Cross-Country Road Trip: California to New Jersey

Maybe we’re crazy, but this was our fourth time driving across the USA together. The cross-country journey is always a mixed bag of emotions—excitement, boredom, awe, exhaustion, and more. For us with a dog, it’s a lot of gas station stops and Motel 6’s (no pet fees!) But those are perfectly balanced with incredible landscapes, national parks, and campgrounds. And when it’s over, you tend to forget the endless, droning miles and remember all the wonders in between.

We wanted to mix it up from the last time we did this drive, three years ago, so we plotted a slightly different route. Here’s where we went (and no, we didn’t drive through Lake Erie, but you get the idea):

Capitol Reef National Park

The first morning, I took Bailey for our last beach walk in Leucadia, then we packed up the car and headed west. We arrived in Torrey, Utah around sunset and had a nice dinner at Rim Rock Patio overlooking Capitol Reef National Park. We stayed in a cute, tiny cabin (Torrey Trading Post and Cabins) in a dark sky community to see some stars, rest, and wake up early for a hike in the park.

I’d visited Bryce and Zion National Parks before, but I’d always wanted to check out Capitol Reef, and it really exceeded my expectations. We started the day with the Chimney Rock trail hike. We were worried about the heat in June for Bailey’s paws, but it wasn’t too hot yet in this part of Utah. The views of the rocks and sunrise were impressive, and the hike got our hearts pumping with some elevation.

Afterwards, we set off on another shorter hike on the Fremont River Trail, which actually ended up being my favorite. We hiked through orchards with an abundance of apricots ripe for picking, then followed along the river until we got to the no-dogs-allowed zone. It was shaded and a perfect afternoon hike for us. Finally, we took a drive down toward Capitol Gorge and stopped for a picnic lunch, where we took in the view and ate our leftovers from the night before.

Arches National Park

Moab, Utah was a lot hotter, so I was glad we arrived right before sunset. We drove from our hotel (Red Stone Inn) into Arches to watch the sunset around the balancing rock and found a good spot to eat some takeout burritos. They weren’t very good, so I won’t share the restaurant, but the views were perfect. The next morning, we did a humans-only hike to the Delicate Arch. It was crowded, but completely worthwhile. As soon as you come up over the final crest of the hike, you’re greeted with strong winds and an awesome view of the arch. It’s a stunning feat of nature.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

It was the last month of our National Park pass and we were putting it to work. Our next drive took us to southern Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes. We stayed in a nice campground (Base Camp Family Campground) just outside the park with these metal tent shelters to protect us from the wind. That made a huge difference, because it’s super windy out in the desert!

In the morning, we rented sandboards and headed out into the dunes. Hiking was tough in the soft sand, but we think it was Bailey’s favorite park since she got to dig to her heart’s content. We also found that sandboarding was a lot harder for our 30/40-something bodies than we expected. Once the sand was heating up, we left and stopped for a fantastic brunch at Mountain View Diner. Then the drive took us further north into Colorado.

Colorado Springs

When it comes to road trips with a dog, I’ve found national parks to be overrated and state parks to be underrated. National parks often don’t allow dogs at all, or they have a couple of very short dog friendly trails that are close to the main roads with no views. I understand the need to protect the native wildlife, so state parks can be an even better alternative. We found a nice one at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado. Our campsite was wooded and secluded with views overlooking Colorado Springs. A family of deer passed through in the early morning, and Bailey shockingly didn’t even bark at them. We were all at peace here.

In the evening, we hiked at Garden of the Gods. The main area was busy, but once we got up into the trails, it was much less crowded with lovely views of the rocks. Afterwards, we found burgers and white russians at a Big Lebowski themed bar. I would highly recommend for great food and drinks!

Elk Horn, Iowa

After Colorado, the drive starts to get a bit flat and boring, so we had to spice it up with novelty fast food and trolls. We stopped in Elk Horn, Nebraska at the Museum of Danish America to visit one of Thomas Dambo’s troll sculptures. This one was one of my favorite trolls yet, since he’s traveling in a boat and connecting the US to Dambo’s heritage in Denmark.

We continued the drive to the Crest Country Inn in Williamsburg, Iowa, which ended up being a nice road trip stop with a large, cozy room, fishing-themed decor, and breakfast included. We stopped for dinner at Culver’s, a Midwestern chain with custard milkshakes and cheese curds so you can make your own poutine. Not healthy by any means, but a new and different experience for us.

Clinton, Iowa

We saw four more trolls in Clinton, Iowa (here’s a post that describes where to find them all). We saw one lounging in the grass, our first indoor troll, and one holding up a tree. We were only expecting to find three, but at our first stop, we talked to one of the volunteers who worked on the construction of the trolls. He told us that the volunteer team had worked hard and finished early, so Dambo gifted them with a fourth, more abstract troll, hidden deeper in the forest at Eagle Point Park. It was a worthy stop for me, since I’ve been hunting these troll sculptures around the world.

Chicago

Later that day, we drove through thunderstorms around Cleveland and stopped in Chicago. I don’t have many photos, since it was raining heavily and we spent dinner catching up with one of Bryan’s friends—it was nice to have a home cooked meal after a week on the road! However, I always have photos of Bailey, so here’s one where we stopped for human and pup cups somewhere in the midwest. And a brewery in Chicago.

Erie, Pennsylvania

At this point, life on the road was getting kind of tough. Between working remotely from coffee shops and rest areas and two icky, carpeted Motel 6 stays in a row, we needed some reenergizing time in a nature. On the bright side, the rest areas and coffee shops we found were nice and had solid wifi. And we’re resilient folks, so we powered through to Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA. We took a walk on a gorgeous, peaceful lake beach, and I even took a dip to cleanse my soul. Then it was back in the car and further east to go…

Allegheny State Park

Our final stop was a total re-immersion into nature. Allegheny State Park is right on the border of Pennsylvania and New York. We arrived as the sun was setting, so we decided not to set off on a hike—there are lots of black bears in the area. Instead, we set up camp, ate some tasty Mountain House meals, and enjoyed a fire. It was a bittersweet end to the trip. We were looking forward to sleeping in a non-motel bed and never seeing the inside of a Toyota Corolla again. In the morning, we did a short, woodsy hike that was a bit confusing and never amounted to a view. Then we stopped at Tim Horton’s to try some coffee and breakfast from our Canadian neighbors.

Home Sweet Home

Jersey, sweet Jersey. Later that day, we arrived home, hung our camping gear out to dry, and slept as much as we could. There were bagels and beach visits in store, as we unpacked and (yikes) already started to re-pack for the next trip. Bailey, as always, was happy to be home.

Shenandoah National Park

It’s been a couple of years now since I had a National Park Pass, but boy do I miss it!

I added another park to the list when Eric and I were driving back up from North Carolina. We decided against the I-95 route through Richmond and Washington D.C. on a Friday. The Shenandoah region was much more our speed.

We drove through a good portion of the park, and stopped for a short hike to the Black Rock Summit. It took about 40 minutes and the trail was unmarked/a little confusing, but we made it to some great views.

I think my road trip rules are as follows: Always choose the scenic route and stop for as many nature breaks as time allows. Then it was back into the car and off to PA for the weekend.

Sisters in California: Yosemite!

Anything I have to say about Yosemite seems very minuscule when compared to the beauty of the place itself. Our hostess was a true park expert, and she gave us great advice for planning the day, not to mention preparing a delicious and above-and-beyond breakfast in the morning. The park was crowded, of course, on a Sunday in summer, but it didn’t hinder our explorations at all. We parked at the far end of the village loop, rode the shuttle back in, and started by hiking the Mist Trail.

As we were climbing up the stairs and getting drenched by the waterfall, we saw a lovely little rainbow. iPhones are all waterproof now, right?!

After our hike, we rode the shuttle back to the car and drove up to Glacier Point. The views were breathtaking! I’ve been to Yosemite twice before (once as a baby), but this time felt like a whole new experience.

There was a little bit of traffic, and it takes a while to drive around the park at any time, however with these views we certainly didn’t mind. We added an extra hike in at the end by taking the Sentinel Dome trail. At the end of the day, we were glad to have taken the extra two miles, because it was much less crowded and offered similarly incredible vistas to Glacier Point.

In the Trees

Hi friends! There's a new moon on the horizon, and this week is delivering the excitement of renewed energy and possibilities. How could it not, when it started out like this? (For me, at least!)

The weekend took me back to Joshua Tree National Park where I camped with a new friend and got to see one of my favorite bands in funky little Pioneertown. 

Yo La Tengo at Pappy & Harriet's

I have a picture of Georgia, the drummer, on my 2018 vision board and, while I will say that my intention was to play the drums like her, I will accept the universe's offering of getting to see her play the drums in person.

I can tell you that Pappy & Harriet's is a magical venue that is well-worth checking out, and if you happen to be doing so, why not stay at the Black Rock Canyon Campground in Joshua Tree?  It just might be the thing for you.

Detours

It probably comes as a surprise that I went from Guatemala to California to New England to Texas. California and New England are not exactly "on the way" from Guatemala to Texas, but they're also not "not on the way". Anywhere can be on the way to anywhere else, it just depends on the way you're going.

There's never a bad time of year to visit Southern California (besides when it's on fire or falling in on itself), and it's an unbelievable treat to find yourself camping on a mild night in early January (especially when it's free for Martin Luther King Day). I got to put my indoor bouldering (lack of) skills to the test outdoors when I turned my dreams of Joshua trees into reality. 

You don't even need to leave the country to find wild wonders, but, if the temperature rises above double digits, you should probably go outside.

Easing East

After Nashville, the east coast was calling us back, so we packed up Gillie and hit the road to North Carolina. I was ready to put my National Park annual pass to work once more before its April expiration date, but we found out that the Great Smoky Mountain is free because this. Our visions of long hikes and stretching the legs were cut short by rainy snow, and we only left the car for a few moments to do dog things and snap some photos.

I imagine things were looking very pretty underneath all those clouds. Maybe I didn't pick the ideal time of year for my visit since the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed, too, but that only gives me another reason to go back.

Thank you to the friendly people who took our family portrait. Thank you to the National Park Service for having $80 annual passes. Thank you to Lainie and Warren for wearing my handmade hats.

Next stop, Asheville!

Wandering West

If you thought I would be tired of visiting national parks after this summer's road trip adventure, think again. I'm fully prepared to max out my annual pass and will accept any invitation to visit more before its April expiration date.

Marfa and Big Bend were both magical. 

If you didn't know, Marfa is a little west Texan town full of art galleries, tasty restaurants, and quirk. It was a little unsettling to eat a most excellent meal and then go sleep on the cold ground in our tent, but we made due. 

Then we headed south to see all of this:

I got to soak in my first natural hot springs and then jump into the mighty Rio Grande. I've never felt anything like it. Many thanks were given this year!

7 Parks in 7 Days

On the last two days of our trip, we managed to visit three more National Parks, bringing our total to seven in seven days. What better way to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service?

Plan your own route here.

Utah, Part II

Utah's national parks are a world of dreams and magic.

We hiked the Fairyland Loop trail in Bryce Canyon to get a view of the canyons from all angles, and I can't recommend it highly enough. We spent the whole day in a constant state of amazement, and when I walked out of the tent at night to head to the bathroom (squat down at the edge of our campsite), I saw the biggest shooting star of my life. Thank you Utah for your incredible skies and scenery!

WOW-oming!

Phase 3 of the trip brought us to a new state for me and a new phenomenon for both of us: forest fires!

As we crossed into Wyoming, we began to notice a lot of smoke in the air and started to hear gas station gossip about nearby towns being evacuated due to wildfires in the area. We had a "wouldn't it be cool if...?" moment* and, about 10 minutes later, the universe provided. 

*"Wouldn't it be cool if we could see a wildfire up close while we're conveniently protected by our car and far enough away that it won't impact our lives or our travel plans so we can go to Idaho and eat square-shaped ice cream in peace?" It was pretty sobering to see rows of homes about to be eaten by the flames and the firefighters who were in the air spraying water from helicopters or on the ground trying to push the fire back from the road. We felt guilty taking pictures while so many people's lives were being uprooted, but once-in-a-lifetime experiences sometimes call for photos and so we summoned the war photographers in us and proceeded.

While we were busy looking back at that (^), we didn't notice that these were slowly sneaking up on our right:

The Tetons!

The Tetons gave us shelter and an unbelievable view for the night while we entertained ourselves with long hikes in inappropriate footwear. B showed off his fire-building mastery and I cooked dinner on my brand new Coleman 2-burner camp stove, which I would regrettably end up breaking on the second night of camping, but which would be fine since I'm afraid of gas explosions anyway.

Next, we went to Yellowstone and decided to do everything in one day, a decision that was exhausting but one that we still stand by. The stones were really yellow, Old Faithful erupted while we were in the parking lot, and I learned that branches often look like moose antlers and your driving partner can get upset if you call out too many animal photo opps that are actually not.

The Earth was full of hot springs and gurgling pools and was feeling very alive! WOW-oming certainly lived up to B's nickname for it since I don't think we said any words other than amazing, incredible, beautiful, awesome, and long breathless wowww's for most of this phase of the trip. We would have loved some more time to explore, but Utah (and showers) beckoned.

A Wandering Whirlwind

We made it through Colorful Colorado, Wild Wyoming, I-Don't-Know Idaho, Utopic Utah, Astounding Arizona, Not-so-bad New Mexico, and now we're back in TOO BIG Texas! I had my first square ice cream and we learned that dust storms are a real thing to watch out for.

I imagined The Road having a lot more internet than it actually did, so I've got a backlog of adventures to tell you about. To start off, here are some signs from some states:

Hope your Monday was even half as good as an unemployed yogi's spent buried in loads of laundry, grocery goods, and car crumbs!

Namaste.