Day 10/11 Four Corners, San Juan, Home

I awoke 0800 MDT and had a very large breakfast that included pancakes with whipped cream.  I figured I would be sitting in my car all day so loading myself down with carbs was ok.  0915 was my official leave time from the hotel and I was expecting 25 hours of drive time not including stops.  Black Beauty was ready to go and I continually had to keep her reined in or she would be going over the speed limit.  It is very easy to speed far above the legal limit when you have a nice stead such as I and the road is flat and wide open.  I at least went slow enough that I didn't pass anyone who was going faster than me.  I made it to the Four Corners in about 3 hours.  Apparently this is on the Navajo reservation and they have capitalized on the idea of charging every head $5 for access or else they will tie you to a fire ant hill.  It was worth it just to say I was in 4 states at once.  There were also booths set up all around and the Native Americans were peddling goods.  Some were making crafts while setting in their booths and others I questioned about their goods and how they were made while receiving evasive answers so I'm not sure everything was authentic.  I spent about 1/2 hour here as I knew my drive was still very daunting.

The marking of the exact spot of the 4 corners.
(Upper left clockwise we have Utah, Colorado,
 New Mexico, and Arizona)

Me existing in all 4 states at once.  (Note the slim, energetic,
utterly handsome embodiment of youth centered in the picture)

After leaving I headed to R 550 which is a scenic route through the San Juan National Forest.  The drive was beautiful and as I got higher the ground became snow covered and there were many snow melt streams cascading down the mountain and at a couple areas even the road.  Apparantly there had been an avalanche that had destroyed the road which meant it was undergoing repairs for most of the day and I had to wait until 1830 when it opened back up.  This meant sitting around for 2.5 hours or turning around.  I decided to wait it out as it was a 2 hour drive back down the mountain anyways and it was a beautiful area where I was stopped.  I ate "lunch" at and old goldmine and watched the sunset behind the peak then at 1830 started the drive over the peak and down the other side.

Heading up Red Rock Pass in San Juan NF

Stopped at an old abandoned gold mine to wait and eat lunch.

Small cascades of rocks were continually
coming down this hillside as the snow
melted away.

Watching the sunset.

Line-up of vehicles waiting for road to open up.

I eventually connected to I-70 E which would take me to Kansas city after 888 miles of driving.  This is where the real adventure began.  I-70 reaches to an elevation of over 11,000 ft at the Eisenhower tunnel system which is at the continental divide.  I had several hours on I-70 before I reached this point.  In the mean time it became dark.  The road markings had been worn off after the long winter so it was hard to know where one lane ended and another began.  The moon was full so it wasn't bad. However, it became cloudy and blocked out the moon.  Down in the valley it was really dark and it was hard to see the edges of the road while going 75 mph around s-curves as the lines were gone in many places so most of the traffic (yes including me) slowed down.  This wasn't too bad until we started getting to higher elevation and God flipped on the "let it snow" switch.  I was not very happy as this further slowed us down and made it even harder to see.  I thought it couldn't get worse than this.  The Lord just laughed, decided he had a lesson in store for me, and turned the dial to more snow and colder temperature.  Now the snow was starting to accumulate and the semis were having a hard time going up hill.  It's now about midnight.  The semis were stopping and putting on chains.  One driver refused to put on his chains until he just sat spinning in place trying to go up hill.  I passed him and could smell his tires.  I of course had no chains so I continued on until I could go no further.  The grade was about 6% and my car was just sliding around the road and spinning out not really going uphill anymore.  A couple reindeer passed so I roped them and had them pull me part way up the hill until they became tired and I ran out of carrots to encourage them on.  Thankfully a semi passed me and I was able to follow in his tracks and go the rest of the way to the tunnels.  Once in the tunnel I noticed I was shaking so I thought I must be cold but then realized my hands were sweating so that was discordant information.  I realized I was very nervous (note some would say scared but I have not officially been afraid since I became a full man and started shaving at 2 years of age).  I was glad to see the sign that stated "The Continental Divide" and knew it was all downhill from here which would be easy; right?  Once out of the tunnels on the other side it was obviously still snowing and there was about 1 inch of slush on the road.  I don't have to go uphill against it but now I must go downhill on a 6% grade on s-curves paved with ice.  I continued to shake with "nervousness" as I cautiously drove no more than 20mph down the mountain.  The lower the elevation the less snow had accumulated on the road and the lighter the snow was.  After 1 hour at this snail pace (note no one was passing me) I was down low enough where I could comfortably pickup speed.  The only good thing about this was it was now 0100 MDT at I had so much adrenaline going through me I wasn't a bit tired.  Finally I reached Denver, fueled up, and went to the bathroom.  Wait, no I didn't do the last part.  I had to go really bad from being so nervous for the past 3 hour drive but the 1 gas station I picked had its restroom out of order.  I was angry about how everything seemed to be going against me so I decided to do something nice and water some weeds outback of the station that were growing in a dark corner.  After this little adventure most of the rest of the drive was pretty easy.  I started to fight sleep at about 0300 MDT so I drank a Red Bull which kept me going for the next 5 hours.  My bottom had been sore from clenching it during the harrowing mountain drive and sitting for so long but by now had either gone to sleep of its own volition or became so ischemic the the nerves had died.  Either way I was comfortable.  It was neat to be able to watch the sunrise over the plains of Kansas.  I had to stop for gas about every 5 hours and noticed my gas mileage had dropped from 36 mpg to 29 mpg.  I checked my tires and they were still aired up and then checked my oil which was low.  Thankfully I had been warned to take some with me so I filled it back up and had no further issues the rest of the trip except the occasional fight with the sandman.  I arrived back in Tremont at 1500 CDT to a cold and rainy climate where a few hours before I had been in warm and sunny weather.  I had made it.  The Lord I'm sure was watching over me and if there are guardian angels mine was wore out and I heard they were having a retirement party for him this evening.  I had driven the 25 hour drive with only 4 hours total of stops and arrived in 1 piece at least physically and mostly mentally.  I now have been up for about 36 hours so if there are any inaccuracies in this account I blame it on lack of sleep.  Note the final tally of mileage for the entire 11 days is 4612 miles.  I combed out Black Beauty and gave her some nice oats and put her in the driest part of the stable.  I weighed in 8 lbs lighter than when I started this adventure.  Not bad, I was afraid all the hiking would wear me too thin.

My welcome weather home. :(

This is the final mileage.

The initial mileage for comparison.

Day 10 Driving Marathon

I plan on driving straight through back home as I have to be in Springfield by 1630 to pick up graduation clothing so I don't have much time to spare.  I will stop at the four corners for a short bit. It should be a 23 hour drive to get back home and I lose 2 hours.

Day 9 Zion National Park, Buckskin Gulch, Carl Hayden Dam

I was able to awaken in good time because I knew I wanted to hike trails in 2 separate parks today but then realized the shuttle to the trailheads did not start running until 0800.  I had a large breakfast at the La Quinta, which is the hotel I stayed at.  I had 2 malted waffles, which was a mistake, because I felt them in my stomach for the first 2 hours of hiking.  Anyways, I drove the rest of the way to the western entrance of Zion National Park.   I took the shuttle to the Grotto and started my hike up to the rim of the canyon on my way to Angel's Landing.  Everything in the park was apparently named by Mormons.  The hike wasn't bad because it was 1500 ft of elevation gain but it was really steep.  The trail was really busy as it is very popular.  The last 1/2 mile of the trail narrows and you are right on the edge of the cliff and sometimes it is a steep drop-off on both sides of the trail so there is a chain to hold onto.  There were a lot of people turning back because they were afraid to go on due to the height.  The trail should have been named the Petrified Trail because so many people (including me at some points) were petrified they were going to fall off a cliff.  Risking death was well worth it as the view was amazing at the rim of the canyon.  I then hiked back down and then the upper/middle/lower emerald pool trails.  These trails weren't as scary but they also weren't as beautiful.

Canyon Bottom River in Zion Canyon

On my way up to Angel's Landing

Nice wide paved trail up the AL.

View of the valley from AL.

Another view from AL.

Trying to show the treacherousness
of the trail.  Wanted to upload video
but wasn't able.

On my way to the Upper Emerald Pool.

Cliff water going to lower emerald pool.

More water from cliff.  I was
able to keep the camera dry
the whole time even with
walking through this.

View of River while heading back
to the shuttle.

 After I left Zion National Park I headed to Wire Pass which would take me to Buckskin Gulch.  The drive was neat because I was able to see mountain goats (one was nearly hit by vehicle ahead of me) and there were 2 mountain tunnels I was able to drive through.  To get to Wire Pass trailhead you have to drive 8.3 miles on a dirt road.  Black Beauty did well and didn't even lose a hubcap as there were several hubcaps resting on the side of the road.  It was 1600 when I reached the trailhead so I knew I wasn't going to be able to hike for long.  I quickly hiked Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch.  Buckskin Gulch is a slot canyon which means a narrow trail with really high walls on both sides.  This was something much different than I had ever done before and was really neat.  Angel's landing wasn't for the faint of heart and this trail wasn't for the fat of gut.  I hiked for 3 hours and it was getting dark in the canyon so I returned to my car and ate supper there while watching the sunset.

Start of the slot canyon (Buckskin Gulch)

An area where the canyon widens.

The sculpted beauty of the canyon wall.

A look from above to the trail in the canyon.
(not sure I was supposed to climb up here)

 I headed to Page AZ to stop for the night and came across another hydroelectric dam of the CO River so I stopped and took some pictures of the Carl Hayden dam which created Powell Lake.

Carl Hayden hydroelectric dam.

Top of CH Dam with Lake Powell behind.

I then finished my drive to Page and stopped at the first hotel which was a Best Western.  I didn't realize until now you could haggle about the room price with the front desk and the lady seemed surprised when I accepted the $ amount she gave me.  The rooms are nice and there is a Keurig in each room even though I hate coffee.  I had to wash my Vibrams again in the bathtub.  I used the conditioner this time and agitated them a few times and let them soak.  This worked pretty well even though I'm not a very good agitator as my parents can confirm.

Update on CAT Proving Grounds

Here are 2 photos Tom took of me with a company approved camera.  These are the only 2 photos I have from the maximum security compound.  Note: I unfortunately was unable to operate any of this equipment.

Inside the bucket of the 7495 electric rope shovel.

Me atop the 793D off road mining truck.

Day 8 Hoover Dam

Woke up and had breakfast with Tom before he left for work.  I left his house at 0815 after solidifying the day's plans and getting rid of some of the Mexican cuisine; if you know what I mean.  I had an uneventful drive up to the Hoover Dam and spent several hours there.  I pain $15 dollars for a tour that lasted 15 minutes.  I was able to see some neat things as you will note in the photos below but I don't think it was worth $15.  Also there was a completely blind man on the tour with his wife.  I'm not sure if he got much out of the tour and I hope he got in for free.  What was even more painful is the gas became 50 cents more expensive after I was out of southern AZ.  The dam was pretty amazing and I felt dizzy while standing on its edge looking down.  I also had a slight urge to jump off into the water beneath to get my money's worth.  I, however, contained myself and decided just to spit off the dam.  The base of the dam is 660 ft wide and it is 726 ft tall.  Only 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete were used and the engineers had to develop a special refrigeration technique in order to cool the concrete otherwise it would have taken over 100 years to cure.

The original river diversion tunnel in the canyon wall
that still has water running through.

The tops of the Nevada turbines.

One of the two 300 ton cranes in the power plant room.

Looking down on the power plant and where
the water comes out after running through
the turbines

A picture of US 93 from the dam. (looking down river)

Looking up river from the dam.  White is left behind minerals

AZ side overflow tunnel entrance.

On the AZ side looking at upriver side of the dam.  The 4
towers are the intake shafts for the water to go to the turbines.

Another view down river from the dam.

View of dam from the bridge.

After the dam I continued my drive up US 93 and drove through Las Vegas.  Every time I went past a casino, and there are a lot in Nevada, my wallet let out a little scream and seemed to become thinner.  I did find a $1 poker chip at a gas station so I figured I would end my gambling career there since I was already ahead.  I decided to stop in St George Utah which is 1 hour away from my trailhead I plan on hiking tomorrow.  I paid for a hotel room as I decided car sleeping is not the most fun and a shower is also conductible for a better attitude.

Day 7 Desert Museum

I spent the night at Tom's and we went to Tucson church and had a wonderful day.  Grace Shelter worships with the congregation in the mornings.  This is a homeless shelter that has about 25 members that attend our church.  The sunday school kids served lunch since it was Mother's Day.  The congregation in the afternoon is extremely thin after the shelter folks leave.  One of the main points I remember from the sermons was a story of a wealthy man who lived 2 hours from his mother and thought he would send her a nice bouquet of flowers instead of driving to visit her.  When he got there he noticed a young girl on the steps crying.  He found out the little girl wanted to buy her mother a rose for $2 but only had 75 cents.  The man said he would buy the rose and then ordered his bouquet.  He gave the little girl the rose and watched as she walked away but then also offered her a ride.  The little girl accepted and said the man could take her to her mother's place.  When they arrived, the man realized they were at a cemetery.  The little girl went over and placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.  This was used to illustrate that we should not take our mother's for granted but also the love which God has offered us.

After church, Tom and I met with another single brother, Andy Knobloch, and drove to the desert museum.  This is mainly and outdoor museum/zoo showing off AZ local plants and wildlife.  There were many neat things to see but mostly the hummingbird room where you could walk amongst many hummingbirds flitting about and get really close to them.  I was also able to see a lobo, ocelot, and javelinas for the first time.

Tom and Andy at the start of the Desert Museum

Hummingbird nest with 3 chicks

Hummingbird with bright purple throat.

Hummingbird (outside the room) drinking from a flower.

very shy ocelot

Javelinas.  Note these are not the same family as pigs/boar
 as they have smaller broods, are herbivores, and have
 dewclaws

Extremely bored cougar.

Balloon fish which can choke a shark to death.

After the desert museum we went and ate at Rigo's fine Mexican Food.  I ordered the buffet because I wanted to try many different things.  The buffet was not labeled well so I ended up eating I'm not sure what but it tasted good.  There were strips of meat that looked like chocked and others that looked like pork.  For all I know I was eating gatos y perros.  Other things were labeled in spanish but this didn't help me much as most everything I learned in spanish has since been purged from my memory and replaced with medical information.  I also tried Horchata after Tom suggested it.  This is a beverage that tastes like a sweet milk with cinnamon in it.  The horchata was good but I didn't feel it fit well with a meal of tacos and other unidentified Mexican cuisine.  Tom didn't order the buffet and was still hungry after finishing so we went to Something Sweet which is a dessert lounge.  I ordered a volcano cake and the other two ordered cheesecake and a reese's cake.  The food was all very good but I am hardly able to walk and look/feel like I'm 36 weeks along.  Tom gave my some suggestions for the rest of my travels.  It has been a wonderful weekend and I recommend TTPI (Tom's Travel Planning Inc) for anyone planning a trip to this area.

Day 6 Romera Trail, Biosphere 2, Mount Lemon Sky Lab

First off happy mother's day to my mother of 26 years.  I know I am your pride and joy and I am glad you had the opportunity to raise me.  I know you will miss me on this important day but be content I'm having a great time in Arizona.
 Today Tom kept me really busy.  We hiked the Romera trail in the Catalina mountain range for 3 hours, had a quick lunch and went to the Biosphere 2.  This is basically a very large greenhouse that is completely climate controlled and has 4 different climates, wet desert, rainforest, ocean, and dry desert.  This place is now owned by the University of Arizona and they are conducting climate change experiments inside.  Originally the structure was built and 8 individuals were sealed inside to see if they could live in a completely controlled atmosphere like what may be constructed on Mars.  This was all funded by a rich oil tycoon.  The experiment ended after 2 years because the humans were running out of oxygen.  They were at 14% and we breath around 21% oxygen.  The Biosphere 2 is an incredible structure but I felt they were trying to indoctrinate me into believing there is man made climate change.

Me by and extremely large Saguaro.

The pool we hiked to on the Romera.

The outside of the biosphere.

Rainforest room.

Ocean room.

Dry desert room.

Equipment in basement that creates the specified atmospheres.

After 2 hours at the Biosphere we headed to Mount Lemon Sky Center which has a research grade telescope that is used for public viewing.  Tom decided to take a back road to the place which required him to put his Jeep in 4 wheel drive and we had to stop twice in order to let the transmission cool down.  The road was incredibly rough and wasn't fit for much more than a mountain goat.  The drive was very scenic and we were able to see some really neat wildlife.  When we started we were in desert and by the time we had reached the top we had gained so much elevation we were in Ponderosa Pine forests.

Cous deer on the mountainous road.

 We finally arrived at Mount Lemon after winching his Jeep out of several ditches and finally writing "Honda" on it which made it run better.  Mount Lemon is the highest peak in the Catalina mountain range at just under 9000ft elevation.  The program started at 1700 and an astronomer gave us an introduction on how telescopes worked and some basic calculations they perform to measure age and distances.  We then looked at the sun with a telescope and then had a meal.  We watched the sunset and then used the big telescope, 530x mag power, to look at various stars and galaxies along with a few planets.  There are several telescopes on the peak and one is operated remotely by South Korea.  There is also the old Cold War radar installations still in place which are now officially "empty" though there were people going in and out and at times there are lights on inside.  It was incredibly cold and windy at the top of the mountain.  The program concluded at 2200 and we drove the 2 hours back to Tom's house.  I'm not sure we could have packed any more into the day and if anyone is wondering, Tom is a great travel guide.

The 2 telescopes in the world that scan the skies
for space projectiles that may collide with earth.

Telescope we were able to use.