Eat, Pizza, Love

It sounds like the name of a movie, but I might be getting the name slightly wrong…

Dad and I met up with my brother Jackson and sister-in-law Wendy for a great reunion over pizza. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, so every time is special. Thanks for hanging out with us you guys!

This summer’s adventures have been fantastic. Here’s the stats for 2026:

Days: 28

Miles: 5,042

States: 11

Ice Cream Goddess Visitations: 2

Campfires: 1 (lots of burn bans this year)

Until next time…

Hood Ornament

Having six state high points to my name, I have started thinking about the other 44. When I took a look at Oregon’s high point, Mount Hood (11,249 ft.), it made me take a step back. The steep terrain, glaciers and big piles of rocks make the idea of climbing the thing rather intimidating. Plus, it’s an active volcano.

For now, I’ll be content with admiring the mountain from a distance.

Heart Of The Monster

Believe it or not, Heart Of The Monster is the name of an actual place. It’s in the valley of the Clearwater River near Kamiah, Idaho. It’s part of the Nez Perce National Historic Park and an important part of the creation story of the Nez Perce people, something about Coyote defeating a Monster and eating its heart. Sounds a bit gruesome. If I look apprehensive in the photo, it’s because I’m concerned about running into the Monster.

Later, we stopped by the visitor center which was not as scary. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the tribe.

Shopping

I mentioned earlier that I have developed lots of camping skills such as helping to set up tents. Another one I’ve been working on is food shopping. Dad and I usually go every 3-4 days to stock up while we’re on the road. I know how to push a cart and haul groceries and water. My favorite though is to help select apples for lunch (thanks to the Apple Goddess).

In the picture I’m ready to roll at the Community Food Co-op in Bozeman, Montana.

Top Of The Hills

The Black Hills is (are?) such a special place. I’ve been here several times and I keep learning more about plants and animals and the local environment. We attended a ranger program that was about the role of destructive forces (like fire and pine beetles) and how important those things are for the health of the ecosystem. For example, without regular fires the ponderosa pine trees would swallow up the prairie. Because of that mix you have a balance between the two.

There are extensive cave systems underground here- Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. I’ve heard about them but haven’t seen them (yet). Perhaps on another trip.

Panorama Point

Hear ye, hear ye…

I “bagged” another state high point. It’s Nebraska’s Panorama Point (5,429 ft.) and it has a nice view of the surrounding prairie. Even though it’s located on private land, the public can legally drive there. Emphasis on the “drive” part because it’s part of a working bison ranch. The owners want to avoid any unwanted encounters between their stock and anyone on foot or a cyclist. Dad was thinking about eating a bison burger on this trip but so far he hasn’t. We met two guys at the point who were spending their summer trying to hit all 50 state high points as fast as possible. That sounds like a lot of work.

I now have six state high points under my belt: Tennessee, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and now Nebraska.

Summer Breeze

We had a nice adventure out on the prairies of northeastern Colorado. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, but there’s a place called the Pawnee Buttes which is really cool. Actually, it’s very hot, so it was a good idea to start our hike early. We got back to the car at 9:00 AM. In this kind of environment Dad makes me walk very close to him. He’s concerned about rattlesnakes, and he’s probably right that I wouldn’t know how to react if we encountered one. We saw some wildlife, but nothing too dangerous.

Later, as we traveled north through the backroads and into Nebraska, we saw tons of wind turbines capturing the power of the breeze. They’re very big when you see them up close. Dad says that our current president doesn’t like windmills, even though folks out here who likely voted for him are putting them up on their land. I’m not really sure why he feels that way, but I think they’re awesome. They have an elegant design, plus they provide energy for our lives.

Everyday Is A Winding Road

When you take the highway over the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, be prepared for some sharp curves as well as spectacular scenery. I lost count of the number of squiggly road signs telling drivers to slow down to 15 MPH. The best part was stopping for a break and walking to the top of a hill at 12,000 ft. above sea level. You could see the whole park from there and then some.

My stepmom is not a fan of curvy roads and she’s probably glad to have skipped this one.

That Guy

You never know what kind of weather you’ll encounter when you visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We had sunshine, we had rain- sometimes at the same time.

On our first hike there, we waited for a break in the weather before setting out (a prudent move). However, when it looked like more rain was coming, Dad reached into his backpack and pulled out a “poncho” to protect his gear. The thing turned out to be a formless blob of plastic that was such a bright color of yellow that it probably could be seen from outer space. Dad thinks he purchased it in the 1970s (whenever that was) even though it clearly had never been used.

So, using a little ingenuity, as well as clips and carabiners, Dad rigged it up so that it wouldn’t blow away in the wind. It was kind of embarrassing to see, so I made a point of walking ahead so that if I met anyone on the trail I could look back and say: “Him? I don’t know that guy.”

Dad got rid of thing when we got back to camp.

A Few Good Books

What you see in the picture is my camping library.

On my travels, I’ve been collecting a series of books about nature and the environment written in the style of Dr. Seuss. They’re really fun to read and the illustrations are great. My favorite title is Why, Oh Why, Are Deserts Dry?

When we’re chillin’ out in camp, Dad reads his intellectual type books and magazines. Meanwhile, I am in seventh heaven with my own books.

I Did It

My readers may remember that four summers ago Dad and I tried to climb Colorado’s Mt. Yale (14,196 ft.) but were turned back by an approaching storm. At the time, Dad said that I should claim it as my first Fourteener with an asterisk because I’m a faster hiker than him and he figures I would have beat the storm on my own.

This year we tried again and we made it to the top! The only thing I would trade for the previous time is the air quality. There are so many wildfires in Colorado this summer that we couldn’t see very much from the top. It did rain that night, though. That helped a little bit.

In the photo you can see the mountain behind me.

Surfin’ U.S.A.

Not everybody has an ocean across the U.S.A.

So if you visit Colorado, come on and go my way

You’ll see them carrying sandboards, sliding down the dunes

I hope The Beach Boys won’t mind that I went and stole their tune

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a really fun place. When we camped here there were tons of families having a great time playing on the dunes. It looks a bit like snowboarding to me and it’s probably harder than it looks. Dad and I contented ourselves with running up and down the dunes (which is also harder than it looks).

We’re really enjoying exploring Colorado.

Semiquincentennial

I do like big fancy words…

Today the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary! I’m very happy for this great land we live in and I’m very proud to be an American. It’s one of reasons I like to travel around to see and experience as much as I can of it. Dad and I are staying in a hotel in Alamosa, Colorado tonight. I don’t think we’ll hear any fireworks because there are very intense restrictions due to the extreme fire danger we’ve seen lately. Nevertheless, we’ll celebrate.

Dad (the historian) noted that both Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day exactly 200 years ago. It was precisely 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Strange Currencies

One thing you see a lot of in the desert Southwest is cryptobiotic soil (also known as biological soil crust). It looks like lumpy red clay but it’s actually made up of thousands if not millions of microorganisms that are important to the ecology of the region. You’re not supposed to walk on it which is why you see lots of signs around here imploring hikers to stay on trails and not wander off cross country.

I’ve heard about some people getting excited about “investing in crypto.” I’m really not sure what they’re talking about, but it sounds a little weird to me. My investment in crypto is simply my decision not to step on it.

A Murder Of Crows

After some more smoky diversions, Dad and I ended up camping at Natural Bridges National Monument (not part of our original plan). Luckily, the wind was blowing the smoke away from us at camp. There was one point on our drive where we could see flames on a distant hillside.

Now, I love this whole part of southeastern Utah with its canyons and ancient ruins to explore. But it came with an annoying add-on: a whole bunch of black crows cawing and carrying on nonstop in the campground which was otherwise quiet and peaceful.

I guess you can’t really tell a crow to chill out, can you?

Enclave

Northeastern Arizona is sometimes referred to as “Indian Country” because of the sizable reservations of the Hopi and Navajo nations located there. Historically, there have been disagreements between the tribes stemming from the way lands were broken up by federal government policies. These days the tribes get along pretty well. We got a chance to travel through both on this trip (our first time on Hopi lands), ending up at the Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Navajo territory. In my humble opinion this place has the most beautiful of Southwest canyons. (Dad agrees with me.)

Interestingly, the Hopi Reservation is an enclave, completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation. Dad explains it this way: Hopi is to Navajo as Lesotho is to South Africa. Geography nerds will understand.

Fun fact: we kept changing our clocks on this day because the Navajo observe Daylight Saving time, whereas the Hopi have thrown in their lot with the rest of Arizona, using Standard Time the whole year around.

Tenting

I’m very proud of the camping skills I’ve developed over the years. Dad and I have a bunch of routines that help us efficiently set up and pack up our campsites. I help with those tasks every step of the way, but I’m also flexible. Dad has a slightly different procedure for setting up a tent in a high wind (lots of that in the Southwest). He gave me praise for following his instructions perfectly.

Speaking of tents, ours is being held together with duct tape at this point. It’s probably our last season with this one. My long time readers may recall that our last tent gave out on the road during the summer of 2016, so we purchased the one we have now in Utah. Most tents last around ten years with moderate to heavy use, so do the math. Dad is hoping to “muddle through” (his words) with this one for the remainder of the season. We’ll see…

Citadel

If you’re interested in Native American archeological sites, I highly recommend Wupatki National Monument in Arizona. Although most of these structures were abandoned around 1300 C.E. (for reasons not completely understood), they have been protected and preserved for posterity. My personal favorite building is the Citadel. It’s on top of a hill and has a commanding view of the surrounding plateau. Good for defense and for generally seeing what’s going on.

We ended up here as smoke refugees from our campground nearby during the afternoon. By the time we got back to camp in the evening, skies were (sort of) clear. We’ve had lots of good luck on this trip.

Smoke And Ashes

Dad and I were planning to camp in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona. However, our plans were forced to change due to a wildfire in the area. Luckily, things worked out fine and we found a nice place to stay.

The air quality in Flagstaff is not so great, so hopefully the fire crews will get the blaze under control soon. On the other hand, it’s good to remember that fire is and always has been a part of life in the West.

The Eleven Percent Solution

What goes up must come down… and then go back up and back down, etc. We descended a very winding road from the Sierra Nevada back to the Central Valley and then back up to camp in a different part of the range. Most exciting was going downhill to Lake Isabella. The road signs warned of an 11% grade for five miles.

Now, I’m not much of a numbers guys, but I could tell it was time for Dad to put it in low gear and be ready to apply the brakes.

On an unrelated note, later in the day we did a day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Walker Pass area. We met a “thru-hiker” who was on her way from Mexico to Canada. I’m pretty sure that’s a lot of trail miles to cover.