roadtrip compare/contrast

me and Red hit the road for a couple weeks! We did just over 5000 miles. I'm tired but in a good way.

and we're off...

Overall it was a great time, but there were a couple wrinkles. Most notably, poor Red was sick for much of the trip, which added to my stress level to say the least. I'm hoping he's on the mend finally. (vet says food allergies and/or parasitic issues).

It's impossible not to compare and contrast where I'm at now versus last summer's roadtrip. I'm in an easier state of mind as far as my mourning goes. The downs are a little shallower and there's more miles in between, so to speak. Uncharacteristically, I spent a lot of time just driving along without music or anything, alone in my thoughts. That's a lot of miles of quiet but I must have needed it. I think it probably helped to be preoccupied with Red's situation for much of it.

When I was trip planning I knew I wanted to take the northern, more direct route to Michigan in order to maximize my time up there. Interestingly, it didn't really sink in that I would be traveling right past Yellowstone National Park. Eileen and I had taken a 3-week long roadtrip in 2008 that included several days in Yellowstone. It turned out to be a gem of a trip- we were both enthralled with the beauty and grandeur, and we had such a wonderful trip together. It really was a special time. Anyway, I had done all my route planning generally ignoring the fact that Yellowstone is right there.

I spent the first night in Twin Falls, Idaho. As I was reviewing my next day's drive I had a big moment where it finally hit me: I needed to swing through the park. I had been reminiscing about that 2008 trip a fair bit in the weeks prior, but it was more of a subconscious thing...just thinking about all the adventures we had, and that place, certain curves in the road and stuff. It must have a been a sort of self-protection, blinding me while I was planning.

So I took a detour and bit off a little part of Yellowstone. It was amazing. I was only in the park for a few hours but it was the perfect thing to do. Being on those roads again, seeing those sights, those smells...it acted as a way to help solidify and clarify my memories from the 2008 trip with Eileen. I stopped at a few turnouts and took it all in, shot a couple photos, gave Red a break from his lair in the back seat.

E and I had scored a wonderful spot in a lesser used campground so I swung through there too, I guess just to see...just to feel it again. I know- it all maybe sounds a little weird, some peculiar form of stalking a previous time, but it was good. It helped. It made me smile, and I felt a lot of peace come over me. Unlike driving by your old apartment in the town where you used to live and noticing how it's changed...the new 7-11 on the corner...the new paint jobs...this seemed less hazy. More present. Here, the "town" looked exactly the same as it did in 2008 because by design a National Park stays the same; it's essentially identical to 2008 (or 1998, or 1898 for that matter). There was a recalibration aspect to this visit- I was here alone this time, and even though Eileen isn't here, she very much is everywhere and that gives me peace. Yellowstone is an easy place to feel peaceful.

Minutes after the campground drive-by, I turned a corner to find a bear foraging along the roadside. It was surreal. I was accustomed to seeing bison and elk in the park but what a treat to see a bear! I quickly zoomed up the truck windows so Red didn't get any big ideas and grabbed my camera. I was able to get a couple decent frames before the bear headed deeper into the woods.  (I'm pretty sure it was a juvenile grizzly...but could've been a brown/cinnamon bear?). Red was hilarious- he didn't know what to think- he seemed to have an imaginary leash holding him and I don't think I'd ever seen him so "keyed".

This side trip acted as one of those "firsts" to navigate that I usually dread, but it was poignant and sublime all at once. I'll get back there again. And to think; I wasn't even going to go...

The tick incident.
I mentioned that Red was sick, and not to get too graphic, but; he had a small issue somewhere in Northern Minnesota that required a bit of cleanup. I quickly pulled the truck onto a gravel side-road lined by tall grasses. I clipped his leash to the bumper of the truck, giving him precisely 18 inches of access to the roadside grasses. I did my cleanup and we were on our way. Eight minutes flat...maybe 10. Now, I've been having to lift Red into the truck because his hips are a little sore (I'd taken him off most meds to narrow down his potential allergy issues). He puts his front paws on the doorsill and then I lift his haunches up as he walks onto the rear seat. No big deal. I did it as usual and noticed 2 woodticks on him. No prob: pick and fling.

Over the next hour, I picked no less than TWENTY FIVE TICKS off of him and me! They were EVERYWHERE! On the dash. On my legs (under my long pants!). On his face. On my belly (under my shirt!). ON THE GODDAMN DASHBOARD OF THE TRUCK!?!?!?!

Finally, outside Duluth, I stopped to give us both (and the truck) another once-over.

Did I park on a tick city or something? I've never had something like that happen...it was so bizarre! It's not like Red was rolling in the grasses or something. Anyway, pretty funny in hindsight. You had to be there. I was still creepy crawly when I hit the U.P..

I digress.

I had a nice visit in the U.P. with my family. The time went quickly and I was bummed when I had to get on the road again. One highlight was working on one of Dave's songs. We got a decent version of it recorded in the last twenty minutes as I was gunning to get on the road.

brothers.

Red sure likes hangin' with my folks.

Unlike last year's roadtrip, I now have a swanky tent on top of the truck (a roof top tent, aka RTT). RTT's are all the rage with the "overlanding" crowd and they're indeed pretty sweet (less worries about lions and tigers when you're sleeping up top haha). I had intended to camp in various spots along the trip but as it turned out, the bugs in the U.P. were atrocious...something I hadn't even considered (no mosquito issues here in Oakland). Yes of course I could have easily camped out, but poor Red sleeps in the back seat of the truck and he would have been eaten alive. I'm researching some screens that I can add to the windows for this problem. I spent a few nights camped out in the RTT, but inside the station...out of the bugs. That was fun. I'd consider it glamping instead of camping.

keeping away from the bugs in the station

kind of a weird sunrise inside the station..

I spent one night in Minneapolis on the return trip. I was able to meet up with Perry and Amy (and sister and nieces) briefly as they were dining near Minnehaha Falls. The weather was stunning and Red and I walked around Lake Harriet on my way out of town. What a great city it is. I still miss it (although usually only when I'm visiting in the summer..).

I spent a few days visiting Susan and it was wonderful. It's always great to spend time together 'in the flesh' instead of on facetime. As it happened, we hadn't seen each other in well over a month...which is a little longer than usual...so it sure was nice to be together. We have a great relationship; we both maintain a fair amount of independence due to the distance and our circumstances, but it works. I'm lucky to have her in my life.

We took a couple nice mtb rides on some fun trails near her house. We got rained on during the second ride and got completely soaked and caked in mud but we took it in stride. Nice to get on some trails different than my local rides out here. I had intended on riding a lot in the U.P. but it just didn't work out timing-wise.

Susan's new deck is sweeeeet.

I swung through Colorado for a night, staying with Tim and Stacey in their new house in Golden. They live in an amazing spot right near a huge trail system, which Red and I sampled on our way out of town. In comparison to the drought conditions out here in CA, CO seemed positively lush. Nice to get out there in the sagebrush. The time was short but it was a great visit nonetheless.

Overall, I felt pretty rushed on this trip because I was trying to cram in a lot of adventure in only 2 weeks but as I was leaving Golden, I detoured up into the mountains around Nederland and explored a tiny bit of 4x4 roads near there. I intend on doing that sort of thing more, now that the truck is built up with recovery gear and armor, and the RTT. In a perfect world, I hope to find a couple spots that aren't too far of a drive from home where I can go out and camp with Red for a night or two on weekends. I'm also very excited to drive down to Death Valley at some point, maybe in the fall.

It was the night before the 'supermoon' (so, what...the pseudosupermoon?) as I drove westbound across I-80 in northern Utah. What a magical experience! The moon was SO BRIGHT, reflecting off of the salt flats along the road... a few clouds in the sky, very little traffic, and perfect temps to have the windows down. It was one of those transcendent experiences on the road. The photo doesn't do it justice of course, but hopefully you get the idea. It's hard to believe it's a night shot!

pseudosupermoon

Once home, I was exhausted after all the driving, but I rallied and got out for a ride Sunday with my friend Mike at China Camp. We rounded the bend on the last section of trail to see a great sunset. A nice capper on a great couple weeks off.