about a good camping spot for the night and pulled out a map. With shaking hands (seriously), the trooper pointed to a place on the map not far away that was on a lake. He said it was a pretty cool place. We left him to gather his nerves and calm himself, and headed to Bear Lake. Once we arrived, we were glad we followed his advice. Camping right on the lake - which was a body of crystal clear water. If it wasn't for the temperature and the mountains around us, it would be easy to imagine that the water was actually in the Caribbean. We had a great time.

The next day we drove the rest of the way to Salt Lake City and had lunch at a brewpub and lounged in a park downtown for a while before heading to the airport and real life back in Charlotte.