road trip

2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 13

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Editors Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. The Montecito Sequoia Lodge is supposed to have Internet but it is down. We arrived Monday the 13th and it is still down as of today, Wed. the 15th. Cell coverage is basically useless at the lodge although it can be received sporadically as we drive through the parks. We have stopped at a visitors center to use our wifi hotspot which is usable at this location.

Leaving the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns

Leaving the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns

Red Rock canyon

Red Rock canyon


Monday, May 13
Monday was a transition day as we drove from the almost treeless east side of the Sierra Nevadas to the forested western side. Of course there are still rocks. Indeed, as we drove south, we came across the Red Rock Canyon State Park (CA version, not the NV one by Las Vegas.) Interesting formations but not a large formation.

farming. Fruit or nuts, drove too fast to notice but did see oranges laying on the ground frequently

farming. Fruit or nuts, drove too fast to notice but did see oranges laying on the ground frequently

We gained in air pollution, fruit and nut farms, and oil pumping as we went around the south side of the mountains and made our way up the San Joaquin valley. This valley is heavily irrigated and is a major agricultural producer in the country. We stopped at a local fruit and nut farm stand and picked up a few samples. The manager threw in a bag of navel oranges-which we knew we would not finish so we gave them to the chef at the lodge.

Going up the valley before the parks

Going up the valley before the parks

oil pumping

oil pumping

We had made a conscious decision to have today’s trip be an easier drive. We passed up a turn off to go through the Sierra Nevada Mtns around Red Rock Canyon and we decided to enter Kings Canyon-Sequoia from the north which avoided the more curvy road with constuction if we entered from the south.

The Sierra Nevada range is much more eroded, sloping and forested on the west side than the eastern side. They are much more impressive from the east. We are glad we made that choice in our travel planning. Now that we have seen rocks and rocks and rocks from New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and part of California, the forests are a welcome change. The coolness and pine smell are a joy.

western side of Sierra Nevada Mtns as we dead for the lodge

western side of Sierra Nevada Mtns as we head for the lodge

There are not a lot of lodging choices here. Our place can be described as plain, basic, and economical. It reminds us of the old time lodges in northern Minnesota before they began upscaling.

Three meals are provided, they have been very good. Buffet meals with plenty of vegetarian options and healthful fruit, etc. Even bacon for breakfast today (Wed.) (And unlimited milk.)They make a bag lunch to take with us as we hike and drive the two parks. Actually it is two parks and a forest. The Sequoia National Forest and the two parks are interweaved. Our lodging is in the forest.

Ed and Chris, Wed May 15 for Monday May 13th

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 12

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Today was our third day around Independence CA on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We have used the Independence Inn as our base. Neither of us have been to this area before. Most of the day was oriented around the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

To get to the Bristlecones, we drove along US 395 and passed Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the US.

Palisade glacier up in the mountains

Palisade glacier up in the mountains

Palisades glacier

Palisades glacier

The drive continues along two other isolated roads. The first is a state road which is usually closed in winter. The second is the road leading to the park which also just opened recently. The turn off from US 395 is in Big Pine, CA, at an elevation of 4000 feet. When we reached Schulman Grove, we were at an elevation over 10,000 feet. (We were not at the summit of the area.) Luckily not all of the road was along steep cliff drop offs.

These trees are the oldest recorded living things on earth! Some of the trees have been dated back more than 4500 years. Bristlecone pines grow in only 3 locations; here, Bryce Canyon and Great Basin in Utah. They grow in dolomite soil at elevations over 9000 feet. The harsh conditions are part of the reason they thrive here-others are not able to.

Bristlecone pine

Bristlecone pine

"young" bristlecone

“young” bristlecone

The discovery occurred in 1953. Since then, research is ongoing about the trees and how they continue to evolve, how slowly they decay, and if weather climate change will affect their future.

Bristlecone pines

Bristlecone pines

bristlecones

bristlecones

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We hiked two trails totalling about two miles. Not a great length but given the altitude and the elevation climb in the hikes, we were satisfied.

This wraps up our eastern Sierra section pretty much. We will come down the Tioga pass north of here in two weeks when we leave Yosemite and head for Park City and the Grand Tetons but that will not entail any lingering. The mountains are beautiful and we include a few more shots as a parting gift to the area.

We have tentatively decided to use major roads to get to Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Parks tomorrow and forego using Shermans pass, another winding road over the mountains that would make the trip 30 miles shorter and at least 30 minutes longer. We have many more mountain roads in our future.

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Eastern side of Sieera Nevada Mtns as seen from White Mtns

Eastern side of Sierra Nevada Mtns as seen from White Mtns

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Just a side note: Some of you may know but in case you did not, if you click on any one of the pictures, you normally will get a full screen view and it shows more detail.

Happy Mothers Day to all!

Ed and Chris, May 13, 10 pm

PS. We celebrated Mothers Day by going to Mass and a post Mass breakfast sponsored by the Knights of Columbus at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Bishop CA. Chris was also given a rose. Her breakfast was complimentary.

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 11

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Another day, another mountain road. This may become habit forming, as well as nail biting.

We started the morning at the Manzanar National Historic Monument. This was one of the World War II Relocation Centers for Japanese Americans. The site recounts the history of “relocation” with exhibits, personal accounts of Americans of Japanese ancestry that were forced to relocate, re-created barracks and markers of the various camp buildings. 10,500 people lived here in an area one square mile.
This area is a reminder of the frailties of civil liberties.

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Exhibit center at Manzanar

Exhibit center at Manzanar

The comments of the internees were moving. As may be well known, no cases exist of Japanese Americans being convicted of treason or espionage. No similar camps existed for German Americans or Italian Americans. The camps were supposedly for their protection but as one internee put it “the guards were facing in,not out.” Japanese Americans in Hawaii were not relocated.

Manzanar cemetery

Manzanar cemetery

At the cemetery, it was noted that for those who died here, it was important not be buried behind barbed wire. The cemetery therefore was located outside of the wire. Now, only 6 bodies are buried there, the other bodies were relocated after the war at the request of the families.

Our second stop was the Movie film museum in Lone Pine, CA. Lone Pine is home to the Alabama Hills, a rock formation that was used by hundreds of movies as their setting for westerns, science fiction, and even Indian (Asian) settings. It started with silent films and continued through recent movies like Ironman and Django Unchained. The museum contains memorabilia from many of these, although the focus is on westerns like Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, John Wayne.

Lunch was in a local cafe and then off to Mt. Whitney portal. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. We did not climb it. You need a permit and plenty of skill, endurance, and acclimation to high altitudes, none of which we possess.

One view from Mt Whitney portal road

One view from Mt Whitney portal road

Jumping off point for hikers to Mt. Whitney

Jumping off point for hikers to Mt. Whitney

What we did do though was drive from Lone Pine at elevation 3500 to the Mt. Whitney trailhead jumping off point at 8700 foot elevation. The drive was once again steep and had dramatic drop offs but with less sharp turns. Pictures do not do it justice; it is hard to shoot pictures under these conditions.

Ed at the falls

Ed at the falls

At the end of the drive were two waterfalls. We lingered for a while, enjoying the views, the pine scent, and the cool air as compared to the hot valley.

At the bottom of the drive from Mt. Whitney are the Alabama Hills which were mentioned above. We drove around the area envisioning the scenes of past movies.

Alabama Hills

Alabama Hills

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Ed May 11 11 pm

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 9 and 10

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Well rocks seem to be the theme of the trip recently. Our drive from Vegas ran up a steady incline by Red Rock Canyon, Spring Mountain, etc. As we approached Death Valley, the mountains continued on both sides and grass was rare.

Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park

Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park

Artists Drive, Death Valley

Artists Drive, Death Valley

In Death Valley, we stopped at Badwater, the location of the lowest elevation in the U.S. (282 feet below sea level) We drove Artists Drive, an area where the rock colors vary dramatically, although noon sun light is not the preferred lighting to show off the colors. We had our PBJ sandwiches for lunch in the shade at the Visitors Center (103 degrees at this time.)

Lunch time in Death Valley

Lunch time in Death Valley

Sand dunes, did not see many of these

Sand dunes, did not see many of these

Chris and I had seen Death Valley previously, about 3 years ago during the month of January. We knew that we would only view a few places in Death Valley and then keep moving on to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range where we would spend 3 nights. Thus, the drive from the middle of Death Valley over to the eastern border was new to us-and a complete surprise.

Part of the drive out of Death Valley

Part of the drive out of Death Valley

We thought this drive would be mainly flat, a continuation of the desert floor. Instead in the space of about 15 miles we went from 280 feet below sea level to 5000 feet in elevation, back down to about 700 feet above sea level, up to just under 5000 feet in elevation and back down to about 3000 feet. This route is rated as a scenic drive, no doubt due not only to the fantastic views of mountains and valleys, but also because of the curvy road. What fun driving can be!! Pull outs are rare so pictures again are frequently windshield shots.

The road sign advises one to turn off their air conditioning to avoid having your car overheat. We complied, our Saturn worked well and had no difficulties but why take chances?

View from Father Crowley overlook

View from Father Crowley overlook

As we came over the last mountain of the East Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas are directly in front of you. Both ranges have numerous peaks in the 13,000 to 14,000 foot elevation and the valley in between seems hemmed in due to their heights. One of the lakes we passed, Owen Lake is basically a sand pile as the City of Los Angeles years ago bought the land around it and diverts the water from the Owen River via aqueducts to LA for its citizens.

First view Sierra Nevada Mtns

First view Sierra Nevada Mtns

Sierra Nevada Mtns at Lone Pine, CA

Sierra Nevada Mtns at Lone Pine, CA

The Sierra Nevada range is impressive as it rises steeply in front of you. Our hotel in Independence CA is right in front of Mount Williamson and Mount Whitney is just a short distance away. The mountains are snow capped right now and two of the places we were considering visiting are not open. The East Mountains get very little rainfall as the Sierras create a rain block and suck up the moisture before it gets to the East Mountains.

Mount whitney

Mount whitney is to the far right with just its peak visible, Lone Pine Peak is large peak in center of image

View by our motel

View by our motel

Mount Williamson

Mount Williamson

Dinner was at Jennys Cafe, a local, home cooking type of place in this town of about 600 souls. Food was very good with hefty quantities. The piece of strawberry rhubarb pie is still in the room fridge, to be eaten shortly.

Ed May 10 10 pm

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 8

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

This was a work day. Professional travelers need to make sure they have planned ahead and know enough to have flexibility when new situations arise. Thus, the day was spent in 3 ways.

First, room work of making some future reservations and doing research on the iPad. Second, pool time reading travel books and soaking in the whirlpool to make sure legs are in shape for walking.

Third, relaxation time. Although this included a brisk 50 minute walk down the Strip to Paris (and back later), it was the show of Jersey Boys that provided the relaxation. Dinner after the show was at La Creperie where we shared a chicken crepe and a mixed berry crepe. Excellent and not as expensive as the other Paris restaurants.

View from room

View from room

A comment on America?

A comment on America?

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One has to stop by the Bellagio water show

One has to stop by the Bellagio water show

The Strip at night

The Strip at night

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 7

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Tuesday May 7th we woke at 5 AM and could not go back to sleep. Whether is was because we went to bed early or because we were the only people staying at a cabin that night, I am not sure. But in any event we were packed up and headed out by 6 AM, silently hoping the skies would clear and we would get a gorgeous red/orange/purple sunrise over the mountains.

It was not to be as we hoped. However, the early start was fortuitous anyway. We were taking UT 12, a designated national scenic highway. In the 90 minutes we saw antelope or some such, the sun shining through clouds at an overlook on Boulder Mountain, drove through two miles of ice covered road at the 9600 foot pass over Boulder Mountain, and came into the area of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

View from Boulder Mountain

View from Boulder Mountain

View 2 from Boulder Mountain

View 2 from Boulder Mountain

As we descended from Boulder Mountain, we entered a valley area at Boulder, UT. This is the area which received its mail by mule train until 1940. The road was not paved until 1985. We took a chance on the Hell’s Backbone Grill only to find out it was also Zagat rated, written up in the NY Times, locavore food, etc. (My whole milk was organic and cost $3 for what I consider a small glass.) But the meal was excellent and a nice place to unwind from the mountain ice drive.

Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT

Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT

Our planned stop was Kodachrome Basin State Park. (In the future, how many people will know what Kodachrome stood for??) But we were still on scenic Highway 12 and going through a portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument with more spectacular sights. Portions of the road, however, while smooth, were curvy with dramatic and long drops off the cliff on each side of the road.

Driving in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Driving in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

On our way to Kodachrome, we stopped at an Interagency Visitor center for the forest, national monument, etc where we saw a German couple riding bikes with a young person in a child carrier. Not only was there sporadic rain that day, but the roads are not what I call bike friendly. Hope they ended up okay.

Kodachrome continued the beautiful scenery and offers cabin lodging which maybe would be a good option for the future. We took several short hikes here, getting caught in the rain once–those Haleakala ponchos came in handy.

Kodachrome Basin State Park

Kodachrome Basin State Park

Kodachrome Basin State park

Kodachrome Basin State park

We left Kodachrome headed for Las Vegas. We thought we would take the drive through Zion versus Cedar Breaks national monument but would not stop or take pictures since it had been a full day already and we had been to Zion before with Bernie and Tony.

Well those were good intentions but halfway through the drive we just had to take some pictures. We did no hiking but for those of you who have not been to Zion, here are a few quick shots.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Other than New Mexico level cross winds on I-15, with semi-trucks, and mountain curves for Chris to handle, the rest of the day’s journey was uneventful.

Ed May 8th 5 pm

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 6

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Monday May 6 was a full day of Capitol Reef. Breakfast was a small box of Cheerios from one of the previous lodging sites which offered continental breakfast-plus milk and juice purchased in nearby Bicknell.

We caught the ranger morning presentation of geology of the area and continued to be impressed by the number of international tourists. They appreciate the US national parks more than Congress and its inability to fund appropriate levels of financial support.

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

Capitol Gorge

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Goosenecks

Goosenecks

Wild flowers starting, was a cold winter

Wild flowers starting, was a cold winter

Capitol Gorge

Capitol Gorge

We spent the day driving and hiking. One of the hikes, Capitol Gorge, was a narrow canyon that had been the only and unpaved road through the area. I am not sure our pictures always show the great height and vastness of the cliffs and area. We kept looking around and commenting on how stupendous the views are. The clouds threatened rain often and delivered sporadically.

We took a break in late afternoon and had lunch/dinner at Slackers-burgers were fine, chocolate malt was so-so but cheap. We finished up back at the park but again cloud cover made it impossible to bring home a fantastic sunset (or sunrise) photo off the red cliffs. My one disappointment. The rain/clouds were expected to continue for several days.

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

One of the last walks was out to Goosenecks point where you overlook a gorge hidden behind other gorges. Gorgeous! As I mentioned earlier, this park continues for over one hundred miles so there must an almost limitless set of fantastic views.

Ed May 8, 8 AM

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 5

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Sorry for the delay in postings. The Mill cabins in Lyman Utah did not offer Internet service and our portable wi-fi hotspot had a difficult time getting a connection. So rather than continue my frustration, we decided it would be better to wait until we hit Vegas. But the picture taking continued at a furious rate.

Yes, we have been out west before and seen mountains. Somehow, though, on this trip the views just seem more spectacular. Every time we turn a corner and see a new view, we just go Wow and want to capture it on film even though film does not do justice to seeing it in person. Maybe we will get jaded. But for now it is mountains.

Sunday May 5 we were up early and hit 7:30 church. Nope, it was not a “up north fishing mass” but a full hour. Good for my soul. On the advice of hotel staff, we ate at a local restaurant called Starvin Arvin’s. Quite good, great biscuits.

Driving along the Interstate in Utah we came upon a pair of recumbent bikes riding on the shoulder of the road. This time we got a good picture.

recumbent bikers on Interstate

recumbent bikers on Interstate

Our destination was Capitol Reef National Park. We had decided to skip Arches and Canyonlands national parks for CR. Not sure how we chose CR, whether geography, reading books, personal recommendations or what, but it was a great choice. Just the drive to the park was beautiful-an over worked word which you will read frequently along with its synonyms.

We left the Rockies, Glenwood Canyon,and Colorado National Mounument behind and were driving through rolling hills first. Then we started seeing these various uplift views of tall ridges and cliffs of varying color, with some but minimal vegetation. The cliffs get taller and mountains are in the background as we get closer to Capitol Reef.

driving to Capitol Reef

driving to Capitol Reef

Driving to Caitol Reef

Driving to Caitol Reef

Capitol Reef is named for a unique monocline formation, one uplifted ridge that extends for over one hundred miles from north to south. The cliffs are frequently over 1200 feet and can go as high as 2400 feet (if I remember correctly from the ranger talk). This formation has only one east west easy access, along the Fremont river.

The restricted access made exploration late here and development minor. So, you find out that this area was one of the last in the US to be mapped and get regular postal service by car. Even now, it has much less development and visitation than other Utah national parks. The east west road was only paved in 1962.

We decided to “check in” at the Mill Cabins after our initial stop at the visitor center for the park. There was no one at the main lodge which is still under construction so we called and got the owner who was just heading home from dinner at Slackers Burgers and Shakes in the nearby town of Bicknell. There are only six cabins and two were to be occupied this night. It was small but clean and for $50 a night was just fine.

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We had not eaten since Starvin Arvin’s so after check in we drove to Slackers but they close at 4 pm on Sundays so we tried Cafe Diablo. As Chris says, “Who would have known?” A great restaurant in a very small town. It has Fodor and Zagat comments and ratings. Plus it had chocolate mousse! Actually with each of the house made desserts you also got your choice of house made ice cream. So Chris had strawberry sorbet while I had the mousse.

It was still early and light out. We went back to Capitol Reef and visited part of the park. The weather was alternating cloudy and sunny so pictures vary in the background. We spend most of the late afternoon and evening getting a taste for the area. Given the limited accessibilty (we had our Saturn, not a high clearance 4 wheel drive Jeep), we visited locations mainly along the developed road. Still, the vistas were stunning.

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

The evening brought showers so we nixed the outdoor talk. We had a long day and headed back to the cabins and night time in rural Lyman.

Ed May 8, 7 AM

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 4

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

Sunrise oner Nebraska farm field.

Sunrise oner Nebraska farm field.

Man, this job as traveler is fun! If the number of pictures taken is any indication, yesterday (Saturday) was a doozy. 191 pictures taken. True, a great number were deleted. But that is good. With a simple digital camera we can take multiple shots and only save the best or most representative.

We started in the cornfields and ranch lands of Nebraka. Amazingly, several of the interstates are marked for bicyclist to use the shoulder. We saw a few, including a recumbent bike.

Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains


As we drove past Denver, the Rocky Mountains were the grand sight awaiting us. Snow-covered mountain peaks marched along the sides and in front of us. Fantastic vistas were in every direction.

Colorado river in Glenwood canyon

Colorado river in Glenwood canyon

Once over the Rocky Mountains and through the tunnels, we entered Glenwood Canyon. This canyon was formed by the Colorado River. It also has high walls and is relatively narrow. It was an engineering marvel to fit train tracks, the river, the interstate highway, and some narrow towns within the canyon walls.

The dramatic vistas kept coming. As we left Glenwood Canyon, we entered a valley area. On the south side was Grand Mesa and the Colorado national Monument. We drove the 23 mile scenic rim drive and took several short hikes in Colorado National Monument.

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

We ended the day at our hotel in Grand Junction but not before we drove around parts of the city (population of about 60,000). The people of Grand Junction must know their fractions very well. Street names use fractions; 26 road, 26 1/4 road, 26 1/2 road, 26 3/4 road,
G road, G and 1/2 road, etc. Unusual in our experience.

Dinner at the hotel listening to jazz. All in all, a good day.

Ed. 9 pm

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2013 Trip Four, Out West, May 2 and 3

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ed Heimel and Chris Klejbuk, MN travel bloggers; ckeh72@comcast.net

What was supposed to be one long, boring travel day turned out to be much different. Winter Storm “Achilles” was the first change. Instead of driving down I-35 to Des Moines IA and heading west on I-80 on Friday May 3rd, we left Thursday night May 2nd after the car tune ups were completed. We drove to Sioux City SD. By going south and west, we avoided the snow along the I-35 and I-80 corridors on Thursday and Friday.

As the sun sets, we leave the MAY snows of MN and IA behind us.

As the sun sets, we leave the MAY snows of MN and IA behind us.

With our Friday drive to North Platte NE now a shorter distance, we have time to make a few side trips. We took I-90 to US 83 and drove south through SD and NE. Our first stop was Valentine NE, home to red valentines carved into the sidewalks. It was also home to the Niobrara Scenic River and Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.

This stop produced a waterfall (not huge but cute), coyote, bison, prairie dogs, and elk. Chris spotted the coyote. It was sunning itself along our trail. After opening one eye and realizing we were smart creatures that were not going to challenge his right to the trail, it went back to snoozing as we retraced our steps.

Chris' friend

Chris’ friend

The bison numbered about 25 and blocked the road so we let them go first out of consideration to the young ones and to the size of the old ones.

Mother and child

Mother and child

The prairie dogs were cute as always. The elk were some of the closest we have seen in our wanderings. We got several pictures before they leapt over a fence and were gone.

Here's looking at you number 1.

Here’s looking at you number 1.

Here's looking at you number 2

Here’s looking at you number 2

Final stop of the day was at the Bailey Yards. This is the largest railroad yard in the world. For Union Pacific, they repair-check out 300 locomotives a day. They process 10,000 rail cars per day over 2,850 acres stretching over 8 miles. Quite the site. Our camera could not capture the whole view.

Bailey yards

Bailey yards

Tomorrow we head to Grand Junction, CO.

Enjoy your days as much as we are enjoying ours.

Ed 5/3/13 8:15 pm

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