The Cannon Family's travel blog

GART Day 11: A really uneventful day

Posted on August 11, 2017 | Leave a comment

Today is one of the transition days where we go from desert to mountains which means lots of driving and very little, if any, hiking. I got in a short run in the morning before we packed up. After another fabulous breakfast in the great outdoors (including GF pancakes for me!), we left the red rocks of Moab and headed toward the Rocky Mountains. It’s Boulder or bust!

So we drove. And drove. The red rocks turned to yellow and beige (and kinda reminded us of Idaho) before we hit the state line and things started getting getting greener. We’ve been driving alongside the Colorado River for most of this stay (like we did with the Snake River in Wyoming) and got to watch it turn from a latte colored muck in Utah to a much clearer river here in Colorado.

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We had a picnic lunch at a park in Vail and then drove some more. About 40 miles outside of Denver, the sky started to look ominous so the top went up. It was a good thing too because a mere half an hour later the rain started and by the time we turned off on the road to Boulder, it was a torrential downpour that included hail.

To show you how uneventful today was, we celebrated the odometer hitting 111,111:

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And so we arrived in Boulder a mere 6.5 hours later to light rain and grey skies. Our sightly burnt skin welcomed the change and we checked into the B&B and went to do some urban hiking in downtown Boulder.

We wandered along the Pearl Street mall which is very much like the Church Street Mall in Burlington and the Downtown mall in Charlottesville. I had heard they were all designed by the same people but I haven’t been able to confirm that independently (and I don’t want to go spreading any “fake news” )

We stopped for a quick drink and snacks while we did a Google search for places to have dinner. Right around the corner we found absolute gem: Shine is a restaurant with a 100% gluten free kitchen – and really good beer according to my spousal expert. It reminded me a bit of Cafe Gratitude only better. We had a fabulous meal – with donut holes for desert!!!! – before heading back to the oversized jacuzzi bathtub in our room.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 340
Steps: 8,342
French lessons: 1 (Quand puis-je avoir quelque chose à boire chez vous? Apparently it’s important to proposition people in another language before you learn to count)
Layers of sunscreen: 2
Number of construction sites encountered: 8

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Posted in Colorado, USA

GART Day 10: Red, red rocks

Posted on August 10, 2017 | Leave a comment

If our afternoon adventures in Arches weren’t enough to innure us to the landscape, today’s trek would be. After a lovely breakfast outside, we headed to Canyonlands National Park. We assumed it would be more of the same – and indeed we did see an arch – but this park is all about massive holes in the ground rather than smaller holes in the rock. I confess that don’t remember much about the Grand Canyon as it’s been more than 20 years since I was last there but I have a hard time believing that it is substantially more impressive than this place.

We got a pretty early start so we went straight for the moderate climb to see Upheaval Dome. Then a pretty easy trek along the edge of the ridge to the Grand View Point. A picnic lunch under a scrubby tree for shade and a final wander to see the arch of the day: Mesa Arch.

We managed about 5 miles in all and when the temperature hit 94 during the last hike to the arch, we decided to call it a day. We headed into Moab for supplies and a quick round of laundry before the drive back to Castle Valley. A shower and a change of clothes and we were off to a very nice but seriously overpriced dinner at a local resort.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 164
Steps: 18, 410
Floors: 32
Layers of sunscreen: 3
French lessons: 0 (too much to do)
French conversations overheard but not understood: dozens {sigh}

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Posted in Utah

GART Day 9: Where we start heading east

Posted on August 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

(Which means we are starting to head towards home and so must be on the back end of the adventure… sniff… sniff)

And so our urban sojourn draws to a close and we get ready to start the homeward leg of the trip. Another fabulous breakfast and we are ready to head out of Salt Lake City. Well, after we run a few errands of course. First we need snacks for the road so we stop at the local grocery store, Harmons, which is like few stores I’ve ever visited.

Then another stop at the local Mercedes dealer. Why you might ask? Well, it seems that the hydraulics that control the convertible top are not functioning quite right. Even though Frank had 4 of the cylinders rebuilt, apparently we now have leaks in one or two of the still old ones which causes major headaches – and lots of messy fluid spurts and drips – when the top goes up and down. We bought a few bottles of hydraulic fluid when we arrived in SLC and it seemed like a good idea to have a few spares. Unfortunately, the downtown dealer was out so we stopped at one a bit farther south and extras procured, we were on our way.

For just over 300 miles across the desert, we ranged on our way to the Utah sports mecca of Moab. Even though the terrain wasn’t much different that what we saw in Idaho, it seemed less annoying this time. Maybe I am now used to the nothingness of high desert. Maybe it was the great weather or well maintained roads. Whatever the reason, the miles flew by and after a short stop to pick up some lunch to eat on the road (who knew Subway made such good chopped salads?) we finally arrived at the destination du jour: Arches National Park.

We filled up our water bottles, donned our hiking boots and headed out to explore the vast expanse of red rocks and sand as fine as talcum powder. Unfortunately, the Windows loop was closed and we were not up for the hike to Delicate Arch but we did hike to the view point. And then we traveled the full length of the park to go see more arches – Landscape Arch was the goal but along the way we stopped at others including Pine Arch which was my favorite. Probably because it was pretty shady and you could stand directly underneath it.

We got in the requisite amount of hiking then headed into Moab for supplies. We picked up all the makings of a picnic supper (crackers, cheese, sausage, wine, etc.) and headed out to the Castle Valley where our B&B is located. We had a lovely meal al fresco, hit the jacuzzi for a relaxing soak before calling it a day.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 305
Steps: 11,278
Floors: 29
French lessons: 1 (Je voudrais quelque chose à manger)
Number of French people we have run into on this trip: 5 zillion or at least it seems that way.

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Posted in USA, Utah

GART Day 8: Of salt and spires

Posted on August 8, 2017 | Leave a comment

After a wonderful night’s sleep and a great breakfast, we hit the road again for the highlight of the day: the Bonneville Salt Flats. Any car nut, especially speed nuts, knows that the Bonneville Salt Flats are where many (most?) land speed records have been set. It is a 40 square mile salt pan west of Salt Lake City which is a vast white wasteland – and somewhere Frank has always wanted to go. So we did.

And it’s another post-apocalyptic setting, especially with the clouds and haze we had today. But it was really cool. And then we drove out on the flats – on the 10 miles stretch known as the Bonneville Speedway. It was cool and eerie.

Then we realized that we were only 10 miles from the Nevada border…. well, we can’t leave a challenge unaccepted. So we sped down the road to West Wendover, Nevada where we stopped at the Red Garter casino, spent a few minutes losing $5 on video poker (Frank won several times so he took longer to lose it all.), grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back toward town.

We made a quick stop at Great Salt Lake State Park to see the lake but it smelled pretty bad and the sand flies were unbearable so that didn’t last very long. So then it was off to the other big attraction in SLC: the Mormon temple. It is very impressive and the visitor centers do a wonderful job making sure everyone understands that the Latter Day Saints worship Jesus. We stopped at the tabernacle where the acoustics are unbelievable: we could hear a pin drop all the way across the building.

Just to be fair, we also stopped by the Cathedral of the Madeline, the diocesan seat for the Catholic church in Utah. The murals were impressive and the organ was fantastic. I find myself still lighting a candle for my mother in every church I visit and this was no exception. Then it was off to a fabulous dinner at a small plates restaurant, Eva, before heading back to the Inn. Frank managed to lose 3 games of pool to me before it was time to enjoy the jacuzzi bathtub and waste some time watching Lethal Weapon 4.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 285
Steps: 14,256
States visited: 2 (UT, NV)
French lesson: 1 (La rue est là bas)
Best poker hand: straight flush (paid $12.50)

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Posted in USA, Utah

GART Day 7: Stop, drop, and roll to Utah

Posted on August 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

Today did not go as we had intended. In my grand scheme, we would take some time after breakfast to go explore Sun Valley which was 20 minutes north of where we were staying. We were hoping to maybe get a short hike in the Sawtooth National Forest. But fate had other plans for us. Apparently, the haze we noticed on the drive yesterday was not from the heat or low cloud cover. It was smoke from massive wild fires just south of us were causing all the smoke. In fact, they were discouraging people from driving on the road that we were going to take to Salt Lake City.

So all those plans changed. I did a quick run in the morning – smoke didn’t seem to be an issue for me – and then got ready to hit the road right after breakfast. We changed our route to try to avoid the worst of the smoke and fire and put the top up on the convertible. We skipped our trip to Sun Valley since our new route was going to take longer than the original one and we understood that the valley was getting ready to possibly lose power for a few days as a result of the fire.

And then we drove. And kept driving. Nearly 300 miles without stopping. We could both see and smell the smoke as it hung over the vast boring beigeness of the landscape. It was a very unfun drive. One interesting thing was the hundreds of cyclists we passed on the road despite the smoke. For more than 45 miles we passed a line of cyclists all riding along the edge of the road as part of some event that we never did figure out.

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After four hours on the road, we got to Ogden, Utah where we stopped for lunch and to stretch our legs. I think it’s probably a very cool town but even the coolest town in Utah on a Sunday is boring. After lunch, we tried to get a hike in to Waterfall Canyon, partway up Mt. Ogden. I had read some cool stuff about it and every write up called it “a great little hike” which didn’t manage my expectations appropriately at all. We climbed more than 600 feet in just over a mile and got to a point where climbing over boulders was the necessary next step. And we decided not to bother. I don’t know how much farther we would have had to go to get to the falls but we were not appropriately equipped for anything longer than we had already done so back down we went. Here’s what the falls supposedly look like. Maybe another time.

We bundled back into the air conditioned car and headed to Salt Lake City. We arrived at our downtown B&B right as the Tour of Utah bike event was rapping up two blocks away at the state capital. I don’t think these were the same cyclists as we saw in Idaho though….

After a lovely dinner downtown at an Italian restaurant, it was time to get a last bit of exercise in so back uphill to the capital we went to watch the sunset.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 318
Average gas mileage: 26 mpg
Number of steps: 15, 234
Number of floors: 70 (!)
Layers of sunscreen: 0.5 (top was up all day)
French lessons: 0.5 (finished from yesterday.

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Posted in Idaho, USA, Utah

GART Day 6: And so we go to Idaho

Posted on August 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

We awoke to our last morning in the Tetons. It has been wonderful having the Grand Teton looking over our cabin during our stay but all good things must come to an end. I managed a short run in the park – trying to get in one run in every state! – before we hit breakfast and headed to our next adventure: Idaho!

I confess that I had to do a bit of work to figure out how to make a stop in Idaho fit the itinerary. But since we lost our one night in Montana to the condensed first part of the trip, it was more important than ever that we make this work and be enjoyable. We made a pit stop in Jackson – what a cute town, we need to go back – get the car and some clothes clean. Then we headed across the Teton Pass with it’s 10% grades to go from Wyoming to Idaho. And then the next 250 miles or so was somewhat surreal.

Once we left the mountains, we crossed flat barren terrain. Lots of bare beigeness as we ran alongside the Snake river. And heat. After coming down from the mountains, the glaring sun drove the temperatures up. We stopped for lunch in Idaho Falls at a lovely brew pub across from the falls before heading west once more. We passed more flat, bland fields – mile after mile. I was looking for potatoes but all we saw was nuclear research facilities – Atomic City anyone?

At last we reached the National Park du jour: Craters of the Moon. A park that no one I know has ever visited or in most cases even heard of. Yellowstone gets more visitors in one month than Craters gets in a year. But it is so much cooler IMHO. It’s a large volcanic field that looks like a set from Star Trek – we kept waiting for a red shirted Trekkie to pop up from behind the volcanic rock and get shot. If you ever want to know what post apocalyptic America looks like – I think I’ve seen it.

There were hills to climb up and caves to climb in. We had to get certified before going into the caves to prevent the spread of White-Nose syndrome which has apparently been devastating the bat population. We didn’t see any bats but the caves were really cool.

We wrapped up our visit and headed to the Bed and Breakfast in bustling Hailey, ID. It is literally a one-stoplight town just south of Sun Valley. With a population of nearly 8,000, it is a bustling metropolis by Idaho standards (we passed through several towns that had populations in the 100s). We walked downtown and had a FABULOUS dinner at CK’s where we sat at the chef’s bench overlooking the kitchen and got to watch all the food being prepared. I had a wonderful gaucho steak with corn-jalapeno cakes and Frank had fresh Idaho trout with Idaho potatoes. We wandered around town before heading back to call it a night. Our room at the B&B has an extra deep tub so I decided to have a relaxing soak before bed. I can’t even tell you the color of the bathwater when I got out – apparently volcanic rock dust is black and very fine. I didn’t even notice it in the restaurant but it was certainly obvious in the bathtub. Ick.

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 279
Layers of sunscreen: 3
French lessons: 1/2 (we turned it off to pay attention in the mountains and never got back to it)
Number of photographs at Craters: 49
Steps taken: 12,248
Flights climbed: 24

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Posted in Idaho, USA, Wyoming

GART Day 5: Staying put

Posted on August 4, 2017 | Leave a comment

Because of the change in departure day, this was our first stop where we had two night in the same place. After a somewhat rough night, I slept way too long (Frank felt the need to make sure I was still alive) but we eventually made it to breakfast. Then it was off to the main event of the day: hiking in the Tetons! I wanted something that rated as an actual hike (so no pavement) and was a little more than the casual tourist would be willing to undertake. After some research we decided on the Taggart Lake- Bradley Lake loop in the southern part of the park. And boy were we glad we did.

It took about half an hour to get to the trailhead and the car park was pretty full by the time we got there. Nevertheless, she persisted. We headed toward Bradley Lake first and it seemed like the 800 feet elevation change happened entirely on this part of the hike! We kept going up and had fabulous panoramic views of Bradley Lake – one of the 6 glacial lakes in the park.

We then headed toward Taggart Lake which was where we found the real magic. The trail goes right along the lake front (which means we had a lot of “down” to do first) and we were treated with crystal clear waters with spectacular mountain views in the background. I couldn’t resist dipping my feet in the water – which was really cold! – before continuing on the journey. All in all, the route we took covered 5.9 miles which we did in just about 3 hours. We then visited various scenic spots in the park before heading back to the hotel to take a dip in the pool to wash off the dust.

Then to the Blue Heron bar for a drink before dinner. The reason we chose this lodge is that it is where the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium takes place each year. It is hosted by the KC Fed and many of my colleagues work very hard to make it a premier event for economists from around the world. Since I will never be an official attendee at the big event, I really wanted to see what the fuss was all about. And I promised a friend at work that I would have a drink in the Blue Heron for him – so I did: a Jackson Lake Lemonade which apparently involves huckleberries as do so many other things here.

We then had a lovely dinner in the Mural room where we got to watch the sunset over the Tetons. Afterwards, we struck up a conversation with an English couple and funnily enough, the wife went to school down the road from where I used to live in London. It was another case of “it’s a small world.”

Numbers for today:

Miles driven: 55 (all inside the park)
Steps taken: 17,327
Flights climbed: 37 (according to my iPhone)
Layers of sunscreen: 2
Hours slept: 8 (in chunks of 4 with breaks)

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Posted in USA, Wyoming

GART Day 4: Catching up

Posted on August 4, 2017 | 1 comment

While I am very happy that we were able to salvage this trip, these first few days have been very trying. Essentially, we covered 5 days worth of vacation in 3 days. Today was the last day to cram things in before we got “back on schedule.” And we started the day right: fabulous breakfast (including GF quiche and banana bread!) and great conversation with our fellow B&B residents.

Then off to Yellowstone via WY 14 – one of the most amazing routes I have ever driven (okay, Frank drove so I just rode). It goes through Big Horn National Forest. We drove up and down as much as driving west. At one point we were over 9000 feet! The scenery is magnificent. Well, I’ll let you judge for yourself.

Then we stopped in Cody – home of Buffalo Bill – to grab some picnic supplies and get the top down on the convertible. Then off we went to the Shoshone National Forest. More unbelievably beautiful scenery and a picnic by a river. Note that the sign next to the one announcing the picnic area announced grizzly bears. And yet we ate there anyway. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

Then on to the chaos that is Yellowstone. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did. I was shocked to see acre after acre of tree skeletons. (Note: need to Google that and see what I should have learned before we went.) After the peaceful beauty that we had just come through, the bus loads of tourists with selfie sticks was a bit jarring. We managed a short hike to the natural bridge – I got to climb things so I was happy. Funny that there was a sign that described how tiny this arch is compared to the ones in Utah (which we will be seeing next week!)

The traffic and the tourists were hard to take but we were determined to see the Grand Prismatic Spring and so we did. And it was pretty amazing.

But the number of buses and the pain of getting through the park made a trip to Old Faithful just too much to bear. So we headed south to the actual destination for the day: Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. DSCN0892 We arrived just in time for sunset. We grabbed a couple of burgers and retired to our lovely but stupidly expensive cabin to call it a night.

Numbers for today:

States covered: 1 (Wyoming)
French lessons: 1 (Bon jour monsieur!)
Average gas mileage: 22mpg
Miles driven: 246
Elevation change: roughly 6000 feet
Number of steps: 11,312

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Posted in USA, Wyoming

GART day 3: Large stone things

Posted on August 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

The day started cool, grey, and rainy and didn’t improve much as time passed. We started with a great diner-type breakfast in the biker bar restaurant before packing up and heading to the first large stone thing of the day: Mount Rushmore. We only had a short drive to get there so we could check a box on the “must see list.” And it was impressive. There weren’t too many crowds so the viewing was good.

But viewing is all there really is to do there so once we were done, it was time to move on to the next large stone thing: the Crazy Horse Monument. Entirely done by private funds and leagues larger than Mt. Rushmore, the place is really impressive. Mostly the work of one family, it has taken 50 years to get a small fraction of the work done. It reminded me of the Sagrada Familia – amazing and not likely to be done in my lifetime.

Then we took the scenic route through the Black Hills looking for a nice hike. But the Black Hills are a National Forest and not a National Park, a difference that is important for hikers. The National Park Service has obviously spent a lot of time and effort making information available and usable for visitors. I’m not sure the USDA Forest Service has done the same. Let’s start with the fact that the main hiking map is called the “Non Motorized Trail map” and go from there. We never did find a hike that suited us so we just drove on the “Scenic Byway” and headed toward one of the better known towns in the Black Hills: Deadwood.

And once we got there, we drove right through. It is a town that has really enjoyed having a TV series based there and revels in the “Old West” theme. Add to that the hundreds of Sturgis folks whose bikes were parked all along the kitschy main street and we knew that it wasn’t the place for us. We drove on along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway to an out-of-the-way restaurant where we had a lovely lunch with a view of the hills.

Then more driving (a sub-theme for the day) until we got to the last big stone thing: Devil’s Tower. A truly impressive rock formation that was worth the stop and the wander around the base. I can’t call it a hike because the path was paved and people with flip flops were walking there so it’s a wander not a hike.

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And then the real drive began. Back to the freeway and long drive to Sheridan, WY. The weather didn’t really improve all day. We tried putting the top down once we crossed the state line but it wasn’t long before the cool temps and threatening clouds made us stop and put the top back up.

We got to the B&B a little late but in enough time to have a lovely chat with the owners. Another shout out to Rob and Bev at Residence Hill B&B who were able to move our reservation so that we could still stop here albeit a day late. Then we wandered downtown to have dinner at Frackleton’s . For my GF friends, if you ever find yourself in Sheridan, eat here. I had the best GF pasta I have ever had. Home made ziti with Gorgonzola sauce (fresh thyme, walnuts and shaved parmesan). Oh, and Frank had a great steak. (But it wasn’t as good as my pasta. 🙂

Numbers for today:

States visited: 2 (SD, WY)
Layers of sunscreen: 1 (and even that wasn’t necessary)
French lessons completed: 0 ( the scenery was too nice)
Steps taken: 11,056 (still dubious of these counts)
Miles driven: 354

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Posted in South Dakota, USA, Wyoming

GART Day 2: Go west!

Posted on August 2, 2017 | Leave a comment

Today’s plan was pretty simple: drive across South Dakota. From Sioux Falls to Rapid City, 400 miles along Interstate 90. Straight across a square state. Okay, we can do this. But first, we say good bye to Sioux Falls which I did with a lovely run along the Big Sioux River Greenway. Then breakfast and we hit the road.

The entertainment this trip is that we are going to learn French on the road. Frank really learned it in school and so just needs a refresher. I, on the other hand, have dabbled in Spanish and German but never even tried French. So today we rolled down the highway with the top down learning how to say “Je ne comprends pas le français” which, it turns out is really true. It was very entertaining that the first thing we were learning in French was how to say “Do you understand English?” and “I don’t understand French”!

We tried to find things along the route to break up the monotony but the reality is that there isn’t much to do along I90 through the middle of the state. We wanted to head north a bit to visit the capital but that was when the skies decided to open up so we opted to keep going. Then we tried to find somewhere to eat lunch. We looked to see what might be logical places to stop and found a few towns on our map who’s names were in slightly larger type so we took that as a sign that they might be larger towns with more options. Well they each had a population of just over 600 so I wonder if that is the South Dakota definition of “larger”.

We eventually gave up and decided to much through our snacks and just head to the Badlands. We drove the Badlands loop and stopped to do a few short hikes. The terrain is spectacular and like nothing else we had ever seen. It was very much like walking on another planet.

We continued the drive through the park and eventually got to Wall, SD for the obligatory visit to Wall Drug. They make very good ice cream, BTW. In addition to getting our free ice water, Frank bought a new hat to help keep the sun off his neck which is starting to burn.

Then off to the bed and breakfast for a shower and into town for a decent dinner. We are still in the “hastily rebooked” portion of the trip so the B&B here was not as thoroughly vetted as others on the itinerary. We were to check in at the restaurant which turned out to be more like a biker bar. (Side note: we are currently about 50 miles from Sturgis, SD where the famous biker rally will be held next week. We have passed more Harley’s and other bikes than Wall Drug signs so really everything is a biker bar around here right now.) We checked in and parked in front of our room door – think motor hotel from your childhood days – and I started to get very nervous. Then we went inside and say the lovely apartment with the JACUZZI BATH TUB and all was forgiven.

We showered and went into town to pick up a few items. We are now discovering all the things that we forgot and really do need – like a charger for the battery on Frank’s camera. God bless Best Buy. Then to eat steak! Entertainingly, we had dinner in a restaurant named Dakotah in Rapid City, South Dakota, served by a waiter named Dakota. Hmmmm….

A soak in the tub and some wrestling with the wifi (which we lost as you can tell by the late post) and it was off to bed.

Numbers for today: