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5/19/03 Quit my job.
Gave my notice today - leaving after 7 years!
06/08/03 New addition to the family
Flew to Colorado to buy our new wheels. After much debate - we decided to name her "Millie". Millie's a 2000 VW EuroVan outfitted with a stove, fridge, sink, pop-top camper and a host of other conveniences to make our trip more enjoyable. Check out a picture of her on the "Photos" page.
7/01/03 Hit the Road
Our departure date. We left for South Dakota, the first stop on the journey.
7/2/03 Badlands
Arrive in Badlands...very HOT!
7/2/03 - 7/4/03 Black Hills, SD
Explore Black Hills, go spelunking in Jewel Cave, saw Wind Cave, Mount Rushmore, and drove thru Needles scenic highway.
7/4/03 Devil's Tower
Very cool....and ominous! Makes you want to go out and rent "Close Encounters", the movie that first featured this geological anomaly. Camped out in Big Horn Natl Forest.
7/6/03 - 7/8/03 Tetons
Arrive in Grand Teton Nation Park. This place is awesome! Went hiking and saw a grizzly bear...decided not to tent out that night. :-)
7/8/03 -7/11/03 Yellowstone
Words cannot possibly describe Yellowstone. It is so diverse; shooting geysers, colored hot springs, mountain lakes, enormous waterfalls, deep canyons, herds of wildlife, and Oh that smell of sulfur!
7/11/03 - 7/13/03 Hanging at Jane's house
Spent a few days relaxing in the summer heat around Missoula, MT with a family friend, Jane Hogan. Jane's got this sweet place up in the woods on the Blackfoot River. Climbed Squaw peak.
7/15/03 - 7/17/03 Glacier Natl Park
Glacier is my favorite of all the national parks in the US. We did a couple day hikes and an overnight back country hike to Mosquito HELL!!!! Read Jen's blurb for more detail. Anyway, Glacier was awesome and we're heading into the Canadian Rockies from here.
7/18/03 Driving
My left arm is very tan from hanging out the driver's side window.
7/19/03 - 7/24/03 Banff Natl Park
Banff National Park is our first stop in the Canadian Rockies and it does not disappoint. The town of Banff (about 7500 people) is nicely nestled between several high mountains. It's gorgeous. We spent several days doing dayhikes around Lake Louise and up into the Skokie Lakes region. Atop Deception Pass we were surrounded by glaciers and mountain lakes.
7/24/03 - 7/27/03 Yoho Natl Park
Spent 3 days and 2 nights hiking the Iceline trail in Yoho - this was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. Most of it above the tree line and views of glaciers, peaks and waterfalls in all directions. Met the guys from "Shut Up And Hike" - you can access their web site from the "Links" page. Great group of guys who shared delectable mountain cooked morsels with us. (Thanks guys!)
7/28/03 - 8/2/03 Jasper Natl Park
Spent 4 days/3 nights on the Skyline trail - highly acclaimed in many travel journals. And rightly so! Wonderful views and much excitement with wild animals, high winds, and forest fires.
8/4/03 - 8/6/03 Glacier Natl Park
The other Glacier National Park - the one in Canada. A truely remarkable place with the toughest day hikes I've done in many years. Climbed Glacier Crest and Abbott Ridge both with >3000 ft in elevation in less than 3 miles. Like doing Stairmaster for 2 1/2 hours stright! But very rewarding at the top!
8/7/03 Joffre Lakes
Hiking in Joffre Lakes Provicial Park. Awesome sights with glaciers and mountain lakes. Check the photo of me balancing on the downed tree into one of the lakes....I managed to stay dry!
8/7/03 - 8/11/03 Whistler, BC
Hanging out in Whistler, BC with my sister Michelle who moved there about 6 months ago. Fantastic ski town gearing up to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.
8/11/03 - 8/14/03 Sunshine Coast
Toured the western edge of mainland BC. Went sea kayaking up the Okeover Inlet with seals popping up all around us!
8/14/03 - 8/25/03 Vancouver Island
Spent 10 days touring this great island on the western edge of Canada. Went whale watching, explored Strathcona Prov Park, walked on a 20km beach in Pacific Rim Natl Park, and visited Victoria and Butchart Gardens where my folks met up with us for a few days. Vancouver Island is also where Jen and I did our most rigorous trip yet - canoing 44 miles on a lake and hiking 28 miles all in 4 days!
8/27/03 - 8/30/03 Olympic Natl Park
Hiked Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest, and Rialta Beach before meeting up with Jen's folks in Quinault.
8/30/03 - 9/1/03 Seattle
Hanging out in the big city with old APC friends Jack Crose and Jay Dudek.
9/2/03 - 9/3/03 Mt Rainier
Hiking and camping under the shadow of this 14,000 foot monster!
9/4/03 Mt Saint Helens
After 23 years, the total devastation of this volcano's eruption is still very much evident.
9/6/03 Crater Lake Natl Park
This has got to be one the most impressive natural phenomena in the US. Definitely one of my favorites.
9/7/03 - 9/8/03 Yosemite Natl Park
We have already been to Yosemite, and we decided we would skip it this time around. After a last minute decision to drive through it and climb Half Dome, we experienced a part of Yosemite we'd never seen before. Next to Glacier Natl Park, this is my top pick for the most amazing places to see in the US.
9/8/03 - 9/9/03 Sequoia Natl Park
A fantasy forest of 3000 year old trees that baffle comprehension. These are the largest living things in the world.
9/10/03 Death Valley Natl Park
What I expected was a dry boring desert. What we saw was an amazingly colored and varried landscape. Still it was pretty damn hot!
9/11/03 - 9/12/03 Zion Natl Park
An old favorite of ours. Though we've been several times, we just had to stop in Zion to visit some friends and explore a slot canyon.
9/13/03 - 9/14/03 Arches Natl Park
Climbing under massive freestanding stone arches and getting lost in the twisted maze of the Fiery Furnace.
9/15/03 - 9/19/03 Rocky Mountain Natl Park
From ultimate heat in the southwest to waking up with snow on the tent!!! Did good backcountry hiking/camping and drove Millie over the 12,000 foot pass.
9/19/03 - 9/21/03 Boulder & Denver
Hanging out with friends and seeing the city sites.
9/23/03 Kansas City
A pitstop along the way to visit Jack Weitkamp. If you know Jack, feel free to call him Jackass. If you don't know him, feel free to call him Jackass anyway. Thanks for giving us a place to crash!
9/24/03 - 9/28/03 Chicago and St Louis wedding
Stopped home to get some warmer clothes, etc. and visit family. Fly to St Louis for a friend's wedding.
9/29/03 - 9/30/03 Detroit
Visit friends and family near Detroit for a couple days before continuing the trip.
10/1/03 Niagara Falls
Wet. Rained all day, buit still an amazing site.
10/2/03 - 10/3/04 Adirondacks and Vermont
Our plan was to be in the Northeast in time for foliage. We hit it perfectly. The pictures don't do it justice at all. I managed to hit a skunk late at night on a mountain road.... great smell for the next few days.
10/4/03 - 10/13/03 New England
Better than a week visiting family in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. And of course, doing some hiking in the White Mountains and seeing awesome autumn colors.
10/16/03 Hershey Chocolate Factory
Stopped in Hershey, PA for some chocolate morsels and a tour of how they make magic in a candy bar.
10/17/03 - 10/18/03 Baltimore and DC
Visiting friends and spending half a day at the International Spy Museum. I swear Jen is a KGB agent in disguise. We were lucky enough to catch Zeala rocking the Potter's House in DC.
10/18/03 - 10/19/03 Outer Banks, NC
A thin strip of land off the coast of North Carolina. Camped right on the beach admist the debris from the recent Hurricane Issabelle.
10/21/03 - 10/24/03 Great Smoky Mountains
Catching the last of the autumn colors...and also our last backcountry hike. The Smokies are the gem of the eastern seaboard.
10/24/03 - 10/27/03 Atlanta
Spent most of our time visiting family in Alpharetta. Rain kept us indoors, but Jen and I celebrated our one year anniversary on Oct 26th with a fat restaurant meal and a comfy night in a snazzy hotel.
10/27/03 - 10/29/03 Mammoth Cave Natl Park
Heading underground again into the largest known cave in the world. With over 300 miles of charted passageways, they've only discovered a fraction of it.
10/30/03 Sweet Home Chicago
After 4 months on the road. Jen and I return home to waiting apartment, a stack of mail, and our futures ahead. Anybody wanna hire me?