Crater Lake National Park + Rogue River

After my interview on the coast, I drove inland to visit my buddy Mitty in Eugene, OR.  Mitty and I have done a bunch of traveling together, so true to form we rallied for a road trip down to Crater Lake National Park and Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area.  The interview I had on Tuesday was actually for two positions -- one at Beverly Beach and the other at Joseph Stewart.  I've been researching the bojebus out of both places, but there's nothing like actually going there and seeing it for myself!

Our trip to Crater Lake National Park did not get off to a promising start.  The weather was cold and drizzly, and the views were totally socked in with fog.  But we decided to wait it out, and it totally paid off -- the fog rolled away to show the clear, dazzling blue waters.  Amazing.  Crater Lake go down almost 2,000ft -- it's the deepest lake in the US and one of the ten deepest in the world!  The lake was formed 7,700 years ago when the volcanic Mount Mazama catastrophically erupted.  Without the underlying magma to support it, the top of the volcano collapsed, leaving behind a giant caldera.  The caldera eventually filled in with rain and snowmelt, forming Crater Lake.  Wizard Island sits defiantly in the middle of the lake -- it's a cinder cone produced by a later volcanic eruption.

After Crater Lake, we hit the road again and drove along the Rogue River.  The water was clear and roaring, and the canyon walls were coated with ferns and moss.  The Rogue is classified as a 'Wild and Scenic River,' which means it's protected from development.  It runs through southwest Oregon from Crater Lake to the Pacific, and it's known for its whitewater rafting, salmon runs, and rugged scenery.  I'm definitely coming back with the ducky to raft the 35-mile run of Class III+ rapids downstream of Grants Pass!

We drove along the Rogue and made our way to Joseph H. Stewart Rec Area, which is located along Lost Creek Reservoir.  So far in my career I've only worked at 'scenic parks' with less of a focus on recreation, and honestly I'm not wild about reservoirs.  But at least reservoirs in Oregon seem a little different and fit in with the landscape a bit more -- they don't seem like giant evaporation tanks!

Mitty and I finished the loop up to Eugene that night, and I drove back to Portland the next day just in time for the North American Organic Brewers festival. I hung out with the fam a bit more and got to see another cousin with another new baby.  :)

The next afternoon, I caught my flight back to Salt Lake City.  I settled down into my seat -- tired but satisfied.  Even if I don't get the job, it was a great trip.  I got to soak up some much needed ocean/tree/rain/moss, see some really incredible places, visit family and friends, and escape the hot desert summer for a week. Fingers crossed!

Capitol Reef Elopement Extravaganza!

We eloped!  I guess that doesn't really count as an 'adventure,' but we did putz around Capitol Reef National Park, which almost counts ... right?  Yay!

I love Capitol Reef.  It's gorgeous (where else can you find blooming orchards in front of red cliffs?) and waaaay underrated.  I have no idea why it isn't as popular as some of Utah's other national parks, but I guess that's a good thing.  Also, it's definitely a cheeseball nostalgic place for Jordan and I -- we've spent a lot of weekends down there and it's where we had our first "What if we got married one day?" conversation.  We're still stoked to have a big family party this July back in Illinois, but it seemed right to have our actual ceremony out here.

I guess I'm failing at making this sound like a travel adventure, so let me try again:  We busted out for a three-day weekend at Capitol Reef and stayed at the Red River Ranch in Teasdale, UT.  The RRR is just outside the park, and it was definitely a swankier alternative to camping!  We stayed in the Saratoga Room, which had a little fireplace, a back porch overlooking an orchard (complete with a pony!), and a big new hot tub. The staff was really helpful and down-to-earth -- they totally understood what we wanted our wedding to be like and helped us make it happen.

We got married on May 13 in the park with just us, the officient, and our photographer (Gaylene Erwin.)  It was perfect.  :)  

Afterwards we went out to dinner at Cafe Diablo, which is also just down the road from the park in Torrey, UT.  Cafe Diablo is totally unexpected -- it's a Zagat-rated restaurant in the middle of rural Utah that specializes in fresh, upscale southwestern cuisine.  We went all out with trout, lamb, rattlesnake cakes (!?!), and homemade tarts, washed down with loads of margaritas.

Great weekend, great wedding.  Pretty excited to be married to the best guy in the entire world.  :)


from Walt's Witman's "Song of the Open Road"

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me, 
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. 
Henceforth I ask not good fortune, I myself am good fortune, 
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, 
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, 
Strong and content, I travel the open road.

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.

The efflux of the soul is happiness, here is happiness,

I think it pervades the open air, waiting at all times,

Now it flows unto us, we are rightly charged.

I do not offer the old smooth prizes,

But offer rough new prizes,

These are the days that must happen to you:

You shall not heap up what is called riches,

You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve.

However sweet the laid-up stores,

However convenient the dwellings,

You shall not remain there.

However sheltered the port,

And however calm the waters,

You shall not anchor there.

However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you

You are permitted to receive it but a little while

Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before you,

The long brown path before you,

leading wherever you choose.

Say only to one another:

Camerado, I give you my hand!

I give you my love, more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law:

Will you give me yourself?

Will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Jones Hole Creek

The Jones Hole Creek trail is a wonderful 8-mile (round trip) hike located in the northwest corner of Dinosaur National Monument.  Vernal is an unapologetic mining town surrounded by flat gray desert, so a vivid green trout stream is a nice, unexpected surprise.  This 2,000-foot-deep gorge runs along the border between Utah and Colorado.  The trail starts just below the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery, and meanders pleasantly along the creek for about four miles to join the Green River.  The trail is fairly flat and easy to follow.

Jones Hole Creek

fish @ Jones Hole Fish Hatchery

This lush, green oasis is teaming with plants and wildlife.  Seriously, after living in the desert for five years, I'm pretty excited by clear water and critters!  I'm the world's worst fly fisher, but even I could tell this was a great trout stream. The water was crystal-clear, and you could see trout swimming and mayflies hatching.  A herd of five bighorn sheep let me watch them graze for a while.  I also saw deer, a pair of mergansers, and a rusty-colored marmot. 

About 1.7 miles south of the trailhead, you'll see a short spur trail that heads to the base of the western cliff.  This takes you to the Deluge Shelter rock art with a really vivid elk pictograph.  A little further south, there's a 0.5 mile side trail to the Ely Creek Falls.

Deluge Shelter pictograph

Finally, after 4 miles of hiking, I reached the Green River.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was really impressive.  The river was surrounded by soaring 2,000 foot cliffs and actually lived up to its name and looked green, instead of the sediment-laden brown I usually see back home.  I felt a weird sense of satisfaction knowing this same water would eventually flow by my home in Green River, UT -- a 4-hour drive and 226 river miles away.  I feel an epic whitewater trip brewing ...

The Green River -- 226 miles from home.

bighorn sheep

To get to the Jones Hole Creek trail, drive east out of Vernal on 500 North Street.  When the road forks, go left and follow the signs that say Jones Hole.  Follow the paved road for another 33 miles to the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery.  The trail starts at the south end of the hatchery, about two hundred yards from the visitor parking lot.

Dinosaur National Monument

After over four years in Utah and loads of epic weekends, I feel like I’ve at least done a cursory exploration of most of the major geographic regions in the state.  One of my favorite nerdy pleasures is unfolding a map and re-tracing roads and trails in my mind.  But there are still some big blank spots I haven't explored, including the area around Dinosaur National Monument.  Coincidentally, I had a work thing up in Vernal this week (the opening of the new Field House curational facility!) so I jumped at the chance to check out Dinosaur NM and the surrounding area.  Jordan had to go back to work, so this trip did double duty as my last solo weekend before we get married (one month -- holy sh*t!)

For as much as I knock National Park "windshield tours," that's always what I end up doing the first time I visit one.  I guess it's just a good way to get an overview of the place, knock out all the cheeseball sites, and scope out good places to dig a little deeper.  So the first thing I did at Dinosaur was visit the Quarry Exhibit Hall, which showcases a wall of 1,500 embedded dinosaur bones.  The entire back wall of the building is a quarry site full of fossils.  These bones are in such great condition -- many of the skeletons are nearly complete and arranged in the correct anatomical position.  Jordan and I get pretty excited finding tiny little bone shards when we're out hiking, so I can't imagine finding something like this!

camarasaurus skull

quarry wall

The Quarry Hall is what drew me to Dinosaur National Monument in the first place, but of course there's a lot more to see.  The landscape is a contorted rainbow of uplifted rock carved into steep canyons by the Green and Yampa Rivers.  Whitewater rafting is a big deal in Dinosaur NM, and I can see why.  From origins high in the Rocky Mountains, the Green and Yampa Rivers wind across sagebrush plains, then squeeze into tight canyons surrounding by soaring cliffs.  The wild Yampa is the last un-dammed river in the Colorado River system, and it has some crazy Class V rapids.  The Green is little more manageable with Class II-IV rapids.  Of course, it's tough to get your hands on a permit, but I'm definitely going to try!

Green River from the Split Mountain overlook

Green River from Jones Hole

Echo Park Overlook

Dinosaur NM is also full of incredible petroglyphs and pictographs.  I've seen a lot of rock art in Utah, but the classic Vernal style is really distinct.  These images were created by the Fremont people around 800-1,200 years ago.  The figures tend to be trapezoid-shaped anthropomorphs with elaborate headdresses, necklaces, and earrings.  It's impossible to know exactly what rock art represents, but to me these figures seem a lot more war-like and foreboding.  Many of them are carrying shields and what look like decapitated human heads.  Spooky, but really cool.

McKee Spring Petroglyphs

lizard rock art along Cub Creek

map credit:  nps.gov