The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

My trip has once again taken an unexpected turn, and here I am up on the Mogollan Rim with Bernie. I hiked Willis Creek Canyon on Sunday morning and it was beautiful. Lovely narrows sections, and the creek was flowing, so it was fun to see erosion in action. The problem was that there was water flowing everywhere due to monsoon season, making Skutumpah Road difficult to drive. I drove across a creek too quickly because I was worried about getting stuck in the mud and bottomed out pretty hard. My car immediately started making a terrible sound. My options had suddenly become limited. I was going to do some canyons near Escalante, but that would involve driving 50 miles down Hole in the Rock Road, which isn't paved and has no phone reception. I could just imagine my car dying and being stranded out there. Meanwhile, Bernie was texting and asking me to meet him at Knoll Lake up on the Rim. It made sense to be closer to Phoenix and have a second vehicle, so here I am. Bernie taug

I immediately felt better about life as I entered Utah. I think Southern Utah is my favorite place in the world. And then I checked my account balances, and I'd miraculously received my unemployment payment. I celebrated with lunch at Cafe Rio. I dipped back into Arizona briefly to drive through Colorado City, a notorious polygamist community. This place was so creepy. Most of the houses are unfinished, which I heard they do because they don't have to pay property taxes on them. The houses are huge and look like motels. Most are fenced in, but the yards I could see were littered with kids' toys. I saw kids playing, and women driving around in SUV's, but no men. It was a weekday, so maybe they were at work? Oh, the other creepy thing is that this town has a population of like, 5,000 people, but no stores or restaurants. Just a gas station (which I did not stop at). My next stop was Pipe Spring National Monument. It's kind of an odd place... A Mormon pioneer settl

Thursday was probably the worst day of my trip so far. My plan was to travel south through the Eastern Sierras and camp at Death Valley. Yes, I realize that sounds insane, but there were a few campgrounds at higher elevations that wouldn't be crazy hot. And best of all, they were free. I stopped for gas on my way out of Bishop, and the credit card didn't work. This card is actually my parents' Shell card, which was given to me in case of emergency. And sure enough, things didn't go as planned and 6 weeks after I'd applied for unemployment, I still hadn't received a payment. I spent a large chunk of my summer paycheck on the move to Phoenix, so at this point I was traveling with $5 in my checking account, $1 in cash, $150 available on a credit card, and my parents' Shell card. Since gas was my main expense, I thought I'd be okay. But now, the card wasn't working. Half the day was taken up with me trying to get gas, calling to tell my dad the car

I've been bad about blogging, but there isn't much to say... I'm still at Yosemite. It's still unbelievably gorgeous. I've stopped taking so many pictures because I kind of think, what's the point? Pictures cannot capture how BIG everything is here. One of the guys I met shared a great quote with me- "In the East, nature whispers. In the West, nature roars." On Saturday I went on a 10 mile hike through Lyell Canyon. This was the first hike that I didn't think was completely spectacular. It was supposed to follow a river, but I didn't see a river for the first 5 miles. I finally went off trail and found the river on the other side of the canyon and just followed that back, which made the hike a little more interesting. On Sunday, I started freaking out about job stuff, so I spent most of the day on the Internet handling that. It was a good choice because I was able to calm down and spend the rest of the day reading by the Tuolumne River. I r

Yesterday was a mostly uneventful day. I had to go to Lee Vining to get Internet access to deal with job stuff. On my way, I stopped and did the little hike to Soda Springs, which is a naturally carbonated spring. The interesting thing is that scientists don't know why it's carbonated. There was no one around when I got there, so I took a sip. Very mineral-y. Ew. But definitely carbonated! I hung out by the Tuolumne River for a while, reading my book. Some of Aron Ralston's stories make me crazy. I want to tell at him, "What were you thinking! You could die just because you wanted to do something stupid!" But he's a really good writer and I have trouble putting away the book to do other things. I was going to hike to Lembert Dome to watch the sunset last night, but it was overcast. I chatted with Kristin for awhile instead, then headed back to camp. On the way, I pulled over to take a picture of one of the most spectacular skies I have ever seen. In front

Swimming always saves the day. I got up early today and set off to hike to Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. On the way, my phone suddenly started receiving emails. I had Internet access again. I hadn't for over a day. That's not long, but suddenly it became urgent that I pull over and check all these emails and Facebook and the blogs I read. I do not want to share how much time I wasted in that parking lot. So much for an early start. Just past the Taft/Sentinel trailhead is Glacier Point, so I stopped to see that. I love that there are still things that can take my breath away. This sight was so perfect, it didn't seem real. After enjoying the beauty and enduring the crowd that came with it, I was ready to hit the trail. My feet, however, were not. As soon as I put on my hiking shoes, I knew hiking was out of the question due to some blisters I'd gotten a few days ago. I was so mad at myself. It was already 2:00 and I'd done pretty much nothing besides w

This morning I did a pretty little 2 mile hike to Luken Lake. I sat by the lake and listened to Joyce Meyer and reflected on how often I let fear take things away from me. Then I drove out to Hetch Hetchy, part of the park I've never seen. It was pretty, but it made me sad. It used to be a valley, like Yosemite Valley. The huge rock walls look very similar. However, after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, there was a water shortage and they decided to dam the Tuolumne River and use the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir as a water supply and for energy. John Muir fought against this and lost. Many people believe this defeat led to his declining health and death. I enjoyed seeing the reservoir, but I just kept imagining what it used to be. I did a 5.5 mile hike to Wapama Falls, which were pretty, but probably not worth it since it was SO hot. And it seemed vastly unfair to be surrounded by water but unable to go swimming. I encountered several NPS workers along the trail. I mentioned

I am here at Yosemite, and I never want to leave. The high Sierra's are incomparable. There is nowhere else I'd rather be. Part of me wishes I'd gotten here sooner, but I have no regrets over the detours I made. I got here the Saturday of 4th of July weekend and still managed to find a campsite. Even more miraculous, this campground is only $10/night. It is just down the road from Tuolumne Meadows, my favorite part of Yosemite. The Valley is too hot and crowded. Up here, most of the people are backpackers, and temperatures are in the 70's with lows in the upper 40's. And the scenery is spectacular- it's all lakes and meadows and wildflowers and these rock domes that are just begging to be climbed. Today I did a 7.5 mile hike to Mono Pass, elevation 10,599 feet. The whole first half was ascending, and my lungs were burning. I told myself it was because I'm not used to the elevation, but let's be honest, I am not in great shape. Most of my summer has c

I have been to California a handful of times now, but it still seems so exotic to me. Of course, the Sierra Nevada's are just unbelievable. But I also think the cities are just so glamorous. Midwestern cities just do not compare. I had so much fun spending the 4th in Alameda. The day began with dying Lucie the dog's mohawk red, white, and blue. (And by dyeing, I mean Emma used Mr. Sketch markers.) Lucie was a hit at the parade, which somehow managed to feel like a small town event despite its proximity to big cities. Highlights: Beth waved at all the politicians that went by. They all waved back and yelled, "Hi, Beth!" She knows everyone. It's so funny. Every float that was Pride themed or had a rainbow on it got cheers and a standing ovation. When the NRA float went by, everyone sat down and glared. After the parade, we walked down to the beach. (Beth lives right on the bay. It's so amazing to walk out her door and smell the ocean.) Bernie asked for a

Hanging out in the Sierra Nevadas, you can't help but hear and think about John Muir. I was going to spend most of the day Wednesday driving to San Francisco, so I decided to stop and get a few more stamps that are John Muir related. My first stop was his house. It was such a beautiful mansion! The informational video was hilariously awful, but I enjoyed the tour of his house. A sweet older lady showed me around, and we had a nice conversation. My next stop was not John Muir related, but it was on my way. I stopped at Rosie the Riveter National Monument, which was cool because it is brand new and because it is in the actual shipyards where they built ships for WWII. It was exciting driving through the busy docks. Their informational video was really great, and I learned that, prior to WWII, it was illegal for married women to work in 26 out of 48 states. They showed how the government used propaganda to convince women to work, and how the war helped launch women's and civil

Yesterday was delightful. I was irritated at first because I hiked 4 miles trying to find some waterfalls where I'd planned on bathing and washing my hair. After this unsuccessful attempt, I decided to explore the forest road on which I've been camping. It's the road that leads to Big Meadows, a free campground in Sequoia National Forest, but I've been doing dispersed camping, which is where you just choose any spot off the road. I knew the road went on for a while, but I didn't know what I'd find. It was amazing. I passed a big meadow (imagine that!) and eventually the road opened up to a view of the High Sierras. I am longing to go there, but no roads will take you there. It's all backpacking. Hopefully someday soon. Then I happened upon the most perfect swimming hole ever. Small cascades flowed into a pool about three feet deep and crystal clear. The rocks surrounding it were perfectly sculpted for lounging. This is my new favorite spot in the world

Uneventful day today. Did a nice little 5 mile hike up to Tokopah Falls, which were beautiful. It was raining, which made the hike even more fun. Talked to some people who called me an EMT's nightmare (people freak out when they see me hiking in flip flops) and had seen bears on the trail. I always miss them them. Or maybe I'm just oblivious. Took a break and read for a while, then did a 2 mile loop through a sequoia grove. In the other groves, you have to stay on a walkway and can't touch the trees. I had this trail all to myself, and there were no barriers to the trees, so I hugged them. Resting my face against a giant sequoia while "Awake My Soul" played in my headphones was pretty magical. In case I'm making this all sound too perfect, I will say that the mosquitos are out of control. They're not bad while hiking, but as soon as you stop moving, they swarm all around your head. They're especially bad where I'm camping, so once I get to ca