The End of the World...As We Know It

Hiked out to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the continental US, home to the Makah tribe, and part of their reservation.  Incredibly beautiful hike with an amazing view.

Photos to follow...for now, here's a video clip.

An Ode to Trees (or, Let's Get the Hell Outta Here!)

Sorry folks, but these native North Carolinians are about to go absolutely MAD for want of greenery and shade.  We've been in treeless, hot, arid spaces for over a week.  The contrast has really brought to our mind how invisible one's own culture is....we didn't realize how much we need trees!

Along the way from NV to ID to OR, we saw again, a vastly changing landscape.

And then, suddenly, TREES!

Now they aren't the type of trees we're used to back east...far more conifers than deciduous.   I wonder what the pioneers along the Oregon Trail felt when they finally arrived in these wooded lands.  It's definitely cooler here, with higher altitude, but somehow it feels more hospitable.

Which makes us wonder...how much is our sense of beauty, of comfort, of goodness, is tied to what we are accustomed to?  There certainly are people who choose to live in desert climes....I presume they find beauty, comfort, and goodness there.  But for us, not so much.  Give us trees, please!

We are so grateful to be shaded, to hear the rustle of the wind in the leaves, to see something taller than us providing shelter.  We collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief when we arrived in this part of the country  So glad we pressed onward.

Salty, Salty UT

John referred to Utah as badlands...we saw more evidence of this today as we crossed the Salt Flats. It was an incredibly surreal experience. The sound quality is pretty low due to the background noise, but you get the idea....salt, wind, nothing else.

How the West Was Truly 'Won'

Common conversation among farmers out west hinges on the most precious of resources: water.

It's apparent in traveling across Utah that the only life-giving force in this relentless, shade-less heat is water.  Looking across the landscape you can tell where water is (or was) by the surprising sight-for-sore-eyes greenery that aligns itself along waterways. 

In fact, reading about the ghost towns of Utah, we discovered that this now desert was pastureland not 100 years ago...sheep were raised here.  But no more.  It's hard to imagine anything surviving. 

That is, until you reach a town that has secured a water source. 

Then you see an abundance of activity, from agriculture to lawns.   We took these photos in Wellington, UT, just outside of Price.   Note the irrigation wheels....that is the only think making the area green compared to the brown surrounding it. 

Traveling to the more populated areas of Provo and Salt Lake City, we saw the same pattern of development and agriculture competing for the same land (and water). 

I remember reading Cadillac Desert years ago.  Seems all the more relevant now, and a warning for the states in the east as water wars are only just beginning there.

More Utah Landscape

This was our journey along US 6 from Green River, UT to Provo, UT. We ended up going through coal country, which explained the train activity.

No Name, CO

So there's this rest area in Colorado, west of Denver, with no name.

Proved a beautiful spot to get out and have a snack.  It was an awesome picnic....leftover pizza, cantaloupe, peaches, and pico de gallo.

(Pico de gallo on cantaloupe is a great combo if you like spicy and sweet!)


While there we saw an Amtrak passenger train going through the valley.  Really cool.  (You can see it in the lower left picture.)

Opposite of Kansas

Whereas Kansas was field after field after field, the scenery in Colorado has been dramatically different.

Over the course of 200 miles we saw snow-capped mountains, rugged red rocks, canyons, the Colorado River, Amtrack trains, mesas, and desert.

Now I Know Why It's Called Badlands

We saw fascinating changes in terrain over the 370 miles we traveled yesterday - from snowcapped Rocky Mountain peaks to desert mesas.

While we saw some striking rock formations, we were struck by feelings of desolation and near hopelessness brought on by this foreign, inhospitable environment. Was it just because we grew up in Southeast, where everything is green and trees are plentiful?

We marveled at the determination, heartiness and shear endurance of the pioneers who settled this part of the country. Nevertheless, we concluded, at least in its present state, that this area just isn't fit for human habitation.

Big Sky

Driving across Kansas, we got our first taste of the wide open big sky.  It gives a sense of exposure and nothingness and awe all at once.  It's easier to appreciate why folks who come to the east coast feel claustrophobic by all the trees on each side of the road.

Wind Turbines in Middle Kansas	Combine Harvesting in Western KS
Center of the US, Lebanon KS	Grain Silos in Western KS

That sense of big sky didn't dissipate when we hit the Rocky Mountains in Denver CO.  We've been able to enjoy some really beautiful sunsets from our campground at Chatfield State Park. 

Airstream Rocky Mountain Sunset Chatfield State Park, Denver CO

Sunset over the Rocky Mountains Chatfield Reservoir in Denver CO

Finally to Kansas, but What to Eat?

We've finally arrived in Kansas, and found a delightful campsite at Clinton State Park.

It's been such a long day...Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas...three rural states in a day can make a girl hungry!

Thankfully, we had good ingredients, a grill, and someone willing to cook!  John took grill duty and I threw together the beans. 

Homemade Baked Beans Purple Hull Peas from Eunice LA Farmers' Market, Molasses from roadside stand	John Grilling Dinner
Roasted Corn! From roadside stand in Louisiana	Dinner! Burgers Topped with Homemade Guacamole On high-protein Hibread from bakery in Rogers AR