The Great Trek West, Part 5: Mesa Verde, Four Corners, and Monument Valley

The other day we were in a state that borders Mexico (Arizona). By the end of the week we'll be in a state that borders Canada (Washington).

It's hard work to cover three national parks (well, three tourist attractions) in a winter day, given that there's only ten hours or so of daylight. But we managed it. We got up really early and drove from Moab to Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado, a not-very-exciting three-hour drive. In the summer, this drive will probably take far longer, as it's over a two-lane road, through a lot of small towns, with trucks and farming vehicles. We blew through because there was no one on the road at 6 am.

Mesa Verde is set on top of a high plateau--which means it's windy, cold, and at a high altitude. We got winded just walking around. Because it's winter, we were two of about six people in the entire park. We were able to park wherever we wanted, get out, leave the car running, take pictures, and hop back in the car. The cliff dwellings are at the bottom of the park, at the end of a very long and windy mountain road. It will take you about 40 minutes to get from the entrance to the first dwelling (but there's a lot of pretty scenery along the way). One half of the park is closed during the winter, so we were restricted to one road. Only one house, Spruce Tree House, was available for a tour. Still, we took the tour and it was pretty awesome. (But cold--did I mention cold? When you're touring a cave in 16-degree weather, your toes go numb in a hurry.)

Then we zipped back out of the park and headed for Four Corners, about 45 minutes away. It's on tribal lands, so again, two-lane roads, no real cell phone reception, and you'll need to cough up $6 cash to park your car. In the summer, there are parking problems and you have to wait in a line to take a picture on the medallion that marks the spot where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico meet. In winter, we were the only ones there. We took two quick pictures and set off for Monument Valley.

Monument Valley is also on tribal lands, and it's another 100 miles of two-lane road, through the middle of nowhere, with no cell reception, from Four Corners. The drive, and the valley, were the same as I remembered. In fact, the pictures are exactly the same--only this set has snow.

Awe-inspiring, etc. And we got there around 3:30 pm, giving us plenty of daylight for the drive back to Moab--which is pretty awe-inspiring itself.

However, it's hard work spending 12 hours driving between three states. We bought beer, some cheese, and a salami at a grocery store on the way back and called it dinner.

I'll end with this, the iconic road shot of the American West.

National Parks in the winter

National Parks in the winter are a completely different thing than their summer cousins. While I can't pretend to be an authority on all national parks (so far, we've covered all the ones in southern Utah--oh, and one in Tennessee), I've visited enough in the summer to be able to offer a comparison.

First of all, it's cold. COLD. Temperatures have ranged from 9 below to a steamy 54 degrees at Zion National Park today. Mostly, though, cold. As in below 20 degrees. Mesa Verde National Park never got above 16 degrees, and let me tell you, when you're touring a stone cave in 16-degree weather, your toes go numb in a hurry. There can also be a lot of wind chill: I learned how to operate my camera with gloves on in a hurry.

The good news about the cold is that you will have the national park pretty much to yourself. This morning, we drove from Moab to Capitol Reef National Park, a three-hour journey over back roads, and for one memorable 45-minute stretch, we saw no cars. None. Not one. All of the parks that we've toured so far have been deserted, compared to summer numbers. I've toured Arches National Park and Zion National Park in the summer, and it's like Christmas Eve at the mall: jammed with people, and largely infuriating. In winter, we've been able to stop in the middle of the park road, get out, take pictures, leave the car running, and return some minutes later with no one inconvenienced. We can park anywhere we like, we can drive at 4 miles an hour and take pictures out the window, we can do pretty much whatever we want because there's no one else around.

Which is awesome. The downside of that is that most of the services around the parks are closed for the winter, and all the side roads inside the parks are shut down. The main roads are plowed, and open, but there have been things we haven't been able to see because only one road in each park is plowed and clear. Bring coffee, bring sandwiches, stop at every open gas station (just in case), and be prepared to pee in some very cold settings.

(Bonus, though: there's one road in Zion National Park that is usually closed to private vehicles: but we were able to drive right down it today, because there's so little traffic in winter.)

Because there's so little traffic, wildlife comes right up to the side of the road. There's no getting stuck behind some yahoo in an RV on a windy mountain road. For that matter, there's no getting stuck behind anyone. There's no waiting in line for a bathroom. There's no having to bypass a scenic pulloff because it's full of other cars. Gas is cheap, gift shops are empty, and group tours consist of six people.

A couple of reminders. One: daylight is short. Lighting gets weird around 4 pm, and it's full dark by 6 pm. You'll have to plan carefully around that. You'll probably be leaving the hotel in the morning, and returning to it at night, in the dark.  Two: winter sun is BRIGHT. It's blinding in the morning, it's blinding when it's going down, it will bleach out everything in its direct path and create stark shadows elsewhere. That's not necessarily a bad thing--better crazy sunshine than snow--but again, you'll have to plan around it for the best pictures.

Obviously, keep a close eye on the weather. We've been lucky in that it's been clear. If there's a storm, you may be stuck in a remote place for a few days. Backcountry and National Park roads don't get snowplows right away. Dress warmly, and bring supplies just in case. (Food and water of course, but if you get stuck in a sudden storm, you'll also want a blanket, a shovel, snow boots, and jumper cables.) Alert someone as to your plans and intended departure time. Bone up on your snow and ice driving skills.

However, cold aside, it's been awesome. More awesome than seeing the parks in the summer, even: though I've missed the selection of decent restaurants, the lack of people and traffic has more than made up for that. I very much like being able to drive through at my own pace, to take the back roads without worrying about getting stuck behind an RV or a big rig, to park wherever the hell I want.

An empty road stretched out ahead of you, a full tank of gas, breathtaking scenery on either side: isn't that the American dream?

The Great Trek West, Part 4: Kansas, Colorado and Moab, UT

Coming out of Canyonlands National Park at sunset

I've now driven across Kansas at least 4 times, so I can safely say that it is still the most boring part of any cross-country drive.

However, driving across it during the day is still better than driving across it in the dark.

This is what Kansas looks like. For eight hours.

We set out from Missouri at a very early hour, and drove for eleven hours across Kansas and half of Colorado. Eastern Kansas is surprisingly hilly; western Kansas is terribly flat. In the summer, there are miles and miles of cornfields; in the winter, there are miles and miles of...fields. Regardless, it's like someone pulled a chalk line from Denver to St. Louis, snapped it, and built an interstate. I swear I could have tied the wheel straight, fallen asleep, and still stayed in the right lane.

Eventually we got to eastern Colorado (still really flat), and rounded the corner to discover...Denver. With the Rocky Mountains laid out behind it. We spent the night in Boulder with a couple friends of mine from grad school, and got to meet their 18-month-old. In the morning, we tackled the drive across western Colorado to eastern Utah.

Now, while planning this move, the part that worried me the most was the part about driving across the Rockies in January. We still have to get through some more of the Rockies, in northern Utah and Idaho, but the highest and curviest part of the drive is over. I-70 through Colorado took us over 11,000 feet in elevation, through several ski resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek), and up and down some very steep grades. Even though the weather was clear, there was a lot of fog, and subzero temperatures the whole way. The subzero temperatures were the worst part (have you ever tried to clean a windshield when it's 9 below? Also, your windshield washer fluid will freeze).

Somewhere near Vail. Temperature: nine below.

We got through the mountains without any problems, and came down into the high desert of eastern Utah. The transition between the Rockies and the red sandstone-mesa of Utah is one of the most breathtaking drives in the country--even with snow on the ground. There was far more snow in Moab than I anticipated--although, the last time I was there it was 112 degrees, so it was hard to imagine red rock as snow-covered with single digit temperatures.

Arches National Park

I've been to Utah before (read about it here, here and here, as part of my 2009 road trip), and I'd like to reiterate: holy crap, Utah is gorgeous.

I don't need to say any more. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. From Arches National Park:

And these are from Canyonlands National Park:

And finally, from Dead Horse Point State Park:

No matter how many hours you spend in the car, no matter how crappy the roads or how cold the air is, any day spent driving around such sights is way, way better than working.

The Great Trek West, Part 3: Missouri

Otherwise entitled, "Mark Twain, the Berlin Wall, and barbecue."

I've spent the last few days holed up at my in-laws' in central Missouri, reunited (at last!) with my husband and preparing for the rest of the trek. I got the car serviced this morning, I've stocked up on road food, and we've got an itinerary mapped out.

(For those that are curious, the itinerary looks something like this: Denver, southern Utah--to include all the national parks there and Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado, Salt Lake City, Portland, and then Seattle, over the course of a week. The weather looks clear, and I'm super-excited about revisiting Utah.)

But while here, we've done a little sightseeing, too. We went to the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, MO, where I got this great picture of my husband pretending to piss on a piece of the Berlin Wall.

We also visited Mark Twain's boyhood home and museum in Hannibal, MO. Hannibal itself is a dump, though the Mark Twain stuff was fairly interesting. We had a nice long drive through Missouri farmland, too.

And I've eaten possibly the last authentic barbecue for a while (I can't imagine there's proper Southern barbecue in Seattle, I've yet to find any outside the South) at Lonnie Ray's, a real dive in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn't matter, as they have a proper char on both their pulled pork and brisket.

We'll leave Monday for Denver, and hopefully arrive in Seattle by next Sunday or Monday. Stay tuned for the REALLY exciting part of the drive!

The Great Trek West, Part 2: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

From sea to shining sea, right?

En route to Missouri, I decided to stop at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Not exactly on the way, I know, but when am I going to be back this way again?) A couple of roads were closed for the winter, but the weather was clear and bright (and warm, for January) and there were still plenty of great views to be had.

Next stop: Missouri for a few days.

The Great Trek West, Part 1

The move to Seattle started with--what else?--a trip to Virginia. I needed to pick up my cats and say goodbye to my family and friends there.

The last few days at work were intense. I worked straight through the week, double on Sunday, New Year's Eve, then a double on New Year's Day. My feet still hurt. I made excellent money on New Year's, but still, by the time Tuesday night rolled around, I was done. I was exhausted, sore, and ready to be out of there.

Even so, it was a little bittersweet. I'm going to miss everyone there. I got a fine sendoff, complete with a chilled shot of vodka and a PBR. I even remembered to turn in my aprons and take my shoes with me.

The next day, I drove to DC (after ceremoniously stabbing the air mattress to death. I hope to never have to spend more than one night at time on an air mattress ever again). I spent the night in a hotel in Alexandria, so that I could have dinner with two dear friends. I got to talk a little shop (food, wine), drink a little Averna, and daydream about opening a restaurant with my friend Dave. And I got to sleep on a real bed for the first time in five weeks.

By the time I got to my parents' house on Thursday, I was ready for a couple of days of sleep. Which is essentially what happened--the first night, I slept for 12 hours. The second night, I slept for 10. I ate a lot of salad and drank a lot of water. The cats were deliriously happy to see me; they were on top of me and underfoot continuously. I was glad for it: I've missed having warm feline bodies to weight me down in the night.

Yesterday I drove to Roanoke to say goodbye to my two best friends there. We had dinner at The River and Rail, which was hands-down the best meal I've ever had in Roanoke. We ate lamb shortribs, quail, beef tongue, dark chocolate bread pudding, brown butter cake, house-made pickles, and the most wonderful deviled eggs with carrot chow-chow. We killed a bottle of sparkling Malbec (yum) and a bottle of Foradori Granato. Everything was amazing, and I'll definitely be having dinner there every time I'm in Roanoke again.

And now, I'm down to the last 40 hours or so in Virginia. I'm debating whether to detour to Great Smoky Mountains National Park on my way to Missouri, or if I'd rather spend the night in Louisville, KY and see friends there. I'm also debating whether to try for Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado, or to keep to I-70 and see all the stuff in Utah. Thoughts?

As Boston said: "Don't look back."

A little pun there: I'm leaving Boston today, to start the official move to Seattle, and Boston the band had a song called "Don't Look Back." Punny, no?

Speaking of songs, I've made a cross-country playlist. This is the first time I've engineered a specific playlist for driving cross-country. Although I didn't so much "engineer" it, as just dump in everything in my iTunes library that included the words "road" or "country" or "moving" or "traveling" or...you get the idea. Then I'll put it on shuffle and see what happens.

There are the usual suspects: "Against the Wind," "Runnin' on Empty," "On the Road Again," "Born to Run." There are a bunch of songs with "America" in the title ("American Girl," "American Pie," several different songs called "America") and a bunch called "Drive" (The Cars, R.E.M.) and "Free" (Concrete Blonde, Prince, "Free Bird," of course).

But there's also "Home Sweet Home" (Motley Crue), "Highway 61 Revisited" (Bob Dylan), "I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper), "Lost in America" (Alice Cooper), and "Don't Stop Believin'" (duh), along with "Move Bitch" (Ludacris), "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (Starship), and "She's Long Gone" (The Black Keys). I've got the theme music to Thelma and Louise and the National Parks documentary and two different covers of "Where the Streets Have No Name."

So far I've got 20 straight hours of music. But it's a 48-hour drive from coast to coast. Suggestions, anyone?