Grand Canyon

6/28

Today we drove into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I had thought that the whole canyon was surrounded by desert and that there was no greenery anywhere near the canyon, but I was pleasently suprised by an unpopulated 45 minute drive through Ponderosa Pines to reach the North Rim.

When we arrived we were greeted by Ken and Beth Smith who are, as Ken would say, "Going on the 42 year of their honeymoon". Ken and Beth are working at the Grand Canyon for their second summer and have explored the 4 x 4 roads, grand canyon trails, and the best spots to watch the sunset over the canyon. Needless to say, when we arrived they wisked us off to catch the sunset because the Grand Canyon has so much to see in just one full day.



The next morning we were on the trail by 6:15 am and hiking down the Grand Canyon. It was hard going at first chasing Beth down the trail as I watched her literally hop and skip down the canyon. On the way down we were educated on the different layers of rocks...from coconino sandstone to redwall...and we got an up close and personal look at the various layers as we traversed switchback after switchback.

On the way up the trail we chased Ken, so Kyle and I were always chasing one of the Smith's. Anyhow, it started to heat up on the way up the canyon and Ken had to advise some people to turn around because they were not packing enough water.

After the hike we ate lunch with the Smiths and had a relaxing afternoon in the canyon. I took this time to begin to learn how to sew my Holy jeans. The patched holes were definitely not pretty when I was finished, but at least the jeans were made decent. In fact, the jeans looked so scraggly that Ken refused to take a picture with me sewing because he did not want to be associated with my poor handy-work.

As much as I apprciated the Smiths' willingness to show us the Grand Canyon, share their home, and feed Kyle and I; the biggest blessing was the company they offered us and their encouragment to us as we continue the trip and enter into the next stages of our life. Beth encouraged me through saying that, "The day you get married is the day you love your wife the least", which offended me at first but then I realized that she meant I would fall more in love every day. Her words were particularly encouraging because Ken and Beth truely displayed a growing love in their own marriage.

Zion NP and the North Rim- oceans of air

6/28

We woke up early and hit the road arriving at Zion NP in time for the early A Christian Ministries in a National Park (ACMNP) service. The service was great and we left not only refreshed but also with good advice for hiking and swimming.

We chose to hike to Angel’s Landing which provided us with spectacular views of the giant sheer canyon cliffs. This came at the expense of some pretty hair raising walks along a trail that was often just feet from a 1000 plus foot drop to the canyon floor. Chains assisted in the hike to the top.


Back on the canyon floor we encountered a fight between a rattle snake and a squirrel. In the shade of a rock overhang, we couldn't seem to determine the reason for the fight. The squirrel would flip sand at the snake and then the snake would retaliate with a quick, violent snap at the squirrel. Watch this video and check it out.



After several hours of hiking, we packed up the bikes and headed to a secret little swimming hole. We followed the unmarked trail to a pool about 30 feet in diameter bound on two sides by big boulders. There were two local families enjoying the cool waters and they were surprised to see two strangers who had wondered into their special spot. After hearing our story, they invited us in like family, shared their food and drink, and showed us how to jump in avoiding the shallow rocks hiding below the water’s surface. It was a great way to cool off and get out of the midday heat.

After an hour or so of refresh, we jumped back on the bikes and started our drive south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

We were surprised by the landscape leading up to the North Rim. The road took us through forests of Ponderosa pines that towered above us on either side. The air was cool and pleasant. Not the arid desert that I was expecting.

We arrived at the North Rim visitors’ center around 7:30 pm with the trip odometer reading 6753 and were met by Ken and Beth our hosts for the night. We parked the bikes beside their 5th wheel and drove down to the rim with them to catch the sunset.

The Grand Canyon is huge. It’s like a great ocean of air. It has many shared qualities to our great oceans to the east and west. You walk to the edge, like a walk to the shore. The vastness is captivating. Sunrises and sunsets over its horizon are a spectacle.



Ken and Beth were planning to take us on a hike down into the canyon in the morning and we grabbed a shower (the first one in days) and slept like babies in the bed they provided (also the first in days).

Bryce Canyon NP- hoodoos and beans

6/27

Highway 12 to Bryce Canyon was one of the more enjoyable rides of the trip so far. At an overlook 14 miles south of Torrey, we met a guy from England named Torrey. He was riding a 1200 GS, and I asked him about his trip. As he rolled a cigarette he explained that he had been laid off from his job in the UK, had his bike shipped to the US, and was about 11,000 miles into his trip. Having traveled across Alaska and the Arctic Circle, he was now making his way through the US and then down through Central and South America. He wins!

We arrived in Bryce in the midday and were recommended at the visitors’ center to do the Sunrise to Sunset hike. On the trail map in the park newspaper it claimed that the loop was the “best three-mile hike in the world.”

Alex and I changed, loaded up on water and set out with high expectations. Having never seen or really heard about Bryce, the canyon was a real surprise. The rock formations look like a giant sand castle, the kind you make by letting wet sand drip from your hand into piles.



The fingerlike spires, called Hoodoos, give the canyon the feel of an abandoned fairyland. We had fun exploring the trails for a few hours and returned to the restrooms to clean up, change and fill up on water before heading towards Zion NP.

We left Bryce satisfied and set out to look for camping closer to Zion NP. Alex and I stopped for fuel about an hour away from Zion. We bought two microwaved hot dogs to hold us over, two cans of baked beans, some cubed cheese, and a bag of “scoop” corn chips. It was getting dark, and the guy behind the counter pointed us in the direction of some possible camping.

Just off of a little mountain road, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, and with the trip odometer reading 6586miles we took a gravel road back into the trees and stumbled upon a stone fire ring. It was an ideal spot for the night and the sun was just preparing to drop over the pines. We found plenty of wood and Alex built and nice warm fire. We cut the tops off of the bean cans with Alex’s knife and set the cans in a pile of hot coals that I had separated from the fire. We let them boil for a few minutes before removing them. Huddled over the little cans we prayed, broke the remaining bagel and dug in first sopping us the liquid with the bread. Next, we mixed in the cheese, let it melt amongst the warm beans and scoped out the precious delight with the corn chips. Practically gourmet!

Capitol Reef NP- LDS generosity

6/26

In the morning, Alex and I packed up, left the park, and headed south. We stopped in Monticello to grab some coffee and breakfast at a café that had a sign for internet. We parked the bikes, turned off the engines, and then noticed a pavilion across the street packed with people doing the “YMCA” dance. Some from their group were also grilling pancakes and naturally we needed to find out what was going on.

We strolled over and just tried to make conversation with the first person we could. We were met by a very friendly lady in a homemade t-shirt that read “Gail Family.” She explained, as if it were the greatest event on earth, that it was a family reunion and that we were welcome to stay and be a part of the festivities.

It must have been written all over our faces because she immediately offered us some fresh pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, juice, milk, etc.! What a blessing. We sat under the pavilion and chowed down. They were very eager to talk, and were very friendly and hospitable to us their new guests.

They were a part of the LDS church, and as we would find out over the next few days, Mormons are extremely kind and generous people. We filled our stomachs, a real answer to prayer, and then went back to the café for coffee and internet.

We sat off after donning our raingear in preparation for the afternoon storms that seemed to be forming in the distance. This turned out to be wise because we hit a heavy, short rain blast that lasted about 20 minutes before allowing us to emerge to sunny, blue skies to the west. We were surrounded by the red cliffs of a canyon that led us down to and across the Colorado River. Massive wind gusts swirling and unseen nearly knocked us off the bikes. Alex was sure that if his chin strap wouldn’t have been there, the wind would have taken his helmet right off.

The strong winds not only tested our balance but also affected our fuel economy, and Alex and I both switched to reserve a bit early. Alex eventually ran out of gas completely before we reached the next filling station. Fortunately, he had gas in the external tanks that we carry and was able to make it the remaining miles to fill up.



The drive into Capitol Reef was nice. Twisty, curvy roads ran between a variety of stone forms and colors. There were lumpy, white forms and tall red cliffs. Capitol Reef is especially interesting because of the preserved historical Mormon settlement of Fruita that remains and is a primary attraction in the park. We arrived with the trip odometer reading 6430 miles.

On a search for food, Alex spotted a fly shop and went in to pick the brain of the cashier for some public access. He must have been rather charming because her advice led us down a dirt road to some of the best fishing on the trip to date. The little stream that hugged the side of red cliffs that rose above it was full of beautiful brown trout that were feeding off of the top water. We caught a few nice fish on dry flies and then retired due to the lowering sun.



On our way back to the Capitol Reef campground we stopped at a local hotel to soak in their hot tub. The worker staffing the front desk didn’t seem to mind and was busy talking on his cell phone. We changed in the laundry room and enjoyed 20 minutes of relaxation and cleaning, what I call a “chemical bath.”

Back at the campground we set up the tent to dry from the night before and made some hot chocolate to enjoy before catching some zzz’s.

In the morning, we decided to go on a run. We had been eying the LDS youth group next to us and their breakfast. Our other neighbors must have seen our longing looks because as we were leaving for our run they invited us over for bagels and cereal. We gratefully accepted their generosity and enjoyed the food and fellowship. They even sent us off with five extra bagels for the road.

Canyonlands NP- stars, ravens, and methamphetamine

6/24

While most motorcycle riders don’t have the physique of a marathon runner, it seems to me that riding a motorcycle in the desert requires the same close examination of proper hydration to stay alive. The air is dry and hot, and sitting on a motorcycle with the warm air blowing across you makes you forget that you are losing water. Any sweat evaporates immediately. Thus, Alex and I just drink water at every stop whether we want to sip warm water or not.

We left Arches after filling up our water bottles at the visitor center and headed south through Moab to Canyonlands NP. Canyonlands is located well of the highway by about 40 miles, and we were not sure what to expect for camping. We kept our eyes out for potential roadside spots thinking we might need to pitch a tent just about anywhere. Instead, we ended up driving all the way into the park partially looking for our friend Steve (from Arches) and partially because we really couldn’t afford to backtrack with our gas situation.

We didn’t find Steve, but we found a great campsite, parked our bikes, and set out to explore the rocks. The landscape was like nothing I had imagined, let alone expected. Large mushroom-shaped rock formations spotted the floor, some connected, some standing alone. Rock “needles” (for which the district of the park was named) rose out of the canyon walls that surrounded us. The rock seemed to be in two distinct layers, one white and the other red.

We scrambled to the highest mushroom and sat relaxing in the coolness of the desert evening waiting for the sun to set. It was absolutely beautiful, and we stayed up there for a few hours, talking, snapping some photos, and watching the spectacular sun lower behind the distant canyon walls.



After grabbing a few Starbucks pastries from our newly acquired stash, we returned to the rocks to sleep out under the stars. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip as the stars were about the best I have ever seen. We must have caught glimpses of 15 shooting stars between the two of us, and several satellites made the trip across the vast, twinkling sky while we lay there in awe of God’s creation.

The following video was shot after Alex noticed a raven floating quite close to where we were sitting on the rocks. Watch it and then read on. It's irony will be realized soon.



In the morning, we grabbed a few pastries for breakfast, secured our remaining treasure to a small limb high in the tree by our camp, and took of for a hike into the canyons. The hike was wonderful, and the cloud cover kept us cool all day. As we finished, we watched a large lightning storm roll through to the south of us.





We returned to the campsite thankful to find everything dry. Unfortunately, the two bags of pastries that we had hung in the tree and were to sustain us for the next four days were torn open and had been picked clean by Ravens. I paced around the campsite with Alex, cursing the birds and picking up the tattered wrappers. Hungry, we drove 60 miles into town and ate a large pepperoni pizza realizing that it would take a whole tank of gas to return to the town on our way out the following day… an expensive meal!

On our way back to camp we noticed our site neighbors were outfitted with arm length, orange rubber gloves and face masks. They would go between their car and tent with bottles and other objects. My best guess was that they were running a meth lab. They didn’t look like the druggie type and we went over to introduce ourselves, inquire about their garb, and invite them to our planned night campfire.

It turned out that they were on a very similar road trip around the country. They both will be starting graduate programs at Harvard in the fall and wanted a little refresh before entering the next station of life. They were not in the narcotics business at all and instead were trying to disinfect their stuff after a mouse decided to make a home and lay babies in the trunk of their car. You can read their story at www.nationalparking.wordpress.com.

That night it rained. Alex and I were confined to the tent. No starry night on the rocks.

Arches- my red beard

6/24

After a successful plug change, we left Colorado heading west on I-70. The drive to Arches NP was great once we were off of the interstate. Canyons, red rock, mountains in the distance and the Colorado River were all visible from our route. At a picture stop along the River we met a solo rider named Steve. We exchanged picture taking and agreed to ride through Arches together. I asked him if he left any family at home to which he replied, “Yep, I just left the divorce papers on the table and took off. Timing is everything.” This comment struck hard, especially to Alex as he prepares for marriage, and we hoped to be an encouragement to our new friend over the next few hours.

Arches NP was cool but HOT! We were amazed by the red arch structures but the park is very commercialized and is really just an interactive exhibit as visitors primarily drive through the park on the paved road and stop to take pictures of the various arch formations. Not a hiker’s park.

You can walk up to and around the arches, and Alex and I enjoyed climbing around the giant structures. Steve wasn’t too much into climbing around and he left with Alex’s phone number saying that he would call us with his camping location in case we wanted to meet up later.

While climbing around Alex took this video of my new red beard.

Leaving Grand Junction- pastries and spark plugs

6/24

Back in Fredericksburg I was given the novel, The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy. I was warned that it might be a bit of a frightening book if I read it in the backcountry. I hadn't taken the time to crack it open until Denver and now I was having a difficult time putting it down. Because we would soon be out in the wilderness in a few days, I decided to set out to finish it before entering Utah.

The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a father and son walk through a burned and ravaged land supporting one another with love as they try to survive their trek down the road trying to reach the coast. McCarthy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is an excellent author and his stark, gritty prose provides an intriguing story. I would highly recommend it!

The novel was especially interesting given my and Alex's own trek through America. While our surroundings don't seem as grim and no one has yet tried to kill us (that I am aware of) there are common feelings of survival that we share with the main characters in the story. In the novel the father and son carry all of their belongings in a cart that they must maintain and fill with the necessary items for survival as they find them.

Since leaving Breckenridge, Alex had noticed some trouble with his bike. It misfired a few times while riding and seemed to lose power several times throughout the trip to Grand Junction. After checking several options, our best guess was that the spark plugs were fouling up, and we decided to pull them. Fortunately, we had an extra set of plugs and in the coolness of the early morning we set out the tools and got to work. We have to take care of our carts as they are vital to our survival.



Last night, one of the visitors who had been on the Kenya trip brought Alex and I two full bags of pastries that were a day old from the Starbucks where she worked. This was a huge unexpected gift, and we carefully packed them into our "carts." They would (or should have... you'll see) provide us with free nourishment for the next few days.

Grand Junction- Independence Pass and The National Monument

6/23

Alex and I left Breckenridge refreshed (It is good to stay in one spot for a whole day every week or two.) We took Tony’s advice and went west towards Grand Junction taking Independence Pass over the Continental Divide. This was a beautiful ride and we snapped a few pictures at the top. The guys that took the below picture for us were getting ready to hike up to the summit of a nearby peak and ski down the snow that remained at the top. Keep in mind it is late June, definitely not a possibility on the Michigan slopes.

Also, after taking this picture, a couple from the Ukraine wanted the same picture in front of the sign. I asked them if they wanted us to move the bikes, assuming they wanted them clear from the picture. “No, no, no,” they said. We want the American’s bikes in the picture. I asked them which one they liked better… the yellow one of course!

Emerging from Aspen back onto interstate 70, the scenery and landscape began to undergo drastic changes. The temperature began to rise, the lush forests turned to desert, and the mountains became tall mesas: a nice change signaling that we were leaving Colorado soon.

We arrived at our hosts’ home just before 5:00pm, with the trip odometer reading 5814 miles, and stood in the road examining Alex’s bike, which had been acting funny. We were soon met in the driveway with warm greetings and invited in for some cold limeade, a wonderful hot weather remedy. Thom and Shari live with their four children and Thom runs a company that assists universities like Taylor with recruiting fresh meat. I wonder if their tactics helped reel me in?

They took us to the nearby Colorado National Monument, where we got our first taste of canyon land. This was my first canyon experience stateside as I had the opportunity to hike the Fish River Canyon in Namibia a few summers ago. The natural carvings form beautiful spires and like spotting shapes in the clouds, their youngest, Gannon, had fun pointing out animals he spotted in the canyon walls.

We returned to the house and enjoyed time with the family and some other guests that had just returned from a trip to Kenya. Thom and Shari fund an orphanage there and a team had just returned from a three week visit. It was great to trade stories from our various travels.

Breckenridge- my new home

6/21

After a short but tiring ride from Denver, we arrived in Breckenridge with the trip odometer reading 5420 miles.

Breckenridge was our first stop after I returned from seeing Alyse at Becky and Aaron Hoesli's wedding in Michigan and it is also where Alyse and I will be living after we get married. We were welcomed by Tony and his family and then quickly recruited into helping lay soil for the garden in front of their house, which was interesting because the growing season seems like it would be 2 months max. After helping with the garden they decided that Kyle and I would be allowed to stay and have dinner with them.

It was expesially nice for us to be able to share a few meals with their family to get a sneak peak of where Alyse and I will be living next year and to hear about Kairos and how we will be able to pour into a ministry that is reaching out to the "Breck" community.

We stayed in Breck for one full day and two nights. On the full day we got to go fishing and take a motorcycle ride for fun (what a concept). But fishing was the highlight of my day because we walked right down the hiking path in the middle of town and caught 6 brown trout in a few hours. The experience made me very excited to live in Breck with Alyse and be able to pursue some outdoor interests that we have not had the oppotunity to before. For example, Alyse has only been snowboarding one time and she is moving to Colorado in the shadow of a ski resort...so hopefully snowboarding in Colorado will be more appealing then when I took her to a garbage dumb in Ohio to try it for the first time. Anyways, after fishing we took a motorcycle ride that was bittersweet because we passed by Quandary mountain. Quandary has a little bit of history with Kyle and I because our Jr year we tried to summit in April and ended up having to stop about 150 vertical feet from the summit. But the rest of the ride over the mountain pass was beautiful.

Breck was overall a good and relaxing stay, but also very exciting for me because it will be where I get to sart life with Alyse as a married couple.

Denver- family away from family

6/20

I parted with my family at the airport, picked up my bike from long-term parking, and drove through the light rain to my hosts' house for the evening. Ezekiel (a visiting professor from the University of Denver) was one of my favorite professors during my four years of study at Taylor. After spending three months in South Africa the summer after my freshman year I was searching for some answers to some of the things I had seen and heard.

I showed up in Ezekiel's class as a sophomore engineering major, and remember experiencing mixed feelings as he wrote "SOC 370- Sociology of Post Colonial Africa" on the blackboard. I looked around at the SOC majors around me... I must be in the wrong place. But the class was the right place for me to be. Ezekiel taught with great knowledge and wisdom sharing his passion for the material with his students. I loved the class, the reading, the discussions, and most of all, his jovial laugh.

In the spring when Alex and I were searching for potential contacts along our route, I remembered Ezekiel's invitation to stop by his house if I was ever in the Denver area. I sent him an email now two and a half years later with a reintroduction and even a picture to try and spark his memory. He laughed at my attempts to remind him of who I was and his offer. He remembered and warmly invited me to his home in Denver.

I enjoyed meeting his wife and three sons who welcomed me in and made me feel like family. They took me on a tour of Denver which primarily consisted of the academic places- libraries, universities. (The man reads more than any person I have ever met!) They caught me up on the world of soccer, which was especially exciting as we approach the World Cup (hosted by South Africa in 2010). In the morning, I enjoyed a traditional Nigerian breakfast of Akara (fried beans and fish) which was tasty!

Twitter Updates

I have added twitter updates to the left sidebar. Alex and I will be posting tweets every once in a while as our internet access over the next week or so will be limited. Enjoy!

A Family Visit

6/17

The past few days have been a blessing. While Alex has been in Michigan at a wedding, my parents flew out from Indiana for a visit. We met at Denver International Airport and headed up to Estes Park for a few days in the mountains.

We spent the late afternoon in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) driving the Trail Ridge Road through the park. The views from the ridge were spectacular. Above the tree line the air was cold and thin, and there was snow on the ground.

The next morning, we woke up early, grabbed some breakfast and headed to the Poudre River for some exciting white water rafting. My mom was initially hesitant to accept my dad’s convincing arguments that she would enjoy the adventure, but after three hours in the class III and IV rapids she loved it.

Over the next couple of days we relaxed. I took a little hiking trip up into the mountains a few miles and caught a trout in a mountain stream. I must give credit to Alex and his dad for teaching me the ropes of fly fishing. It feels good to stand on my own feet a bit.