"Let's go on an adventure," he said.
Covid sucks, 'm I right? On the positive side, we've done all the normal Covid activities we wouldn't have done if we had been adventuring, including re-landscaping our entire backyard, having a garden, baking sourdough bread, and regular house maintenance. Eli had just finished his PhD in Neuroscience (smarty pants) and had some time off before starting his 3rd year of medical school (extra smarty pants). We were feeling itchy to get out since we already had to cancel a visit to our friends in Reno, NV and our 3 week backpacking trip through Europe we decided on a whim to pack up our camping gear, our Covid masks, 2 liters of hand sanitizer, grab our pup and peace out to explore places we had never been in the US!
First stop: Horseshoe Bend, AZ
The drive to get here was unpleasant to say the least. It was a grueling 12 hour drive that began with leaving our house at 4:30am and driving through the WORST hail and thunderstorm of our lives (so bad the car doors were shaking, small actual waves of water were rolling over the freeway, and everyone was at a dead stop on the freeway until it passed. Traffic on I-70, even during ski season, has never been this bad). After setting up camp in the middle of the desert we went to stakeout a spot for sunset photos of Horseshoe Bend, a hidden gem just 1 1/2 hours outside of the northern rim of the Grand Canyon.
Next Stop: The Grand Canyon
We've lived in Colorado for a decade and would you believe it? We've never been to the Grand Canyon!!! We made it to the North Rim and it did not disappoint. Since we're in the middle of a pandemic, literally no one was there and we were able to camp just outside of it. I know everyone talks about the Grand Canyon being insanely hot; however, it was so cold that I wore Eli's winter coat to make our breakfast coffee (he's always overly prepared for extreme situations which has saved my "I believe in only packing a backpack and my camera gear for every trip regardless of the length" self on numerous occasions). Even our 0 degree sleeping bags were barely warm enough.
Las Vegas and Mojave National Preserve
Las Vegas is apparently much more than just a city - which we didn't really see or do anything in since everything was shut down. Did you know there are sweet canyons for rock climbing close by? And epic hikes? We explored Red Rock Canyon but cut it short as it was getting a little hot for Avery (our dog) and successfully avoided all rattlesnakes and cacti throughout the hike. I highly recommend camping in Mojave National Preserve - it was entirely unpopulated and made for some fun astrophotography experiences.
California - The Pacific Coast Highway
If you've never been up the PCH you need to go! We first stopped by LA to see some friends and Avery saw the ocean for the first time. It was magical! We drove up the PCH stopping at random places along the way. These are a few highlights:
-Santa Barbara - off leash dog beach. Need I say more? Avery was in heaven! So many smells and things to explore!
-Solvang - a Dutch town with delicious Dutch pastries and great wine.
-Morro Rock - a volcanic plug! Aka remnant necks of extinct volcanoes! How cool is that?! You may not know this...but I'm (Heidi) obsessed with natural disasters and has climbed over active lava (yes, intentionally, and yes, I melted my shoes and singed off my eyebrows and arm hairs) so this stop was especially exciting for her.
-Elephant Seal Vista Point - the elephant seals were HUGE. Avery kept trying to get off her leash and chase them. She wasn't successful.
-Big Sur - maybe one of our new favorite places on Earth. With the exception that gas cost $10. From this point forward we will ALWAYS have a full tank of gas before driving through Big Sur!
-San Fransisco - Met up with family we haven't seen in ages. Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, exploring the Red Woods with my cousin.
Wyoming
Sometimes things go south and you don't find the best place to camp...so you spend the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Womp womp........ 😁
