Mileage Record

100 Rock Falls, IL
200 Durant, IA
300 Grinnell, IA
400 Casey, IA
500 Omaha, NE
600 York, NE
700 Overton, NE
800 Paxton, NE
900 Sterling, CO
1000 Denver, CO
1100 Vail, CO
1200-1700 Carbondale, CO & Aspen, CO
1800 Parachute, CO
1900 Westwater, UT
2000 Arches NP, UT
2100 Canyonlands NP, UT
2200 Grand County, UT
2300 Green River, UT
2400 Capitol Reef NP, UT
2500 Henrieville, UT
2600 Zion NP, UT
2700 Red Canyon, UT (outside of Bryce Canyon NP)
2800 Panguitch, UT
2900 St. George, UT
3000 Fredonia, AZ
3100 Kaibab NF, AZ (near North Rim of the Grand Canyon)
3200 The Gap, AZ
3300 The Grand Canyon (South Rim), AZ
3400 Williams, AZ
3500 Kingman, AZ
3600 Lake Mead, AZ
3700 Las Vegas, NV
3800 Baker, CA
3900 Victorville, CA
4000 Anaheim, CA
4100 Malibu, CA
4200 Pasadena, CA
4300 Oxnard, CA
4400 Santa Barbara, CA
4500 Arroyo Grande, CA
4600 San Simeon, CA
4700 Big Sur, CA
4800 Hollister, CA
4900 Fresno, CA
5000 Madera County, CA
5100-5200 Yosemite NP, CA
5300 Chinese Camp, CA
5400 Tracy, CA
5500 San Raphael, CA
5600 Russian River Valley, CA
5700 Willits, CA
5800 Fortuna, CA
5900 Prairie Creek State Park, CA
6000 Klamath, CA
6100 Grants Pass, OR
6200 Ashland, OR
6300-6400 Crater Lake NP, OR
6500 Lowell, OR
6600 Willamette NF, OR
6700 Mt. Hood NF, OR
6800 Columbia River Gorge, OR
6900 Castle Rock, WA
7000-7100 Mt. Ranier NP, WA
7200 Seattle, WA
7300 Guemes Island, WA
7400 Ross Lake Nat. Recreation Area, WA
7500 Winthrop, WA
7600 Grand Coulee, WA
7700 Spokane, WA
7800 Gaugan, MT
7900 Flathead Lake, MT
8000 Glacier NP, MT
8100 Glacier NP (Many Glacier), MT
8200 Babb, MT
8300 Outside Waterton Lakes NP near U.S./Canada Border
8400 Dupuyer, MT
8500 Wolf Creek, MT
8600 Logan, MT
8700 Corwin Springs, MT
8800-8900 Yellowstone NP, WY
9000 Grand Teton NP, WY
9100 Shoshone NF, WY
9200 Shell, WY
9300 Sheridan, WY
9400 Gillette, WY
9500 Belle Fourche, SD
9600 Piedmont, SD
9700 Custer, SD
9800 Wind Cave NP, SD
9900 Badlands NP, SD
10000 Okaton, SD
10100 Pukwana, SD
10200 Montrose, SD
10300 Rushmore, MN
10400 Bricelyn, MN
10500 St Charles, MN
10600 Camp Douglas, WI
10700 Soughton, WI
10800 Schaumburg, IL
10824 Chicago, IL

The Numbers

OK, now that we're officially home, here is a rundown of what we did and saw on our adventure:

1 Canadian National Park
1 International Peace Park
1 National Grassland
1 National Memorial
2 Countries
3 National Monuments
6 State Parks
6 Canadian Provincial License Plates Seen
15 States Visited
16 National Parks
18 National Forests
27 Campsites
41 Nights Spent Camping
46 Different Homes
46 Miles Hiked
48 U.S. License Plates Seen (missing only WV & AL)
56 Friends & Family Members Along the Way
87 Days on the Road
7,000 Elevation Feet Hiked
10,824 Miles Traveled

And now for something completely different...

I've decided to take my giant stories to another format.  The project became a little bigger than this blog since the last time I posted.  That, and the time on the road is whittling away like a burnt smores stick.  So, I shall return to that tomfoolery once I get back.  

I suppose it's getting to the point where I need to develop some sort of conclusion to this experiment.  What have I learned, how am I different, where have I been and where am I going.  Somehow, that all seems doubtful, but I'll see what I can muster up.  In the meantime, here's a little ditty that I wanted to get down on 'paper' before it was swept away.

To set the stage, we were in Glacier National Park, which is in the northwest of Montana and is adjoined to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.  Together they make the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park, but that's neither here nor there.  On our second day there, we got a flat in Many Glaciers on the Montana side.  The closest place to repair the tire was in Canada, so off we went through customs.  The border was relatively uneventful that day.  It helped that Simone was driving and thus answering the officer's questions.  However, put a grizzly bearded, long haired hippy in the driver's seat and you get the following day's border crossing.  This time we went to the border that adjoins the two parks.  It went something like this.  

OFFICER GREG

(sternly)  Good morning.

HIPPY

(cheerfully)  Good morning, sir!

HIPPY'S GIRL

(same)  Good morning!

HIPPY'S DOG

(same)  Snarfle!

OFFICER GREG

Passports.

HIPPY

You bet.

(hands them to him)

OFFICER GREG

(still sternly)  So,where are you folks headed today?

HIPPY    

Just over to the park for the day.

OFFICER GREG

And how long are you planning on staying there?

HIPPY

Um...just for the day.

HIPPY'S GIRL

Six hours or so!

OFFICER GREG

And is it just the two of you?

HIPPY

Yep.  Just us and the dog!

HIPPY'S DOG

Snarfle!

OFFICER GREG

And does your dog have papers?

HIPPY'S DOG

Snarfle?

HIPPY

Papers?

HIPPY'S GIRL

Oh, you mean her proof of vaccinations from the vet?  

OFFICER GREG

Uh huh.

HIPPY'S GIRL

Oh, yes we do!

HIPPY

Oh, yes!  We've got those in the...

HIPPY'S GIRL

In the...oh...the bag that's in our tent.

OFFICER GREG

In your tent?

HIPPY 

Yeah.

HIPPY'S GIRL

But she's wearing her tags!  (getting the tags off the dog) Will that be enough? 

OFFICER GREG

(taking the tags and looking them over)  Well, okay.  Don't know about getting back in though.

HIPPY

Will that be a problem?

OFFICER GREG

Do you have someone that could drive them up here with the papers if it comes to that?

HIPPY

Will it come to that?

OFFICER GREG

Could be.  Do you?

HIPPY AND HIPPY'G GIRL

(glumly and slightly confused) No.

HIPPY'S DOG

(glumly and slightly confused)  Snarfle?

OFFICER GREG

Well, good luck.

(hands the tags back)

So, where are you two staying?

HIPPY

Just down in Glacier at Rising Sun.

OFFICER GREG

And what is the purpose of your visit?

HIPPY

We, uh, just want to see the park.

HIPPY'S GIRL

We've been traveling.

HIPPY

Yeah, we've been on the road for a few months.

OFFICER GREG

Where are you from?

HIPPY AND HIPPY'S GIRL

Chicago.

OFFICER GREG

And when are you going back?

HIPPY 

Around Labor Day.

OFFICER GREG

And why are you going back then?

HIPPY

(starting to get flustered)  Well, our theatre company has a show opening and we need to get back for that.

OFFICER GREG

So that's what you do for a living?

HIPPY

Heh heh, yeah.  Among other things.

OFFICER GREG

Uh huh.  And is this your car?

HIPPY

Yep.  Our car.

OFFICER GREG

And do you have any fruit in the vehicle.?

HIPPY

Nope.

OFFICER GREG

Any alcohol?

HIPPY

Nope.

OFFICER GREG

Over 10,000 dollars?

HIPPY

I wish!

OFFICER GREG

Any firewood?

HIPPY

Nope.

OFFICER GREG

You came from a campground without any firewood?

HIPPY

Uh, yeah.  We left it back there for tonite.  Cause we're going back.  Tonite.

OFFICER GREG

And any firearms?

HIPPY

(laughing)  No, sir.

OFFICER GREG

You came all the way from Chicago without any firearms?

HIPPY

Uh.  Yeah.

OFFICER GREG

Alright, I'm going to need you to pop your trunk.

HIPPY

Uh, okay, but it doesn't pop.  You can just open it though.  If you want.

OFFICER GREG

Okay, I will.

(does so and looks around suspiciously)

HIPPY'S DOG

Snarrrfle.

OFFICER GREG

(closes the trunk)

Okay, you're all set.  Have a good day and welcome to Canada.


fine.


- snook.

The Giant Family of America, chapter 1

A long, long time ago, in a forest on the western coast of America, there lived a family of giants. These giants were so giant that a mere eyelash from one of these creatures could barely be held in your hand. They were over a hundred feet tall, with a reddish tint to their skin and long, flowing green hair. Other than that, though, they were just like you and me.

The family was made up of a mom, a dad and four children. The dad was George and the mom was Karen, but the kids never called them by those names and, eventually, neither did George and Karen. They were just Mom and Dad. The eldest of all the children was Jimmy and while he was three hundred years old, if you compared that with his parents age, he was still only a teenager. Boy, did he sure act like it too. Next in line was Tess at two hundred and twelve. She was the brains of the bunch and everybody knew it. If they didn't, though, she would gladly let them know. Finally, there were the twins, Jill and Jack. There were each a hundred and twenty-five, but they always liked to say that, together, they were older then Tess. Tess would simply reply, 'Maybe so, but I'm twice as mature as both of you and Jimmy put together.' Mom and Dad would laugh, Jimmy would roll his eyes and the twins would just sit there, trying to do the math. This was the Giant family of America and this is their story.

On the coastal side of what is now called California was a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see. But it wasn't the size of the forest that made it special. It was the size of its trees. The were the tallest in all the land. Taller, even, than the giants that lived among them. With a red hue to their wood and giant green leaves, it provided the perfect hiding place for the Giant family of America. Here, they could walk amongst the trees, relax in the fern gullies and sleep in the beds of moss. All the while, they would disappear into the colors of the forest without a care in the world. It wasn't always this way, though.

Many moons ago, when their great great grandparents roamed the land, smaller creatures like you and me began to come over from the other countries. Giants, by nature, are peaceful creatures, but the great great grandparent giants realized that those smaller than them would get scared when they saw something so giant. Sometimes, because the smaller creatures were scared, they would get confused and try to hurt the giants. It wasn't anyone's fault because the smaller creatures just didn't understand, but the great great grandparent giants realized that in order to live in harmony, they would have to remain hidden from anyone smaller. What, though, could possibly hide a giant?

The searched and searched across all of America and couldn't find anything big enough to hide behind. The tallest thing they could find were tree, but they only came up to their knees. They did, however, give them an idea. After a lot of thought and discussion, they had plan to try and create a new kind of tree. A giant tree. So, they took a seed from a pine tree, a fir tree and an oak tree and glued them together with the red clay of the desert. Once they had done that, they planted the new giant seed into the soil along the coast so that they could feed the tree with the water of the ocean. They did this by stepping out in to the bay and blowing big giant breathes that would pick up the ocean water and rain on top of where the giant seed was planted. Then, they waited.

Soon, it began to grow and as the decades went by, it grew bigger and bigger until it was as big as them. Then, just as the great great grandparent giants had hoped, it produced a new kind of giant seed, which they planted all around their new giant tree. Finally, an entire forest of this new kind of giant tree was growing as far as the giant's eyes could see. They had a new home where they could raise their giant babies safely and they were as happy as they could be. As they smiled and admired their giant forest, they realized that the red clay from the desert, which had glued the seeds together, had dyed the wood of these new giant trees. Needing a name for their new home, they decided it only made sense to call it the Redwood Forest. So, it is hear, in the Redwood forest, that our Giant family of America once lived, safe from the danger of the outside world.




- snook.

Location:The Redwood National Forest

The Land of Giants

So, I've been trying to wrap my head around the National Parks that we've been staying at over the past two months and I've simply not been able to do it. The only thing that kept coming to my mind as I witnessed the grandeur and the splendor of these places is 'it's a land of giants.' The scale of everything is through the roof...or rather, the sky. The scope of the Grand Canyon, the waterfalls of Yosemite, the enormity of Crater Lake. Now, I've seen canyons and waterfalls and lakes, but the scale at these parks is astonishing, dumfounding, and just plain giant.

As I read about the geology and evolution of these places, it's all sounded fine and good, but it didn't really satisfy my awe. Instead of spending any time reflecting on the fault patterns, erosion and glaciers, I kept thinking 'no, it's just a land of giants.' Finally, I decided to take myself literally. In entries following this one, I'm going to start a story. A children's story. About giants. I'm going to try and make sense of these parks through the eyes of a child. Namely, me. It's funny--one way that this trip has affected me is it's absolutely brought out my inner child. Or maybe I've just regressed twenty-five years or so. Ask Simone. I'm fairly certain she'd agree. Anyway, I have no idea if I'll finish the project here or back at home. And I have no idea what the hell I'll do with it. But, at this point, it's the best way for me to describe what has gone on inside my brain when I've seen these magnificent places. And so, here we go

2/3 Musings

Written on Tuesday August 3rd

It has been 58 days and over 6300 miles since we left Chicago. Now, at Crater Lake in Oregon, we are enjoying our eighth National Park and our fifteenth campsite. It's hard to believe that we've been gone for over two months, especially since we still have moments where it seems unbelievable that we're on this trip at all. But now, two thirds of the way through, I find myself reflecting on the experiences we've had and anticipating those that await us.

This truly has been an incredible journey thus far, and one that's hard to describe during my occasional phone conversations with family and friends back home. We've seen so many people and places and had such a wide array of experiences that there's no way to really distill everything to a few essential talking points. The best I can figure is that our stories will make occasional appearances in conversations over many months as we discover their relevance to our lives back home, which seem quite distant at this particular juncture.

Serendipity and luck continue be our good friends as we drive up the west coast. In addition to the immeasurable natural beauty we've had the privilege to witness (and not a single drop of rain since CO!), we were able to attend the All Star Game in L.A. (thanks to our dear friends who work for Stub Hub), stay at a beautiful house in Santa Barbara (thanks to a cousin's generosity), view an amazing collection of impressionist paintings at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco (thanks to renovations currently underway at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris), attend my childhood best friend's 30th birthday party in Oakland, have a private tasting with the owner of the greenest winery in Russian River, and see two fabulous shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Friends and family continue to open their homes to us, which gives us the dual pleasures of their company and use of their showers/washing machines (luxuries we have come to appreciate greatly). Complete strangers have quickly become campsite friends, offering everything from conversation and travel advice to firewood and even air mattresses.

And really, appreciation is what it's all about. I keep thinking about what I want to take away from this trip in the months to come, and I think that the most important thing I can do is make sure I continue to take the time to truly appreciate things once we are back home. As a constant and relentless "doer", I often have a hard time taking a deep breath and smelling the proverbial roses, so often concerned with the next item on my to do list, with the next project, audition, performance, meeting, event.

And now, as much as I have to make a real effort to restrain myself from over thinking the impending job search, wedding planning, Aftermath remount, etc., I have come to appreciate so many things--how numerous and bright the stars are far from city lights, roaring campfires and the way their scent lingers in clothes long after they've been extinguished, Willie's excitement when we take her to a new dog park, the perfect s'more, early morning hikes, Aaron's delicious dinners cooked on a little Coleman stove, getting away with not wearing a bra for a whole day, the comfortable routine with which we now set up and break down camp, waking up from the heat of the sun, deliciously fresh west coast produce, having the time to read or play cards, spending real quality time with each other and loved ones scattered around the west. The scenic views are stunning--mountains, waterfalls, canyons, the tallest trees and bluest lake you'll ever see in your life--but so are the smaller components that comprise them--the doe feeding her two young fawns, butterflies resting on wildflowers, a burned out tree trunk sprouting new life, a colorful cluster of lichens on a rock. I hope that I am never so unfortunate as to take any of these for granted.

And then there are all of those things in our normal life that I often forget to appreciate but are considered rare on the road--daily showers, clean clothes, a glass of ice water whenever you want it, a comfortable bed to sleep in, a dishwasher. It is easy to forget how wonderful these things can be!

But regardless of where we are or what we're doing, this trip reminds me constantly that every day is a gift. And I'm resolved not to let myself forget this when we resurface in the real world:)

Shakessnarfle!

I went to Ashland, Oregon! It is the land of Shakespeare! It put me in the mood to write a sonnet!

Willie's Sonnet #18

Shall I compare me to a summer's hay?
I shall because I am quite temperate.
Rough winds to chase the pesky bugs away
And Willie's leash hath all to short a gait.
Sometimes too hot the sun above me shines
And often the shade is too early dimm'd
And every bear from bear we must decline
Though gainst my nature, so we aren't unlimb'd.
But my eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose the memory of the camps I know'st.
Nor shall my spirit wanderest from this shade
Een in eternal lines to time I grow'st.
So long as dogs can breath or eyes can see,
So long this lives, and this gives life to snarfle!