Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City
MEM-SLC
September 24 - 27, 2010

• Nick arrived in Salt Lake City from Memphis, and Brad came in from Phoenix, both around 9:30 or 10 AM. We picked up the rental car (a Malibu) and then headed to the Homewood Suites Hotel to check in. We got settled in and then took off to check out some breweries and have lunch.
• We ate at Red Rock Brewing Co. Brad had a trout/bacon club and Nick a veggie sandwich. We had a couple beers and bought a shirt for Patricio then went walking. The waitress at RRB had recommended Epic Brewing as a good destination for great beer. It was about a mile away from where we were at the time, but we decided to hoof it anyway. Along the route, we stopped at a few places for beers...Squatter's Pub (meh), Junior's Tavern (had a great IPA), then to Epic, on State Street south of downtown. We assumed that there would be a tap room or a pub of some sort at the brewery (at first we thought maybe we had come in the wrong entrance). Alas, all that was there was a sales room. We went ahead and bought 4 bottles (22 oz) and started walking back. Farther north on State St, we came across the State Room/Bayou and had some great beers - Uinta and Anderson (both local brews) - and played a few games of pool. The bartenders (and customers) were really friendly. The bartender actually stored our Epic beers (in bags) in the cooler below the bar ("groceries" is what we had to call them due to state laws). A couple sitting at the bar then gave us some pointers on where to go to hike the next day.
• We walked back to the hotel (another 1.5 miles or so) and decided to go downstairs for dinner at Iggy's Grill. We had some mediocre pizza and a few beers then headed back and had the Epic beers at the pool. Watched some TV, then headed to bed.
• On Saturday, we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel then checked for stuff to do. The agenda definitely included the Great Salt Lake, so we got in the car and headed north out of the city via I-15. We wanted to check out the lake at Antelope Island State Park, which the waitress at Red Rock had mentioned the day before. Around Layton, UT, we headed west and across the causeway to the island. After touring the visitor center we drove the rest of the road along the island's coast/spine, checked out the old ranch at the end, and then came back. Scenery was great, and we actually saw an antelope. We concurred that this was probably the first antelope we'd seen in all our travels. We stopped at a public access area to check out the "beach" and walked for what seemed like forever to get to the lake, across (very) smelly sand. Nothing grows in the water due to the salinity, but brine shrimp are plentiful. We waded into the water a bit, but didn't stay in too long.
• Once out of the park, we ate lunch at Taco Maker (!!) and had a well-deserved treat at DQ. Then we made our way farther north to Ogden...there really wasn't much there to see or do, from what we gathered by driving around a bit. It's a nice city, with new buildings and what seemed like a really neighborly feel, but we just weren't feeling it then. There just wasn't a whole lot to do and we didn't feel like walking around, so we headed back to SLC.
  
• Once back in the city, we went by the state capitol building. Then we tried to find Gilgal Sculpture Garden (fail) but ended up...at a brewery. Desert Edge Brewery, specifically, which we recalled having beers at the first trip to SLC in 2004. After leaving there, we drove to Epic and picked up a few more bottles of beer.
• Went back to the room and hung out, watched TV, then decided on dinner and a movie at Gateway. We had dinner at the Happy Sumo (sushi and curry tofu noodles w/sake) and saw Devil (freaky, but meh). Walked back to the hotel and called it a night around 11.
• The next morning we got up and had breakfast then mapped out where we wanted to hike for the day. We planned on going east of the city into the Wasatch National Forest to do a 5 mile hike. The drive was really beautiful, through cottonwood forest. The leaves were bright shades of orange and yellow with pines interspersed throughout the drive. It took about 30 minutes to get to the trailhead, shorter than we had anticipated. We assumed it would take longer, and had planned on getting water along the way. Since we weren't really prepared, and the nearest convenience store wasn't exactly close, we just went ahead and drove to Park City, UT, which is where we were going to go after the hike anyway.
  
• In Park City, there was a street festival going on all along Main Street. Bands food vendors, crafts, etc. At the beer tent we got a Wasatch Pumpkin Ale (so good). After walking the festival, we went into the Wasatch Brewery and went upstairs to the bar, got a beer and sat on the patio. Then we ended up downstairs at a table and had lunch (with a beer).
• We headed back to the car, having walked a good 2-3 miles in Park City (that's our hike). Once back in SLC we stopped (once again) at Epic for some beer and then went to the hotel and changed. Stopped at Red Rock and had a couple beers while watching the Colts beat the Broncos. We talked to the bartender for a while, and he recommended a few places to grab a beer. From RRB, we went to the Beerhive Pub. They had a ton of beer on tap and in bottle. We parked ourselves on the patio out front and started a conversation with a few opera singers. Nice guys (but they couldn't understand why we would come to SLC for the weekend without a purpose). We had a couple beers there and then went to the Poplar Street Pub, next door to RRB. Had several beers there and a pizza. By this point we were pretty tanked, so we went back to the hotel and had (of course) a couple beers. Nick may or may not have puked and passed out.
• In the morning, we ate breakfast and hung out in the room for a while, to 'recover.' For lunch we went to PF Chang's and had lettuce wraps.
  
• Got to the airport and back to Memphis around 6:30 PM.
  

Sat, August 11, 2007

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

• We packed up our tent and belongings at Toroweap and began the long journey back to normal roads. If we could make it...
• Driving out on the same bumpy, grinding road, the Mazda held up and got us back. After exiting at the entrance to the area, we still had another hour or so on the dirt desert road. We took a fork that led us west (since we were going to be heading west on the highway once we reached it). This road was less traveled, and certainly less maintained. Sand was up to a foot deep in some places, making it feel like we were driving through deep snow.
  
• Finally reaching AZ-389, we headed W/N and into Utah, going West toward I-15. We headed West on I-15 then took 12/169 South through Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada toward the Hoover Dam.
• We reached Hoover Dam and explored the dam and its museum a bit. Temps outside were well above 115 degrees. Very cool place though...it's a pretty incredible sight.
• After leaving Hoover Dam, we drove on to Las Vegas. We stayed at Harrah's on the strip. After eating dinner, we went to check out Bodies the Exhibition. Had some beers at a few different casinos, walked around, lost some money, then called it a night.
• The next morning (Aug 12), we packed up, drove to the airport, and headed back to Memphis.
  
• 

Fri, August 10, 2007

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

• Departed camp at Kaibab National Forest around 8:30, dumped trash and got water at some RV park. We thought they might chase us, but we got out alive.
• Stopped in Fredonia for gas, beer, and breakfast. We then headed out to one of the most remote places either of us had been...Toroweap-Tuweep (be sure to click the link for information) is nearly 3 hours from any type of civilization. This is an area of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, accessible only by a 2.5 hour drive on a very primitive dirt road. This place, managed by the BLM, is not for everyone. We passed the first 25 miles or so fairly easily. And then...when we arrived at the year-round ranger station, the ranger asked if we needed anything. As in, "what are you doing here?" And we told him that we were going to camp at Toroweap. His only reply was to chuckle and ask how we would get there, pointed at the car, and asked if that was what we came in. We said yes, and he said we wouldn't make it back out. To which we replied that it was a rental. Apparently that matters little. He essentially gave us the standard warning about recommending a SUV or 4WD (not something the little Mazda had). We decided to try it anyway - we had already taken the effort to get this far.
• Park brochure (.pdf)
• Then comes the hard part. More than an hour of bouncing on, over, and between a rocky "path" of a road. The car at some points would be leaning at such an angle it felt like it would tip over. We finally made it to the camping/overlook area and after the most stressful drive of our lives, we were pleased to have made it.
• The wind was incredible. The sustained winds were strong enough to blow anything away, including the tent. With stuff in it. Staked. The air being blown was so hot that we felt like we were in hell (temps were in the 115-120 F range). But the view and the idea of being in the middle of nowhere on the edge of the Grand Canyon was enough to make us not care. Draping clothing over any exposed skin, we went for a hike up to the actual rim of the canyon. It was breathtaking and dizzying at the same time (not the greatest combination of sensations when you're close to 4,000 feet [about 2/3 mile] up a sheer cliff). We took several pictures, climbed on rocks, found different vistas and watched rafters maneuver the Colorado River below...from up here they appeared to be just specks on the water.
• After hiking back to the camp, we hung out in the shade of a scrub tree and watched jackrabbits and other small animals run around. We had a few beers and built a fire (not too successfully due to the winds).
• In the end, we were glad we braved the geology and remoteness of the place. It was getting back out in the morning that had us concerned.

Thur, August 9, 2007

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

• Happy birthday, Nick's mom!
• We had gone to bed fairly early (~10) but still managed to sleep till about 9 am. We packed up and drove back to Jacob Lake Inn/Diner for breakfast. Interesting little place - nice, cute waitresses running all over the place. And although it is the middle of summer, there seemed to be a bit of a Christmas celebration going on. We knew this because of all the Christmas decorations - stockings, lights, the works. When we asked about it, the employees said that they celebrate Christmas in August because the place closes down for the winter and no one would be there.
  
• We had gained an hour (AZ does not observe DST). Drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon via AZ 67 - about 40 miles. Went to the visitor's center, then to the general store for ice (and a jacket). It has been really cold at night - upper 40s last night.
  
• We hiked the Ken Patrick Trail of the Canyon (click link and zoom in for a map), which takes you from the trailhead, 10 miles one way (...we did not follow the trail all 10 miles) along the Bright Angel Canyon drainages. The trail was very primitive and took some route finding abilities. We found out later that our difficulties were not through a lack of trying on our part - the trail is notorious for simply disappearing then continuing farther up ahead, up and down, in and out of drainages. It follows the rim for part, then through forest, then back on the rim...excellent views. We hiked for close to 3 hours along the Ken Patrick trail.
  
• After the hike, we drove farther into the park, to the end of the road at Cape Royal, where there were several incredible overlooks. The scenery is really amazing and the scale of the place just cannot be described or done justice in photos. This is truly one of the places that people have to see at least once in their lives.
• When we left the park, we went back north into the national forest, a bit south of where we had camped the night before. Found a really nice site in the forest that was flat and had lots of wood around. It was COLD!!! In the lower 40s.
• Beer of the day: Trippel Belgian Ale (7.8%), Nimbus Pale Ale
• Dinner: corn on the cob, potatoes/onions, BBQ chicken
• Mileage 1350
• More North Rim info: http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/misc/gc_visit.htm#nr
  

Wed, August 8, 2007

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

• We slept late at the hotel in Durango (till about 11...it was a rough night). Left the city around 12 or so. Among the souvenirs we picked up were 3 parking tickets.
  
• Ate lunch at Arby's in Farmington, NM, a town full of strip malls and shopping centers.
  
• Made our way to the Four Corners Monument, where the states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico meet. This is a very remote area of the country, not surprisingly. No electricity, no water, no phones. It costs $3 to enter the monument area, which is managed by the Navajo Nation. Lots of Navajo selling jewelry at booths set up near the actual four corners. Took the typical tourist pictures then left. It is scorching hot here in the desert.
• Drove, then drove some more. A bit more driving, then we ended up in Page, AZ (a boating town on Lake Powell) and got some supplies. We decided to drive to Jacob Lake, but the campground there was closed. Ended up driving to Kaibab National Forest, which is about 25 miles north of the Grand Canyon's North Rim. We drove into the forest using a logging access road and went about a few miles in, where there was no one around - no campsites, no people - we just stopped driving and walked into the forest with a tent. It was eerily quiet. A recent fire had charred most of the trees in the forest, so we were very careful with our fire once we set up camp.
• Mileage 1227
  

Tues, August 7, 2007

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

• After a very windy night, Brad is awake at 8 or so, while Nick takes in more rest. Deer still lurk in and around the campsite.
• We left Dalton Creek camp around 10 AM and drove into Colorado. Arrived at Mesa Verde National Park and checked out the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people that lived in this area around 1200 A.D. Some of the dwellings have over 100 rooms. The rest of the park was also pretty cool - nice scenery, winding roads. Elevation in the park ranges from 6,000 - 8,500 feet.
• Continued on to Durango, CO. We had reserved a room at a very nice little boutique hotel called Nobody's Inn. It was a really cool place, above a store on a main street downtown. There were about 5 rooms, each with a clever name. The room we rented was called Anybody's Room. Cool antique items all over the place.
• The town of Durango reminds us of Missoula, MT (see 7/8/05) - cool bars, shops, a university. We ate at a place called Lady Falconburgh's (gross). The did have a great beer selection (38 on tap!). Walked around downtown then went to a bar/restaurant called The Quiet Lady. The bartender there (Aaron) was a bit of a know-it-all, but informative. Next we headed to a couple more alcohol-serving establishments, a few breweries (Caver's, then Steamhouse). All the beer was tasty. We ended up at a basement bar downtown near the hotel and drank some more. We met a couple from Austin named Joel and Margaret, who were very nice and liked to drink as well. Finally we ended up back at the room, where we made our way to the roof and hung out for a while before calling it a night. It was nice to sleep in a bed!
• Mileage 850

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.

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.