Snowboarding in CO, hanging out in Boulder CO, Drive Home

Saturday March, 7

                I was a bit hung over but I wanted to get back to the mountains. So I sucked it up and headed out. I drove to Silverthorne and grabbed some Subway. Then I was off to Breckenridge. I found free parking and started hiking over to the mountain. The previous year my cousin Zak flew out and rented a room here in the village. I snagged a nice glass water bottle, and it never sat right with me that I didn’t get one for him. So I figured I would try my luck again. I walked into the hotel and went up to the top floor. Sure enough the cleaning cart was sitting there unattended with 2 water bottles just asking for it. I grabbed them both and threw them in my backpack. Then it was time to board. Again I didn’t want to push it so I only spent about 2 hours on the mountain. It was another beautiful sunny day and my knee was holding up just fine. From here I drove west to Eagle CO and stopped at bonfire brewery to garb a beer with a friend. Now I drove back to Boulder to meet up with Eric. Eric and Tristen were over at Kelly’s parents place so I drove over. Her parents are redoing a huge part of their house and that included filling in the indoor pool. They took full advantage of this and were paint crazy things all over the walls. I sat around watching, drinking some beers, and laughing all night.

Sunday March, 8

                We hung out around Kelly’s house in the morning and she had to move a few things to the house her parents are renting during construction. The place they are renting is a beautiful place up in the mountains. They also have a hot tub! Kelly’s friend Andy came over and we all hopped in. it was great to lie around and soak up in the mountains. After that I had some running around to do in town. That night everyone went back over to Kelly’s and they bought some more paint for the pool. Eric had to work in the morning so I drove him back to his place and crashed on his couch.

Monday March, 9

                In the morning I went to the grocery store, then back to the mountains. Today I went to Keystone. This place has always had my favorite tree runs. Sense my knee was feeling much better I felt up to the craziness that is tree runs. I was on the mountain all day this time and I was loving it. From here I went west back to Glenwood Springs to hang out with Dave. He made spaghetti for dinner and we watched some funny movies.

Tuesday March, 10

                Today I went back to Vail, the snow was pretty soft but it was melting fast. Tons of bare ground and several runs were closed off. When I was getting off the bus to get back to my car I helped a lady who had a brace on her knee. We talked for a little while by my car. She was here for a week and tore her knee the first day she was out here. I told her about my trip and how I just hurt my knee too. I picked up some food to make at Dave’s house for dinner. Then it was time for some more movies.

Wednesday March, 11

                I went to Beaver Creek for the first time today. The sun was not out today and never warmed up the snow. So it was ice everywhere. I tried a few of the steeper runs but I couldn’t even hold an edge and had one scary moment sliding down. With all the ice my knee was starting to bother me again. That’s when I made the decision. It’s time to go home. I couldn’t see staying with no snow in the forecast and the idea of re-hurting my knee was not an enjoyable one. Not to mention my boss would kill me if I came home hurt. So I hopped in the car and drove to Denver to see my friend Matt P before leaving. We hung out for a bit until his girlfriend Morgan made it home from work. He Uncle also joined us; turns out he was on a road trip also! He just retired and had a fully decked out Mercedes van that he travelled around out west taking pictures. We all walked over to a restaurant and had some very nice beers with dinner. It was great to see them and hear about his uncles travels. We have been to many of the same places; he stuck to the road more than I did but still cool to hear about. Next I dropped Matt of at his place and hit the road east. I made it to Des Moines Iowa before crashing out around 6 am.

Thursday March, 12

                I only slept a few hours before getting back on the road. I drove straight through and made it to my cousins Zak’s house in Waukesha at 7 pm. We hung out joking around about my trip and sipping on some whiskey I brought back for him. Around 11 I headed home for the first time in 2 and half months. I quickly unpacked the car, took a shower, and hopped in my king size bed.

It was one hell of a trip and I am very grateful for everything I am able to do with my time off. The true gem of my trips will always be the people I meet along the way. Weather its giving me a place to stay or just meeting someone on the bar stool next to me, it all means a lot to me and I will never forget any of it. So that’s that! 70 day 30 nights in the car 14000 miles. This will be my last road trip adventure. I’m not saying that sadly, I have seen, done, and experienced way more than I ever would have thought when I left that first time 5 years ago. Now it’s time to move this shit international!!!

Zion, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Boulder CO

Somewhere along the way my dates are wrong! This really upsets me; this is all due to the theft of my laptop. So I’m going to combine some days to get back on track.

Sunday march, 1

                After the hike out and spending the night in the car I was hurtin. I went and bought some medication to get the swelling to go down. I felt pretty pathetic at this point, limping around with a sad look on my face. Just trying to figure out what I can do to get myself better as fast as possible. The weather wasn’t helping anything, that snow storm was still hitting hard and I knew I couldn’t do anything in Zion. But I drove through the park and I still consider this the prettiest place in America. It looked more hostile with the storm clouds swirling around through the canyons, like a beautiful woman’s face when she is pissed off. The beauty is still there but you know not to mess with her. I continued driving and the snow let up a bit when I would go lower in elevation. But at the crest of hills it was a white out. I drove many miles and stopped for water at a gas station. I asked about the road conditions and it wasn’t looking good. I decided to just get to the main highway, I-70, and head for Grand Junction CO. I talked to Zack who I saw in Orlando, but is from Grand Junction. He was more than helpful and allowed me to stay in his room while he was gone. So I made the trip and stopped for beer and pizza in town. I stayed here last year and it will always be a little oasis on my trips to come. The household consists of Dani, Dave (Dani’s brother), and Dan (Dani’s boyfriend). I cracked a beer and threw in the pizza while doing my laundry. Once I was fed I took a much needed shower. Dani and Dan came home and we all chatted and had some beers while watching tv. 

                I believe that was all actually Saturday. On Sunday I actually woke up in Grand Junction and made a delicious breakfast of hash browns, eggs, and bacon. I watched Dan game it up playing Diablo 3. He had some things to get done so he handed me the controller. This was a bad idea. I was held up with my bum knee and I pretty much gamed for the next 3 days straight. That night was a new episode of Walking Dead. They had a few friends over to watch. Dani made a wonderful dinner of enchiladas for everyone. And for dessert Dan made some deep-fried bananas with brown sugar wrapped in egg roll wrappers. Its great hanging out with this group of people again. Everyone jokes around in the kitchen doing shots while preparing dinner. 

Monday March, 2

                 I sat around gaming all day and eventually took Dave to work. Gamed some more until Dan and Dani got home from work. They went through there fridge and freezer to get rid of anything that was too old. For dinner we cooked up some steaks, mashed potatoes, and I ran to the store for asparagus. After dinner we all sat around watching tv.

Tuesday March, 3

                I always like to do something for the people I stay with and it usually cleaning the entire kitchen. This was the perfect time for that. Then back to gaming, Dave joined in for some time. But soon needed a ride to work again. When I got back it was more gaming. I just beat the game when Dan and Dani came home. I have been talking to my other friend Dave who now lives in Glenwood Springs, about an hour and half east. We made plans for me to stay over there for a few days. So I said my thanks and goodbyes to Dani and Dan and headed out. Dave just moved into his place and had no furniture. It was comical to walk in and see nothing. But he had a computer and a tv. I was very concerned about the pictures on my camera. So I uploaded them all to his computer just as a backup. We ran to the store then watched some movies. 

Wednesday March, 4

                Dave went off to work, but left his computer for me to use. I wanted to go back and retype all my notes form the trip while they were still fresh and I had the time. So I spent the day doing that until Dave got home. Then we hopped in the car and drove south then west to a wonderful hot spring right off the road. They call it the Hippie Dip because it’s free. A few other people were in the spring and we all talked for a long time. Dave and I grabbed some fish tacos in downtown Glenwood, then back to his place for some more movies.

Thursday March, 5

                Spent the day retyping again. Dave came home and we drove over to a very small town called Marble CO. it’s a town that is .4 square miles with 147 people that live there. Zach’s daughter lives here and we stopped in for a visit. We also drove to the marble mine and picked up some scrap pieces of marble to take home. Then we stopped near Dave’s house for some pizza and beers.

Friday March, 6

                The days of rest were really helping my knee and I felt up for snowboarding. I had a little typing to finish up then I was off to Vail. It was a beautiful day and all I wore was a tee shit jacket and snow pants. The snow was pretty crappy and worn out. But with the sun shining I was still happy and it was good to get active again. I didn’t want to overdo it so I didn’t hit it too hard. Then drove to Boulder CO. I picked up some beer and meet up with some friends in town. I went to Eric’s place and we hung out for a while before dinner. Then Tristen (Ollies girlfriend, another roommate) drove us to the restaurant Ollie works at. We had some beers and waited to get a table. As we were eating a few more friends showed up, Kelly and Taylor joined us. After dinner Kelly drove Eric, Taylor, and I to Pearl St for a night of drinking.

Driving into and around Zion during the storm

 Back Highways in Utah

 A bit sketchy on the way to Daves

 Marble CO

 Im looking pretty shabby in Boulder

 Hanging out with some hoodlums

Havasupai Falls

Wednesday Feb, 25

                I woke up in very rough shape. Anny was late for her convention. I really didn’t do anything today. At some point in the afternoon I went to get clean clothes from my car and shower up. Anny had to take a client to dinner and a party after, so I grabbed some pizza at a place on the strip. I was trying to meet up with Anny at the party so I had a few beers in the room and got ready. Turned out Anny drank too much and by the time I got to party she was already back at the hotel room. The line for the party was huge and she was my only way in, so I just walked back to Aria and had another drink at the hotel bar.

Thursday Feb, 26

                I sat around the room and used the computer all morning. After the great weekend in Utah I talked to Natty and Lee. They suggested, sense I ended up in Vegas, I should check out a place called Havasupai Falls. It’s located at the far south west side of the Grand Canyon. It sounded great to me. So I packed up and hit the road. I stopped at a town and picked up some food for the hike. I also had a long talk with a cousin of mine, James Robbins. He is currently in Michigan and heading to California. If it could work out we might try to meet up along the way. After that I continued driving. I didn’t make it all the way there before having to take a nap. My time in Vegas had me exhausted. I pulled into the parking lot right at sun down. I cooked up some food and watched movies the rest of the night.

Friday Feb, 27

                I originally planned this to be a day hike, but I woke up a little later than expected and turned it into an overnight trip. I quickly repacked and hit the trail. The parking area seemed a bit sketchy; the native tribe that lives in the canyon uses this parking lot to take all the supplies for the village down by mule. So there is quite a bit of unsupervised traffic. So I waked back up to relock my car. But then I was off. This is still pretty much the Grand Canyon, so the first part is always super steep. But after about 2 miles it simply follows a wash to the bottom. It was a really nice hike through a canyon with very steep beautiful sides. When you come out of the canyon you run into the river that you then follow to the village. This is your first glimpse of the water this place in known for. And it’s breathtaking! The water has calcite in it which make the water blue and lime that deposits on the bottom turning it white. The water even looks blue at night. I had to pay and check in in town then I was off to the camp site. You continue along the river and you hike past several places that look like the Garden of Eden. Then you come to Havasu Falls. This is a huge falls and you can walk right up to the spot it drops off. From the village it’s about 2 miles to get to the campsite. I didn’t bring the tent again, but I did bring a hammock. So I got that set up and decided I was going to still try to hike to the end of the canyon today. So I was off again. Right at the end of the camp ground there is another huge falls that you pretty much have to climb down. They have ropes and chains for you to use but still not for faint of heart. I hiked along taking in this beautiful, unknown part of our country. I set up my camera on a timer to try to get a few pictures with me in it. Then I tried to run and jump off a log onto the face of one of the smaller falls. This turned out be a really really shitty idea. The run and the jump were picture perfect, but I didn’t stick the landing. What I was jumping onto was all soft stone and my foot hold broke off as soon and I put some weight on it. Which lead me to basically running and jumping straight into a rock wall, and then falling off said wall. I smashed my left knee into the wall, scratched my right leg from mid calf to mid thigh, cut my right forearm and left wrist was bleeding. The worst was the knee smash. I laid there on the ground wondering if I just broke my knee. Then I heard the camera click and had to laugh a bit. After a few minutes I wondered if I needed medical help. A few more minutes and I wondered if I could get back to camp, after walking around I wondered if I could make it to the village. Once it loosened up a little more I was wondering if I could make it out of the canyon. Then I figured if I could finish this hike and get back to camp I would probably be fine. Still in a lot of pain I finished the hike all the way to where it meets up to the Grand Canyon trails. I headed back to camp, after climbing back up the waterfall. I was in serious pain and knew I needed to take it easy on the way out. But I was trying to keep positive and hoped I would be better in the morning. If I stood in a certain part of the camp I could still get reception. So I called mom and we talked for a long time. I believe this was my first call to her so it was nice catching up on life back home. At night I like to do little wood carvings. Tonight was a pretty sweet sword. 

Saturday Feb, 28

                I tired sleeping in the hammock but that didn’t go so well. So I tried for the ground, also not going so well. So I slept like crap and woke up very stiff and hurting all over. I walked back down to the falls to loosen up my knee and get some more pictures. Then it was back to camp to pack up and start the trip out. On the way out I stopped at all the falls I rushed past on my way to the camp. I had a serious limp going on by the time I got to the village, and debated on taking the helicopter ride out of the canyon. My knee hurt but felt stable, so I decided to hike it. Hiking up the wash is difficult but nothing compared to the last 2 miles. That was slow going with lots of breaks. I was very happy to make it back to the car. At least I thought I was. The first thing I had to do was charge my phone. So I reached for my charger and realized it wasn’t there. Then I looked around, those mother fuckers opened my car and stole my shit! I was furious. They walked off with over $3000.00 worth of my gear. Including laptop, all my chargers, passport, wallet with military ID, and many other items. I looked through all the garbage cans to see if they ditched the personal items but no luck. The only thing that saved me was that they couldn’t figure out how to open the hatch on my car. Turns out this is really common here and the Indians go through people car looking for booze. If they only know I had 5 bottles of very nice bourbon in the back. Damn Indians taking shit that aint theirs, they could have at least left me a blanket! That’s a little smallpox humor for ya. I knew there was nothing I could do about it so I drove 60 miles back to the nearest town to make a police report. This took a bit a time and I was getting frustrated. But we finally got everything sorted out. I planned on calling my insurance in the morning. But this is the reason these blog posts have been so late. I had no computer to keep up with things. I was lucky in that I had my credit card, id, phone, and camera with me while hiking. I have my pictures from past trips backed up at home and my camera has everything from this trip on it. Of all the things in my possession, the pictures from trips are on the top of that list. This whole experience really put a damper on my trip. Not only the theft but also the hurt knee. I knew I needed time to heal up and I wouldn’t be able to do some things I had planned. From here I drove back towards Vegas. I tried to get in touch with Anny, I could have really used a drink about then. But I couldn’t get ahold of her. So I continued driving back to Hurricane UT. Maybe I could still try to do something in Zion. 

Great view from the top

Hiking through the wash

 In the village

 Pictures dont do justice for this place

 Garden of Eden

150 feet straight down

 Camping right on the river

 Second major falls

 

 Nice easy trail down

 Clover shaped deposits