5,300 miles, 11 states, in 10 days - Trip West 2009

[02TahoeMD]

One of my favorite quotes from the works of JRR Tolkien are “I want to see mountains again...” , words that have rang true upon my heart for twenty some years now. It had been almost four very long years since my last trip beyond the Mississippi, and it was high time to take a trip out West. I have done a lot to my Tahoe over the past year or so getting it ready for an Expedition, and although I still had not done everything I wanted to do to the truck to get ready, it was definitely time to stop working on the thing and start using it. Although, it she did get to see some use in the Fall of 08 down at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it was high time I took a proper road trip.

My journey kicked off at 0630 on 14 May 2009, rolling out of Harford County, Maryland. My dad and I drove through to St Louis, Missouri in 16 hours. We had to make it to St Louis in a day since my brother was graduating Seminary on Friday and we had a great time together on the journey out I-70. I am grateful for his help with this first leg of the trip since I only had 2 hours of sleep the night prior.

Friday 15 May was spent around St Louis, visiting the St Louis Art Museum and the St Louis PD Mounted Unit with my sister and brother in law who had flown in ahead of us. Then, it was time for the family to gather as my brother got his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary, a happy moment for us all.

Saturday 16 May saw a late start for me, as other obligations kept me from the road. But, by 1300 I had bidden farewell to the family and I was on the road headed west. I drove through to the very last rest stop in Kansas on 70 where by 0100 I was just too tired and set up to sleep inside the truck at the rest stop. Boy, is Kansas a BORING state to drive though at night! Hours and hours of darkness, punctuated by a truck stop or rest area appearing out of the nether, cycling over and over. This was the only part of my trip that felt like “work” to me. Kudos go to Kansas though for equipping their rest stops with wi-fi and for setting them up like mini campgrounds, I think there were 4 of us who car camped there that night.

Sunday 17 May kicked off around 0800, crossing into Colorado and pushing along I-70. I could feel the call of the Rockies, and in a couple of hours, they made their appearance, a sight that has never ceased to be enjoyable. Thankfully there was still a lot of snow to be seen on the mountains, which makes them all that more majestic. I followed 70 all the way through to Grand Junction, stopping to take photos when the urge hit. The town of No Name certainly merited a photograph of the exit, and the rest stop at No Name had a great view of the Colorado River and the surrounding mountains.

At Grand Junction I picked up CO 550 south, and began working my way down towards Durango, my destination for the night. I took a brief foray into a side canyon to play with the Tahoe off road some. As I was returning to the highway I heard an ominous POW! Followed by a quick woooooosssshhhhing sound. My first thought was that I had popped a tire, but the truck didn’t settle any. Turns out a compression fitting for my on board air system had blown out. So, no more air horn or front air outlet. Later investigation revealed it was just the “front” part of my on board air, which I could shut off an isolate, and still have a functioning tank for airing back up my tires. I was glad to have dodged that bullet.

Whilst meandering down 550 I saw a sign for National Forest Lands, Cow Creek, near Ouray Colorado. A dirt road beckoned to me yet again, and I turned down this road for a brief trip into the back country. It made me over an hour late to Durango but it was worth every minute. Indeed, as I wound my way through the valleys and mountain passes of 550 there were many such trails that just begged for exploration.....maybe next year.

 

[02TahoeMD]

As I worked my way through the Red Mine district there were waterfalls around every bend. I stopped to take some photos of a few, and walked over to where one was passing under 550. The blast of ice cold air coming off the water was quite the shock when compared to the almost 90 degrees I had been feeling up in Grand Junction. Alas, the sun was starting to retreat behind the mountains and I was losing photography light and I returned to the road and winding my way down to Durango.

My intent had been to camp in Durango at an RV / Campsite but my GPS led me astray...the address for the alleged point of refuge was in the middle of a neighborhood on the west side of Durango. Oh well, I settled for a cheap hotel on the main drag. The place was clean, if old, and only cost $40 for the night. The next morning 18 May it was back to the road, as my plan was to be on the Toroweap Trail at the Grand Canyon by nightfall. Unfortunately, the Tahoe had other plans.....after a banzai run across the desert through New Mexico and The Navajo Nation in Arizona, my brakes started an ominous grinding sound coming into Page, AZ.

Prior to leaving on my trip I knew I had maybe 6 months left on my rear rotors, but the 6 mountain passes I had been up and down over the prior 36 hours had claimed their toll. The right rear rotor was toast, along with the inner pad that was on it. I limped into Liberty Automotive on 7th St , and I was very fortunate to have them not only fit me in, but also to get the parts and have them installed before their shop closed. I had had visions of spending the night in another hotel but thankfully Liberty got me back on the road in relatively short order. Of course, I paid probably 2X what it could have cost me as a do it yourself project here back home.....but when you are in the middle of nowhere without one's tool set, ya got limited options.

 

[02TahoeMD]

Back on the road I managed to make it to the head of the Toroweap Trail by 1800, having cut up through Utah and down through Kanab, UT and Fredonia, AZ in pretty good time. I aired out about 20 PSI from the tires and went meandering down the trail, taking a few breaks for photographs and just enjoying having the trail all to myself. Alas, storm clouds were brewing and I could see lightening on the western sky, so I pulled off the trail after about 20 miles and set up camp alongside of a ridge that would protect me from any bad weather. I set up camp and ate, relishing the solitude of having who knew how many square miles of the Arizona Strip all to myself. Thankfully, the stormy weather never visited me and I awoke around 0200 to clear skies and the usual stunning array of stars that one is treated to in the desert. I slept a few more hours and then broke camp, back southbound heading for the end of the trail.

 

[02TahoeMD]

I hit the end of Toroweap around 0800 on 19 May, just as the campers there from the night before were leaving. So I spent the next hour or so enjoying the sights from the end of the trail, taking some pics and video, but just all in all, enjoying the silence that the majestic Grand Canyon offers its visitors.

 

[jim65wagon]

Nice trip! Good to see the Tahoe out and about. Awesome looking scenery!

 

[02TahoeMD]

After this respite I was back on the trail, heading back up to 389 and Fredonia. As I drove up near the Ranger station I came across this lovely little fella in the middle of the road:

No clue what kind of snake he is, he was not in the least concerned by me and he continued on his way across the field after posing for the pics.
Next up the desert had a pleasant treat for me – that of passing thunderstorms and rains in the desert. Even after many trips over the years to and through the Grand Canyon & southern Arizona, I had yet to be out in the desert during a good storm. I enjoyed the experience, though short lived, very much. And the explosion of colors in the plants, combined with the smells of the flowers mixed with rainfall made for a very strong memory. Even now, writing 2 weeks later, I can recall the scents. I hope I get to have the experience again some day.

More trip report in a bit....

 

[02TahoeMD]

Finally, I was in Fredonia for a full tank of gas and then heading for Jacob Lake and then the North Rim Lodge of the Grand Canyon. As i went down 67 I passed through many miles worth of burned forest....all that had been destroyed since my last visit in 2005. A sad sight indeed, but there was new life in abundance as the floor of the forest was vibrant with new growth.

Once entering an intact portion of the Kaibab National Forest, I once again gave into the urge to explore and spent the next half hour or so on fire roads. I came across a deadfall that was mostly blocking one of the trails and I used my winch to clear the road of the tree, then worked my way back to 67 and southbound.

I arrived at the North Rim Lodge around 1500 hrs and made a quick stop there, making phone calls to the family and taking only a few photos as I wanted to get on the Point Sublime trail near Widforss Point. Unfortunately, after backtracking up the highway, I found the trailhead blocked off, which was a bummer to find.

[FONT=&quot]Still, I made the best of this and exited the park and went exploring the Kaibab Forest again. This turned out to be quite the blessing as I got to drive through miles and miles worth of alpine forests and meadows, my favourite scenery on earth.

[/FONT] I explored much of FDR 610 before the setting sun had me turning around and seeking a place a bit closer to the highway to set up camp. I ventured up FDR 219 and found a stunning vista at the end of the trail. Marble View Point was well worth the drive and any disappointment over missing Point Sublime was erased. A majestic view abounded of the canyons to the west and east of the viewpoint, with the setting sun illuminating the eastern wall of Marble Canyon perfectly.

 

[opie]

Excellent report!

Brings back my memories or starting a trip from Frederick, MD to Crestted Butte, CO some 15 years ago fresh out of high school for the Fat Tire Fest.

I can relate to driving through Kansas. We did it during the day...I cant imagine doing it at nite. And then seeing the mountains in CO....One day Ill get back.

 

[ttora4runner]

Kansas isn't much better during the day. It is however a blast to drive though at night during a lighting storm. :Wow1:

Thanks for sharing the trip.:victory:

 

[02TahoeMD]

Trip report continues....

Thanks for the compliments guys. Sorry for the break in narrative, had to go to work....

Continuing along:

What a delightful place to visit, and this one only had 2 other vehicles on it, set up for camp well back from the viewpoint itself. This beat the crowds around the North Rim Lodge by a long shot, and I drank in the scenery before returning to 219 and backtracking a couple of miles to set up camp.

Once again, I camped without any people around, setting up in a small clearing of pine and aspen trees. I made myself some dinner as the sun vanished from the sky, listening to some classical music from the XM radio as I enjoyed a nice hot bowl of clam chowder and sourdough bread and cheese for dinner.

These past two nights were my first chance to ever camp in the “ overlanding / expedition “ fashion, and I was now completely hooked. In years past I have done much hiking and camping, but the camping invariably meant staying at designated campgrounds set up by the NPS or set up by KOA along some highway and space was shared with million dollar RVs. This was truly getting away from it all and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. I settled into my truck for a good night’s sleep, listening to the wind as it blew through the pines, whispering me to sleep as the temperature dropped.....
THUD! I sat up awake, unaware how long I had been asleep. But, I clearly had heard something, loud, near or on the truck. What the....? raced through my head. I grabbed my flashlight, listening intently, and then opened the door and peered out cautiously. Not hearing anything further I exited and looked around. Nothing, and the forest seemed just as peaceful as I fell asleep hours earlier. Stumped, I went back to bed and fell back to sleep with only minor difficulty. Upon awaking in the morning, I discovered the culprit, a pine cone that had landed squarely on the end of my roof rack, missing the plastic flooring I had put on it and instead had perfectly hit the 6 inch gap between it and the railing of the rack, nailing the roof. I had to laugh at that one.

Darn pine cones!

got Dirt?

 

[02TahoeMD]

I broke camp on 20 May and set my sights on St Louis. I figured with my unexpected expenditure on brakes that I would delete one additional day of exploring (where I had hoped to go up the Escalante) and just start back home, and save myself the extra money and potential abuse of the truck, not wanting to find out what else may be desiring to part me with my money. But, I was not in a hurry, making a direct beeline to St Louis. Instead, I took some diversions, stopping on a few more roads in the burned out section of forest before airing the tires back up.

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[FONT=&quot]Then driving down 89A, coming down off the mesa, a coyote ran out in front of the truck. I slammed on the brakes and the coyote did the same thing, turning around and running back to the field he had come from, where I got a few pics of him, wishing I had a telephoto lens.
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I also took a small foray up into Monument Valley, since it had been many years since my last visit. I didn’t have time though to make the complete route up to Rt666 and back down into Colorado, instead stopping briefly in Utah and heading back down to my main route.

Nightfall found me on Rt 160 heading up through Wolf Creek Pass, an old friend of mine that I first met over 20 years ago. This was my first night passage along this route and I stopped up on top, at the Continental Divide, to take a photo and grab a nap.

Then it was off down the east side of the pass, burning through the night. Fatigue bought me another brief nap at Shaw Creek rest stop, before I pressed on. I ticked off towns, watching the miles roll away, knowing each mile brought me closer to my destination but, unfortunately, further from where my heart has made its “home away from home”.

As I came into the town of Walsenburg, CO, a strange apparition appeared before me. It brought me to sharp attention, as it was a pickup truck being driven down 160, eastbound in the westbound lanes, and the truck had no working taillights at all. Alarmed, I slowly caught up with him as we entered town, and he was weaving on the road, obviously impaired. I was thankful that he finally chose to drive on the correct side of the road, but I jumped on the cellphone and got through to WPD immediately, and I followed the truck up Main St until an on duty Officer could make the stop. I then waited with the Officer until her backup arrived. Pretty well wound up from this, I ran on a good shot of adrenaline for the next hour or so. I took CO Rt 10 from Walsenburg to Rt 50 eastbound, finally stopping for fuel and sleep in La Junta, CO. I fell sound asleep in the front seat of the truck at rest stop right along Rt 50, and also, apparently, right next to some train tracks. I remember hearing a train horn while I slept, and thinking, I know I didn’t stop on the railroad tracks, so I must be ok......

 

[02TahoeMD]

heading home....

Dawn of 21 May showed up 3 hours later, and with it came the new day of driving. Back on the road, I cut from Rt 50 east to Kansas Rt 156, heading northeast towards I 70. This road was very interesting to drive, as there were many farmsteads to see, countless little farming towns to drive through, not to mention it followed the old Santa Fe Trail. Seeing the old railroad bed in places, along with the old trestles, really fed my imagination, I could just see an old locomotive chugging down the tracks bringing settlers to the newly opened West.... neat stuff. As I was running this imaginary game in my mind there appeared before me Fort Larned, an old infantry and cavalry outpost that guarded the entrance to the Santa Fe trail. Being a history buff, I just had to stop in and pay the place a visit. It was an hour very well spent, the fort is in immaculate condition and is a step back in time. I think there were only three visitors there when I was....kind of a shame for such a neat piece of American History.

A piece of the World Trade Center on display in the lobby

Anyway, I hit I70 and before too long ( well, comparatively speaking....) I was in St Louis, were I made it to my brother’s house by 2115. I spent the next day with him and his family, just hanging out and visiting, and it was good to see them. Then, Saturday 23 May I was back on the road, heading for home. I missed my “kids” a lot and was eager to see them again, so it was another marathon day at the wheel. I hit the Maryland state line around midnight and felt my pulse quicken, as I was nearing home. But, about an hour later, I got the biggest scare of the trip. I was driving out of a pass on I 68 when I caught a flash of motion out of the corner of my eye. There was a dark colored Jeep, with NO lights on, careening down the shoulder (which was about 15 feet or so higher than the road surface) bouncing so wildly I was convinced it was going to roll over. I was already passing it as my brain registered this fool who was descending to the road from who knows where. I started to stand on my brakes, watching in the rear view mirror for what I expected to be a shower of sparks and careening vehicles avoiding the Jeep as it rolled across the highway. But, there were none, though I did see traffic slow noticeably, and then I saw headlights come on from the Jeep, and all appeared ok. How he made it to the road surface safely is beyond me!
Needless to say, I didn’t need any coffee for the remaining two hours of my drive home, and I made it to my driveway by 0220 hrs. My dogs were overjoyed to see me, and I them, and thus ended my journey of 5,260 miles, 11 states in 10 days. It was good to be home...and I can't wait to do it again!

Thanks much for reading and there are some more pics at my PhotoBucket Album.... but not all 400!

 

[rctr03]

thanks

great write up! thanks
we did 6007 in 2005, va to moab, salt lake, reno, tahoe, vegas, grand canyon, sedona, and i agree with the kansas long drive.
jimmy

 

[KSJeep]

Great trip report, long haul but well worth it, I'm sure.

 

[TLMotorsport]

Looks awesome, I too miss the mountains, grew up out that way and spent a lot of time there as a kid and always took it for granted. Now that I'm older, I miss it and yearn to head back.