The Road Goes Ever On
60 Days. 11,000 Miles. 23 Parks. Over 700,000 steps.
What a hell of damned thing we just did.
Day 54-55: Arches National Park + Moab
It seems fitting that our final park would be in an iconic location like Arches and the nearby adventure-town of Moab, Utah. It was a spectacular finish to one hell of an adventure.
Day 53: The aptly named Canyonlands
Despite being nearly canyon’d out, Canyonlands was still surprising and beautiful. There are actual canyons within canyons within canyons. National Parks just never let you down friends. Trust that.
Day 52: A lovely Saturday at Capitol Reef National Park
Sandwiched between its more well known neighbors, Capitol Reef may not have the wow factor of Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, or Arches, but it does have excellent pie.
Day 51: Bryce Canyon National Park
The first thing you should know about Bryce Canyon, is that it’s not a canyon. It’s actually several natural amphitheaters along the side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Southern Utah. Truth in advertising issues aside, the “canyon” is stunning with its colors and iconic natural spires.
Day 49 & 50: Zion National Park
Not for nothing is Zion consistently ranked near the top of any list of National Parks. Located around the stunning Zion Canyon in Southeast Utah, everything about the park just feels, well, monumental.
I’ve made a huge mistake
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for two people to visit the lesser of the two regional burger chains on the west coast…sadness and self loathing are the only possible results.
Day 43-44: Yosemite National Park
The beauty of Yosemite smacks you right in the face as you arrive. The huge granite cliffs, the towering waterfalls, the babbling of the Merced River—it’s aggressively pretty—and you get a sample of it all just by driving through Yosemite Village to the Visitors Center.
Day 39-40: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Have you ever wanted to see the largest tree on earth? If so, you’re in luck. All it will take is a quick trip over (and up, and up) to Sequoia National Park. As an added bonus, you can then pop next door to Kings Canyon National Park and see the second largest tree in the world.
Day 36: Channel Islands National Park
You can’t help but fall in love with the Channel Islands. Whether it’s the scenic cliffs, mysterious sea caves, oceanside hikes, and of course the iconic island Scrub Jay, there is really something for everyone here.
Day 34: Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles likely won’t make it to the top of anyone’s National Park rankings, but if you want to disconnect and try out some truly challenging and breathtaking hikes (literally at times), Pinnacles has you covered. Plus, there’s a good chance you’ll see a California Condor.
An Ode to Tri-Tip
If you’ve spent most of your time in the Midwest or East Coast, you likely haven’t heard of Tri-Tip steak before. You’ll thank us for changing that.
Day 30 - 31: Joshua Tree National Park
If you love scenic desert terrain, rock scrambles, and unique flora, you’ll love Joshua Tree National Park.
A Worthy Competitor
We come at last to In-N-Out Burger, the chain most often mentioned along side Culvers in the competition for best regional burger joint. And it is a worthy competitor indeed.
Day 28: Death Valley National Park (+ Star Wars)
Death Valley. The name certainly paints a picture. It conjures images of sweat-soaked travelers wilting in the hot midday sun. So you can imagine our surprise when we were met with 35 degrees and a wind stiff enough to knock you over.
Day 26: Horseshoe Bend
Even if you don’t know its name or where it’s located (I didn’t and didn’t), most people will instantly recognize the iconic image of Horseshoe bend.
Day 25: Petrified Forest National Park
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for Petrified Forest, and I (ashamedly, now) actively campaigned to cut Petrified from the schedule. Despite and perhaps because of my low expectations, I found Petrified Forest to be a DELIGHT.