After living in America for 6 years, we wanted to see more before we left. We spent 3 months driving across the USA. We left New Jersey on the 2nd of April 1996, and ended the trip in LA on the 2nd of July 1996.
From Jersey we headed south down the coast. Crossed the Chesapeake Bay and camped by the beach in Virginia. Walking along the beach in shorts just after sunset with the recently risen moon in eclipse was a nice beginning to the trip and a pleasant change after the worst winter we'd seen in the six years we spent in New Jersey. From there we followed the coast to the Outer Banks, spending several days in the sunshine on various beaches, shaking off the last vestiges of winter. The south bound journey ended in Charleston. We took a ferry to Fort Sumpter and visited the one and only aircraft carrier museum of the trip. Bill was quite excited about it, it wasn't however, high on Helen's list of neat things to see and do in Charleston. What a surprise!
From there is was westward, into the Smokey Mountains. As we got closer it started to rain, then sleet, then snow - not a great omen for camping. Fortunately, we happened upon an outdoor center in the Nantahalla National Forest which rented bunks in small dry and heated rooms for a mere $10/night - bargain! It is on the Appalacian trail, and we met several people hiking from Florida to Maine (and you thought we were strange!). After a couple of days of hiking (selected bits of the Appalacian) and biking (in Tsali - a major mountain bike Mecca) in the NF we headed into the National Park for a few days. The snow covered mountains were absolutely spectacular and although the nights were cold the days were warm and sunny. Perfect weather for the hammock, and plenty of strong trees to put it between. Hiked Chimney Tops, and biked Cades Cove, plus a couple of short walks.
Our next stop was to visit our friends Jon and Jaci in Nashville. Having being without a shower for 4 days in the Smokeys we also made good use of their shower and washing machine! We had a great couple of days with them, relaxing on the deck, BBQ's, stocking up on supplies.
No trip to Tennessee would be complete without a visit to Memphis - "birth place of the blues", or so they say. We caught up with Charlie, a friend of Bill's and a Memphis native, for ribs at Corky's, a guided tour of downtown and some beer tasting at a local beer bar. A great night on the town! Of course no visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland, just had to be done! Over-priced but fortunately moderately interesting.
Having lived in America for nearly 6 years we felt it would be criminal not to visit the Presidents "home town" of Little Rock since we were in the area. The actual little rock was unimpressive, but the Frontier museum was interesting, and then it was on to the Ouachita NF outside Hot Springs. The camp was buzzed by a hummingbird while we were having dinner. More bike riding, and then a visit to one of the bath houses and a full body massage.
From there it was off to Texas, stopping at the Oil Museum in Kilgore to find out about the oil boom in the 30's, then more biking in the S. Houston NF, and a swim in the lake. A quick visit to the San Jacinto battlefield, and the Houston Space Center, and off to Brazos Bend SP to camp (despite the "beware of the alligators" signs). The next morning, biking through the swamps we saw alligators 12+ feet long less than 20 feet off the trails, lots of animals, and a greater variety of birds than we'd see anywhere else in our trip. From there it was on to Corpus Christi on the southern gulf coast. More biking along CC beach, a visit to the Texas Aquarium and the Museum of Science & History, hiking and swimming on the beach in Padre Island NP.
On to San Antonio to see the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and (by pure coincidence) the annual fiesta (picked up an excellent CD of Inca music from a couple of buskers). Then, after restocking the wagon, it was off into the desert. Our camp in Seminole canyon SP was visited by a scorpion, and we saw our first Turkey Vultures there. We biked, and joined a ranger tour to see Indian pictographs in the caves. From there to Big Bend NP, and the Basin campground in the Chisos Mtns, where we met Steve. Several days of hiking in desert canyons, and through the somewhat greener areas near the Rio Grande, and even another dip in a hot spring. We even saw a couple of Roadrunners. The desert is dusty and hot, but there's still lots of life in it.
Headed north out of BBNP, and on to Fort Davis (an early fort on the cross country wagon route), bumped into Steve again, stopped at the Mcdonald Observatory, and on to Balmorea SP (which claims the dubious distinction of having worlds largest spring fed rock bottom swimming pool), where we bumped into Steve yet again. It was all too much, and we decided to convoy with him, and headed for Guadeloupe NP. The day we arrived we hiked up McKittrick canyon, and the next day Steve joined forces with Helen and cajoled Bill into what would turn out to be the most strenuous hike of the trip - to the peak of Guadeloupe Mtn (3000 ft - 4 hrs up, 2 back - what a day!).
Still in convoy with Steve, we visited Carlsbad Caverns NP (the elevator ride out gives a distinctly American flavour to the caves), Brantley Lake SP (where our camp site was visited by horned lizards and jackrabbits), and White Sands NM (the desert within a desert). We parted company with Steve there, and headed north to Albuquerque, and then Santa Fe (stopping at the Owl bar for a Green Chilli Cheeseburger). After seeing the sights, and stocking up again, we headed to Bandoleer NM (our first taste of Anasazi ruins), and then Los Alamos. Then we drove through the San Diego canyon to Aztec (more Anasazi ruins) and on to Durango. Another day of biking, and then off to Mesa Verde NP for a day of hiking (and yet more Anasazi ruins).
North from there through the rocky mountains on the "million dollar highway" (What's that smell honey? Oh, that's just the smoke from the brakes.) to Ridgeway SP, and a dip in the hot spring pool in Ouray. From there it was on to The Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM, and after a bit of hiking, on to Highline SP. A bit more biking (saw some prairie dogs), and then off to the Colorado NM for more sight-seeing.
From there it was off to Utah. With most of the parks in the area full, we ended up at Canyonlands NP (Island in the Sky - more hiking). During the night, our tent was torn apart in a windstorm in the middle of the night. A bit of repacking allowed us to sleep in the wagon for the rest of the night. After hiking all day in Arches NP, we headed back to Grand Junction for a new tent. Then it was back to Utah, and a hike into the Needles region of Canyonlands NP.
Natural Bridges NM, Lake Powell, and Capitol Reef NP (excellent campground, unfortunately full) were stops as we passed through some of the most desolate countryside we encountered on the whole trip. The ride from there to Escalante SP (Rt 12) was spectacular - Utah at its best. More hiking, and lots of petrified wood, and a little biking, then off to Bryce Canyon NP.
Spent two days hiking about through Bryce's Hoodoos - very spectacular. Saw the only rattlesnake of the trip, after nearly treading on it. Watched some Stellars Jays chasing squirrels out of trees. From there, through Red Canyon to Zion NP. Hiked to the top of Angels Landing, and up the Narrows. Drove up through Utah, stopping to replenish the supplies in Provo. Drove up through Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta/Snowbird, and saw the LDS compound in the center of Salt Lake city.
Then it was north again through the Star Valley to Grand Tetons NP, and a campsite (visited by moose) on Jenny Lake. More biking and hiking (saw marmots), and lots of dreary weather - the first time our hiking boots had seen snow since the Smokey Mountains. At Oxbow Bend we saw lots of wildlife, including pelicans, muskrat, osprey, beavers, and heron. The day we departed, the sun finally broke through, and we saw the Tetons at their best, reflecting in the lakes. From there it was north again, to Yellowstone NP.
Old Faithful and lots and lots of other smelly geothermal features (springs, geysers, mud pots, fumaroles) filled our agenda for the next few days, with heaps of wildlife in between (moose, elk, mountain goat, bison, coyote, grizzly bear, otter, osprey, eagle, and of course the very pretty mountain bluebird just to name a few.). The snow kept us sleeping indoors for most of our stay there. Yellowstone was also the only place where we had hassles with the car - Bill managed to flood it, and it took about an hour to get it going again.
Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho was the next stop, but the lava tubes were closed due to road construction. Access to the campground was difficult, so we abandoned our plans to stay the night. On the way out, Bill managed to back the car into someone else's car, adding the final nail in to coffin of a disappointing day.
Another whole day on the road got us out of Idaho, and most of the way across Oregon. We explored Newberry Volcanic NM's lava cave and caldera, then explored (driving, biking, etc) some of the many lakes in the area.
From there it was on to Crater Lake NP. The north entrance, and the rim road were both closed by snow, but the south entrance was open to the rim. Most of the campground was under 3 foot of snow, but we found a patch of dirt and put up the tent. No hiking trails were open (too dangerous with so much snow), but we took the bikes for a ride on part of the (closed to cars) rim road - a little strange to be riding in T-shirts between 8 foot snow banks. The view from the rim was absolutely spectacular - certainly rates in the top 5 views we saw on the trip.
After a scenic drive through the mountains of southern Oregon, and a night in the forests of northern California, we arrived at Lassen NP. After a couple of days of hiking, more snow closed roads, and another bald eagle sighting, we headed for the coast. Another couple of days of hiking and biking in Redwoods NP and the associated state parks (saw woodpeckers and goldfinches), then a few days driving slowly down the coast (cormorants, oystercatchers, and seals) to San Francisco.
Spent a couple of days exploring SF (parking the wagon was a constant battle) Mt Tamalpais, Haight-Asbury, China Town, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Mission, Twin Peaks, Castro, Golden Gate Park, Santa Cruz, , the bell tower at UC Berkley, Sonoma, Napa. As cities go, this is a nice one.
The campground at Yosemite NP was dismal - wall to wall people, all from the "Cheetos & Mayonnaise" crowd, a human zoo. Fortunately, there were lots of places to hike where the crowds were thinner. The scenery was excellent (lots of waterfalls), and the hikes were good, but a couple of days there was about all we could stand.
After a night in Fresno, it was off to Kings Canyon NP, and Sequoia NP. A few days spent hiking in Kings Canyon, a tour of a marble cave, and lots of hikes through and to various sequoia groves, and we left our last park.
We spent two days in Pasadena preparing for our departure (cleaning the bikes, developing lots of film, packing, shopping, etc.) and handed off most of our stuff to the moving company in LA. With the car almost empty, we spent a day on Laguna Beach (mostly sipping maragritas), then spent an evening in San Diego with Bill's friend Jim.
Finally it was back to LA, and the airport Motel 6. Despite a few inquiries about the "for sale" sign on the car, no one wanted it. We ditched it at a junk yard for $200, a couple of hours before we got on the plane.