Homeward Bound

Our final national park of the trip was Arches NP in Utah. We spent a full day driving, hiking, and rock scrambling through the park. It was another truly bizarre landscape to explore - brilliant red slick rock, towering arches, windows and holes, twisted scrubby junipers, and crystal blue skies.

We hiked a great loop trail through the Devil's Garden area at the north end of the park. It wound its way past some of the more well known formations, including Landscape Arch, pictured above. It was actually a fairly challenging hike, just trying to find the trail through the twisted maze of rock. It was marked with small carins, but often we would find the trail and remark, "It can't possibly go up there!" The hike required shoes with good traction and a bit of trust that you wouldn't slide straight down the face of the rock.

We enjoyed the park... and apparently so did about half the population of Utah who were there with us that day. It was very crowded, almost as bad as Yosemite Valley, due to a school vacation week in Utah (in October?). I guess it is so hot in July and August that late September and October are actually the busy season there. We must admit, the weather was splendid, perfect sunny days in the low 70's and down to the low 50's at night.

The park campground was full, not surprising, so in the late afternoon we left the park in search of a place to camp. There is a whole string of small BLM campgrounds along the Colorado River, extending northeast just outside the park. As our luck would have it, every single site was occupied, and before we knew it, our search had led us across the Colorado state line and into darkness. This was the first time in the entire trip that we could not find a place to camp. We finally ended up at a motel in Fruita, CO. It wasn't all bad though - there was a town festival in full swing, so we enjoyed a warm evening of live bluegrass music, pizza, and beer in the town square.

Having travelled so far from Arches and Canyonlands, it didn't make any sense to go back to Utah, so we found ourselves with an unexpected and unplanned day in the Colorado Rockies. This turned out to be one of our best days of the whole trip. We drove a couple of hours through the mountains and ended up on a forest service road to Kebier Pass and the back way into Crested Butte.

All the official forest service campgrounds had already closed for the season, but fortunately we stubbled upon a "horse camp" that appeared legitimate for open camping. There were a few horses tied up and some horse trailers parked, but we essentially had the place to ourselves. What an absolutely beautiful place to camp - big open meadow with a brook running through it, surrounded by stunning high mountains, cloaked in the golden glow of fall aspens and sunshine.

After setting up camp, we of course headed off for a quick five mile afternoon hike up to Beckwith Pass. Hunting season was in full swing, so we geared up with our brightest tie-dye and bandannas. We were awarded once again with stunning views -back to the valley we were camped in and of all the surrounding peaks.

This was our last night of camping, and we regretfully packed up the tent and gear one last time. We had officially run out of time and needed to high-tail-it back east. From here we basically made it back home in five days. Along the way we spent a night in Denver to stop in and visit with Larry (Tammara's board chair) and Nancy, and a night in St.Louis to visit with Jack (Tammara's brother) and Debbie. Both stops were a much needed break from the monotony of the interstates and we enjoyed the company, conversation, and hospitality immensely.

So after a little over 10,000 miles and eleven weeks on the road, we finally arrived home in Greenwich on Thursday, October 21. We were greeted nonchalantly by the cats, as if we had only been around the block. Things haven't changed too much since we left, the grass is still green, there's still a few colorful leaves on the trees, and the farm fields are pretty weedy - it just looks like home. After all the incredible places and beautiful scenery we have seen in the past weeks, there is still something special about this place... I think we'll stay for awhile.

PS: Thanks to everyone who followed us on the trip through this blog, and encouraged us to keep making posts. We really enjoyed sharing our experiences with all of you. If you want to check back in the future, we'll leave the site active for awhile (do blogs ever really go away), and hope to edit, label, and organize all the photos we've uploaded. Double click the mini-slide show box to link to our Picasa photo site.

Happy Trails,

Chris and Tammara

Vagabond Farmers

In Varied Terrain; from Muir country to Abbey country

So much to see, so little time... We left Point Reys and drove the nerve-wracking, death defying coastal road southward to Mill Valley, just a little north of San Francisco. Here we met up with our dear old Peace Corps friends Bob and Beth and their son Ben. It's been years since we last saw them, but it didn't take long to get reacquainted. We had a great time hiking in the hills behind their house, attending the school production of Our Town (in which Ben gave an outstanding performance), checking out the local farmer's market in San Rafael, and eating great food.Saturday night we went into SF and had an incredible dinner at The Greens, perhaps one of the most famous of all vegetarian gourmet restaurants. What a treat to have multiple options to choose from on a menu.

On Monday we took a ferry into SF to check out the city sights. We spent most of our time in China Town, climbing Telegraph Hill, and taking the bus over to Golden Gate Park. It is really a beautiful city with far to much to see in one day.

Tuesday we bid Bob and Beth a fond farewell and drove across California to Yosemite NP. We stayed at a great funky hostel/rustic resort, The Yosemite Bug, located about 25 miles outside the park. We had hoped to camp in the park, but literally every campsite and hotel was full inside the actual park - California is beautiful, but there really are just too many people trying to live here.

We spent our first day checking out the valley and doing the classic hike up to the top of Yosemite Falls. The next day, after figuring out the back country permit system, we packed up our gear and started a two night backpack to Merced Lake. This was an amazing hike up the Mist Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls and up the little Yosemite Valley. The trail was very crowded to the top of the falls, but then we saw almost no one for the next two days. We camped in the most idyllic spot imaginable - open rock slabs, rushing water, towering sheer cliffs, and about a bizillion stars!

Our last day in the park, we traveled through the north side, hiked into a lovely Sequoia grove and then up to a serene high elevation pond above Tioga Pass. We left the park via the amazing road over the pass, which had just recently been reopened after closing for snow and ice.

The next day was a long driving day, the first in quite a while, crossing the lower half of Nevada, over the extraterrestrial highway, into southern Utah, and arriving in Zion NP late in the day. What an amazing contrast of landscapes, mountains to deserts to canyons - we haven't been bored since North Dakota.

Our time in the southwest is limited, so rather than try to see it all, we opted to do a nice day hike in a few of the parks and enjoy ourselves on the trails, rather than just driving the scenic roads. We did a great eight mile hike in Zion NP up a side canyon, up a small narrow slot canyon and then up to a breath taking observation point.

The next morning we headed over to Bryce Canyon NP and did another amazing hike which started at the rim and led down to the base of the hoodoos. What a truly bizarre landscape. From Bryce we traveled across canyon country stopping at a very chilly Forest Service campground at about 8000 feet.

Today we did a quick pass through Capitol Reef NP and then hustled over to Moab,UT, for a much needed shower, laundry, internet, brewpub, and comfy bed. Tomorrow we are off to Arches NP for a last bit of hiking and camping before seriously heading east.

Coasting Along

The journey continues... we've had a busy couple of weeks cruising through Oregon and northern California. I have to confess it's all starting to blur and meld together - so many beautiful and stunning landscapes to absorb. It's a good thing we've taken so many photos and kept a few notes so we can keep everything straight.

The last posting left off on our departure from Breitenbush Hot Springs. From there we drove a couple of hours northwest to Portland to meet up with our friends Glen and Sue. Once again we were warmly welcomed by friends with wonderful hospitality and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We had a great and diverse weekend taking in the sights and culture of one of our favorite cities. We were treated to an evening watching a women's college soccer match - the Portland Pilots are one of the most winning teams in the nation and were amazing to watch in action. Go Pilots! Saturday morning we ventured downtown to shop at the city's premiere farmer's market. It is an outstanding market with hundreds of vendors, and an incredible array of produce - lots of local fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, and even an abundance of wild collected mushrooms. It was really strange to be on the other side of the table for once, but we enjoyed seeing what other farms were growing and how they marketed there produce. Even though our own Saratoga market is a fraction of the size, we left the Portland market thinking we actually do a pretty good job on quality and variety. We left the market with a pile of food, took it home and cooked up a truly gourmet feast. Before leaving town we also got a quick visit with relocated Saratoga friends, Ezra and James and their newly adopted baby daughter, Vivian. They are all doing well and are happily getting settled in a great neighborhood.



From Portland we drove south to Crater Lake National Park. We intended to camp, but the weather had taken a turn back to a miserable 40 degrees and raining - we made a vow that this was our limit - and found a reasonable motel outside the park. The next day the weather cleared and we had a great time circling the lake, hiking a couple of peaks on the rim, and climbing down to the bottom of the crater to check out the lake up close. Another national park not to be missed. Again the color of the water was just stunning and changed intensity from every angle - thus another excuse to take lots of pictures.



Before heading out of the Cascades and going to the coast, we spent a frustrating morning trying to find a remote hot spring spot on one of the national forests that we were driving through. It took a a couple of hours of misreading maps and getting turned around, but after much perseverance we finally found the Umpqua Hot Springs. The scene was a little sketchy - with some "interesting" bathers hanging around, but ultimately worth the effort to find them.

Ahhhh.....

Finally, we hit the Pacific Ocean - what a beautiful sight. We didn't take the most direct route, but we finally got there. Oregon has a wonderful state park system stretching all along the coast. The vast majority of coastline is protected and free from development. It really makes you realize how much we have lost along the Atlantic shoreline and what a crime has been commited there.We spent the next few days slowly working our way south along the coast, camping in some beautiful spots.

We crossed into California and took a break from beach camping to explore the Redwoods; it was truly an antediluvian delight. Our necks were sore from all the straining to look up. We did some very nice walks through some of the old growth groves and a few of the classic drives. The only mishap was a pretty bad case of poison oak from all the tree hugging we did - oh well, should have worn long pants.

We continued driving south, trying to keep to the coast as much as possible, checking out the sights along the way. We explored another excellent farmer's market in Arcata - the oldest continuous market in the state - and had a chance to chat with a few of the growers. We then headed out to Cape Mendocino and the lost coast. Man, talk about remote, driving along the twisting, steep roads that make their way along the headlands were an adventure in and of themselves. The cape is the most westerly point in the continental US - another milestone for the trip.

We spent two nights camping at a state park just south of the pretty little coastal town of Mendocino. The 27th was Chris' birthday, so we took the day off from traveling and rented a canoe to explore the Big River estuary. It was beautiful and relaxing - we paddled upstream with the tide and downstream as it shifted - how nice. We also had time for reading on the beach and exploring the local brewpub. Pretty much a perfect day.

We cruised down some more crazy coastal highway and then briefly headed inland to visit our friend Elizabeth in Napa. The weather here is as crazy as the roads - it was about 60 at the coast and 104 when we got to Napa - but at least it was as they say "dry heat". We had a great visit, ate good food, checked out the community garden that Elizabeth spearheaded to get started, and got caught up on land trust gossip.

We needed one more dose of the coast - it's going to be awhile before we see it again - so we headed over to Point Reyes National Seashore. We were here a couple of years before and knew we wanted to come back. We backpacked in to one of the campgrounds on the beach for two nights. It was beautiful weather at the top of the hills, but stayed foggy and damp along the coast. To get our fill of sunshine we hiked up to where it was clear, read books and dozed. It was lovely.

So here we are in the first week of October, starting to look east. A few busy weeks to go: friends in Mill Valley, San Francisco, Yosemite, across the southwest, and then hightail it home. I think we need another 12 weeks...

Moon Craters, Music, and Mystical Bliss

Five thousand miles in five weeks... wow, this is a big country. Following our adventures in the Rockies we continued to make our way westward, crossing the bottom of Idaho in a day. This route pretty much keeps to the Snake River valley, so we avoided climbing over the mountains yet again, passing through such bustling towns as Mud Lake, Picabo, and Corral (blink once and you could miss all three of them). We took a short break to check out Craters of the Moon National Monument. We both joked that this must be where they send park rangers when they have really screwed up somewhere else. The landscape is terrifically bleak and a long way from anything.

We enjoyed learning about the crazy geology and volcanic activity of the area. It gave a chance to stretch our legs and reinforce our desire to find a warm dry hotel room for the night.

The next day we got off to and early start and crossed eastern Oregon. Again, we were stunned by the stark beauty of the landscape, dry mountains rising from the twisted river valleys, and then the flat high elevation desert and scattered buttes farther to the west. We passed through the city if Bend and then into the foothills of the Cascades to the small town of Sisters, Oregon.

As luck would have it, we timed our travels just perfect to make it to the Sisters Folk Festival, which ran from Friday night through Sunday. We had learned of the festival earlier this summer after attending our local summer festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. There we were totally blown away by a Welsh performer, Martyn Joseph, who we hadn't seen before. After checking out his touring schedule we realized he would be at this little festival in Oregon at about the time we were passing through. What a great find, we had just an incredible time. It made the perfect break from all the driving and hiking. We camped in a small town park campground and walked into the different venues which were located through out the town.

We managed to see four sets of Martyn Joseph and become more devoted fans with each outstanding performance. Check out his music if your interested in politically/socially conscience acoustic music that will bring to tears one moment and to your feet in the next.

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Slaid Cleaves

It was three days of great music - enjoying music from old favorites to new artists that we haven't seen before.

We reluctantly left the festival, although not too reluctantly, our next destination was Breitenbush Hot Springs. Along the way, we stopped to do a short day hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. We hiked a beautiful trail from McKenzie Pass south to a pair of lovely alpine lakes at the base of the Three Sisters Peaks.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at the hot springs - with a joyful sigh. We have been here twice before, so in a way it was like coming home. You walk through the gate and immediately all the tension and negative thoughts of life seem to melt away. We spent three days soaking, steaming, sleeping, and eating... in perfect bliss. The last night there was even a funky dance party - shake your booty! There really isn't anyplace quite like it, more in the vogue of rustic hippy commune and less spa chic. It's located on an out lot parcel, surrounded by old growth wilderness.

All meals are vegetarian and served in the old main lodge. It's not fancy, but the food is all organic, abundant, and good.

The resort is located on a very thermally active site and hot water just bubbles to the surface all over the place. One of our favorite spots is the steam house which sits right on top of one of the springs... totally awesome.

Just around the corner are the meadow pools - a string of soaking pools of varying temperature located in a wildflower meadow which borders the river.

For the first time in the trip we truly felt relaxed, no maps, no traffic, no Grizzly bears...life is good.

Glacier washout, Yellowstone rocks, and chillin' in the Tetons

Wow, our feet are some tired. We have really been putting some miles on our hiking boots the past couple of weeks. We left Canada on Monday, August 30, and drove south to Glacier National Park in the US. Once again the weather plagued us on this leg of the trip, while we had some sun on the drive down, the weather started to deteriorate as we got closer to the park. By Tuesday morning it was cold and raining, and the mountains were totally socked in by low clouds and fog. Being the troopers that we are, we decided to go hiking anyway... thinking maybe it would clear later in the day - yeah right. We started our hike at Logan Pass which sits on the continental divide along the famous Going to the Sun road, which traverses the range. It was 33 degrees with light rain and snow flurries and gusty wind as we hit the trail. The Highline Trail is one of the most scenic and dramatic hikes in the country, skirting towering cliffs, crossing high alpine meadows, and offering views of some of the last remaining glaciers left in the continental US. We only know this from reading the guide book ... we could only see about twenty feet in front of us for most of the hike!

Despite the weather, we had a lovely hike, once in awhile catching a glimpse of the surrounding peaks though a hole in the clouds, focusing on the myriad of wildflowers in the meadows, and even stumbling upon the occasional Big horn sheep.

By Wednesday morning it was still cold and rainy, and the forecast was for at least another day of bad weather, so we packed up the wet tent and headed south for Yellowstone. This being Tammara's birthday, we started out the day with a dry and warm breakfast at a cafe outside of Glacier park. We tootled across western Montana, dodging towering thunderheads and battling gusty winds most of the way. By the time we reached the little town of Gardiner, just outside the north entrance to the park, the temperatures had finally warmed to summertime norms and the sun was shining. We booked a hotel room and enjoyed the comforts of civilisation.

On Thursday, September 2, we entered the park and set up camp at the Tower Falls campsite. We were pleased to find the the park was not all that crowded, after hearing of traffic jams being common in the summer, we had been worried. The day was sunny and gloriously warm so we decided to ... take a hike. We did a fairly easy half day hike up Mount Washburn, which essentially follows a gated forest access road to the top, where a manned fire lookout tower is located. The views from the top were spectacular - offering an overview of the whole park from up high.

On Friday we did the traditional driving tour around the park, stopping at many of the parks highlights: Yellowstone Canyon, Yellowstone Lake, and of course many of the geysers and Old Faithful. We did some short walks, but mostly we drove. We saw lots of bison and a few other sightings of deer, elk, and antelope. It was really a wonderful place and a beautiful day.

Late that afternoon we headed out of the park and continued southward to Driggs, Idaho to meet up with friends and work colleagues, Michael Whitfield and Liz Davy. Michael is a life-long resident of the area and had agreed to lead us on an adventure through the heart of the Tetons. We had an extra day before our back country trip was to begin, so we took the day to repack, organize and explore Driggs.

We even had time for a lovely paddle down the Teton River, which meanders though the basin just west of the Teton range. The section we canoed passes though mostly protected land trust properties and is an unspoiled gem. For lunch along the way, we even met up with fellow LTA Saratogian, Ethan Winters and his mom, who recently acquired a property along the river with the goal of protecting it as well - totally small world.

On Sunday, September 5, we started out on a four day backpack crossing the Teton range. We started out on the west side, hiking through national forest wilderness. We hiked about ten miles in and camped next to a beautiful little mountain pond. The next day we had an incredible hike up into the high country, mostly all off trail. This is a region that is rarely visited due to its long distance from the main trail heads and its rugged terrain. We crossed into the National Park at the divide and explored a whole series of high elevation ponds and even climbed to the top of a 11,000 + foot peak. It was one of the most magical day we have ever had.

We returned to the same campsite our second night out. The following morning we hoisted full packs back on and hiked once again across high mountain passes and over to the other side of the range. It was a long day of hiking, but stunning scenery all the way. After crossing the divide we hiked down through upper Webb Canyon and searched for a place to camp. There wasn't a lot of flat ground down there and eventually ended up in a small grassy patch along a willow slough. The area was surrounded by berries and was also an obvious wildlife corridor. We were a bit nervous of the bear or moose encounter potential of the site, but alas, we all survived the night.

The next morning we hiked out the long trail back to civilisation. We passed an abundance of waterfalls, hiked along and though the creek, and eventually down to Jackson Lake, which sits at the very base of the Teton range. Finally, at the end of our 30+ mile crossing, we were met at the end of the trail by friends and colleagues, Kathy and Lary, who greeted us with hugs, cold beer, and snacks!

We tootled back along the east side of the lake and mountains and later met up with Liz for a hearty dinner in Moose, Wyoming. It was a trip of a lifetime, what an incredible place. Thank you Michael for sharing your backyard and friendship.

Today it's time to clean up, do laundry and head back to the road. We'll spend the next few days crossing Idaho and Oregon, on to our next destination, the Sisters Oregon Folk Festival. Stay tuned.

Canadian Freeze Frame

No - we haven't been devoured by grizzlies or blown off a mountain top - we have not been in touch lately because basically internet access on the road sucks! But alas, we are finally connected, at a dreadfully slow speed, but connected nonetheless. With all the hiking and exploring, we have been very busy and it has not left a lot of time to fuss with technology.

After visiting friends in Minnesota (actually Wisconsin), we continued the journey westward. We traveled northwest through Minnesota and spent the night in Valley City, North Dakota - not because there was anything to see there, but because we needed a place off the highway to camp for the night. It turned out to be kind of a funky little town - we even found an open-mic night at the ice cream parlor for a little entertainment. The next day we just drove and drove, trying to put on some miles to get us closer to our next featured destination in the Canadian Rockies. We crossed the border once again, this time into Saskatchewan and eventually camped at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, just north of Moose Jaw. The landscape on this leg of the trip was monotonous, but beautiful in its own way, mostly wheat fields and pasture, with the occasional burst of sunflower fields in full bloom.

From Moose Jaw we continued west, passing the highlight prairie towns of Swift Current and Medicine Hat. As we approached Calgary we kept anticipating our first glimpses of the Rockies, but were dumbfounded by the haze. At first we thought it was just a persistent fog that would not lift, but finally realized it was smoke from massive forest fires in British Columbia blowing smoke to the southeast.

We arrived in Calgary, shocked by the size of the city and chaos of rush hour after so many hours of driving through nothing. We spent two nights with Tammara's cousin Jim and his family, getting to meet the kids and Kellie for the first time and getting reacquainted with Jim after about twenty years. We explored the city and had a great time - thanks.

From there our destination was Banff National Park. I has been a dream of ours to visit this area for more than 25 years - ever since learning about it in forestry school outdoor recreation class. We were truly awed by the scenery - craggy glacier topped mountains, placid alpine lakes the color of sapphires and emeralds, high altitude meadows filled with wildflowers and fast running brooks turned white by glacial silt. It was everything and more then we expected.


We spent four nights camped at a national park campground in Lake Louise, which provided an excellent base for day-hiking and exploring the area. We also got our first taste of the cold, it was about 35 degrees the first night. Good think we packed the down comforter in the car! We visited the classic tourist spots first at Lake Louise and the famous Fairmont Hotel, as well as Moraine Lake. These sights were truly amazing, but also crawling with tourists - like every group we passed on the trails seemed to be speaking a different language.

Our third day we went to a more remote area, actually in adjacent Kootnay National Park and did a great hike into Arnica Lake and up to a pass with some breath-taking views. We mostly had the place to ourselves and greatly enjoyed the solitude.

The second half of our stay in the area we went on a three-night backpack outing in Yoho National Park, just across the continental divide on the BC side of the mountains. We did a classic hike, up the Yoho Valley, first along the Yoho River passing a series of incredible waterfalls and then up along a mountain shelf at the base of a whole series of glaciers. It was a hike more beautiful and stunning than anything we have done before. The one downside of course was the weather (which farmers can always find fault with). If the Boundary Waters leg of the trip was defined by wind, the Banff leg was defined by cold. We had a cold rain the first night which got us off to a wet start. The next day it cleared slightly but got even colder with snow showers replacing the rain. There was ice on the tables in the campground in the am! We had not expected winter camping. Finally on the third day when we had the opportunity for the best views it cleared somewhat but was still only in the low 50's. But, what can you expect when you are hiking at the foot of glaciers for the entire day - and the views made up for any discomfort. It was truly a spectacular hike of a lifetime.

We emerged from the woods tired, sore and cold but rejuvenated by the spell-binding beauty of Yoho Valley. Our first stop after the hike was to the town of Radium Hot Springs for a long soothing soak at the pools, ahh....

Glacier, Yellowstone and Teton adventures to come.

Boundary Water Blow-out

We have survived our Boundary Waters adventure. We arrived at Hungry Jack Outfitters on Friday afternoon to get organized and prepare for our trip. We went back to the same outfitter we used about 14 years ago. David and Nancy, the owners, are still there and doing a great job. They are centrally located about a half hour drive north of Grand Marais in a beautiful area surrounded by lakes which offer lots of trip options. They have top notch equipment and great facilities to base from. Check out their web site if you are ever interested in making a trip: www.hjo.com

We had originally planned to paddle a big loop of lakes right along the Canadian boarder, but shortly after setting out we realized this would involve a lot more effort than we were really up for. The scale of the lakes up here are not what we're used too - even the smallest lakes seem considerably larger than the lakes we typically go to in the Adirondacks. So, we modified plans and decided to base ourselves on Clearwater Lake, make some shorter excursions and loop back to Hungry Jack's a shorter way.

This option allowed us to explore some of the local attractions such as Johnson Falls, located only three lakes and portages away from our campsite. It was a bit of work to get there, but definitely worth it.

The next day we headed over to, Gagebic Lake, a nice small lake where we had the fortune to get the only campsite on it. This whole area of the boundary waters is known for its beautiful cliffs and dramatic terrain, making it an interesting place to explore, but also makes for some challenging portages over the steep trails between lakes. Moving the boat was actually the easier part of the portages - those packs we're just too heavy - maybe we should have opted for the one liter wine box instead of the three liter!

Our second night out the wind began to blow - and that pretty much defined the rest of the trip. We portaged back over to one of the larger lakes the next morning, hoping to do some paddling, but nearly got blown out of the boat. We went to the side of the lake to see if it would calm down, but it just kept blowing. Finally, we gritted our teeth and paddled directly into the wind, fighting for every yard of forward progress.

We finally made it back to a campsite on Clearwater Lake and set up out of the wind as much as possible. We figured the wind would have to die down sometime , so we would just wait it out. The next morning it was still blowing hard, but we set out anyway, hoping it would be calmer on some of the other lakes... it was not! We spent nine hours of fierce paddling though several chains of lakes. We were totally exhausted and eventually got blown on shore while trying to round a point. Fortunately, there was a campsite nearby, so we didn't hesitate to stop for the day.

We still had three lakes to cross to get out, but the weather still had not improved by morning. We just did not have it in us to get back in the boat. As luck would have it, the campsite was located on a trail that would lead us to a road where we could call to get picked up. Looking at the whitecaps on the water we decided this was the safer option. We carried the boat and all the gear out in one trip (the wine was gone by this point), found a phone, and David was there to get us within an hour. We were quite relieved to be out of the woods. It was not the most relaxing of trips, but quite the adventure.

After cleaning up, we packed up the car and headed south to the Twin Cities to visit old friends from Peace Corps days. It was really great to catch up after 21 years. Thanks Sonja and Jim for your great hospitality... not to mention, food, bed, shower, washing machine, and internet.

The next stop is Calgary and the Canadian Rockies, stay posted.