Arizona to Florida part I

[99Yota]

So after lurking a number of different boards including this one for a quite some time, I've decided to share my latest 'adventure' which took me from Tampa, FL to Arizona and back. I'll spare everybody the trip down since all I did was take I10 for hundreds of miles. I will say that I did set up 'camp' in a Walmart parking lot in Houston (which was rather eventful thanks to the random people who kept walking around my setup) and a truck rest area on my way to Glendale. Earplugs and tent go well together when mixed with idling semis. Who'd have known?!

So without further ado, here's what she looked like the day she left Tampa:



The idea was to meet my girlfriend in Arizona and have her accompany me on the way back for the scenic route I intended to take. By the way, I'm using a James Baroud Discovery Space RTT for anyone who is interested. I decided to pick it up after waffling forever on an Eezi-Awn. I had to modify a platform rack to carry the things the tent displaced after I found it would eclipse all of my rooftop area. Other 'stuff' in the vehicle kept me from simply packing the rest inside.



I had to stop at a local welding shop in Houston to get some welding done to reinforce my rear bumper. (BTW, these guys are awesome and really know how to work a plasma cutter and mig welder. )



Destination reached. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif


Here's what our first night looked like while camping in the Grand Canyon. Freezing rain. The JB handled it with ease. About the only difficult part was stowing the tent since the sides had become semi-rigid due to the rain freezing to the sides of the tent. Off to the Grand Canyon...





Leaving the Grand Canyon, I decided to take a couple of pics on the way to Zion..



We did catch some snow along the way.



At Zion, we lucked out and scored a camp spot with a great view. The way the fog surrounded the stone cliffs really gave the place a surreal feel. Needless to say, the scenery was top notch.

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part II


The deer didn't seem to mind being photographed. While driving around through Zion, we had plenty of opportunities to take these types of pictures. The deer are literally everywhere.

Pics from Zion National Park


This pic below is one of my favorites but the image does the place no justice. Sitting in the front row at an IMAX theather begins to scratch the surface of how immense the features really are.


The girlfriend tricked me into taking a short walk on one of the trails and then decided to want to see what the rest looked like.


But the views more than made up for it.

Leaving Zion, we headed next towards Bryce Canyon.

Here are some pics taken along the way:




Once we reached Bryce, I wanted to do some exploring and found a small road leading to Stump Springs Trailhead. Being the first person to travel on fresh snow was great.

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part III

On the way to Stump Springs Trailhead..



Not one person was seen on our way there or back. I guess the cold weather kind of put some people off from doing any winter driving.

Next up was Capital Reef National Park;

The picture above was taken enroute.


At Capital Reef, we found a spot to camp. We were near enough a stream to hear running water throughout the night...

Above is a picture from Capitol Reef- at one of the trailheads once again. In my efforts to be responsible, I had to limit my exploring to park designated areas- the trailheads offered the best option since one never knows how well or poorly they will be maintained.





For once in a long time, the temperature was above 40. We took the opportunity to air out the tent and prepare some lunch. Despite having been rained on and put away wet several days in a row, the JB tent still kept its inner contents dry. There was however some humidity (which the dry air helped rid) which led us to remove all of our sleeping gear.




Leaving Capitol Reef, a number of nice terrain features presented themselves...

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part IV

Next was Manti-La Sal National Forest




One of the scenic vantage points:


We spent the night somewhere near Monticello where the temperature dropped to somewhere in the mid-teens.


The next morning, we opted to take a trip further into the mountains between Bears Ears and Monticello. While not evident in any of the pictures, some parts of the trail had large muddy potholes maybe 14-18" deep, frozen over with 2" ice, and hidden under snow. Several times, we broke through the ice which prompted me to stay in 4 low with the rear differential locked.


Leaving the Monticello area, we next headed towards Arches National Park in search of scenery.






Next stop.. Colorado

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part V

On the way to Colorado, it started to snow.. and the temperatures started to fall.




Here, I'm taking a picture of my girlfriend Ana as she readies her camera to take a picture of me. Classic face-off. Cell phone camera: 1.


Here are some pictures from Telluride. That day, it was about 22 or so.



The plan was to not camp in a 'normal' campground and instead, find a spot somewhere on the mountain.

Here's what happens when breathing in a cold tent.


The next morning, we awoke to this:



One of the locals thought we were crazy camping out where we were. My Garmin GPS pegged us at about 9340' while our Telluride resident said there were cold warnings out. It was in the negative single digits but with the gear we had, it didn't feel any colder than any of the other nights.

After our traditional breakfast of instant oatmeal and hot coco, off to more exploring.

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part VI


More exploring along a trail which would lead to:


Without my snowchains on, I wasn't willing to risk getting stuck and decided to take a pic. I'll be back- someday.
Leaving Telluride, we found some other nice neighborhoods with great views:


Like all good things however, this trip would have to end. We started to head towards Durango and took a couple of pics along the way.



Along the way, we found a small town called Rico. Pictured is their natural hot spring. There's also a jacuzzi nearby where the mineral laden water has been diverted thanks to some clever engineering by local towns folks. While the water was definitely bathwater warm, the surroundings were still in the 20s.



Next up was Mesa Verde. However, we arrived a little too late and missed seeing the cave-village we had driven to see.


Instead, we had to settle for a few evening pictures. Oh, and by the way, it takes about 45 minutes to get to the village. So my miscalculation actually resulted in a 2 hour block of time when it was all said and done.

Here's one of the ruins which we stopped to snap pictures of. I couldn't stomach the thought of driving 2 extra hours for an evening picture!

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part VII

Empty-handed, we set off to Durango and next had to find a place to camp. After spending what seemed like forever, we 'found' a country road which seemed rather
'camp-able'




Wanting to explore some, we took a trip first to Little Vallecito Dam but later opted to go to Lemon Dam- We camped at Miller Creek Campground.


While there was an area where I could chain up and go even further into the hills, it turns out I was missing a part for my chains- shame on me! So Miller Camp Campground it would be. I was able to make good use of a chainsaw I had brought for the expressed purpose of cutting firewood and also had a opportunity to use a propane powered ice melter I had to make quick work of the 12" diameter logs I had cut. I would say that having this greatly helped me get a fire going without having to spend too much time getting a fire started. The ice melter has a 2.5" diameter flame- when you hit the 'hi' setting, the flame goes from about 5" to about 12."

I ran the torch off a standard bulk propane canister I had brought along. It easily provided enough fuel for my lantern, stove and anything else I needed it for.






Leaving Miller Creek Campground...


Going through New Mexico, there wasn't much to explore. Most of the land I saw was clearly marked no trespassing but beautiful nonetheless. This is about as far as one could go without getting in trouble.

 

[99Yota]

Arizona to Florida part VIII

Almost back home!
Did a lot of driving through the night and 'camped' at a local truck stop.


We actually did arrive in Tampa on the 23rd but we decided to take another trip which I am lumping together with this one. We decided to take another 'camping' trip but this time, a little closer to home- Ft De Soto. A gentleman was nice enough to let me take a picture of his map.



While the entrance fee was somewhat pricey at $35, we didn't make a reservation- just drove up (a 30 minute drive for us). The price includes entry to the old fort and hot showers at the campground as well as electric hook ups for rv and just plain 110V. The Christmas rush however would only allow us to stay that one night. We would have to leave by noon.



On the way back home, we decided to stop by a local fish market and get some lunch. We pulled off by the side of Gandy Blvd and had the place to ourselves.




Not sure when the next adventure will be but what a great December this has been!

 

[JDaPP]

Great trip and write up. I am in Tampa as well, but will be transferring sometime next year to the west coast. May steal some of your itinerary for the trip. Any recommendations for exploration in Florida? Have done Ocala NF, Apalachicola, and a couple of other spots.

 

[Stoked]

Great pics! Looks like a lot of fun...thanks for sharing!

 

[Boog2001]

Great trip really enjoyed reading and pictures.

 

[James Baroud USA]

Great trip and really enjoyed seeing all the pictures.

 

[99Yota]

Hi,

I haven't had a chance to do much camping in Florida but I did get a chance to spend some time around crystal river this past weekend. The GF wanted to see and take pictures of manatees. As we happened to miss the last showing (530), I used the time to do some exploring.


Here's a pic if you take 19 north of 98 about 3 miles and take W Fort Island trail. We had to move from this first spot because as it turns out, the only reason we found this spot was because the tide had gone out. In another 10 hours or whatever, the water would be about 18" higher and I wasn't ready to have to slog through water to get to the cab and move in the AM.


The second spot which is the one we actually spent the night was taken by a bird watching park- it was foggy all night and by early AM (3-5AM) it sounded like it was raining with all the condensate dripping around us. Lots of noises and as a light sleeper, I think I heard most of the noises.

Anyhow, by 1030 the next morning, we were able to visit 3 sisters springs and take some manatee pictures. Be advised that unless you have a small watercraft, you'll have pay a local firm to give you a tour ($6/ adult).



This all being said, on 98, I saw a couple of fire trails / access roads for power lines which didn't appear to have any no trespassing signs and looked as though locals used the roads to camp/ hike etc. This upcoming weekend I might take look at Ocala NF.

 

[99Yota]

Great trip and really enjoyed seeing all the pictures.

No problem!

If you want to use any of the pictures for your advertising, feel free. I didn't see too many pics of smaller SUVs using them and I certainly didn't find too many pictures of the unit being used in winter so I actually had second thoughts about winter use.

However, having spent over a week at temperatures between -2F and 25F, cold weather use is no longer a question in my mind.

 

[TheViking]

Nice trip and congrats on taking it and making it back safe and sound!