California

 
The long awaited part of our trip. The beach, the sun, the warmth.. Well, we’d had warmth and sun a whole lot since leaving Columbus, but, I had had a taste of the beach in Biloxi and it renewed my love for the ocean.

The first stop was San Diego, where Jake’s uncle’s live, Jamie and Gerardo, and where the van was to have yet another engine installed. Yes, something had gone wrong and the mechanic had been nice enough to honour his warranty and rebuilt us an engine mailing it to a shop in San Diego. Fortunately, not on our dime, the new engine was installed and has so far been running great!

While in San Diego, Whipper went to doggy daycare and Jake and Kim hung out with Jamie and Gerardo. Arriving on the night of the Oscars (or the gay superbowl as Jamie called it) we had a fun night of eating and drinking well, while watching famous people on t.v.. The next morning we had breakfast and headed for the beach, while Jamie generously chauffered us around. We cooked them dinner and then went for a delicious desert. Picking up the van the next day, we started our trek out of San Diego and headed up the coast, as I had not had enough beach time.

We made it the first day to Oceanside where we found a marina that happened to have overnight free parking, so we slept there, steps from the ocean. After breakfast near the beach (in our van, whipper was not allowed on the beach), we continued our way up the coast and found a dog friendly beach where we hung out for the afternoon. That night we arrived in Newport beach and as we were driving along, we found a lot of side streets ending right on the beach. So, we parked overnight, in front of a house under renovations and across the street, a house with a sign in the window saying “Hippies use side door”. We figured we were safe. We watched the sunset, had dinner and sat on the beach in the morning with Whipper. It was delicious. We then hit the road for Joshua Tree.

J-tree was beautiful, rocks, trees and desert. The pictures speak for themselves. Limited with Whipper not being allowed more than 100 feet from the road, we decided to camp in the Hidden Valley campground (which is no longer free) and enjoyed walking to the crag where were able to do a couple of climbs and boulder a bit. It was great not having to move the van for 2 days, sleep in the desert and make some friends, but frustrating not to really be able to climb, so we left, promising ourselves we would come back again one day, without the dog and a bit more money.

Mojave desert was next. There were so few people there, dogs were allowed everywhere and there was free camping, it was great. The first night we camped just outside the main “town” unsure where to go and spent the morning learning some history and hiking up a 700 ft sand dune. Hard when your feet slide and sink all the time. Whipper took some time getting used to it, but was a great morning for all as Whipper was finally able to run free. That afternoon, we went to camping spot near some big boulders, as recommended and had the place to ourselves, managing to use our solar shower and play around on some rocks.

The next morning we did some hiking in the densest Joshua Tree forest that exists, and finished the day sleeping next to old volcanoes. I’m telling you, this place has it all.

Saguaro National Park

 
Leaving New Mexico behind, we drove to Tucson, to visit Saguaro National Park. Intent on finding a place to sleep, we checked out the national forest headquarters and were given directions to some hilltop sites, overlooking the city surrounded by Saguaro (see pictures). Yes, it was a forest of cacti. A beautiful sunset as we sat perched on the edge of a cliffline made for a wonderful night.

We set out the next day to find Whipper a place to poo off leash, and accidentally discovered Aqua Caliente Park, an oasis of ponds (where people historically came for hot springs), green grass, trees, palm trees and saguaro’s, and tons of birds.

Next was to visit Saguaro National Park which meant driving through, stopping, taking pictures, repeat. Beautiful though, barren desert, with mountains, more birds and 30 different types of cacti.

Finally, back up to a close but different spot overlooking the city of Tucson for our last night in nature before a number of family/city visits.

Phoenix was next, where we stayed with Jake’s cousins Nathan and Allison, who graciously opened up their home to us and Whipper. We had a wonderful time with them, ate out at a great Mexican restaurant, stayed up late, showered, enjoyed wireless, comfy beds and good food. It was great to get to know them better and to be able to enjoy the comforts of home. They loved Whipper, having recently lost their dog, and it was nice for us to feel relaxed with Whipper in someones home.

Next, we were off to California! Sun, beach and a new engine for the van (again)!

For Photos: http://picasaweb.google.ca/tjkuenzli

Hueco Tanks

 
Driving straight through Texas with a brief overnight stop in a rest area, we saw desert, mountains, drove through a wind storm that had us driving 40 miles an hour and even a little bit of snow. Texas is huge and diverse and it took us about 18 hours to drive through it.. Wow. Not a drive I would like to repeat.

We arrived in Hueco Tanks State Park, a bouldering mecca of the US. Friends from Kentucky were there and graciously allowed us to park at their campsite within the park boundaries. For those of you who have been to Hueco, you know of the rules, regulations, processes and steps required simply to boulder. In short, a big pain in the ass. We were fortunate to be staying within the park boundaries with a friend with a state park pass which allowed for last minute reservations or at worst, getting up at 7:45 and driving to the office, to beat the crowds outside the park. All said and done, we bouldered and stayed, for free. Our only expense was driving outside the park every morning to Hueco Ranch and paying 2$ for Whipper to run around outside on an open property, having the time of his life. And of course, beer to thank our friends.

That being said, Hueco was beautiful, amazing bouldering, wonderful views and great friends. Though not in any good shape, we still managed to work on problems and enjoy watching our friends send some hard problems (see photos). Whipper broke his tail, but otherwise, had a good time hanging out with other doggies and being free. We also enjoyed the short break from being responsible parents.

We left, sad to say goodbye to our friends and the relaxed lifestyle, and started the drive towards Arizona. We stopped in Cochise Stronghold, New Mexico, a grouping of boulders and mountains of rock, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, with a lot of Native history. Beautiful spot with some free camping in the national forest next door (which actually had trees) , we played around on a couple of boulders, had our first campfire in a long time and relaxed.

A quick stop in Tombstone, a town known for Wyatt Earp’s showdown at the O.K. Corral (often referenced in country and western movies, for those, like me, who had no idea). We wandered down the semi-restored, semi-tourist fabricated street that was meant to give an “authentic” western feel. It was cool to see, but after an hour or so, most of which was spent learning about the Birdcage (saloon/brothel/casino) that was open for 24 hours/day, 7 days/week for 8 years in the late 1800’s, surviving 7 shootouts on the inside (with bullet holes to prove it) and the worlds longest running poker game (lasting as long as the saloon was open), we were bored and it was time to leave.

Driving out of Tombstone, we hit our first of many border checkpoints (looking presumably for Mexicans coming through illegally) and met a border guard from Kentucky who spoke to us about his families’ experience through the ice storm.

For photos: http://picasaweb.google.ca/tjkuenzli