Petrified Forest hike

Saturday night I drove up to the trail head of the Petrified Forest and slept there. In the morning I woke up with a ranger knocking on my window. He was cool and talked for awhile. Then I got ready and started out on the 10 mile hike. There’s a log book that people sign into when they start there hike. The last log was dec 1, so the only tracks out there are mine and the creatures. The hike was much more intense then I was expecting. I forgot what winter hiking is like. The colors here seem to swirl together with a yellow, orange, brown look. The hike takes you through a few valleys then up onto a huge plateau area that overlooks the main river valley. I still can’t believe how many animals there are. I saw about 100 buffalo, 40 elk, and 15 mule deer. There was also 3 times I had to walk way off the trail just to get around buffalo herds. They are strange animals, once they see you they just stop and stare at you until you leave. One time I was hiking up to a point. Half way up I looked towards the top only to see about 4 of them up there, directly in my way. I sat down and waited about 10 minutes, when I looked around the corner they didn’t move an inch. I had to climb around the point to a different spot, which I thought would be past the buffalo. I was wrong. I started to climb over the crest and there he was. I was about 15 feet away from one. So I climbed down a ways and continued further down the point. When I made it up this time I was past them but I looked back and my friend must have called in the re-enforcements. There were 3 or 4 of them staring down at the last spot they saw me. The next part of the hike was walking along the overlook of the valley. On one side you have a very flat grass plateau. On the other is massive rolling hills with the river snaking along the bottom. Very cool to walk along.  After this section I started to realize I was running out of day light and needed to hurry things up. the rest of the hike was on that same plateau. At one part you dip down into a valley for about a half mile. By the time I got back to my car I was exhausted and pretty much out of water. So I drove back to the Americinn to shower up and refill on water. From there I drove to Billings, MT and slept at a holiday inn express.

This morning I was able to grab a continental breakfast, and some info from the lady manning the food. Then I headed into town to do some laundry, all of the cloths I wore hiking were pretty discussing. While I waited I stopped at Cabelas for some fishing details. The guy looked at me like I was an idiot. The Big Horn River, pretty much the number one trout fishing spot in the world, is about an hour and a half away. He gave me some really good advice and I will have to stop back in if I end up catching anything. So when my laundry was finished I drove straight to the spot he told me about. It took me awhile to actually find the right spot so I ended up with about an hour to fish. No luck yet but I am hopeful for tomorrow. I had a few on the line and several bites, I don’t think I’m setting the hook correctly? I came back to this small town, Hardin to use the internet but there’s nothing around for about 80 miles. So New Years Eve will consist of drive back down by the river and give it another shot.

some of the color of Teddy Nat. park

 weird rock formations

 petrified stumps

 all the animals stare at you. these are some elf from about 250 yards

 what some of the valleys look like

 the post in the middle is a trail marker. the 3 on the left were the ones looking for me that i had to skirt around

 the river valley over look

 this was the sun set near where i was fishing on the Big Horn

this got out of order but there is a 4X4 post right of center that is a trail marker i was supposed to hike to

Re-cap of winters, First day at Teddy

It’s about that time of year for me to jump ship and get out of Wisconsin for awhile. So here comes year number 3 of the Winter Epic.

Small summary of the two years prior; first year was from Milwaukee to rapid city, SD where I was able to see the badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer state park and go on some beautiful drives. Then off to Thermopolis, WY where I checked out the disappearing river and some hot springs. Next was Jackson, Wyoming for some amazing snowmobiling, snowboarding, and snowshoeing through the Tetons. From there I shot north to Glacier National Park, sadly, not a lot open in December. Next stop was Seattle to see my good friend Brian. I spent a week there snowboarding, a great New Year’s party at Brian’s, checking out the city, and meeting part of my extended family. After a quick drive through Olympia National Park I stayed with one of the family members I was introduced to, Curtis. He is a snowboard instructor and was nice enough to give me an upgrade on the snowboard and a lesson. From there I drove down the coast, sadly at night, until Gold Coast, OR. Crater Lake was the next stop, which I only had a few minutes to check out before sun down. I followed that up with 2 days in the redwood forest. Another relative I had the honor of meeting was Robert near Mendocino, CA. I had a chance to spend one night visiting Curtis’s brother Chris in San Francisco. His Fiancée and one of her friends were nice enough to show me around the city the next day. Then it was off to Yosemite for a full day of hiking. I went jade hunting in Big Sur, with some success. Then meet up with my cousin Justin and his girlfriend Emily (now happily married, congrates) in LA. They showed me around town and took me to a few bars. Then, the most well known story, I snuck into the Golden Globe Awards for a full night of awesome. From there I spent the next 2 days lying on the beaches in Huntington and new port. After that stress, I was able to get into Sea World and the San Diego Zoo for free. While in town I went group deep sea fishing in the Mexican waters off San Diego. My brother Adam flew out to San Diego for work but came out a weekend early for some fun. Immediately after landing we rushed to the harbor for a speed boat tour around the bay, then walked around old town. Next stop on the way was Joshua Tree National Park. From there 2 days of canoeing on the Colorado River. A quick weekend in Tempe, AZ with my good friend Mike and his roommates, then off the Flagstaff, AZ. Meet up with some old friends from high school and went snowboarding for a day. From there straight to Breckinridge, CO, Adam+10 rented a house there for an amazing 4 days of snowboarding with 24 inches of the fresh stuff, along with the Packers kicking some sweet ass. Followed by some hiking in Boulder, CO and hanging out with my cousin Matt and his girlfriend Stevie (also now happily married). I spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park. Then I changed course, one last day of snowboarding then backward to Moab, UT. I hiked through Arches National Park and drove around the outlooks in Canyon lands National Park. The next few days I spent in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. All this vacationing really wore me out so I spent 10 days back in Tempe, AZ with Mike. But it wasn’t all fun and games, mike and I hiked Camelback Mountain. Finally I had to start the trek back home, with a few stops along the way of course. Painted Desert, AZ was the first. Followed by some hiking in the San Juan Mountains near Durango, CO. After a beautiful drive north through the mountains I made it back to Boulder. I Hiked around Longs Peak, nowhere near the top. That concluded trip one; well, of course with one more night out in Chicago with Adam.

If your not to sick of reading yet ill sum up year 2. I left Milwaukee with a friend of mine, Rob. We started in Detroit with the International Auto Show. Next stop was buffalo, NY to try to original Buffalo wings. After that, a very cold stop at Niagara Falls. Off to Arcadia National Park for 2 days of hiking. Bought some fresh, live lobster and headed to Boston. Rob wasn’t too interested in what In the plan for the trip, so he hoped on the first plane home. I had a beer in the oldest tavern in America, tried oysters for the first time, and met some great people. Got a chance to go on a tour of the city and see a few bars. Went snowboarding at Cannon Mountain, NH. Explored some more American history at the Springfield Armory, CT. Then it was time for the Big Apple. I was able to fit in all the sights, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, World Trade Center Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Wall st., South Harbor. Next I picked up my friend Matt from the airport. We went to a party at Blue’s Clues house. Then Matt had some time off work so he came on the trip with me for 5 days. Our first stop was Atlantic City, one crazy night. Then we drove to Philadelphia to check out the famous Rocky stairs, and we had to get a cheese steak sandwich. Next was Washington, DC. We got a chance to see a ton of cool things, Washington Monument, wwII Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, reflecting pool, White House, occupy DC, historical cemetery, Ford’s Theater, Spy Museum, Obama motorcade, Air and Space Museum. We were able to hang out with my cousin Mandie, her husband Logan, and ever smiling new born, Addie. Next we had the greatest idea; we could really use another night in Atlantic City. I dropped Matt off back home and drove down to Richmond, VA to have a homemade southern meal with some relatives. Sara, my dad’s cousin’s daughter, introduced me to Tom, her son and Katie her daughter. Tom and I spent the weekend fishing and driving on the beach at Hatteras Island, NC. From there I spent a day hiking and driving through the Appellations. Then headed east to Louisville, KT to hang out with my good friend Vince. We went to a high school wrestling practice and a few bars. From there, southward to the Makers Mark distillery and Mammoth Cave. I walked around the corvette museum and the railroad museum. Had one crazy night out in Nashville. Saw the Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Park, at Atlanta Underground. Stayed on some random college guys couch for 4 days in Charleston, SC. I checked out a park and they took me to a few parties and bars. Next was New Orleans for Mardi gras. Crazy, Crazy time. Saw some amazing parades and had some great nights out on Bourbon St. Drove through TX and stayed with my friend Mike in Tempe again. Mike and I went snowboarding in Flagstaff. After some time there I drove to San Diego to intercept Adam. Again out there for work but came out a weekend early. We hiked Torrey Pines park for a day and were able to fit in a surf lesson. Then I went to 2 Birkam Yoga classes, Adams friend was an instructor. Went up to LA to visit with Justin and Emily. Hiked through the beautiful Zion National Park. Then off to CO. I went Cross-country skiing for the first time in Frisco, CO. Next I drove over to Denver to meet up with another friend Matt P. he showed me some great snowboarding spots and got a chance to hit a few bars(drinking establishments, not rails while boarding). Matt P had to work so I went to Breckinridge for a few nights. Matt P came out with a few friends from Milwaukee and boarded for one last day. I meet up with cousin Matt and we went fishing until dark. The next day I drove to Chicago just in time for Adams annual St. Patty’s day party. The keg gets tapped at 9am and usually need more beer by 12. My younger brother Danny came down for the celebration.

So that brings everyone up to speed, and trust me that really was the short version. There is so much more to every one of those stories

I would also like to congratulate my parents Ben and Patty on finally being able to build an addition onto their house. It’s well over due and well deserved.

Day one I left around 12:30 PM and drove until about 12:30 AM. This got me about 2 hours from my destination, Theodore Roosevelt National park.

I got up and went straight to the visitor center. They told me which roads were open and sadly which ones were closed. So I drove along the open ones and went on a short hike. There really are buffalo everywhere in this park. At just about every over look areas you will see at least one. I saw a group always off the road and snuck up onto a rock peak above them for some cool pictures. There is a small town near the park and most of the places are closed down for the season. But it’s just not a vacation without a hot tub. I found a pretty sweet one too, hot tub sauna, full bathroom with a shower, and no lock. I might even stop in after hiking tomorrow before another long drive.

 cool sun set after crappy weather the whole day

 Teddy Nat Park

 some buffalo I snuck up on

 whats up buffalo

cool over look of the valley

Last few days in Colorado, St. Patties in Chicago, Home

After the last post I met up with Matt P. we planned on getting up early for some boarding in the morning. So we didn’t go out at all. I met his roommate Alissa, and took a shower. Some of the cloths I needed for boarding were dirty so I washed them. Other than that we just hung around and watched some TV.

                We were up and out the door pretty early. If you’re late at all you get caught in traffic through the mountains. On the drive Matt got a hold of his friend Ben who decided to meet us on the mountain. We went to Beaver Creek for the day. I haven’t been here and it’s always fun to go somewhere new. It was a great day out, 40’s and sunny. The only down side was that it hasn’t snowed here for awhile so everything was iced over. We did a few runs then met up with Ben. He just got a new board and was excited to use it. We did a few runs then stopped for some lunch. They have a cool bar that has a giant umbrella as a roof. It was so nice it that the umbrella was down. After that we tried a few other areas but it was just as icy everywhere. We decided to leave to beat traffic on the way back. Turns out there was an accident on the freeway and we had to get off and go around it. When we got back home, we made some food and got ready to go out for the night. One of my favorite bars ever is 1 up. It’s an arcade bar; they have tons of old school games. They also have 40’s and giant jenga. It’s always a blast and people have always been fun. After that we went to meet Matt’s friends at another bar, but they weren’t there. So we had a few more drinks and headed home.

                The next day we both felt like shit. We just laid around all day, we tried to go to the hot tub but that was full of crap and not hot. We hung out in the rec room of his building and played pool for awhile. After that we just watched some more TV for awhile, before calling it a night.

                Monday morning matt needed to take his car in to the dealer to get his brakes looked at. So I drove with him and took him to work. After that I went back to his house and packed everything up, and drove to Breckenridge. I didn’t have much time left for boarding so I just sat in the car and watched some TV on my computer. I was going to go out to a few bars but I really wasn’t in the mood.

                In the morning I felt like crap. I was coughing up a bunch of crap and my head hurt. It really sucked because I was sitting in front of Breckenridge but just decided to take it easy and not board. So I spent another whole day sitting in the car watching movies. Finally at about 10 at night I had to do something else. So I parked in town and went to a few bars. It is spring break so I figured there would be something going on at night. But it was pretty dead the whole time.

                Wednesday I got a hold of my cousin Matt in Boulder. I planned on meeting up with him after he got out of work. I made the drive over there and waited around for a bit, watched another movie. When matt got home, he and I went fishing at a reservoir with no luck. But it was a beautiful night to be outside. Matt just got married to Stevi, but she had to fly out for work at the last minute. When we made it back home I took a much needed shower and watched a movie before bed time.

                Matt woke me up before he headed off to work. I quickly drove back to Breckenridge to meet up with Matt P and 2 of his friends from back in Milwaukee. It was another beautiful day out and the snow was actually good. Matt P and I took the chair lifts all the way up and then hiked to top. We took that all the way to the bottom. From the bottom to the top back to the bottom took an hour and a half. I finally got to do my tree runs. I love flying through the woods, and I’m glad I got a chance this year. After boarding we all went out to eat in Frisco. It was pretty sad to realize my trip was at its end. I drove back to cousin Matt's house I decided to stay one more night then start the drive to Chicago in the morning.

                I was up early again and packed up everything I had. And hit the road for the worst drive ever. Its 16 hours of nothing. 40 miles east the Denver you can’t see the mountains anymore. After that there is nothing until you hit Chicago. I finally made it around 12:30. I had a slight problem with the tolls; I had no cash on me. This also happened last year, and it made me laugh a little. Once I made it to Adams house we had a few beers and called it a night. .

                Saturday was a big day. Adam always has a nice St. Patties day party at his house. Last year it started at 9 am. With about 30 people there by 9:45. This year started off a little slower but defiantly picked up. Danny and his girlfriend made the trip down and we all had a great time drinking and joking. Around 3 we all went to get some food. From there people went out to the bars for the night. Everyone finally made it home around 9:30 at night. I wouldn’t have minded go back out the bars but everyone else seemed to be done for the night.

                Sunday I helped clean up the disaster zone. Adam works in Florida the week before and after this party, so he fly’s in Friday night and fly’s out Sunday night. We all sat around and watched some TV but all I could think about was how much I had to get done when I got home. So I made the drive home. Most people think this would be a good experience, it’s not. I could travel like this for well over a year before needed to go home. I absolutely love and it has become the thing I live for. So the drive home always sucks. On the way back Elliot, my brother, text me and I decided to stop by his work before I made it home. When I got home no one was there, so I unpacked a few things finally my dad came home. We talked for awhile and it is always good to see family again. But it just so happened that my friend Mike from Arizona is in town this weekend. So I went over to his house and hung out with him again.

                So that’s the trip. I had an amazing time and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m glad I went out to the east coast and loved meeting all the people I did. But I have no burning desire to go back out that way. I wouldn’t turn it down but the west is the place for me. I met a lot of awesome people and have some great opportunities in front of me for this year. And I plan of taking full advantage of all of them. This summer is going to very important and I am excited for the future. I am going to be turning my last 2 adventures into a book for cheep travel. And the plan for next winter is Australia and New Zeeland. So I hope you all enjoyed reading about my trip and I will see you all again next year. 

65 night’s total

29 nights in someone’s house, or hotel

34 nights in a car

1 night on the beach

1 unknown night in New Orleans.

 Surprisingly this year was 13,000 miles again

 boarding at beaver creek

 view from the top of breckenridge

 going down whale tail run

 beautiful day in chicago

Met up with Justin and Emily, Zion National Park, Rifle Falls, Cross Country Ski

                The morning after the last post I felt great and decided to do the yoga again. After getting my ass kicked and sweating a gallon, I had to fix my tire problem. I went to the first place and they told me that they couldn’t fix the tire. There was a cut in the side tread and it would be too dangerous to patch. They didn’t sell used tires and I couldn’t afford to buy a new one. I found a place that did and they threw one on for me. When that was taken care of I drove up to LA. I got in touch with my cousin Justin, who just moved out there to live with his fiancée Emily. I stayed with them for a few days last year.  Justin left WI to move out here the same day I started my trip. On the way to LA he picked up a dog and is taking a lot of time to train her. We hung out for awhile and soon Emily came home from work. They are getting married in a castle in Germany and having a reception in Wisconsin, and LA. So they defiantly have some planning to do. I was only going to stay for a few hours but a few beers later I just stayed the night.

                In the morning I headed out for UT. I drove through Vegas but really didn’t want to go alone to that. So I made it to St. George UT. I was sad leaving the heat and sun, but it had to happen sometime. The whole area is beautiful and I didn’t want to drive through it at night. So I picked up a few things at the grocery store and watched movies the rest of the night.

                I started the drive north and saw several signs for Zion National Park. It wasn’t the park I planned on going to, but I figured I would check it out. This turned out to be, what I consider, the most beautiful place in America. You drive alongside a river that snakes up the cannon. On both sides are mountains of every color of stone you could imagine. Red, orange, yellow, green, black, purple, white, brown, grey. I talked to the visitor center; it’s always great to find someone who really knows the park. The guy I talked to worked here for 22 years. I told him what I was looking for and the time I had. He picked an amazing hike for me that took me up to one end of the cannon, called observation point. It was an 8 mile hike with some parts where the trail from frozen over. I was glad I always bring crimp-ons when I’m hiking in winter. After the hike I drove around the rest of the park seeing this amazing place. After the park I continued north. I drove a ways and pulled over to call it a night at a hotel in Richmond UT.

                Sense I was at a hotel I figured I would see what’s for breakfast. I always love my free breakfasts. I was going to check out a national forest but it just didn’t seem like what I was looking for, and I would drive through part of it. So I spent the whole day driving east through the beautiful Colorado landscape. I saw a sign for Rifle Falls. I forgot who told me about this place but it rang a bell, I think it was one of my lovely aunts. So I drove over and I was really surprised by the whole place. Of course there was going to be a water fall, but there was actually 3 falls that lead down into a nice trout stream. But my favorite part was all the caves. There were lots of caves that you could crawl into and look around. The deepest one was probably 50 feet or so. But it was great and a lot of fun. When I was done there I made it to Edwards CO. It was starting to get dark and this is what I consider the “base” of the mountains on the west side. It seemed like a nice little mountain town, Lots of shops and restaurants. I found a nice hotel with an outdoor hot tub and pool, and soaked for a while. I really didn’t have anything else to do for the night, and I didn’t feel like hanging out at a bar. While I was soaking I talked to a guy who lives in the Denver area. He suggested to me that I try cross country skiing. Its things like this that I wouldn’t think of by myself. He told me a great place to check out with pretty cheap equipment rentals and lessons. After that I just watched some more movies for the rest of the night. I finally watched Transformers 3; this was slightly funny to me.

                I slept pretty good and headed out. I drove to the Frisco Nordic Center and rented the equipment I needed. I signed up for a lesson at 2 and decided to try it out a little before then. I have never been one to think lessons are needed, more of a just do it kind of guy. But I have realized that they always help a lot, even if it’s just a few good pointers. I was the only one signed up for the lesson so it was one on one. The guy, Rob, was a great instructor and I was able to pick it up very quickly. Rob was pretty impressed and had me try several things that he didn’t usually show beginners. It was a lot of fun and I’m always glad to learn something new. If the mountain conditions suck one day I think I’m going to go back and try skate skiing. When the lesson when the lesson was over I practiced a few more things and then hit the road to Denver. I’m meeting up with my friend Matt P out here. He was on the snowboard trip last year and a month after the trip moved out here.  

 these were the pics from torrey pines state park

 beautiful beach, from 50 cliffs to the ocean

 it was windy through Nevada

 South west UT

 Zion

 nice view

 observation point

 rifle falls

 some of the caves

cross country skiing for the day