Last Stop

After our all-nighter across Kansas and Missouri, we paused early Monday morning for a break in St. Louis. I had read that it was possible to ride a little (and I do mean little) tram to the top. Which, in case you've never looked too closely, is dubiously thin.

But Tasha really wanted to do it, and since I dragged her up the Salmon Glacier and Pike's Peak, I figured I couldn't really say no. (But I had no qualms about making her pay for the tickets). Here's the tram car.

I do have to admit that the view from the top was excellent, even if the inside resembles an airplane. A small one.

This is my favorite shot:

The reason that I really wanted to visit the Gateway Arch was to check out the Museum of Westward Expansion, which is underneath the arch. It alone was worth a stop, particularly for the Lewis and Clark exhibit.

Here's a few parting shots of the arch, which we took before driving another sixteen or so hours to get home.

That's all of America for now, folks. I have a few possible weekend trips planned this spring. I want to visit Shenandoah National Park, and also Gettysburg, which is pretty much a day trip for me. Also Bushkill Falls up in the Poconos. And I'll be visiting Hershey Gardens and dining at the Hotel Hershey on my birthday. So I'll probably post some of those things.

Stayed tuned on June 17, when my mom & I take off on our East Coast Adventure!

One Last Itinerary Update

I've now for sure finalized (I really mean it) my summer trip itinerary. I made a few changes to save some money and gas and add in a few national parks (although I had to take out some others). I still want to one day do a trip all the way across I-10, up through central California and then the Oregon coast to Washington State, returning via I-94 to hit all the more northern national parks, including Banff & Jasper in Alberta. But for this summer, here's the two-part plan:


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Part Two:


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So, who wants to come with me?

Rocky Mountain High

We finally arrived in Colorado Springs after unexpected stops in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It was getting towards dusk by the time we got to Garden of the Gods, and so we didn't have that much time to explore or take pictures.

The rock formations at Garden of the Gods are pretty interesting. I hope to be able to go back one day.

This one below is called Balancing Rock. It's huge and it sort of boggles the mind as to how it doesn't just fall over.

This is probably my favorite shot from GoG, although it's definitely not the best. I'm so glad I got a tripod to take with me this summer!

Here's our cute little cabin that we rented. We knew we would be pulling an all-nighter to drive across Kansas, so we wanted to make sure we had a good night's sleep in our cozy, air-conditioned cabin.

The next morning we got up kinda early and headed up Pike's Peak. After the Salmon Glacier road, I figured it couldn't be that scary.

But it totally was. No guard rails for most of the way makes for some tense turns. But the view at the top is totally worth it.

Even if, like me, you end up feeling incredibly ill from the altitude.

Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to write "American the Beautiful" from the top of Pike's Peak, and it's easy to see why.

As amazing as it was, I was relieved to return to Manitou Springs, situated at the more modest height of 7,000 feet. Some incredibly crazy people were running a marathon....up and down the mountain!!!

Once you leave the Front Range near Colorado Springs, Colorado gets really flat, really quickly. And flat is pretty much all you see until you hit the Appalachian Mountains.

Driving All Night Through New Mexico

We left the Grand Canyon pretty late, after eating an awesome dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Tusayan, the tiny town outside the park. Our original plan had been to go up through the mountains through the four corners and into Colorado that way. But after our all-night experience driving the mountains in British Columbia, we opted for the less-scenic, better-traveled interstate. I slept all the way to Gallup, just over the Arizona border; I got the sunrise shift, which was awesome. We passed the El Malpais National Monument, and I pulled over. I was so glad I did.

Then we went through Albequerque and Santa Fe, driving along parts of Route 66.

We also saw the Rio Grande River. I'm not really sure why I think rivers are so cool, but I totally do. I want to see all of the major US rivers. If I had lived two hundred years ago, I would have dressed like a man and stowed away on the Lewis & Clark expedition.

When we went through Santa Fe, they were having this huge Indian craft market, and we couldn't find parking anywhere. I'm excited to be going back there this summer.

Up next, the Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak.

The Grand Canyon

We only had a few hours of daylight at the Grand Canyon, since Arizona doesn't observe daylight savings time, but it was a totally awe-inspiring sunset. I'd always thought people who hiked into the canyon were crazy, but once you see it, it's so totally amazing that it almost compels you to climb down into it. I went a few hundred feet down, and it was awesome.

I took a gazillion pictures, but here are the best.