It’s Saturday, and because I’m headed for Arches National Park, I get up extra early, have a quick breakfast of 3 eggs and a coffee, and down the mountain I speed to avoid the crowds. Heading towards the park I tune into Arches’ info station on AM radio and feel discouraged when a message warns […]
Tag: camping
Canyonlands N.P – Needles Outlook
It’s a morning of errands: load the tank full of petrol; shop for groceries; sit down, check the date and create a rough plan for the week ahead; find free internet and write to mum and friends that I am still alive. Most days I don’t know what day of the week it is, […]
Canyonlands National Park (Pt 1) & Hamburger Rock
Canyonlands National Park has 4 districts, all of which are far drives from one another, and my first stop is the Needles Visitor Centre. When I arrive I wonder if I’m lost: I don’t see a line of cars at the entrance; HWY 211 that brings me here is likewise abandoned – I only pass […]
Utah and Arizona’s Valleys and Bridges
I’m up early because when on holiday I want to see every sunrise. I’m driving west to Utah. Quite suddenly, the landscape changes. Everything is drained of colour bar various hues of beige. Everything gets a little flatter. Then, red earth appears; in the distance cliffs raise; in the valleys carved out by rivers […]
Mesa Verde N.P and Comforting Mancos
The altitude, hyper-alert driving, hiking and fresh air cause such exhaustion that by the end of my second week on the road, once I’ve sat down in my camping chair with a book in one hand and a cuppa in the other, I can’t recall the morning. I know I must have risen early and […]
The Million Dollar Highway, Silverton & Durango – Colorado
The brochures and info sheets say the Highway 550 will test my nerves with sharp turns and narrow roads. It is a beautiful stretch of road, with lovely views, but I can’t drive at the speed I want because, even though it is morning, I usually have someone in front of me setting the pace, […]
Where the heart is: Ouray, Colorado
It’s supposed to be monsoon season, but so far, there’s only been one rainstorm. I wake up to the wet, fresh air and pack. The tent’s fly is wet, so it sits at the back of my car, fanning, as I drive with my windows open. It’s early, so the drive is a dream, cruising […]
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
It’s early on Sunday. 6 am and already people are awake, tent poles click as camps are taken down; pick-up trucks rev their engines and drive away, pulling their boats to shore. It is going to be a busy day, but my unexpectedly long drive yesterday means that I’m close to Black Canyon of the […]