Author Archives: George Berry

As I may have mentioned before, I’d taken a quick peek at Mesa Verde the previous evening, just enough to convince me to spend a good portion of the day there. Turned out to be a wonderful decision, saw some cool sights, and had one of the best hikes I’ve taken on this trip so far. It also has one of the better visitors centers of the parks I’ve been to.

Definitely one of those places where you could TECHNICALLY drive through it pretty quickly, but there’s so many cool stops and view points, I don’t know why you’d want to.

You need to reserve tickets for the ranger tours down into the most famous dwellings, but there’s still a lot you can do on your own, so I stuck with that, especially since tickets were very much sold out!

At one of the stops I made, there was a ranger giving a talk about the history of the area, so I listened for a while. Supposedly, the area was only inhabited for about two generations before the residents moved south, about 700 years ago, give or take a few decades. One of the points they made, as I’d read on a few info boards, was that no one knows why they chose to settle here. Lots of theories tossed around. But looking at the buildings, and the surrounding area, I couldn’t help thinking up my own theory.

“Because it’s cool?”

Seriously, who among us hasn’t seen an awesome spot on a cliff and thought: “Dude! Wouldn’t it be cool to build a house there?” I get the feeling that drive is a lot older then our current generation, and while people go on about the spiritual significance of certain areas being the reason for building (though not here apparently), I can’t help but wonder if a large part of it is the age-old human urge to build a REALLY awesome tree house or fort. The engineer mindset goes way back!

In any case, I’d read about a really cool hike down by the museum, so after a quick peek there, I geared up (water and sunscreen) and hit the Petroglyph Trail! So cool! I already enthused about it above, but let me say again, one of the better hikes I’ve been on. Gets a bit narrow and steep in parts, but I a giant grin on my face the whole time.

The sign said it can take over two hours to do the full loop, but I felt pretty good about being able to do it in just under an hour and a half. Plus, there’s lovely old art all along the way:

Could have spent more time here, but as I’ve mentioned before, I really like leaving a place just before I’ve had my fill. Means that every place I’ve visited lingers fondly in my memory, and makes me want to come back someday, which I greatly prefer to feeling like I saw everything I wanted. Maybe that’s just me, but I quite like it either way.

Drove up to Montrose for the campsite I’d booked that night. And got my first real look at the Colorado landscape. Of the states I’ve been to so far, this has been my favorite outside of Oregon, I can definitely see the appeal of living here.

And that’s all for now folks! Next stop, Black Canyon of the Gunnison!

Moab is a cool city, I can see why so many people recommend it as a stop. My original plan was to stay here for two nights, even had a campsite reserved, and see both Arches and Canyonlands, but as I was passing Arches, I saw the line, and a sign that informed me that Arches has moved to reservation only, and that even with one, the line could take over an hour to get through by car. Went with my gut and gave it a miss, been trying to avoid crowds on this trip where I can.

Strangely enough, I was kinda happy about this, made it easy to decide to spend the day in Canyonlands, and I got there just in time to settle in for the Geology talk from the resident Ranger Geologist. What a cool job! Learned a lot about the local rocks and canyons, fascinating stuff, but I won’t bore you with the details. He managed to work in a beautiful metaphor about the last few years of hardship in our country. About how, much like rocks, the weathering the world afflicts on us sometimes reveals beautiful and hidden layers that were invisible before.

Did a lot of hiking afterwards, after liberally dousing myself in sunscreen. It was a hot one! And the trails are completely void of shade, so I was pretty sweaty by the end! Pretty place though, and it was neat to know a little about the history of the terrain as took in the sights.

VERY glad I brought multiple water bottles, and a reserve tank in the trunk, on this trip, went through quite a bit!

On the way out, I had to stop for some passing cows. So cute! One of them stopped and stared at me for a minute before moving across the road, I named them Lonny.

Luckily it was only a short drive to Cortez in Colorado, but I had to pull over to rest my eyes for a few along the way. I think it was the heat, but the hiking probably didn’t help. Anyway, new state! Dipped my toe in Mesa Verde to get a taste for then next day, but I’ll be writing all about that soon enough!

Woke up feeling incredibly stoked for the day ahead, must have gotten good sleep, because I was up and ready to go even before my first alarm went off. It helps having neat things to look forward to!

In any case, I spent the better part of the morning, and some of the afternoon, exploring Bryce Canyon. I know this might be sacrilege to even suggest, but personally, I found it way cooler than the Grand Canyon. Not that the Grand isn’t spectacular, but Bryce was unlike anything I’ve ever seen! If I’d seen it in a movie set on an alien planet, I might have commented “Oh come on, that’s hardly realistic.”

Wall Street in particular was incredible, but seriously, I had to repeatedly go and collect my socks after having them blown off my feet so many times (people still use that phrase right? Or do I just sound insane? I worry about these things). There’s a trail that leads right down into the canyon, and I’d love to come back someday to hike the entire thing.

I really can’t get over how otherworldly it all looked. definitely the most visually striking of the parks I’ve been to so far.

It’s very tempting to fill this post with nothing but the dozens of pictures I took, but, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the best was still to come.

After looking at the map and doing a little reading, I decided to take Scenic Byway 12 to get to Moab. Or, as the plaque at the beginning called it, “The All American Road.” I guess it’s been declared something of a national monument itself. It’s been a famous horse trail for ages it sounds like, but only recently got paved back in 1985.

It winds 120 miles through an incredibly diverse landscape. The beginning winds you through these incredible sandstone tunnels and arches, before climbing into gorgeous hills and mountains, running along the spine of one of the tallest, before plunging down into an amazing forest. It even passes through Capitol Reef!

One of the best drives I’ve ever taken in my life. The only downside… is that it took over four hours, plus the three not on this beautiful stretch. I can’t really complain, but with the time I spent in Bryce, I was really running out of daylight by the time I pulled into Moab. Still, can’t really complain, such a lovely surprise.

Definitely want to space out the driving a bit more than I did this day. The driving itself wasn’t so bad, but I wished I had more time to stop and look. Part of the reason I’m taking this trip is to have an idea about where I’d like to go on future vacations, and camping along the 12 is definitely near the top now.

That’s all for now! I’m falling behind again, but what can you do? I’m actually in Colorado as I write this! Stay tuned to find out how that went!

Wanted to get an early start from Vegas so I skipped town while the sun as still rising, deciding I’d get breakfast and coffee along the way. Ended up in St. George, which felt like an appropriate place to stop, and was delighted to find a place called George’s Corner. George in George at George’s! How could I refuse? Amazing coffee as well, which is only fitting, I would expect nothing less!

Properly fueled, and seeing as it was still pretty early, I decided to make today my trip to Zion, especially once I realized I could drive through it to get to Kanab. Definitely the most crowded park I’ve been to yet, but even so, it wasn’t all that bad, even had a few quite moments next to the river with no one in sight. Maybe this is a bit harsh, but lots of folks seem to stick pretty close to the parking lots. Less than five minutes away and suddenly there’s no one.

Didn’t stay long, but had a pleasant walk and splashed my feet in the river. I thought I was being clever by putting my sandals under the back window to dry off in the sun, but when I stopped to check on them and climb a cool looking rock…

The Carmel Tunnel was a really neat way to exit the park, and shorty thereafter I arrived in Kanab. Planned on staying in the area for two nights, as there was lots to see, and I figured I couldn’t come this close without seeing the Grand Canyon, so that was what I spent to following day doing.

When I arrived, I was informed that it was opening day for the North Rim! The ranger couldn’t believe that I hadn’t planned that, and I almost couldn’t either. One day earlier and I wouldn’t have been able to come! Well, needless to say I was pretty stoked. I took lots of pictures, but the sheer scale of everything was hard to capture. I can see why this is such a famous spot. Hard to even comprehend the distances and sizes involved.

Took a drive out to Angels Window before I left, and hiked out to the end, easily the highlight of the day. There were so few people that I only ran into one couple on the trail.

I’d already had a wonderful time, but as a final bit of good fortune, there was a lunar eclipse happening that night (thanks for the reminder Mom!), so I laid on the hood of my car and watched the show. Really couldn’t have asked for a better day. I really have been incredibly lucky thus far, here’s hoping I haven’t just jinxed it!

The plan was to stop in and see a friend while I was passing though Vegas on my way to Kanab, but sadly those plan didn’t work out (Hey Boots! Hope you’re doing well! Miss you!). However, after checking into my shockingly cheap hotel, I decided to use this as an opportunity to get a little rest. My poor feet haven’t complained yet about all the hikes we’ve taken, but I figured they could use a breather, but not before walking down to the strip!

Very touristy of me, I know, but it was definitely worth it. Heard and saw maybe a hundred things worth mentioning along this walk, the casino/hotels in particular are out of this world. We may not have a history of opulent castles and palaces here in the States, but these places make for an interesting parallel in a strange sort of way.

I remember this being the case in Reno as well, but I love how much street art and awesome murals are a part of the aesthetic here.

Made my way back to the hotel and turned in relatively early. Had decided to stay for two nights, to give myself a proper break, and spent a very lazy Friday mostly wandering close to the hotel. Stopped in at my new favorite place in Vegas, the Writer’s Block, and found a book of Le Guin interviewed while enjoying the vibe.

Couldn’t end my stay without getting to the top of the tower, and I made it just in time for sunset. Holy cats! What a view!

Heck of a way to see the city. I spent a good while up here sightseeing and reading. Been reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by Jemisin (amazing so far), and had a very strange moment where she was describing the city of Sky, an opulent palace held on a spire above a sprawling city. Still trying to decide if this was a lovely bit of serendipity, or a grave sign that I should leave while I still can. Either way, a fun moment.

And with that, I’m all caught up to the present! Was lagging a few days behind there for a while, but I wanted to get this out before the next leg of my journey. I’m off to Kanab, and Utah in general, to see what all these red rocks are about! Wish me luck!

Had a lot of driving to do, so I was up and checked out pretty early, wanted to get to the little cabin I had booked early enough to do a little pre-exploration of the park. Only made one stop along the way, at the Jawbone visitors center, but it was a good one.

It was neat watching the landscape change. From rolling hills to flatlands, and finally, to the desert proper. I knew the desert here wasn’t just endless sand wastes, but it was still neat having that visually confirmed.

Finally though, six hours and three applications of sunscreen to my left arm later, I made it to my cabin. Rushed through check-in, and practically threw my things in the room before heading back out. Still had a few hours of daylight left, and I intended to use them. So glad I did! Probably wouldn’t have made it to Badwater basin or Artists Drive if I didn’t do it that day, and the later would have been a shame to miss. It’s hard not to turn into a geology fanatic driving through that 5 mile loop, some of the prettiest rocks I’ve ever seen.

By this point it was getting pretty dark, so I headed back for the evening, but not before stopping at Father Crowley point to watch the sunset. Went back up after dinner to do some stargazing as well, as it was only a ten minute drive from where I was staying. The night photography capabilities of phones these days is almost scary.

Slept like a baby that night. And was up with the sunrise. It wasn’t that long of a drive to Vegas from where I was, but I made plenty of stops along the way. Probably the easiest park to explore by car that I’ve been to. Most of the sights are right along the road, or only require a short hike, at least the places I went. Dante’s View and Zabriskie point in particular are worth a stop.

I’m glad Dante’s was the last stop I made, always good to end on a high note, and I was able to enjoy the view all by my lonesome. Was the perfect way to say goodbye to one of the more beautiful places I’ve seen. I’ve been surrounded by forests for so much of my life, it was nice to see that other climates can be as gorgeous as my home turf.

Saying goodbye to the Valley, it was only a relatively short drive to Vegas, but I’ll cover all that in my next post. Until then, I’ll leave you with a photo of the best purchase I made before coming here, no matter how dorky.

Awoke at my campsite to snowfall and what my car claims was 24 degrees of cold. Luckily my sleeping bag and tent were up to the challenge, and I didn’t realize just how cold it was until I emerged, bleary-eyed, into the day.

Broke camp in record time, partially because of how cold it was, but mostly because I wanted to see this:

I took many photos of that sunrise, but in my experience, it’s one of the harder things to convey through a photo, so I’ll leave it at that.

Watching the sheets of water evaporating off of Half-dome was perhaps one of the better experiences of my life, but the day wasn’t done giving me beautiful sights yet. More on that later.

After filling up on beauty, I took off for Sequoia and King’s Canyon. After some consideration, I decided on coming up from the southern entrance, to hit Sequoia first, and it turned out to be the right call. Beautiful place, I know Yosemite gets all the love, but Sequoia gave it a run for it’s money.

There was a sign for a place called Moro Rock, and on a whim, I checked it out, after all, how could I resist a sign like this:

Those stairs nearby bested me. It was only a quarter mile hike, but it took about as much energy as the five mile loop of the previous day. But with each step, my eyes grew wider, until, well, why don’t I just show you…

If these photos convey even a tenth of how incredible that view was, I’ll consider them enormous successes. NOTHING I’d seen on this trip so far held even tiny candle to this. Spent probably close to an hour up here, just mesmerized. Eventually, I had some company, a pair of out-of-breath hikers who were as delighted as I was to have made it the the top. I asked if they could take a picture for me, as I’d neglected to bring the tripod, and we got to talking. Asking folks for a picture is a great icebreaker! Turns out they’re headed to Salem!! Couldn’t believe it! Apparently there’s a tandem bike event happening in the area!

Finally though, I had to come back down to earth, and spent the rest of the day driving the General’s Highway. Definitely up there with route 1 and the Avenue of Giants for most incredible drives thus far. some of the biggest trees in the world rising on either side.

While I technically made it to King’s Canyon, Cedar Grove and much of the park was closed due to weather, so I may have to come back someday. Wouldn’t mind more time in Sequoia either!

In any case, I pulled into a lovely little inn for the night, where the owner allowed me to do some laundry, and I made friends with the local cats. one of them came to my door in the morning, and meowed until I came out and pet her. My heart can only handle so much!

The dining area is very neat, and has guitars and other instruments on the wall that guests are encouraged to play! I picked one up, mostly just to check it out, but this adorable little kid came up to me and asked if he could try after me, and I ended up teaching him a pair of chords (A minor and E, if you’re curious). I love playing music, but that might be the best thing to come out of it in my life thus far. I hope his parents felt the same, he was certainly getting into it by the time I left, hah!

Slept very well that night. And it was needed, had a long drive to Death Valley ahead of me!

For day two of my Yosemite excursion, I had a campsite at Hodgdon Meadows, a little camp on the hills / mountains of Yosemite. I set my tent up in a hurry, eager to get back to the park. Stopped in at Tunnel view on the way in, famous spot, but the lookout was deserted when I got there, my luck continues to astound.

Decided to do the Mirror Lake hike, and just as I got there, another light snowfall started. Spent a good long while watching it come down over the lake. Ever have one of those moments where you can feel yourself making a lifelong memory?

Was in such good spirits, I decided to continue the hike around Tenaya creek, a bit of a long loop, but about halfway through, I discovered this:

I’m only human after all, and couldn’t resist taking what looked like a perfect shortcut. I was so confident, I even decided to film the proceedings.

Well, you can probably tell what happened next. I DID want to go swimming in Yosemite I suppose. Somehow, I managed to keep my hand above water, if nothing else, so the phone was miraculously safe, but the rest of me was quite drenched. It was also, I’ll remind you, snowing.

Ten minutes, thats how long I sat on a rock in my underwear and pouted. But then a raven landed in the tree above me, giving me a curious look, and I couldn’t help it, I started laughing, and within minutes, my good mood was restored. It was only water after all, and I had a change of clothes back in the car. The only real regret is that I seem to have lost my Yosemite NP map during the fall. Shame that, the National Park maps are seriously cool, and I’d love to replace it someday.

Made my cold and wet way back to the car, changed, and made my way back to camp. It was cold as could be, and the snow was coming down harder now, but a fire and campsite cooking soon put me in good spirits. Saw some amazing sunsets on the way back as well. Turned in for the night just a the snow was really coming down.

And thus concluded my time in Yosemite. Next stop; Sequoia and Kings Canyon!

I thought I was being pretty good, getting an early start for the drive up to Yosemite valley, but I quickly began to wish I’d left even earlier. So much to see! So many trails to run! Did a quick tour around the valley floor by car, pulling off to the side maybe a hundred times to get and and stare open mouthed at the scenery around me. Luckily there are ample pullouts for gawkers such as myself, and little paths and trails abound everywhere you go.

I’d heard scary stories about the crowds here, but either they were exaggerated, or I have uncanny good luck. Managed to find parking easily on both days I was here, and even at the most crowded spots, it didn’t feel worse than Riverfront Park back home. Probably helps that the park is so huge. There were several times on the trail where I felt like I was the only person in the whole park.

It’s amazing how much work has been done to make the park accessible and easy to explore. Free shuttles and bike rentals encourage you to leave your car behind, and plentiful signage, maps, and helpful park rangers are always right there just when you need them.

After a few short hikes, and a lunch spent watching ravens fight over an unattended pizza, I decided on the big hike of the day. The John Muir trail up to Vernal Falls and Clark Point. Took a lot out of me, but the view from the top filled me right back up. Quite literally took my breathe away for a moment. Though that may have been the steep climb. 1000 feet in just under a quarter mile in one part!

Just as I was making my way back down, it started to snow. A gentle dusting that turned to hail by the time I made it to the bottom. By the time I made it back to the car, I was giddy and exhausted, and quite ready to fall asleep, but not before catching a magnificent sunset back in Mariposa.

I could spend all night filling this post with pictures I took, but let’s be real: Yosemite has been VERY well photographed over the years, and I’m only a passable phone photographer at best. and besides, this was only day one! Stayed tuned for part two, where our intrepid wanderer makes a grave mistake about the stability of a log crossing a creek!

After careful deliberation, I’ve decided that Mariposa deserves its own post. Of all the charming little towns I’ve been through, this one has been my favorite so far. The drive up was lovely and sunny, but fairly uneventful. I’m still surprised that I haven’t felt the need to listen to music or podcasts on this trip. I suppose my brain also needed a vacation from being constantly filled with distraction.

Once I’d settled into my room, it was time to stroll through town. Had some killer ramen (wasn’t expecting to find that!), before stumbling upon a little hidden away outdoor bar / venue / recording studio. The band was just setting up, so I stuck around and left with a shirt and a CD. The band, Little Tiger, had just finished recording their latest album right there at the venue, and this was their release party. I guess if I’m not listening to music in the car, I have to find it out in the world!

And that’s all for now folks! Stay tuned for the reason I was in Mariposa to begin with! A quick look at the map should give you a hint.