Travel 4: All Around the World Same Song

[French Rage]

pitt, Milwaukee, Boston, Omaha, tampa all in 3 weeks.

Sounds like a non-stop thrill ride.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Just got home from a 4 week trip out west and back....

Before I "review" it, a commentary.

I get it that people don't want to leave the country. I don't agree with it, but I do empathize with people who are just afraid of leaving. So you don't get a passport, you don't leave the country.

If you do that, please, you really, really, really, really need to see our own country. We went to 5 National Parks and 2 national monuments, and they are incredible to see. Like you will look at it in awe wondering how it got there, and also not really understanding how so very different places can be so close to each other. There are 63 actual national parks in the US, and 425 National Park sites (monuments, battlefields, shore lines, etc). Go see them. They are all of ours and we all need to go out and enjoy them.

In-between them are communities that are different than yours. Some can be uncomfortable (ever see a rifle being taken out of a bar?), but they are still all of us, and you can get some interesting meals that are also interesting. You can also see the Field of Dreams site, or the biggest ball of popcorn. This is fun.

One other thing that is interesting- most of the parks sounded like New York in terms of languages that are not English. Yea, people from other countries fly to the US to see your national parks. That's how good they are.

Seriously people, get out and see our country. It's worth it.

I agree with all of this, except feeling empathy for people who have the means, but fear all travel outside the US. What do they fear? Pick your regions/countries right and you'll be fine - i.e., scratch that Trans-Siberian Railroad adventure for the foreseeable future, and don't go rushing to book that all-inclusive excursion to the Glorious DPRK. Don't act like a walking, breathing American stereotype, or an SEC college fratty on his Redneck Riviera Spring Break, and you usually won't find much trouble with the natives.

[MichVandal]

I agree with all of this, except feeling empathy for people who have the means, but fear all travel outside the US. What do they fear? Pick your regions/countries right and you'll be fine - i.e., scratch that Trans-Siberian Railroad adventure for the foreseeable future, and don't go rushing to book that all-inclusive excursion to the Glorious DPRK. Don't act like a walking, breathing American stereotype, or an SEC college fratty on his Redneck Riviera Spring Break, and you usually won't find much trouble with the natives.

Fear of not being able to communicate, fear of being a target, fear of being uncomfortable, etc. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. After travelling to Havana, some of the responses we got from friends was really odd and fearful- which is what we've been taught for all of my life.

[MichVandal]

So going over the trip, hoping that some of you may get some ideas... We were out a long time- 29 days, and +5200 miles. The goal was to hit 6 NP sites- Badlands, Devil's Tower, Grand Teton, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, and North Rim Grand Canyon. To get there we, took a route that took us to see the Field of Dreams site (which was cool, as little leaguers were playing), Corn Palace, and the largest popcorn ball. Fun stuff.

On the way out, the only repeat city will be Sioux Falls- would like to see the falls in the spring with some run off.

As I posted a month ago, the Badlands were pretty amazing. We stayed at the lodge, which was ok, or good when looking at what else was available close by. Wall Drug is just a massive tourist site. If you go to the Badlands, try to go to the south side of it, where barely anyone goes. It's an interesting drive up a large bluff, and the top is worth it. Did hiking and drive touring in one day, so two nights. BTW, if you go, hope you have good weather, they did a really cool astronomy talk every night.

On the way to Devils Tower we stopped at Mt Rushmore. It's 4 guys carved into a mountain stolen from the natives. Take it as you will. Good to see it once, but that's enough.

Devils Tower was also spectacular. Just a simple shape, but how it fully got there is still a mystery. Which was interesting to read about. And gave us some things to ask climbers- as we stayed at the "lodge"- which is more a B&B than a lodge, hosted by a bunch of climbers. Hiking around the tower was both short and tough- but we did both the close and wide hike in one day. One day we had good weather, so that I broke out our telescope. Then the clouds blew in...

On the way to the Tetons, we stopped at Thermopolis, WY. I think I posted this would be a cheap way to see Buffalo and hot springs. Not as spectacular as Yellowstone, but much less crowded. There are some great petroglyphs to see, as well as a pretty incredible dinosaur museum. Lots of fossils found right there.

We were then at Grand Teton National Park for 3 nights, celebrating my birthday and seeing where I worked 36 years ago. The Tetons are really amazing to me- my favorite NP, but I did grow up really close by in Idaho. Hiked twice to see different views of the range, and rented a kayak to go on Jackson Lake. The view never gets tired for me. The weather was really great, too- so clear that my wife woke up one night to... and could not go to sleep since she so very clearly saw the Milky Way. Pretty amazing to stay in the Jackson Lake Lodge- easily the best lodge of the entire trip, but it cost, too. Good food, good bar, amazing views. While there, we also took a trip up to JD Rockefeller National Parkway to see Flagg Ranch Resort- where I worked in 1987. Sadly, the resort I worked at burned more than once since I was there, and it was totally gone. The new resort is up on top of a hill, and the memories live on there- nice to talk to people who have been told lots of stories from people like myself.

After a couple of days with my family in Idaho, we drove to Bryce Canyon NP. Long enough drive that we spent 3 nights there so that we had two days to hike and explore. Good thing we did, as we did stuff every day. This is a pretty spectacular park, and you can get right down into it to experience the unique geography. It's really a hard place to describe, so go and see it. Again, we stayed at the lodge. And had the least favorite experience there- mostly because of the food. Thankfully, the lodge is really close to the entrance, and a newly formed Bryce Canyon City which is made up of Ruby's resort. Which was really cool, actually. I mostly expected a super touristy place, but prices were reasonable, food was good, and everyone was friendly. Made up for the Lodge's restaurant issue (which we never went back to).

Zion is a short drive from Bryce, and entrance is very regulated to keep crowding down. This made staying at the lodge really nice to avoid the huge crowds. There are a number of pretty iconic hikes at Zion, but we just did the Narrows- which is just hiking up the canyon mostly in the river. Thankfully, we had good weather (read no flash floods). Unlike Bryce or Grand- the Zion Canyons are almost vertical rock canyons carved by the rivers. Being at the bottom of it makes you feel pretty darned small.

Southern Utah- Northern Arizona make up the Grand Staircase- where you can see about 1B years of stuff- the youngest at Bryce, the oldest at the bottom of the Grand. This area was pushed up about 50M years ago- roughly the same time the Teton's formed. I mention this now, as the drive to the North Rim is where you can see a really cool view of almost all of the staircase.

The Grand Canyon is, well, grand. Almost too much so. It's really hard to grasp the size of what you are looking at, it's so big. You know that the river is about a mile down from the south rim, add another 1000 from the north. When I was here in 1991, I had the same tough time coming from Zion and Bryce. We did hike one day, which was cool- NOT to the river- no where close to being in shape to do that, and it was really really hot. Every day, there was a medical evacuation thanks to the heat. Thankfully, we took a drive that I didn't take before, seeing some overlooks that gave better perspective. The last one was the highest viewpoint of the entire park- we were 3000ft over the rim we could see to the east- and you could just look down on it. Really cool. That really wrapped up our NP visits really well.

The way back, we followed the freeways that parallel Rt66. Years ago, we took R66 from outside Chicago to Tulsa and had a great time. And had penciled in a drive of the whole thing in our Alfa in retirement. Well, we dropped that idea after seeing that from NM to OKC, R66 is literally right next to the freeway except for towns. And there are not many towns. We know it's not in great condition, so the prospect of doing 50mph in a sporty car on rough roads for hours and hours ended. We saw it, stayed in a couple of Rt66 Motels and that was enough. It's noticeably down from when we went in terms of originality.

It was a great trip, and we have some ideas to see the other NP's in southern UT and northern AZ along with a stop at Rocky Mountain.

(for the 5200 miles, our well packed Ford Escape averaged 32mpg, if anyone cares)

[burd]

So going over the trip, hoping that some of you may get some ideas... We were out a long time- 29 days, and +5200 miles. The goal was to hit 6 NP sites- Badlands, Devil's Tower, Grand Teton, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, and North Rim Grand Canyon. To get there we, took a route that took us to see the Field of Dreams site (which was cool, as little leaguers were playing), Corn Palace, and the largest popcorn ball. Fun stuff.

On the way out, the only repeat city will be Sioux Falls- would like to see the falls in the spring with some run off.

As I posted a month ago, the Badlands were pretty amazing. We stayed at the lodge, which was ok, or good when looking at what else was available close by. Wall Drug is just a massive tourist site. If you go to the Badlands, try to go to the south side of it, where barely anyone goes. It's an interesting drive up a large bluff, and the top is worth it. Did hiking and drive touring in one day, so two nights. BTW, if you go, hope you have good weather, they did a really cool astronomy talk every night.

On the way to Devils Tower we stopped at Mt Rushmore. It's 4 guys carved into a mountain stolen from the natives. Take it as you will. Good to see it once, but that's enough.

Devils Tower was also spectacular. Just a simple shape, but how it fully got there is still a mystery. Which was interesting to read about. And gave us some things to ask climbers- as we stayed at the "lodge"- which is more a B&B than a lodge, hosted by a bunch of climbers. Hiking around the tower was both short and tough- but we did both the close and wide hike in one day. One day we had good weather, so that I broke out our telescope. Then the clouds blew in...

On the way to the Tetons, we stopped at Thermopolis, WY. I think I posted this would be a cheap way to see Buffalo and hot springs. Not as spectacular as Yellowstone, but much less crowded. There are some great petroglyphs to see, as well as a pretty incredible dinosaur museum. Lots of fossils found right there.

We were then at Grand Teton National Park for 3 nights, celebrating my birthday and seeing where I worked 36 years ago. The Tetons are really amazing to me- my favorite NP, but I did grow up really close by in Idaho. Hiked twice to see different views of the range, and rented a kayak to go on Jackson Lake. The view never gets tired for me. The weather was really great, too- so clear that my wife woke up one night to... and could not go to sleep since she so very clearly saw the Milky Way. Pretty amazing to stay in the Jackson Lake Lodge- easily the best lodge of the entire trip, but it cost, too. Good food, good bar, amazing views. While there, we also took a trip up to JD Rockefeller National Parkway to see Flagg Ranch Resort- where I worked in 1987. Sadly, the resort I worked at burned more than once since I was there, and it was totally gone. The new resort is up on top of a hill, and the memories live on there- nice to talk to people who have been told lots of stories from people like myself.

After a couple of days with my family in Idaho, we drove to Bryce Canyon NP. Long enough drive that we spent 3 nights there so that we had two days to hike and explore. Good thing we did, as we did stuff every day. This is a pretty spectacular park, and you can get right down into it to experience the unique geography. It's really a hard place to describe, so go and see it. Again, we stayed at the lodge. And had the least favorite experience there- mostly because of the food. Thankfully, the lodge is really close to the entrance, and a newly formed Bryce Canyon City which is made up of Ruby's resort. Which was really cool, actually. I mostly expected a super touristy place, but prices were reasonable, food was good, and everyone was friendly. Made up for the Lodge's restaurant issue (which we never went back to).

Zion is a short drive from Bryce, and entrance is very regulated to keep crowding down. This made staying at the lodge really nice to avoid the huge crowds. There are a number of pretty iconic hikes at Zion, but we just did the Narrows- which is just hiking up the canyon mostly in the river. Thankfully, we had good weather (read no flash floods). Unlike Bryce or Grand- the Zion Canyons are almost vertical rock canyons carved by the rivers. Being at the bottom of it makes you feel pretty darned small.

Southern Utah- Northern Arizona make up the Grand Staircase- where you can see about 1B years of stuff- the youngest at Bryce, the oldest at the bottom of the Grand. This area was pushed up about 50M years ago- roughly the same time the Teton's formed. I mention this now, as the drive to the North Rim is where you can see a really cool view of almost all of the staircase.

The Grand Canyon is, well, grand. Almost too much so. It's really hard to grasp the size of what you are looking at, it's so big. You know that the river is about a mile down from the south rim, add another 1000 from the north. When I was here in 1991, I had the same tough time coming from Zion and Bryce. We did hike one day, which was cool- NOT to the river- no where close to being in shape to do that, and it was really really hot. Every day, there was a medical evacuation thanks to the heat. Thankfully, we took a drive that I didn't take before, seeing some overlooks that gave better perspective. The last one was the highest viewpoint of the entire park- we were 3000ft over the rim we could see to the east- and you could just look down on it. Really cool. That really wrapped up our NP visits really well.

The way back, we followed the freeways that parallel Rt66. Years ago, we took R66 from outside Chicago to Tulsa and had a great time. And had penciled in a drive of the whole thing in our Alfa in retirement. Well, we dropped that idea after seeing that from NM to OKC, R66 is literally right next to the freeway except for towns. And there are not many towns. We know it's not in great condition, so the prospect of doing 50mph in a sporty car on rough roads for hours and hours ended. We saw it, stayed in a couple of Rt66 Motels and that was enough. It's noticeably down from when we went in terms of originality.

It was a great trip, and we have some ideas to see the other NP's in southern UT and northern AZ along with a stop at Rocky Mountain.

(for the 5200 miles, our well packed Ford Escape averaged 32mpg, if anyone cares)

Thanks for that, Mitch. We have taken similar trips, in parts, by car and by motorcycle. Those places are stunning, and stringing them together in one RT is quite a feat. Everyone should drive the West at one time or another.

[MichVandal]

Other than time, the biggest issue to repeat what we did is cost. But while we were on the trip, I had thought about that quite a bit. We picked up camping because of COVID, and have continued it into our retirement. With a pretty simple camper, our trip could be repeated for considerably less than than we did. The reason we didn't use ours is that 1) driving fast sucks- and almost all roads out west are really quick and 2) mountain passes are a real challenge.

When I was a kid, we did a trip to Yellowstone in a van- small pop up that slept 4- but it worked quite well. Or perhaps something like a pop up camper that is light and less obtrusive to pull. Both of those would be far more economical than a massive camper plus a truck to pull it around. Later as a kid, we moved to a truck camper with a large truck- and it was cheaper to stay in hotels than pay for the gas of that beast. Which is why the smaller system is more economical.

Of course, if you can tent camp, that can be super inexpensive. Part of this trip was to repeat a tent camping trip I took in 1991 when between semesters at Michigan. Today, lots of people car, SUV, or pickup camp.

If we were going to camp it, I think I would find a small pop up that I can pull, and figure out a way to have a basic item for late night needs. But there are some good van options out there, too, that can get "decent" fuel economy.

[RaceBoarder]

You can actually kind of get the best of both worlds with a "compact" camper. Hiker is a company that has gotten a LOT of good talk about them...

Hiker Trailer

At around 1,500-2,500 lb fully loaded, you can pull them with something smaller than a Full-size pickup. They can also be built out to your heart's desire, so you don't need to leave many comforts behind. This sort of camper has filled a niche in the outdoor world that I wouldn't hesitate to get into if I had the time/garage space.

[burd]

America is west and the wind blowing.

Archibald MacLeish

[MichVandal]

You can actually kind of get the best of both worlds with a "compact" camper. Hiker is a company that has gotten a LOT of good talk about them...

Hiker Trailer

At around 1,500-2,500 lb fully loaded, you can pull them with something smaller than a Full-size pickup. They can also be built out to your heart's desire, so you don't need to leave many comforts behind. This sort of camper has filled a niche in the outdoor world that I wouldn't hesitate to get into if I had the time/garage space.

There are a ton of campers like that out there. The "Teardrop" category is filled with creativity that have some light enough to tow with a Miata. (there's a good U of Tube channel called playing with sticks that shows many, many of them).

But two features are missing- being able to stand up to dress and being able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (not going outside). Our vintage camper is about 2500lb, and we tow it with a turbo Escape. But it's heavy enough to make it hard to do high mountain passes and billboard enough to have stability issues over 65mph.

[unofan]

Halfway through our European excursion, wife just left to go to the start line of the marathon. Berlin's been awesome, even if the beer they serve at the end of the marathon is alcohol-free.

The Amsterdam Airport was a mess. 4 hour layover turned into 5 because our flight from Atlanta was early and then the flight to Berlin was late because they didn't have enough pushback cart workers so we sat at the gate for 30 minutes til one was available. To top it off our one checked bag didn't make the last flight despite the lengthy layover, but it at least caught up to us Friday without issue.

Finished the inline skating marathon yesterday without crashing, which is always good. Could've had a better time but since I didn't know the course, took the first half slower than necessary till I realized the "danger zones" weren't in fact dangerous. Most dangerous parts were the other participants who didn't know how to stay in a line. Having my fastest miles at 20 and 25 was nice, though.

Had a guided half day tour on Friday, the guide was entertaining with pretty much a 1:1 ratio between historical facts and political commentary. Said many things that would've had both the RWNJs and the Keplers of the world seething, so there was that.

The Jewish memorial was something. Doesn't look like much from the street but when you get down into it everyone gets quiet and it hits you.

Could spend a week at museum island alone if we had the time. As it was spent Friday afternoon at the pergamon museum.

Need to go find some souvenirs and gifts for the kiddo while the wife is running. Then off to Prague for 3 days tomorrow.

[dxmnkd316]

Prague is such an incredible city. Very jealous. Some beautiful glasswork there, may be an opportunity for a souvenir as well.

[mookie1995]

agree on the memorial. Just happened upon it, and spent a lot of time there.

heading to Tbilisi this weekend. Thursday is a holiday here for prophet’s birthday.”, so taking advantage of the long weekend.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Berlin has some of the most imminently tangible history in all of Europe, simply because it was just about completely destroyed and rebuilt within the last 100 years. The decisions that were made at Yalta and Postdam, in which Stalin and FDR carved up half the world and effectively outlined the storyboard for the second half of the 20th century, can still be seen and felt today in Berlin and points eastward.

[dxmnkd316]

Berlin has some of the most imminently tangible history in all of Europe, simply because it was just about completely destroyed and rebuilt within the last 100 years. The decisions that were made at Yalta and Postdam, in which Stalin and FDR carved up half the world and effectively outlined the storyboard for the second half of the 20th century, can still be seen and felt today in Berlin and points eastward.

What do you mean they point eastward?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

What do you mean they point eastward?

Sorry, I meant points in the "points of interest" sense.