Hello From Lake Mead Cont...

The rest of the trip down to Vegas was quite uncomplicated.  We stayed on I5 most of the way into California then followed I15 East until we hit the Mojave.  I never thought I would like the desert so much, even after having been to Zion, and the Moab area.  The landscapes are just so much different than anything I've ever been exposed to.  I never thought I would be in the Mojave Desert, and I didn't have any reason to want to go.  It was to be a convenient camping area on the way to Vegas that would put us just a few hours from the city.  It turned out to be an amazing experience and I will make sure I get back there.

After driving in for hours to get to the campground we had dinner and got to bed early.  In the morning we walked the trail around the visitors center, about a mile, and decided to drive the 10 miles of dirt road through the park instead of going back the way we came to find paved road.  The drive was slow and bumpy but stunning.  The Mojave in the fall is full of colorful little flowers, great rock landscapes and Joshua Trees.  If you haven't seen a Joshua Tree, I hadn't, they are in the Yucca family.  They basically look like a short tree trunk with a Yucca growing out of the top.  Some are taller than others but most of them are only ten or so feet high in this area of the Mojave.  Unfortunately we forgot the camera in Lake Joy and had to have it mailed to us in Utah so we didn't get any pics of the desert.

We hiked another trail in the Cima Dome area of the Mojave and then jumped in the van to get into Vegas and find a place to stay.  Once in Vegas we settled down for the night to get some sleep.  The next morning we went to pick up the RV from CruiseAmerica in Las Vegas. 

Note:  Do not rent an RV from these people.  The RV was not ready when we were scheduled to pick it up.  We waited an hour and a half in the blazing Nevada sun.  When the RV finally arrived the generator wouldn't start and the employee told us it was just a fluke, it would work fine... yeah right.  The radio continually tried to load CDs even though we weren't using the player so it would just stop working for a minute over and over again the entire trip.  The RV itself was falling apart.  The generator never did work.  When we returned the RV the two employees (same ones who delivered it to us) were unresponsive to our problems and really didn't give a shit.  All in all it was a terrible experience except for the price which was very reasonable.  If anybody from CruiseAmerica is reading this you guys suck at what you do.

Once in the RV we drove to get Kevin and Cheryl at the airport and hit the road heading for Zion.  As you all know Kris and I fell in love with Zion last April and we wanted to go back.  Kevin and Cheryl haven't been to Southern Utah for like 20 years and never during the mild fall season.  We hiked in and around the park during the week.  It was stunning as usual, but the park was much more crowded this time.  I would go in the Spring if I had the chance again, it was much less crowded and the weather was actually warmer.  The greatest thing about visiting in the fall was that we got to hike The Narrows as a group.  The Narrows is a slot canyon which the Virgin River flows through.  About 75% of the time you are crossing the river one way or the other and up to about your knees in flowing water.  Using a hiking staff, patience and the proper gear one can hike into the canyon from below, or come down from the mouth.  We opted for the day hike which enters the canyon from below and it was spectacular.  The canyon walls are formidable and keep most of the sun off your shoulders so it does get cold in there.  The water was around 53 degrees so Kevin and Cheryl rented dry suits, Kristen wore dry pants and I opted to go with neoprene booties...  I should have listened to my wife on that one.  While they were warm and mostly dry I was soaked form the waist down most of the trip and by the time we came out of the river I was eating everything in sight and bundled up with all my clothing to keep warm.  Was it dangerous, no, was it uncomfortable, yes.  If I were to do it again in similar conditions I would have opted for the pants with Kris...  All in all it was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone that like to hike and wants to experience something different.

After three days in Zion we headed out to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Another place I never expected to find myself.  If you have a chance to visit this place in the fall do it.  It is wonderful.  Day temps are around 75 on the rim of the canyon but can drop to around freezing at night.  We spent a few days hiking around on the rim and exploring the area around the lodge.  The lodge is also very cool.  It is built right on the edge of the canyon and from the lounge area, which is huge, you can look out on some of the most amazing terrain I've ever seen.  The sunsets are of course out of this world and you can enjoy a draft beer from the saloon while you're watching them.  We attended a talk from one of the park rangers entitled Death In The Canyon which turned out to be a safety talk although more entertaining.  This is another place I'll return to someday, but next time I'm going down into the canyon and seeing it from that perspective!

After the canyon the four of us headed back to Vegas to enjoy ourselves for the night.  As we all know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so I can't say much about that night.  I can tell you that Kevin nicknamed himself "Mr. Saturday Night", Kris won $50 playing blackjack, and I drank a whole lot of $2 beers.  I can't give much advice on that city except to say that driving in it is harsh.

We dropped Kris' folks off yesterday and drove a short distance over to Lake Mead where you'll find me sitting in the shade trying to avoid the 90+ degree heat.  I didn't know it got this hot anywhere in the US in October... amazing.  Today we watch football and relax, tomorrow we are scheduled on a self guided overnight canoe trip in the Black Canyon below the Hoover Dam.  Can't wait, we'll bring back pics!

I hope all of you are well.  Most of you I've heard from during the trip in some way or another but if not please drop me a line or call.  We'll be back on the grid the day after tomorrow.  I've just converted over to the new dashboard for this program and it works much better than the old so I will update as much as I can.  Thanks for reading!

Will + Kris

P.S. I purchased new skis and they've just arrived at our friend Sarah's house!  It's almost time to shred everyone!

Hello From Lake Mead

Well I've finally gotten up nerve enough to begin blogging again. After the amount of BS I've put up with in this program it's hard to find the energy to post. Sorry for the gaps... I'll try to bring you up to speed. Most of you have been following the "action" on Kris' facebook.

The summer went very well. I rean numerous overnight trips this year (about three times the amount of last year) and way less day trips. The tips were great, the clients were tolerable and it reminded me why I've always wanted to be a guide. Besides guiding I spent most of my time this summer underneath our two vehicles.

The 1990 Subaru got new motor mounts, struts and a good going through. The van needed a lot of TLC which she got over the course of about a month up on jack stands. Talk about a lot of work. What was surface rust around the wheel wells when we bought her turned into major rot over the past 18 months. I found many places that needed to be completely taken down to metal, prepped and painted. I also had to replace sheet metal in a few areas and use fiberglass to span some of the more "daunting" holes.

All in all I would say I spent about 80 hours working on her. I could draw a picture of what she looks like underneath from memory due to the amount of time I spent under her on my back... I don't envy mechanics in the least. It was back breaking, trying at times and I spewed many profanities over the course of those 80 hours but in the end it was well worth it. The van is running better than ever, looks as good as it has in years and is now very "custom".

We had a few visitors this year.  Our friends Mike and Amanda came out in June.  Mom also came out to visit, which was great. She spent her time walking, looking at the local flora and questioning everything withing eyesight... That's Mom! I think she had a great time and she most certainly got a real taste of island living.

Kris and I left the island at the end of September and drove a short distance to Carnation, WA to celebrate our roomate Sarah's 30 birthday. We all went to her mother's house at Lake Joy to decompress after the busy summer. It was a good couple days of debauchery with most of our good friends from the island. Thanks for having us over Cathy!

After we left Lake Joy we pointed the van south on I5 and headed out of state. Our end goal was to pick up Kris' parents from Las Vegas. At that point we would rent an RV and take it up to Zion. It was a pretty uneventful trip the first day until Kris decided that she wanted to leave I5 and go into Redwoods National Park in NW California. We left the peace and quiet of the interstate to travel cross country back towards the coast. We entered the general area of the park late into the evening and began searching for a place to sleep. Since most of the campgrounds were closed for the season we ended up poaching a spot in a day use park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of pounding surf for the first time since last October when we were in the Olympics... amazing. There is something about crashing waves that I just can't live without. After a peaceful but COLD morning we dropped back down into the park to see what we could find to do for the day. At the visitors center we ate breakfast and spoke with the rangers. We decided to drive into the Tall Trees Grove and see the tallest tree in the world! Kris specifically asked the ranger about the road in and he said, "we send passenger vehicles down that road all the time". Once we turned off the main road I noted that his answer was sort of ambiguous as to the conditions of the actual road. Then we started climbing a 9% grade through endless switchbacks...

At the top of the road we finally found the entrance to Tall Trees Grove. After unlocking the gate with the code given by the ranger we started down the 7 miles of dirt road to the actual trailhead. After a teeth rattling half hour we finally dropped down one final steep section of road to the trailhead. The trail was wonderful, and not quite as steep or bumpy as the road. Ancient Redwoods towered into the sky with their canopies soaring hundreds of feet overhead. Huge Douglas Firs, much larger than on the island, were dwarfed by these monsters. Remnants of dead trees lay scattered among the forest floor like sleeping giants with younger trees growing on top of them.

The tallest tree looked much like the rest of them, big. It was a great hike and something I would recommend if in the area and you have the time. What I wouldn't recommend is taking a low clearance vehicle down the road. It was hell and the van is much heavier duty than most passenger vehicles. I noted a few Honda Civics making their way down the road and wondered if they would make it back out with their struts intact. Also the paved road out of the area is very treacherous. Again it is miles of 9% grade and switchbacks. On the way down we once again experienced brake failure and I had to use the transmission to keep the van from careening into the woods. Thank god the van is a five speed or we would have been right in the rubard! After this experience we've decided that it's time to upgrade the van to a newer, larger, more powerful model. More on that later.

Once we were safely down we noted that we had traveled many miles away from I5. I also noted that if we wanted to return to the safety of the interstate we would need to climb into the Sierra mountains and navigate their heights. Oh goody! The trip in was the usual grueling climb with the engine screaming and the trans in third gear most of the way. It was raining on and off making things a little more difficult just for the sake of it. Hours into the drive we noted that we seemed to be loosing elevation at an alarming rate. Very soon after this we dove into another batch of tight switchbacks that had us leaning over like downhill ski racers. Finally, after what was hours and seemed like days, we coasted into the last town before I5. Here we found a cheap hotel for the night, ate Mexican and relaxed.