BRC here we come!

The pit stop in Sparks is over and we are heading off to Burning Man!!! Finally! The car is loaded with stuff, including bikes thanks to the Reno Bike Project. Time to hit the long winding road home back to the Black Rock Desert.

Yellowstone!

Milage: 2616miles ...some where in Idaho

Leaving Yellowstone and heading to Reno, Nevada. We had mostly good weather the whole time which is amazing because the weather is so unpredictable. There is sooo much to see in Yellowstone, it is the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined and it contains more then half of the worlds geothermal features due to the active super volcano that created it. You could spend days seeing mud pots, gysers, canyons, hot springs and waterfalls without even leaving the major roads! The best shit is, of course, off the main roads though. The parks wildlife is amazing aswell. Herds of buffalo can be seen calmly grazing by the roadsides, usually surrounded by gawking tourists inching dangerously close with cameras drawn. Bison my look docile but they will charge people! There are deer, elk, moose, bears, coyotes, wolves, the list goes on and on.  The lucky traveler may see a few of these animals from the roads but you are more likly to see moose,wolves,coyotes and bears in the back country. We had a brief run in with a bear on a back country trail, it scared the crap out of me but honestly the bear was more scared of us. The key is to make alot of noise so you don't sneak up and startle the bear or any wild animal really, if they hear you coming they will usually run away. We enjoy loudly quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail, bears don't seem to like it as much as we do.

We stayed in the Indian Creek campgrounds just south of the Mammoth Hot Springs. Its a great campground; small, mostly tents, only a few rv spots and no generators. Only $12 a night and is off the beaten trail so there is not alot of traffic, highly recommended. One of the coolest things you will hear almost any night if you camp in Yellowstone are the erie echoing howls of wolves and the yelping of the coyotes in the distance. It starts as only a few howls and then builds into a symphony as the whole pack comes together in high pitched yips and yelps like echoing screams in the distance. Pretty amazing stuff.

      We got to do some awesome hikes . Finding a good trail map is harder then it should be and we unintentionally  ended up on a 5.5 mile hike up the Golden Gate. Stunning view from the top but damn what a climb. We also did a hike along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone that traced the canyon cliffs from which I have amazing photos to post tonight or tomorrow. The trailhead for that hike is at Artist Point in Madison, just elbo past the hundreds of car tourists trying to get pictures of the upper falls to find the trail entrance in the back of the observation area. Trust me this trail offers some of the most spectacular views of the canyon that few ever see.

All and all one of the most amazing places I have ever been lucky enough to visit. Heres a few pictures from my phone, look for the good shit under the photography tab soon!

In to Yellowstone

See everyone in a week!

This is what we call creek chilled...

Sometime you cant find ice! Mmmmm pork slap.

Big Horn Mountains National Forest, Wyoming

Took highway 16 up into the mountains to camp for the night. If you ever get the chance to even just drive through them do it! Drive carefully though its free range and no one wants to crash into a cow! Tomorrow and for the rest of the week Yellowstone!

South Dakota

A few picture snapped from my phone of todays drive of the prarie and the black hills. Nikon pictures have to be uploaded from my computer but when I get the chance I will and they will be posted under photography. Lucky for me my phone takes decent photos.

Corn Palace

Interstate 90 through South Dakota has more to offer then just breathtaking views of Americas praries and fields of sunflowers. Who can drive through SD without stopping to see the worlds only Corn Palace. They love corn so much they built a palace for it. Well not exactly. It was actually built in 1892 to show how fertile the land was to convince people to move out to Mitchell. I guess it worked because over 100 years later it is still around. The building is covered in corn, wheat,and rye murals desined anew each year by local artists. I am a dork so when I see signs for a corn palace im in! Strange roadside attractions appeal to me, plus now I can say..."oh yeah, I've been to the Corn Palace" a phrase im sure I will never be able to use but just in case.

Now Wall Drug well that's another story. 300 miles of billboards that don't tell you what it is.... its got to be cool, right? Ill save you the trip. Its South Dakotas South of the Border. Minus Pedro and the ability to buy a $2 inflatable cactus. To bad there were no inflatable corn cobs at the Corn Palace.

Construction

It is everywhere! Its amazing really the amount of construction on every major interstate it the country. All the traffic we hit while trying to escape the east coast...construction traffic. Interstate 70 and 80 were down to one lane at points. One lane! On a Friday! What a brilliant idea...Brilliant! This is my third time driving cross country in three years and many of the same sections are still "under construction" and by under construction I mean 14 mile streches of highway lined with cones. I tell you what, the orange cone and refector industry must be booming! It takes alot of cones to line the majority of every major highway in the country!

After an exciting day of travel it was time to settle down for a good nights rest...at a reststop somewhere in podunk Indiana.

Tip: For long car trips recline seats before packing, otherwise you will be sleeping sitting straight up...not so comfortable.

Indianas roads are a pain to drive, besides the construction, not all highways have exits in both directions! Which is how we ended up heading north to Chicago instead of west to Peoria, Illinois. Oh, and northern Indiana has the wonderful aroma of burnt asphalt covered in rotten eggs and poo.

Illinois is pretty bad as well and none of the exits tell you if there is gas or food...which led us on a wild goose chase on E to find a gas station. When we finally did lightening struck a transformer across the street (what a sweet explosion) knocking out all the power. Why I never bring an extra gallon of gas is beyond me.

Tip: Illinois has tolls on the highway around chicago every 10 miles or so ranging from .80 to 1.60 and then you pay. 50 or so at every exit. So always bring a big pocket full of change because not all tolls have attendants so your fucked if you don't have .50 cents!

We finally reached Wisconsin and it is everything I ever dreamed it could be (I dream about cheese). It was hard to control my cheese urges everytime we passed a cheese house so I didnt end up with 10lbs of rotting cheese in the trunk. By now were on interstate 90 which is less traveled and has less construction. Vast wide open fields of corn and soy beans line both sides of the highway. It is stunning in a bread basket home grown kinda way.

Time to finish my coffee and hit the wide open road.

It Begins

235miles behind us State~West Virginia

Interstate 70, running 2153miles from Batimore to Utah. It`s lengthy,it`s weaving and winding,and for the first 500 miles or so is pretty dull (at least until you get out Ohio). Lucky for us we have hit plenty of traffic, including two gridlock traffic jams, to make things a little more interesting. As I sit here passengering, watching the snakeing red glow of brake lights, all I can think of is how cant wait to get the hell off the east coast. To many damn paople! GIVE ME WIDE OPEN SPACES!!....ehem. Despite my obvious frustrations I know we will be on ou way soon....hopefully. Either that or we will remain trapped in Wheeley, WV a sign from the gods, perhaps, that I should not proceed. But I will, ignoring signs is more my style anyway.

This blog will be my feeble attempt at recording my adventures or lack thereof for the next few months...if I ever make it out of ye olde West Virginy that is. I make not alwas be able to update since I will be in lots of remote areas but there will be plenty of updates when I pass through areas of civlization. For now not much to report so I`m outy .

Menacing Horizon

Tomorrow we go west...but for tonight we have light.