Durango, Co

    (April 29) I had went to the dunes yesterday, but decided not to back country camp due to the incliment weather. I decided to just hop in the car and drive west towards the next destination. Hoping that I would come across a campground. It is colorado after all. An hour or two later I did come across the Rio Grande National Forest.

     I found a primitive campground just a few miles from where I was (just outside South Fork). The site was cool and the weather there was also not the best with a few inches of snowfall predicted. Still better than the thunderstorm possibility.

      I started getting ready after a long sleep and found myself moving slowly due to soreness. Then I decided to make a day of visiting Durango, CO. Do some wash, grab groceries, and explore. I'm sitting in a laundry mat that claims to have wifi but doesn't, erm. At least I have decent cell service and can post a couple of blog entries.

     The drive this morning was hazardous. Climbing and decending mountains with snow, lack of visibility, and steep grades led to an exciting morning. As usual the car handled the conditions well. The drive was along highway 160 and the views were fantastic.

    I plan on camping close by and just have to find a site. Then tomorrow I'll head to Mesa. A back woods shower is due.

Bandelier

     I arrived at the Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico (April 27). Earlier in the day I drove through Sante Fe. I picked up a new rim and all new tires. AWD does have a downfall afterall. Afterwards I asked the gentleman who put the tires on of a good local place for some grub. I went to the suggested place El Parasol. I picked up a few tacos and boy he wasnt kidding. They were great.

     After goofing off around the city for a while I went up to the park. Unfortunately, I did not charge my phone and only have a short video of my camp. I got a permit and back country camped. I hiked up to the Frijoled Rim and stayed along it for a few miles. I found some broken clay pottery with designs near my camp. I took them to a ranger and he said I shouldnt have left them. I mean I crushed a few of the pieces because they blended into the rock/gravel in the area. I just wanted to preserve them, but I get the point.

    I startled a fellow hiker as I came around a bend. We talked for a little. He was from the good ol' Hawaii and had been hiking all day. He said he hadn't seen anyone all day (8hrs or so). Oddly, there were tons of people down at the visitor center. I guess everyone is just kinda passing through like I normally do.

    I recommend gooling pictures from the area.

     I woke up, made some oatmeal, and headed back to the car earlier this morning (April 28). Decided to head out to CO. The drive was only a few hours to the Dunes!

     The Great Sand Dunes National Park is cool. I checked out the visitor center, as usual, but this time watched one of the 20 min videos. I wanted to back country camp like last night but the weather called for possible thunderstorms, 70% of snow, and upper 20's in temperature. Not the ideal conditions for a good time. That and the South didnt prepare me for this with all of their flat trails.

     I climbed up and around the dunes for a couple of hours. Exhausting would be the word to describe it. Absolutely stunning would be the phrase. I took a great panoramic shot as well as a couple of videos this time around. I just have to find some wifi to post them. The dunes look so out of place at this high of an elevation with a large mountain range backdrop. Strange to say the least.

     When coming up to the dunes you could see people the size of a bug nesr the tops. I started my way up and quickly found it would be a feat to get as high as they are. Traversing the sand was more difficult than I had thought. I got to the top of one of the dunes and was feeling the pressure of the height. My hands were numb, my face was cold, and the sand hurt. The wind would throw the sand I would guess 25-35mph gusts, ouch. As I was on my way down I saw a lightning strike within a couple of miles and made it my duty to get back to the car.

    A cool place to visit but it's either for hardcore 4x4 vechicles with camping, or for the day to just summit a dune. Nothing else really to do. They have a couple of easy hikes, but they are extremely short. The map makes it look like the average person only sees like 15% of the area to the 4x4 driver can get to the other 85% (if they hike too).

Urban Primitive Site

     One of the tires was fixed a couple of days ago and I went on my way. I didn't want to wait around any longer. The company that helped me with the tire was absolutely awesome. Turns out they dont fix tires/rims, but they were generous enough to drive me around to places that would. A few hours later I had a new tire and a fixed rim. The even put the tire back on. They didn't charge me a dime. A shout out to Sean from Pittstop (auto technician) in Shawnee. A good review coming their way soon enough.

     I drove to the Black Kettle National Grasslands near the Texas border. A lake wss present and had a few locals out fishing on it. I put the hammock up and had a good nights rest.

     Yesterday (26th) I drove to Lake Meredith Recreation Area, TX. I planned on camping out but the wonderlust got the best of me. A really cool place, almost like a mini grand canyon. The scenery was stellar as well as the local who helped me find my way around. I stayed to eat lunch and dinner as well as to wait out a storm passing through. I went to hike the devils canyon trail, but the native told me not to hike it if it was overgrown because of rattlesnakes. It was overgrown so I heeded his advice. I did hear things rattling when I walked along it for a 1/10 of a mile, but I'm not sure if that was just my mind exaggerating the situation.

     After hanging out for 4-5 hours I started the journey into New Mexico. I rid make it and was feeling sleepy while driving so I ended up using an urban campsite, a rest stop. No one bothered me and I slept well. Except the temperature, when waking up it was in the low 40's, brrr.

     Going into a city later and plan on getting my other rim fixed and a new tire slapped on it. The mechanics said to get all new tires because it will mess with the AWD system, I may just do that.

A Wild Book Appears!

     I slept while sitting next to someone I've known for only a few minutes. Exhausted from the previous day I notified AAA to come tow me to a larger town. I did this to have more resources to fix the car as well as having something to do during the day instead of letting it go to waste.

     The drive was a couple of hours but I only remember a few minutes of it. After unloading the car I backed it into a spot. Much more inconspicuous compared with the previous spot.

     I called home and spoke with my Mom for a bit because I had a solid 24hrs to burn. I decided going to a local food joint for breakfast wouldn't hurt the bank, so I did just that. Sunny Side Up it was called and the accents around this part are not as pronounced. The bus boy was wearing cowboy boots while working. I guess they don't believe in non slip shoes at that place.

     Anyway I checked out the locak park that had a vetran memorial. I walked around the city and most of the shops were closed up. Luckily the public library opened at one, so I could at least burn a couple of hours there. It's been a while. Sn interesting note is that when the doors opened the place was flooded with homeless individials scrambling for a computer. The new standard of living, right?

     I read a new book and got about 50 pages in before the build up led to spmething undesired. Time for the next one. Also, why was I never aware of National Geographic magazine collections? Where have I been. They have large volumes dating back to 1920.

     After reading for a bit longer I am going to part ways with the library and venture to a cinema. Hopefully that will be opened and I can catch a movie.

     I started reading "Caffeinated how our daily habit helps, hurts, snd hooks us" by Megan Carpenter. It has a hook introduction and it seems worth to check out if you're interested in reading an anthropological/journalism type of book.

     What to what to do.

Two for the Money

April 23, 2016

     With the good comes the bad. Long day of driving, roughly 8hrs of driving and about 1 hr for breaks (~300 miles). I am within 2 miles of a campsite and nail a huge pot hole. I slow the car down and can hear air pouring out of the rear passenger tire.

     I take out the spare and replace.  I refilled the spare with air before leaving home, and was happy to see it still retained enough air. No harm no foul lets keep driving on.

     All is well..well no. I drive 20ft or so away and notice something else. The front tire is losing air. I am within several miles to the nearest town, so thats good. On goes the hazard lights and the slow drive to a shop begins, but this is a small town. All the auto tire repair shops are closed and won't open until Monday. Literally all of them within a half hour radius.

     The front tire did go flat as well, so I'm not going anywhere. Glad I got here before it went completely flat.

     The one rim has pretty good damage to it and the other seems ok, but I cant tell for sure unless I prop the car back up. I do have time on my hands at this point.

     The town has one motel, hah feels like home. That pothole was massive and I'm hoping no damage to the suspension took place.

     Isn't this the scenario to start a new life in a town? Seems like the perfect way to do so. This town doesn't seem to have a homless person....oh, I can change that, squatters beware. Wait I just saw a scraggly dog...this is my turf now.
    
     I've never had a flat before, but two at the same time?

Update: Its 3am on Sunday here and I woke up to three Sheriffs asking me to get out of the car. Guess I wasn't hiding in plain sight. They were cool about it and left me on my way while offering some advice. I mean, the car is stuck. It's a weekend.  I'll call AAA in a couple hours and see if they know something I don't.

Buffalo National River

     The previous post didn't seem to work for whatever reason. Tech problems are hard to solve when you need to find wifi, hah.

     I drove from Natchez Parkway to the Buffalo River, Arkansas. About 45 minutes from the site the scenery changed from flatlands to mountain. The roads became fast, twisty, as well as the drivers. An absolute blast. The road that led to the primitive camp site was steep and rock/dirt. The subaru handled it well.

     As I stepped out of the car I was greeted by two gentleman, Keith snd Jimmy. A few minutes later they dully befriended me offering me a beer and asking if I would like to go fishing. I said I'd go along, but no fishing (not my thing). I followed them down the beach onto a rock channel in the river. The views were great and the guys were cool.

     When I came back to the site after exploring Jimmy asked if I wanted cheese. I turn around to see them grilling burgers and reply "you bet". After hanging out for a while I decided to wash in the river.

     I took a short hike a couple hours later and the trail was cool from what I saw of it. Trail was called the BRT, which im assuming is the Buffalo River Trail. When I got back to camp I had another beer with the guys and finally went to sleep after a long day.

     Today (April 23) I said goodbye to the guys, left the site, and headed towards Chickasaw National Recreation Area in OK. I'm sitting just inside the border of Oklahoma taking a needed break. Crackers and cheese and a good stretch. My allergies have been bothering me the last couple of days.

   

Timelapse of the parkway

https://youtu.be/z-HQ5WhWoHo

Arkansas

     Today, April 22, I am headed to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. I purchased a National parks camping guide yesterday and am happy I did. I would have never found out about many of the places listed using google maps searching for spots.

     Mississippi is just as lush as Alabama. Both states have a red/orange tint to some of their dirt, which is cool. Among the Mississipi grass is a red flower or weed that makes the views distinct.

    The Natchez parkway was neat and I completed about 70 miles of it. I stayed at Jeff Busby camping area. Went on a short 1-2 mile hike up "Little Mountain". The camping was free. So far I have not paid for lodging, which is a goal for the trip. I met a man from Australia on his way back with his wife from Mexico (4 week trip). I also met Ian, the camp host, and he was a cool guy to talk to. He gave me some information and what else to look out for among the parkway.

Couldn't resist

     The plan for the day(thursday April 21) was to head into Mississippi and check out the Holly Springs National Forest. That plan changed a short while before arriving. I passed a brown sign stating, " Natchez Trace Parkway", so I took a peek.

     A couple hours later and I am sitting on a wooden picnic table at a campsite along side the parkway. It's a stretch of 444 miles from Nashville, TN to southern Mississippi. I entered the parkway at approximately 265 miles.  I started to head North but I decided going South was a better idea since I would be backtracking.

Vroom

     Yesterday Tony and I drove along the west coast of Florida along a highway scenic route of the gulf of Mexico. We passed through beach town after beach town for hours.

     After driving for about eight hours we were somewhat close to Jackson, AL. We pulled into a park "Old Lock One". The sign stated it was one of two locks left in the area. It was renovated in the early 2000's. They had lantern holders near their picnic tables.

     I walked along a dirt road that had a fence blocking the way to a vehicle. The area had a house with a padlock. The sign I read earlier said that they had a camp host. I'm assuming this is where the host would stay. They had a whiteboard with a rough drawing of paths. This is where we were supposed to be camping.

     Unfortunately Anthony received bad news and had to cut the trip short, family emergency. We drove for the next four hours or so until reaching Atlanta, GA to catch a plane back home.

     We said our goodbyes and I headed back west to find a place to crash. I drove for a couple of hours and found a rough road in the Talladega National Forest at 2:30am. I decided to take it and it put the Subaru through its paces. The road was meant for SUV's but I wasnt on it for long.

     After getting a few hours sleep I woke up today and decided to keep heading west. I'm sitting at a Mississippi visitor center, which is one of the best I've come across.

     Alabama has great nature scenes to it. Not at all what I was expecting. It's lush with green surrounding you at all times. The US highways were fun to drive with hills and turns. I must admit I'm impressed.

     Lets see what Mississipi is all about. We're going to keep this trip going as long as I can. I hope to see Anthony back soon.

13hr day

      We camped in the Everglades. We drove.. a lot yesterday. 8am to 9pm we drove from the Everglades to the Apalachicola National Forest area. Along the way we stopped at the Big Cypress area. We watched a few alligators swimming and lounging within 10 -20ft.

     We almost got stuck in an area but the AWD proved to be useful. Now we know for sure it works. Being on an unnamed dirt road getting stuck wouldve put a damper on the night.

     We looked around for a campsite for way too long. We ended up being on the wrong side of the river. Being exhausted from the long haul we just hid in the state forest area.

     The area isn't crawling with mosquitoes though. I made breakfast with only having to kill a couple this morning.

     Currently we're using an open wifi spot and making plans for the day. Most likely heading in to Alabama to find a site.

    

Key West

     Went down to key west last night. Our camping spot fell through and we had to improvise.  Tony ended up camping as I used the Motel Subaru. Nice accommodations, good view, and even a moonroof to look at the sky...

     We woke and headed to the beach for a couple hours. Key west is gorgeous. If you say things like, "I like beaches" then you're in luck, hah. The water was clear and the surf was light.

     The drive was very cool and the towns were nice. A few state parks were on the route but we decided to pass them up. I read that there is a ferry that will take you to an island. If you bring a canoe you can camp at a primitive site around that island, for a fee of course (+$200). Paying that much to sleel on the ground is...too much.

     After hanging out in Key West last night as well as a few hours today we left. Went to the Everglade National Park which was right next door. Cool area, but not what either of us was expecting. We were going to camp but figured out the hard way this is mosquitoe territory. Have bug spray? Sure. It helps for about 5 minutes. Want to wear long clothing to deter? Its 80+ degrees. We went for a short couple mile hike and cut it short after a few minutes.

Miami

Welcome to Miami. I slept in the car last night and tony camped out. We got t to the wildlife management area at 11:30pm and didn't make it in time before the gates locked.  We stayed close by camping out next door where we shouldn't really have, hah.

Tony drove this morning getting us to the Miami Beach by 11am. We lounged around for a few hours in the sand and went for a dip.  The water was warm.  The sun was around and we were trying not to fry our  winter PA skin. It feels hot,  but its  80 degrees. I'm melting. Water?

We drove through downtown Miami. It was pretty neat. Saw a few cruise ships at port. Felt like rolling vice style and buying some neon for the Subaru.

Stopping into a target and getting some groceries.

Make sure to keep checking out the link on the right of this page. You may have to copy and paste into the URL.

Dragon

Stopped in and ate at a place called The Chromatic Dragon. We got some gamer named food, The Malfegor ( from a popular card game), and played a little Mario Kart after we ate. It was a a cool place to check out if you're into that sort of thing.

Thinking about heading South for the night, but not too sure. Hmm.

Tybee beach, GA

     Checking out the beach in Northern Georgia. It's cloudy and very windy. We lasted about 20 minutes on the sand. We went hiking earlier through the Francis Forest we stayed in yesterday for a couple hours and decided to head South.

     We will be meeting up with Tonys friend, Kay, in Savanah, GA this evening.

The trail we hiked in the forest had burned sections which led to scorched panoramas. I put together a short time lapse of walking through a section of the trail. The scenery went from green to black repeatedly.

Update: we went out on the town and tried a local burger place, which was delicious. We had also went out to an irish type oub which was cool as well. I may have had too many drinks and quietly sang the zephyr song karaoke style. Tony had sung a few songs as well, it was a good time. Savanah city has an open bottle drinking law where you can drink in public near certain areas, which is weird to see in action.

Woodbury WMA

    We drove into the Woodbury wildlife management area, SC, at around 11pm. It was pitch black. Started off getting of a paved road and onto a dirt one. Less than 30 seconds and we come upon a cemetery.  To top it off the past half hour had been driving through thick fog.

      It seemed sketchy at best. After a half hour driving along a dirt road we found a board listing some information about the area. Except why we were there...to camp and hike. We ended up just pulling off of one of the dirt side roads and setting up camp.

     So far today we headed down to the Francis Marion ranger station just a couple hours away from Woodbury WMA. Got some information.

We bought some food..and well a six pack because hey...why not?

     We arrived at the Elmwood campsite within Francis Marion forest. Time to use the grill.

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SC?

     After sleeping on the beach we woke up and started packing up to move on to the next location. We're still in the mood to push South for better weather. Today its in the 70's which is much better than the upper teens just a few days ago.

     Thinking of heading down into South Carolina. Currently Tony is out getting supplies while I sit at the local McD's to use their wifi. It's raining down here and the both of us aren't in the mood to hike.

     Last night we swam in the river and cooked on the open fire. Still have yet to use the portable grill we brought along. The small hiking stoves are just too convenient.

Heres a short video of it about to become a one person adventure...
https://youtu.be/R_PUVH9Mxt4

     Update: well we just finished checking out Fort Macon along with the beach area and nature trail.

Croatan National Forest

The day started off better than the last. Waking up in the 30's instead of the teens was nice.

     We drove out of Shenandoah and looked for another spot to explore. After looking for a few minutes we decided to try out the Croatan National Forest.

     After about 6 hours of driving we finally found a spot...

While looking for the area we kinda got a little lost in the game lands. I will be able to post a video of that when I can use wifi.

Teens

We slid into our tents last night after quickly downing our dinners. It was too cold to sit around. From the few minutes we had the sky looked gorgeous. Little light pollution is a good thing.

Used the new tent for the first time and it ended up working well. Its definitely not meant for cold weather, maybe 35+ with a good sleeping bag. We set up camp with a little sun at 27 degrees. We woke up with the temperature in the upper teens. I thought it was warmer down south?

Plans for the day are to cruise the skyline and check out some local happenings in the park.

Shenandoah

Made our way up to Shenandoah national park today. We entered through the most northern point and started to drive on Skyline Drive.

Just a few miles in and we were left with this view (see picuture below). Now we are looking for a cool camp site.

The bad news is we already have a check engine light come on. What luck.

DC

This time around we will be off to hike/road trip throughout the US. A 2003 Subaru Forester with 179k miles will be our vessel. 

The past couple of weeks have been spent getting everything in order. A part of yesterday was spent frantically running around pulling everything together.

What a better way to start off a national trip than to visit Arlington, VA. We drove down to visit a few of Tonys family members. Grabbed some local food,  had a few drinks, and hungout.

Plans? We have none.

When?  Now with no end date in sight.