I spent the last few weeks in San Diego, hanging out with friends and family. Alas, it is time to get back out to the boondocking!
Category: Nomad Travels
A Farewell to Arches and a Grand Way to San Diego
While staying outside of Moab, I made one more adventure into Arches National Park before heading out towards San Diego again. I didn’t get to see all of Arches or Canyonlands, but that just gives me more reason to return again some day! On the way, I stopped at the Grand Canyon North Rim, and headed home through Arizona and Imperial County, California.
An Island in the Sky… With an Impact Crater!
Today, I decided to head out to visit the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. The canyons were all stunning, and as an added bonus, I went and hiked some of the trail around the impact crater, Upheaval Dome–formed during the Jurassic period (or sooner) by a large meteorite. Quite amazing! I took a lot of pictures all over the Island in the Sky district today, as follows!
A Delicate Morning
Yesterday, I decided to wake up a bit before sunrise and head on out to Arches National Park. It was a beautiful morning exploring the southern half of the park before I decided to leave as the crowds began to grow ever thicker and more difficult to deal with. I finished the adventure at Delicate Arch (thus the title), enjoying much of the scenery along the hike there. Continue on for the pictures!
Hike to Balanced Rock
Wednesday afternoon, I decided to try out taking a hike down Willow Springs Road, into Arches National Park. I ended up hiking a total of 14 miles, making it to the Balanced Rock Viewpoint. I saw a few arches from a distance while I was out as well, and generally enjoyed the scenic hike. Continue on for the pictures I snapped.
Unplanned Beauty and Return to the Beast
As my allowed time at Rocky Lake came to an end uneventfully, I set off with plans to make it into Idaho for the next week. As the weekend unfolded, plans got changed quite drastically, and I found myself returning to Willow Springs, where I had quite the adventure back in June. However, it would take me getting through some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen to date before arriving at that final destination!
Ending a Chapter and a Terrifying Start to a New Chapter
The time finally came to finish with the Cascades, and I planned a nice finish. I visited Mt Baker and then headed through North Cascades on my way east, out of the Cascades. A couple of last nights with those wonderful mountains, and I was off to new adventures. And sure enough, adventure would certainly be one way to describe how I kicked off these new adventures!
Surprise from Olympic Peninsula
Yesterday, I took the day to travel through the Olympic Peninsula. It was a long drive, but I really fell in love when I got to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. I actually did a big loop, starting on the East side and driving all the way to the West side of the peninsula, even making a stop to look at the Pacific Ocean in one segment of the park. It was a long but wonderful day, with a great deal of beauty all over the peninsula. I was really surprised by all of the beauty that I saw, as I hadn’t really heard quite what was actually around the peninsula, but it was truly wonderful.
A Shy New Friend Found: Mt Rainier
Today, I headed out to visit Mt Rainier National Park. I didn’t really know what to expect, but the park definitely exceeded any concepts of an expectation I had. I arrived initially at the Southwest side of the park, driving across the Southern side. Mt Rainier itself was hiding in the clouds throughout that drive, only teasing a few glances on occasion. However, I enjoyed the scenery that was around, and found myself really loving the park. As I made my way to the Eastern side, to the Sunrise Visitor Center, I entered the snow upon the ground at the higher elevation, and Mt Rainier decided to come out. It was a wonderful day. I will let the pictures speak for themselves!
A Magical Day at Mt St Helens
After some debating with myself yesterday morning, I decided to spend my day at Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument. Had I known that I would fall so in love with the place, I would have planned multiple days, but instead, I spent more time in a single day than I have anywhere since starting this living out of my car thing.