A freshness exists. 

It surrounds me. It’s in the air and each breath I take makes me want to hurry toward the next. The air has a cleanliness to it that reminds me of diving face first into a bed with fresh laundered sheets. Ones that were hung on a clothesline for the sun to dry. 

Perhaps that’s it. The sun! It seems the desert sun has cleansed both the surface and the air. Maybe it’s the absence of humans. . . or any mammals for that matter. 

Sitting outside watching the moon set and dawn begin while sipping my coffee and breathing this sweet desert air was especially pleasant this morning. 

Contrast

Wow. I doubt there’s 25 miles distance between these two places. But, there’s almost 3,000 feet difference in altitude and a good 25 degrees in temperature. Oh, and zero bars of AT&T to 4 bars. 

We’re right outside Escalante Utah. 

Yesterday I drove up a rough dirt road ( 12 miles beyond where the pavement ended), climbing the whole way into the mountains above Escalante. We found a poorly maintained campground in the Dixie National Forest at Posey Lake. The water was out of commission. The vault toilets were clean however. 

It was worth the drive! This small lake is beautiful. It is hidden at 8,600 feet in a small valley (holler) about 1500 feet below the peak of the mountain. Yep, there was snow on the ground. 

Actually it wasn’t all that cold. I didn’t need the heater or two extra blankets I used the previous 3 nights. 

I shot all the pictures I thought I needed so I broke camp this morning and coasted downhill for 12 miles. 

6 miles to the southwest of Escslante is Hole In The Rock Road. I have it on good faith that if I venture more than a couple miles down this dirt road, the contents of the cabinets will be on the floor. 

Not far down the road is a favorite free camping spot for travelers. Since it is on that 3,000 square mile chunk of land known as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, all you need to camp for free is that pink copy of the free permit you can pick up at any number of visitor centers. 

We’re here, solar panel is out and were enjoying 25 degree warmer weather. 

Oh oh. The dog discovered cactus. Ouch she said. 

For most of the next couple weeks we’ll be in the desert.  I wonder if that horse ever had a name. 

Cheers. 

2 weeks on the road…

Dog and I are 2 weeks on the road. We’ve traveled through 10 states, crossed and crossed again the largest rivers and climbed over the tops of some of the highest mountain peaks in the country.

Wow!

Each state has its own unique terrain, people and culture. We’re in Utah at the moment and most likely will be for the next couple weeks. Utah is huge and hugely diverse.

Today, dog and I are at Bryce Canyon. Holy cow! Tourists are everywhere. I see the attraction and am blowing the budget by staying 2 days at the Bryce Canyon National Park’s Sunset campground rather than a BLM free, off the road site.

Bryce Canyon is just too big to see in one day. By staying in the campground I can hop a park shuttle to where ever I want. The dog can chill in the RV while I do all the hiking. She’s getting a bit long in the tooth to tackle long walks or hikes even though she wants to.

Cheers.

Parked on your land in Utah. 

Dog and I are camping (well off the grid) in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 2,938 square miles of wide open space in Utah.

Did you know that as opposed to a National Park, a National Monument can’t have improvements. You know, stuff like paved roads, buildings or facilities.

So, we are out here on our own in the red dirt, junipers and sagebrush of Utah.

I like it!

To date (12 days), we’ve driven 2519 miles and used 139 gallons of diesel fuel. At an average of $2.10/gallon I don’t want to do the arithmetic. I’ll wait for my American Express bill to surprise me.  Commercial Break – let me point out that DONATE button over there. Every penny you wish to chip in is appreciated.

Of those 12 days, we’ve only been somewhere with water and electricity twice. Still, I’ve enjoyed hot showers daily, ice in my cocktails and good meals. Heck, we’ve even watched a little broadcast television. I can only take a little of that however.

So here we are. The solar panel is out taking advantage of this bright Utah sunshine, AT&T has made some serious improvements since my last trip out this way, I have 4 bars of 4g and the dog and I are enjoying the peace and quiet.

Here are a couple shots of our camping site.

Cheers.

From the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains. 

Yesterday was a long drive. We left Brush Colorado up in the North East and drove to Cortez Colorado down in the South West corner. The 4 Corners area to be exact.

It was a 505 mile drive which at 50 to 60 mph with a couple pit stops took 13 hours. Whew!

Seeing the land gradually transition from plains to mountains is awesome. Not awesome as in “totally awesome dude” but AWESOME!

Each time I travel long distances in our country I am awestruck at the vast diversity of both the land and its people. Our people.

I drove across miles of flat land that appeared to go on forever.

Then I saw the mountains.

Then I crossed some mountains. I crossed at two passes. La Veta was one (9,415 feet) and Wolf Creek (10,835 feet).

WOW!

Somewhere in Nebraska is a graveyard

For generations automobiles and trucks have come to a small town in Nebraska to die. A very small town.

I saw cars from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and later. Acres of them!

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Just in this snapshot alone are 3 decades of cars.

Somewhere in Missouri. 

Driving along the top of the state I stumbled upon this. And more.

On this property are a circa 1830 brick home that obviously was built for a wealthy family, several barns, a stone smokehouse and the current owner’s contemporary brick home.

Oh yeah, there were also several NO TRESSPASSING signs.

I parked at the beginning of the driveway and walked to the owner’s house whereI knocked first on the front door and then the kitchen door. A lady came to the door and saw I was holding my camera up as I said I was s photographer. She asked if I saw the signs up by the mailbox. I asked “The no TRESSPASSING signs?”  She firmly said yes! I said “Yes ma’am. That is why I was careful to walk only down the driveway and nowhere else. “.

I made a bit of small talk and then asked if I was careful, could I photograph the buildings. She told me that I could not go into them. I assured her I would stay well clear of them. She smiled and said “Go ahead. And then be gone.”. I thanked her and did exactly that.

I can’t wait to get the images out of the camera.

1. Cheers.

Gateway Arch

We’re in Saint Louis. When we arrived yesterday afternoon it was a beautiful sunny day. Because we arrived late in the afternoon we drove straight to the place where we parked for the night.

Wouldn’t you know? It is overcast with an occasional sprinkle today. Dog and I drove in to town to check out the arch anyway.

Tomorrow is supposed to be much more photographer friendly. Perhaps we’ll hang around for another day.

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Let the games begin!

Dog and I officially began the Heartland RoadTour Rewind yesterday.

We drove to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky via mostly back roads. I passed a photographer who was setting up his 4×6 camera in an old, falling down gas station. I turned around, went back and we chatted for a couple minutes. I didn’t linger because I did not want him to lose the light. He obviously had planned this shoot and as we know, lighting is critical.

Here are some of the route highlights.

•  Spring City, Tn
•  Monterey, Tn
• Celina, Tn
• Moss, Tn
• Tompkinsville, Ky
• Glasgow, Ky

I stopped for fuel in Glasgow where two pickup trucks were at the diesel pump and several guys and girls were enjoying a social gathering. They were polite and moved out of the way when I pulled up. One of the fellows smiled and said he’d give me $20,000 cash for M.O.B.I. on the spot. I laughed and said “I bet you will”.  I averaged just under 18mpg.

Today I hope to enjoy a little spelunking. Since I’ve never been to a cave, it should prove interesting.   Cheers!