When the alarm clock rang at 4 o’clock in the morning, the face of the glowing dial nearly met its demise on the corner of the nightstand table. It was much too early to be doing anything, much less gaining consciousness, and all I could grasp in my half deranged state was my need for more sleep. Fortunately, however, I was able to gain enough presence of mind to remember why I had set the timer for such an ungodly hour in the first place: my faithful ringer was eagerly reminding me that it was time to head out for a [View Full Entry]

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After being on the road a month, finally getting out of California and into another state seemed a significant accomplishment. I felt like things were finally moving along, and I was eager to build on the momentum accrued through my explorations of the wilds in California, ready to launch even further and farther into this epic adventure. The cosmos, however, had other ideas. On my second official day in the southwest, my travels came to a screeching halt….or I should rather say: a crunching/grating/grinding/“did I run over a pile of cats?” halt. As I was pulling out of [View Full Entry]

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As I headed out of Death Valley with its bizarre and surreal terrain, I decided to take a side trip over to Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas, NV to do a little rock climbing. Having tasted the joys of scrambling over massive boulders of sticky granite in Yosemite, I was intrigued by what might be waiting in this little, rocky hideaway. My body had other ideas however. Rather than jumping onto the beckoning canyon walls, I found myself nearly passed out in a hidden oasis called Mountain Spring Ranch. Horses were having a languid brunch in the shelter [View Full Entry]

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Before I went into Sequoia/Kings Canyon, my friend Jessica recommended a great little town called Visalia that she had visited one weekend. Turns out, it's a stop-over for bands traveling between LA and SF and has quite a happening music scene. As fate would have it, the road out of Sequoia Canyon went right through Visalia, so I decided to stay over a couple of days with her friend Richard. I ended up having the time of my life. Not only was it great to sleep on a real bed (ok, futon), have a shower every day and have cell [View Full Entry]

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After the grandeur, magnificence and overwhelming POW! of Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon was a tender experience. It actually took me a few days to stop comparing the two parks and to settle into the beauty and uniqueness of this tucked away paradise. Rather than having "spots" where one hops out of the car to take a photo, Kings Canyon was more of an atmospheric experience: hiking trails that ran along rivers as they meandered over boulders, through pools and under meadow grasses; miles and miles of gradually changing ecosystems and slowly changing canyon views; walks through magical setting [View Full Entry]

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After a couple of weeks of hiding at my parents house in mortal terror of what was to come, I was finally dropped off (literally) at Yosemite's doorstep. (Thanks again, Mom!) The morning she left, I hid under the covers for an extra half hour hoping to postpone the eventual moment when I would officially be---ALONE! As much as I was excited by the idea of traveling and exploring California and the Southwest, the sudden and disruptive manner in which this opportunity came to me still left part of me nervous, anticipating more disaster. Being out on the trail, however, [View Full Entry]

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