Lava Cave

The entrance of the Lava Caves. Exploring a cave was first for both Silvi and I!




































The forest on the drive to the Lava Cave in Flagstaff, AZ.

I was lucky enough to be taken to a Lava Cave in Flagstaff, AZ. Thanks Andrew for showing me this cool place. The cave was formed by hot lava in a volcanic eruption many years ago.

I've been on top of mountains, in slot canyons and now I've been in the total darkness of an underground cave! Life is good.

The feeling of being underground surrounded by rock in the dark is unique. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's scared of the dark or claustiphobic. I wasn't sure how Silvi would do climbing over rocks in the dark but she's a trooper and a crowd pleaser. I passed a kid that said enthusiastically "Wow, you have your dog AND a lantern, you're so lucky!"

Dar Williams

I saw Dar Williams in Flagstaff, AZ on Saturday night. Sadly, I forgot my camera.

Shawn Mullins opened for Dar Williams. I didn't know who he was and wrongly assumed that Shawn was a women! I was pleasantly surprised by his soulful, folk rock performance. A few of his songs were about being on the road. How could I not like him?

The show was at the Orpheum Theater. It's a cool old theater except it still has movie chairs. I really hate having to watch a music show sitting down.

Dar Williams is enduring, funny and a wonderful performer. She has an interesting and energetic stage presence. I highly recommend checking her out if you're a folk/ rock music fan.

The Quest for Deep Creek Hot Springs!

I drove in the desert for at least an hour trying to find Deep Creek Hot Springs.








































































It took unbelievable persistence to find Deep Creek Hot Springs. The directions online sucked. I drove around and around on desert roads trying to find Bowen Ranch Rd. I asked for directions at least 5 times but no one could really knew what they were talking about. I was finally about to give up when I saw a mail man. He gave me great directions and told me I was going to have a blast!

The hot springs are located outside of Hesperia, CA. I payed my $5 to Mike, the guy who lives and takes care of the BLM land where the springs are located. There are a few different ways to hike into the hot springs. The Pacific Crest Trail is right next to the springs. It was cool to see the P.C.T. It's on my list of things to do!

I hiked the 2 or so miles on a desert trail to the hot springs. It's incredible to walk in the desert and then see a river! I was at the springs on a Thursday so there were only a few people around. It's a big nudist, hippie location. I'll have to go back on a weekend to get the full experience!

Silver Lake, CA

Morning at Silver Lake.












I took this picture on my 2 hour sunset walk looking down at Silver Lake, CA.

I found this area outside Hesperia, CA where I went to find Deep Creek Hot Springs. I didn't find the hot springs on Wednesday but I found this beautiful place on National Forest land. Just walking and watching the sun set is simple, elegant, and wonderfully peaceful.

San Bernardino Mountains

I stayed a few nights in Angelus Oaks, CA in the San Bernardino Mountains northeast of LA. My new friends from the Joshua Tree music festival call this beautiful place home. I've been enjoying the good company and hiking.

Joshua Tree Desert

The desert in Joshua Tree is breathtaking. It's hot even in October! It was too hot to walk around with Silvi by 11am. I hear summer in Joshua Tree is almost unbearable.

I loved all the cactus and mountain backdrops. I hiked a bit with Silvi around the cactus garden until I realized it was a disaster waiting to happen. Dogs sniff with their noses!

There are lizards everywhere in the desert. Silvi is convinced that she might just be able to catch a lizard. I could foresee her chasing a lizard right into a cactus!

Amazing Sunrises, Joshua Tree CA

The sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park are unbelievable. I woke at dawn every morning just to watch them. These were the best sunrises I've seen so far!

The huge rocks against the sky are really cool. Apparently it's the mecca for rock climbers!

Crossing into CA!

Driving into California was exhilarating! I made it cross country. The feeling of driving coast to coast across this magnificent country is overwhelming. It's something ever politician should be required to do before running for president.

Hello California!

Jerome, AZ

Jerome, AZ is a mining town that was founded in 1876. Rich Copper mines helped it grow to a population of 15,000 by the 1920's. By the mid 1950's Jerome was a ghost town. Today Jerome is a tourist and artist community. It's built into the mountains and a great place to walk around. There's lots of interesting art galleries, restaurants and bars.

I ate breakfast at Gisele's. I had biscuits and gravy. Wow, now that's a breakfast that sticks to your ribs! I love eating at small local joints.

Flagstaff, AZ

The above picture is Dara Thai. This restaurant would be perfectly at home in West Philly!

Flagstaff is an interesting city. There is an Amtrack station and the historic route 66 cuts through the town. There are hostels and cheap motels on the cooler or some might say seedier part of town. Ironically the city is split by the train tracks.

Walking around I saw quite a few guys with big packs that were riding the trains across the country. I got excited because I thought I would get a chance to talk with people that were riding box cars but the travelers I met were traveling by Amtrack. Not as dangerous and hard core a method of travel as the boxcars but still interesting.

The classier part of town has lots of cool art, hiking, and boutique stores. There are a couple of old hotels that are really cool. I went into Monte Vista on Sunday night. There’s a bar on the first floor and most of the rooms are named after movie stars that have stayed there.

My friend showed my around Flagstaff on Sunday night. Getting to see a town or area with a local is wonderful. It adds a depth to where ever I'm visiting and is always a treat.

Haze at the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon was hazy on Saturday when I arrived. I have to admit I didn't really explore the Grand Canyon. I was tired from my night of wind camping and ready to be in a town! I drove around, enjoyed the views and walked Silvi around.

I was close to Flagstaff and thought Saturday would be a great night to get a motel room and explore a new town. I headed out of the Grand Canyon to find a warm, cheap room for the night and hopefully some live music in Flagstaff.

Wind Camping, Relaxing!

Friday night a cold front came through southern UT and northern AZ. It was windy. I've never camped in the wind before. I camped in Kaibab National Forest outside of the Grand Canyon.

I drove off the side of the road onto a logging road leading into the forest. I looked around to make sure to camp away from any dead trees. I didn't want to have a tree fall on Silvi and I in the middle of the night. What a boring way to die!

The wind blew strong all night. I could hear tree limbs falling down a little ways from me in the forest. I had no idea how loud a tent can be when there's strong winds. Wow, what an experience! I'm not sure it's exactly something I want to do again for a little bit. It was a long night especially since I kept thinking about the pottery store couple I had just left. Stories about Ted Bundy aren't exactly relaxing bedtimes tales. I guess I had to have a scary night at some point. I've been on the road for over 6 weeks. It's pretty amazing that this was my first scary night!

Strange Potters

I stopped at this pottery store just over the AZ border coming from UT. Wow, what a strange place in a tiny town. I went in and picked out the a cool vase and then realized I needed cash.

I went to the only ATM at a gas station/market/gun store. I walked over to the ATM and the guy at the register asked me how much money I wanted to take out. Coming from Philly I had to resist the thought that he was trying to rob me. I wanted $100 and he said that he needed to put more cash in the machine. I guess I could have robbed him. He took money out of his cash register and loaded the ATM.

I went back to the pottery store owned by a middle aged couple. I walked in and saw a cute pitbull curled up on the floor. I said "hi" to the dog when the man immediately came out of the back and yelled at the dog "Go to your hole!" It gave me chills and I definitely didn't want to see the hole. Has anyone seen 'Silence of the Lambs'? That's what the serial killer yells at his victim.

I paid for the vase and talked with the man and his wife that owned the store. They were too interesting to pass up a conversion with. Jim and Lisa make all the pottery they sell. Jim asked me if I had any weed. I didn't so I said no but I could have had a truck load of weed and I still would have said no!

Jim and Lisa were harmless, I guess, I couldn't quite read them. They were paranoid about the world. Jim said "It's a dangerous world. I just watched a video were 2 blackies beat up people on a bus for an ipod somewhere back east." Yes, he said blackies; I'd never even heard that before. Jim and Lisa then went on to talk about Ted Bundy and all the women he killed. They were trying to warn me of the dangers of the traveling alone as a woman. But I couldn't tell if maybe they were warning me of themselves. They tried to convince me to camp on their land next to the shop or get a room across the street. I declined and decided the forest was safer. Especially since Jim wanted to know if I had gun. He had many!

Canyon Diving

I took this picture after swimming to the next rock on the Narrows hike in Zion. The Narrows was the best hike I've done. Although I found out the official term is Canyoneering. I didn't expect to actually go swimming but the water was higher than I expected and I just went for it. I climbed up the boulder on the other side of the deep water and waited for the guys to take the plunge.

I have to admit I was a little cold after my swim in 57 degree water! I wasn't too smart about my swim. I had to quickly try and save my camera and I didn't have a spare shirt. I saved the camera and was lucky enough to borrow someone else's spare shirt for the rest of the hike. But it was fun!

It's a mile walk to the river in a large canyon. As the canyon gets tighter and tighter you start hiking through the river. The large canyon turns into narrow slot canyons. It was cold in the morning especially since there's not much sun a few miles into the canyon.

I pasted a hiker in the Narrows who said "This sure beats working doesn't it!" I totally agree!

It's almost the opposite feeling as being on top of a mountain. The rocks tower above you and the river is spectacular. The area around Zion is unique because water flows through the rocks. This creates hanging gardens. At times it feels almost tropical along the Narrows hike. But it's in the desert of Utah, so cool! There are ferns and other plants growing stories above your head as you walk through the canyon. The tops of the enormous rocks are red and the sky is the most amazing blue you've ever seen. It's something I will never forget.

Community of Travelers

There is an entire community of long term travelers traveling about I'm now proud to be a member of. This is a picture of Patrick and Wallie at Capitol Reefs. I met both of these guys at Capitol Reefs. Wallie is from Germany and Patrick is from Florida. They are both riding the same BMW bike.

It's been fun to meet all the people camping at the National Parks. There is a small but amazing group of people that take months or even years off from their jobs to travel the world. I'm impressed, inspired and totally intrigued!

But where are the solo women travelers? I'm on the lookout for even a solo women camper but I have spotted one yet.

Every long term traveler I meet has a unique story. The travelers I've met aren't independently wealthy. They have a true passion for traveling. I love asking lots of questions, seeing pictures of their trips and finding out how they have funded their travels. So far there is one thing everyone has in common, no kids, no mortgage.

At Capitol Reefs, Wallie a German doctor riding a BMW Dakar camped at our site. Wallie is 5 months into a 6 month bike tour around the world. He rode through Germany into Russia and had then had his bike flown to Alaska.

I came into the Zion campgrounds and guess what I saw? The same bike as Wallie parked at one of the campsites with 2 other bikes. I asked the guy at the site if the bike belonged to a German doctor that had ridden from Russsia. He said yes. But when the owner of the bike walked up it wasn't Wallie but his friend Hans. Funny I assumed there could only be one German riding a BMW Dakar around Utah. The other 2 bikes belonged to a really cool couple from Sweden. They are 2 months into a year long trip. The Sweds had their bikes flown to South America and ridden north.

At Zion I also met an Australian couple. Guy and Lisa are traveling around the world for 2 years. They had amazing pictures from South America.

I'm totally blown away by the idea of riding a bike around the world. I had never heard of that until now nor had the idea that people did that even cross my mind. For me, there is nothing better than being exposed to a foreign and unique concept. It's time to read Ted Simon's book Jupiter's Travels.

Mile Marker 24 and a Bucket

I met a fellow traveler last week, Patrick. It turns out we where heading in the same direction. He has been kind enough to let me camp at his sites for free. It's a treat to camp inside the parks.

I went to Zion a day ahead of Patrick and being a cheap bastard I wanted to find free camping. I asked a park ranger where the closest BLM land was. It was dark at this point. She said "It's close but really hard to find." I told her that was o.k with me. She said "Take the highway 10 miles and look for mile marker 24 and then look for a bucket on a pole."

I went down the dark highway searching for my landmarks. I found it but she was right it was a little tricky. It was raining and I drove down a sandy dirt road into the BLM area. I love finding these places. It's an adventure and the people camping in these hidden areas are usually locals. Talking with locals is awesome. They always know the best places to eat, hike, and camp.

Gettting away from Snow

I left Bryce Canyon because it was suppose to snow. As I drove into Zion it was raining but beautiful. The colds around these enormous rocks were breathtaking.

Bryce Canyon

I loved hiking at Bryce. The campgrounds were in the forest but then I picked up the trail and I was walking on a ridge looking into the desert. The sky floated on top of the rocks.

Bryce was cold at night. The campground is around 8,000 ft. What a difference a few thousand feet in elevation makes! Funny how I knew nothing about elevation after spending my entire life on the east coast.

Capitol Reefs National Park

I went to Capitol Reef's on the recommendation of a couple I met at bar in Green River, UT. I decided it was time to pay to camp for a night. After 3 days in the desert $10 was worth camping with people!

I loved Capitol Reef's because it is an unique National Park. This park was originally a Mormon settlement. The last of the Mormon's left over 50 years ago but the farm house, barn and orchards are all still here. They have all kinds of pick your own fruit orchards. I'm a practical girl and I love seeing how land is used by people to live. Plus I now have tons of fresh apples!

The Mormon's settled here in the late 1800's. They built dams and brought water into the valley. It was really cool to come out of the desert into this little oasis.