On the Lake - Barren River, KY

Waking up at the lake is quiet, serene and inviting. No clocks, no alarms - just the sun filtered through the blind on the door gently pulling me from slumber. My natural clock seems to be around 7am, at least for now.

After a leisurely breakfast we headed out on the boat for some skiing, exploring and general fun. Having never skied behind a pontoon boat before I wasn't sure if the outboard would do the job. After one false start I held my breath, put my head down and let it drag me a little longer before it grabbed and up I came. Barren River lake is a relatively quiet damned river that has created a 10,000 acre lake with great skiing fingers. After a quick ski I tried a knee board for the first time. It's a blast and less fatiguing than skiing. With Frank's advice I picked it up quickly and secured my first 360 spin on the second day - gotta see the video. Highly recommended.

After a quick bite of lunch we headed further up the river for some exploring. We came across a very unusual sight - something that looked like the mist off Niagra Falls. Getting close enough, we could see there was some type of water pipe spraying HUGE amounts of water from the shore, through the trees and into the lake. Deanna, ever curious, had us drop her on shore so she could scramble up and see it closer. A few minutes later she returned with information that the local water board was cleaning out a pipe that had earlier been under repair, at a rate of 300 gallons a minute. Seemed like the EPA wouldn't be too impressed but I guess mid Kentucky is fairly rural. On the way heading back to the house I took a nap laying out on the front deck - bad mistake. Even though I was slathered in 50+ sun block, apparently laying in direct sun was just too much for it. By the time we got upstairs, my stomach and fronts of my legs were lobster red. The next few days were spent covering myself in various sunburn remedies so my drive to Indy wouldn't be too painful. I live and learn - it will be long sleeve shirts from now on ...

Thursday was spent re-packing the truck, trying to minimise the amount I have to take. I left the majority of my tools with Frank to take back to GA on his next trip. Some more space for sleeping is always a good thing. I'll get a shot of the loaded expedition truck up shortly.

Up, Up and Away...

It took a little longer than first planned but I am now on "The Big Trip". Departed GA around 3:40pm on Tuesday 6/3 with 5515 miles on the Tacoma. Let's see how many more I rack up this year. As I left it was thundering, threatening rain and about 82 degrees. The trees were green, everything I needed was on board, including the motorcycle and bicycle, and dinner would be waiting for me when I got to Kentucky.

Driving through Signal Mountain in TN was a great first experience. Even though it's not far away I'd never been there before and it is simply stunning. Not suprisingly, quite like the Nth GA mountains. I arrived in Scottsville at Frank & Deanna's around 8pm local time. They have a lovely home on the lake that's very peaceful and Deanna had prepared a wonderful meal of Pasta and Scallops to welcome me. The evening was easily spent with great food, great wine and great company - a hard beginning to beat for the trip.

Nearly Ready...

I'm about a week before departure (for real this time). I've delayed a couple of times due to unforeseen complications. It's always hard to shut down a business, rent a house, pack everything and actually leave. I'll have everything done by Wed this week and anything that's not can wait or I'll arrange for somebody else to do it. My mother will stay in town to take care of final items and to care for the cats.

Looking forward to actually leaving, not so much to the packing but everything is an experience.

Beware the Flash Floods

After a fairly full day at Bryce, I looked on a map and decided Grosvenor Arch was not too far and by the map, I could get to Escalante (my next day's destination) via an interesting looking 4x4 trail that appeared to be shorter than the highway.

Grosvenor Arch is very cool. After 14 miles down a dirt road, all of a sudden there's thing giant arch taking up the whole skyline. Because of the distance and type of terrain, not so many people head that way. At about 2pm I was on my own. I checked it out and decided I had enough time and so would give climbing it a go. I would only be limited by my lack of equipment which was sadly at home. Check out the video below for details...

After the Arch, I couldn't resist a sign that said road ends in 24 miles. My map didn't show an end - investigation was required. About 4 hours, 6 river crossings, 2 cattle gates and 24 miles later, the road appeared to continue. The light however had different ideas and this wasn't the type of road you travel down at night. In fact, it wasn't so much a road as much as a washed out river bed. Spending the night in a flash flood zone isn't my idea of a good time but with the alternative being driving back the 24 miles in the dark or continuing on a VERY rough trail I didn't know, it was the only sensible option. Next morning all was well and I got up early so I could head back in the direction from whence I came. Although forging ahead would have been fun, I had to start heading back to Vegas for my flight home the next day. Escalante will have to wait for the big trip...

Bryce is Nice

OK, the title is corny but what else could I come up with at 1am.

Waking up at the OHV parking lot was courtesy of some giant horse trailer (and when I say giant I mean a semi with about 50 horses) that was apparently there to prep for a group of tourists that would arrive later. That was about 6am. Not normally an issue when on the trail, but when you've arrived in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, getting to sleep is not always easy. Not to mention getting up in the chilly desert night for a bathroom break. Luckily, they were noisy but not right next to me so although I could hear them I didn't see them for another 2 hours.

After a leisurely breakfast, it was off to find Bryce Canyon. Apparently my midnight parking instincts are good and I found the entrance the Bryce about 10 miles up the road. Once again, a great mini-movie gave an overview of the National Park. Not as commercial as Zion, probably because it's further into the boonies. As with many National Parks, although there are probably many thousands of people there at any one time, it was so large I really didn't come across more than a few people at a time.

The hoodoos, spires, slot canyons and general magnitude of Southern Utah's vistas make the place well worth the drive. The best part is that unlike Zion, you hike "down" instead of up. Of course at some point there's probably an up to get back to your car but it just doesn't seem as bad when you leave going down hill. After a couple of different hikes through the valleys I found a shower at the general store and relaxed for a quick bite of lunch.

Looking at the map, I wanted to take some backroads to Grand Staircase so decided to leave Bryce around 2pm to give myself enough time. Great ideas lead to interesting results, and on to Grosvenor Arch...

Vegas to Zion - Seems Biblical

After the trip to San Francisco, Yosemite, and Kings Canyon, I was ready for some warmer weather, and that's just what LV and Utah had to offer.

The plan was to meet my friend Monika from Indy in Vegas for a few days and then when she went home to head out to Southern Utah and the triple Parks of Zion, Bryce and Grand Staircase. It was a blast including a variety of unplanned adventures.

Arriving in LV from Atlanta is always easy. The rental place, as usual, had limited SUV's (my usual for camping and off-roading) so offered an upgrade. First time around was luxe heaven but just too big. I took the Dodge behemoth around the block and promptly decided it might be great for cruising the strip but worthless in the backwoods where I planned to spend most of my time. I had ordered a jeep liberty, mostly because they all come with Low Range 4x4. Ended up with a Grand Cherokee, figuring sleeping in it would be more comfortable for my 6'4" and that I wouldn't take it anywhere I needed low range anyway. Met up with Monika without problem and then spent the rest of the day checking in, meeting up with her friends and playing some casino blackjack.

The next couple of days in Vegas are a bit of a blur, mostly because there was no photographic evidence to remind me and because it's always so busy. I enjoy it in small doses but admit I prefer the quiet and solitude of the woods better. Monika's blog has the details of that part of the trip.

After dropping Monika at the airport, I headed straight for Zion National Park. It was all I expected and more. Turning a corner you're entranced by the most amazing canyons. It's like driving into the Grand Canyon and touring the inside. Keeping in mind this was just a scouting tour for my longer trip in my own vehicle, I only had a day in each locale. I think Bryce had the most impact on me but they're all breathtaking. I'll be back in the fall or before !

Waking up just outside Zion meant I was in before the crowds. All these places seem to have a great movie that gives you an overview and an idea of the best things to see with limited time.

These days, the busier National Parks don't allow driving inside (I wish they'd all do that). They have great bus systems that are free and drop you to all the cool places. Taking the whole bus route plus some hiking meant a very full day but well worth it. I enjoyed the climbs and met up with a variety of interesting people. By about 6pm I was tired but still wanted to head toward Bryce Canyon, across what I discovered was a very long and winding road. Not the wisest thing to do at dusk but what the hell !! By 9.30pm and 2 wrong turns I was not exactly where I planned to be but still in Utah so probably not too far from Bryce. It was just a case of finding somewhere to park the car so I could sleep. After spotting a sign for an Off-road park I turned off the highway and followed a dirt road for a couple of miles. In the pitch black all I could see were the signs saying "no overnight camping". I figured the chances of running into a ranger were pretty slim on a Monday morning so I stayed anyway, concluding that I could always argue I was parking, not camping.