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Tag: George’s Birthday Adventure (2012)

George’s Birthday Adventure: The Long Road Home
When you’re facing the end of a trip, it can be hard to let go right? George’s Birthday Adventure had been truly epic and the 2,000+ miles back to Georgia seemed so boring. So in true Camp Granola style we opted to make it not boring…
A quick stop at Lone Rock for a few pictures was necessary don’t you think?
Four Corners…
Which is how we found ourselves at the Four Corners Monument. With Geography George on board, there was really no passing up the only place in the U.S. where you can stand in four states at once. Well…stand, sit, break dance, make silly faces, …you know, whatever your particular idiom might be.
While it’s worthy stop if you’re in the area, it doesn’t really require a lengthy visit. Once you’ve goofed around and done silly things in four states simultaneously, you can visit vendor booths where Navajo sell food and crafts. Other than that, just enjoy the desert view. It’s probably no surprise that without signs and flags, you wouldn’t know which state was which.
Fred on our first visit to Four Corners in 2009.
The Four Corners Benchmark
A very happy George in four states at once.
Things to know before you go:
Cozy lobby of the General Palmer Hotel.
- The monument is quite remote. It’s best to make sure you’re groovy on fuel and supplies before heading out. They do have rest facilities and some food but there’s not a huge variety if you have picky eaters in your midst.
- The entrance fee was $3/person at the time of our visit so have cash handy.
- Your canine friends can stretch their paws on the outskirts but they aren’t permitted in the central monument area where the benchmark is located. (Poor Dobby!)
- Like pretty much everywhere out west, it can get really windy. Poor George was horrified when a piece of paper was unceremoniously ripped from the back seat of Blubaru as he opened his door. Lest he become a litterbug, he ran his little heart out to catch it so it didn’t end up floating around the desert.
Durango…
George got his geography fix at Four Corners and it was time for mine. I adore the San Juans and southern Colorado in general so we took the scenic route and wound up in Durango. And wouldn’t you know it, right at dinner time! Bummer, looks like we’d have to spend the night too, being so late and all. 😉
Imagine my delight at finding a groovy old hotel that allowed His Beagleness to stay. And not only was it dog-friendly, it was all sorts of granola awesome. The General Palmer Hotel is an historic 1898 Victorian hotel located smack in the middle of downtown. I’m a total dork for unique places and this fit the bill well…very, very well.
George loved the ancient elevator that could barely fit two people. I loved the original décor, rich inviting wood trim, and the small library in the lobby. This is a place that feels like home. Throw in a super friendly staff, free breakfast, and free wifi and you have a happy granola mom. I could be convinced to get out of my tent more often for places like the General Palmer.
For our one night in Durango, sweet Fred opted in for Dobby duty in the hotel room with a pizza reward. That allowed the rest of us could head out for a geocache, a walk around town, and dinner inside a restaurant. With Dobby on board, we sometimes forget what that’s like!
Alas, the road awaited us and it was time to get serious about getting back to Georgia.
The General Palmer’s location makes walking around Durango easy.
George loves root beer! Finding a new brand to try at Nini’s in Durango made it even sweeter.
Couldn’t resist a shot of the cool bench outside Nini’s.
So Camp Granola geek alert…Fred and George were very tickled by the small library at the General Palmer.
Oh yeah, there are some excellent candy shops in Durango. Conveniently the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is right next to the General Palmer.
How many layers of spray paint do you think are on these cars?
Cadillac Ranch…
But of course, no trip through Amarillo, Texas would be complete without a stop at Cadillac Ranch.
You see, Cadillac Ranch consists of a bunch of Cadillacs sticking out of the ground. For your vandal-wanna-be pleasure, you’re allowed to spray paint the cars if you so desire…and if you bring some spray paint. Fred and George were purposely kept in the dark about this roadside weirdness because it wasn’t a certainty we’d be heading through Amarillo, much less have the time to stop. I didn’t want to get them excited if it wasn’t a definite thing.
Unfortunately, this is where trip fatigue rears its head at Camp Granola. Mom, being too road weary to weather the hassle of stopping for spray paint, convinces herself that her young boys will simply be content with the oddity of seeing cars sticking out of the ground. Fred and George, too road weary to be their agreeable selves, got themselves in a snit because they had no spray paint. To be fair, they did eventually get over it and make the best of their time but I certainly didn’t earn any Mom-of-the-Year votes that day.
In short, the next time we find ourselves rolling through Amarillo, I owe Fred and George another stop at Cadillac Ranch and a few cans of spray paint.
Fred and George racing to see the buried Cadillacs.
Stick a fork in Camp Granola…
After our last hurrah at Cadillac Ranch (I guess that was actually a whimper!), we blasted through back to Georgia. With a 2 am re-entry back home, we put George’s Birthday Adventure to an end. Happy Birthday George!
If you just joined us, you can find the full recap in these posts:
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And now for your moment of green…
Soaking up the last bit of Utah at Lone Rock just north of the Arizona border.
July 16, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: The Utah Chronicles
So after escaping Death Valley remarkably intact, Camp Granola set off to Utah. We’re used to traveling off-season…one of the many perks of roadschooling. I had a slightly rude awakening however, realizing a bit late that it would be Spring Break for much of the country by the time we reached Utah. As Scooby would say…”R’uh R’oh!”
A quick review (i.e mad scrambling) of campsites revealed that we were indeed up a creek. With a quick last minute reservation, I managed to land a campsite at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park near Kanab instead of one of the mega-parks like Zion. No biggie, I’m quite a fan of state parks since they tend to have a few more amenities than National Parks. Showers are a wonderful luxury aren’t they?
The bizarre mixture of sand, mountains, conifers, and desert plants at Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a feast for the eyes.
A Mad Dash to Utah…
Anyway, at this point of George’s Birthday Adventure, we were trying to enjoy a few not-so-hectic days after the E.T. Highway/Vegas/Death Valley whirlwind. But with only a few days left and Utah ripe for the picking with places to explore, what’s a curious adventurer to do?
George reduced to head and boots in the soft sand of Coral Pink.
Well, the first step is simply to get there so we spent most of the day driving to Coral Pink Sand Dunes, then set up camp. In this case, with no official tent pad, we had some leeway where to pitch so we chose a spot as far away from the insanely noisy generator of our neighbors. Mind you, they had conveniently placed it as far away from their RV as they could and still have it technically in their site. But that’s a rant for another day…
In any case, we were treated to what was probably the easiest staking job in Camp Granola history since we were pitching on gloriously soft sand. After the previous night’s tent-pitching nightmare, it was a very welcome and somewhat surreal.
The breezes on the dunes even kept His Beagleness cool…and his ears aloft.
This is what I’m officially dubbing “Camping Whiplash.” Cold, hard Death Valley to the soothing softness of Coral Pink? Camping Whiplash I tell you. (And I wish I could bottle the feeling of sleeping on that sand…all sorts of groovy goodness.)
As you can imagine after a day of driving and setting up camp, we had little time remaining to do anything before dinner. That’s always a great time to take the opportunity to just enjoy the campground and hopefully achieve that “non-hecticness” I mentioned. In this time, George discovered the joys of identifying trees with the iPad, thanks to the Audubon app. Fred was quite content to venture out and get the lay of the land, no doubt crafting a fabulous internal story as he glided about in his ever-present black cloak. For me, it was just a breather to slow down and enjoy being outside with no agenda and to watch the boys enjoy being outside without an agenda.
You’ve got two days, what do you do?
First, clearly we needed to explore the park we were visiting. Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a more of an ATV playground than a hiker’s paradise, but even so it ended up being one of the boys’ favorite places in terms of sheer play value. They created their own civilizations for hours on the dunes because, even though is was quite sunny, the crisp temperatures in early April made for perfect all-day sand-play conditions. No need for complicated plans when you’re here…just park the kids in the giant sand box and let them get their fill.
Cozy soft sand for a bed at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes campground.
That pretty sand they were playing in? That comes courtesy the eroding Navajo sandstone that’s prominent throughout the American southwest and a fabulous confluence of factors including gaps in the mountains and the Venturi effect. As you can see from the images, the sand is a striking coral color. In spite of their beauty, the park actually exists in large part to protect the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle that lives nowhere else. We did manage to get a glimpse of the little bugger but I never got a shot so you’ll have to find out more about them here.
One of the really fun things about camping at Coral Pink was seeing tracks in the sand around your tent in the morning. Everything from bugs to deer seem to move through the campground and seeing the evidence is a bit of a rush. Be sure to tiptoe around the um…”brown jelly beans” many of them leave behind! Nature in all it’s glory my friends.
Next up…
Having spent one day cavorting in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, we had one remaining day to spend in Utah and a lot of places to choose from. Let’s face it, Utah is overflowing with amazing parks but I had my sights set on Zion. Even though I knew it would be just a tease to go for one day to a park you could reasonably spend weeks exploring, I wanted to at least take a peek.
The North Fork Virgin River is a fabulous playground.
Given the epic-ness of National Parks in Utah, you can imagine that Spring Break was pretty busy there. In fact, it was a zoo. With His Beagleness in tow, we had to stick to the roads and the one trail he was allowed to stretch his paws on. Of course, this means we were in the thick of the zoo since the only dog-friendly trail is the Pa’rus Trail near the Visitor Center.
It was quite a nice little walk with access to a stream to frolic in. And frolic they did, my Fred and George. Even Mr. Dobby got his paws wet, an activity he doesn’t undertake readily. Skipping stones and bounding through the stream, buoyed by the adrenaline rush that comes with ice-cold water on naked feet, Fred and George played happily for quite some time. Another simple day of exploration, Fred and George style.
Dabbling in Kanab…
So we’re on our last night of camping and feeling free and spontaneous. We decided to poke around Kanab with our remaining hours, finding a dog-friendly restaurant with a patio, Denny’s Wigwam.
Now, I don’t normally go for kitschy…maybe I was feeling punchy as our trip was winding down because we found it quite entertaining. It was cowboy-themed of course, with fake western storefronts setting the stage around the restaurant. It was a quite fitting final hurrah before we said farewell to the great American west for the more humid climates of the east.
The take-away…
Wet fun even calms Mr. Tween.
- Coral Pink was surprisingly fun for the kids and was a great alternative to camping at the the mega-parks. For one, they have showers. Two, tent-camping on the sand was all sorts of groovy. For some basic information, here’s a link to the park brochure.
- Zion is simply stunning, as I knew it would be. I am going back without the dog…and off-season. Even if you’re not into backcountry hiking, the lovely North Fork Virgin River along the Pa’rus trail is a wonderland of exploration opportunity for kids and adults alike.
- Kanab is a nice little town that’s big enough to grab some good food and resupply if needed. If you’d like a dose of cowboy kitsch, give a visit to Denny’s Wigwam.
This big metal beauty stands guard at the entrance to Denny’s Wigwam.
Geography George never tires of the license plate game, so imagine his delight at the display of plates from all fifty states.
Some of the kitsch I mentioned…how about “Paul Bunyan’s” chair?
And now for your moment of green…
Ok, so it’s not Zion backcountry, but the Pa’rus Trail is lovely and a nice way to spend a day there.
July 9, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: Death Valley
I know I left you hanging on George’s Birthday Adventure with the story of the E.T. Highway but I promise I’ll keep sprinkling it in here between our other antics. It certainly seems odd to still be chronicling that trip when we’re already two weeks into our next expedition…the 5-week journey that I’ve come to know as Geowoodstock to TBEX.
Anyway, our last adventure certainly didn’t end in Nevada. Which brings us to the next installment of George’s Birthday Adventure.
Mom, can we go to Death Valley?
So having successfully completed our geocaching expedition, Camp Granola exited Alamo, NV to return to (shudder) Vegas. You see, I had the great idea to run the April Fool’s Day 5K there. I thought it would be a fun layover for laundry and replenishing supplies and I also thought the boys would get a kick out of doing their first official race in Vegas.
Get your adrenaline pumping in Death Valley with tent-flattening winds.
Things didn’t quite work out as planned. It was a fun race with all sorts of silliness being April Fool’s Day (think wonderfully weird costumes). Unfortunately Fred and George just weren’t feeling all that spunky (car lag maybe?) so they weren’t interested in running their hearts out. Throw in a healthy dose of me clocking myself in the head with the car door less than an hour before the race and you have the beginnings of an advice column on how not to go into a race. Here I sit, two months later and I can still feel the bump on my noggin. Yes folks, I’m all kinds of slick.
With the boys uninspired and my head pounding, running simply wasn’t the best plan. So we mozied through the race with His Beagleness and enjoyed the mountain scenery surrounding Vegas. George’s goal was simply not to be last and Fred’s was to be just ahead of George and me. Aiming high my friends, aiming high! Turns out George would have come away with the trophy for last place had he not set the “not last” goal. Like I said, it was an April Fool’s Day race and the joke was on us!
Anyway, our plans after Vegas were somewhat loose since we didn’t have a campsite reserved in Utah until the following night. So when George chimed in with his desire to swing through Death Valley, we just decided to go for it…we had nowhere else to be really so why not?
The near-death of Agnes…
Obviously it won’t surprise you given the last-minute decision that we weren’t really up on our Death Valley info. This was very seat-of-the-pants so we hadn’t done any research into camping there. When we arrived at Furnace Creek and finally picked a campsite, imagine our dismay at facing our toughest tent pitch…ever!
The scene of the “Pitch of Death” at Furnace Creek Campground
Folks, you know I’ve done this countless times and I’ve got some fairly beefy equipment, but the gusts in Death Valley that day were fierce. Unlike the comedy of the Mojave, with it’s steadier – albeit still considerable – winds, this entry to camp was more than a bit dicey. The gusts went from zero to “Oh shit!” with nerve-wracking suddenness, unpredictability, and – just for our added camping pleasure – changing directions. Throw in the hardest ground I’ve ever encountered for staking and this had disaster written all over it.
We managed to get maybe half of the main stakes in after relentless hammering, weighted the inside down with gear, and took a little breather. Big mistake. Before we set the side guy-lines, a gust came that flattened Agnes (yes, with all the poles in…) as I watched in helpless wide-eyed horror.
After the initial heart-stopping shock, I had to down-shift into zen mommy mode…i.e. what’s done is done, it was time to simply assess damage and make a plan accordingly. The good news…no broken poles, Agnes is still quite functional. The bad news…wow, those are some bent poles! Seems our Agnes will be permanently listing to port…unless I’m ready to bone up for new poles. Needless to say, we promptly set the guy lines and Agnes held true after that.
Stark and stunning….Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin…
With the tent as secure as possible, we hesitantly set out to Badwater Basin. On the one hand, we had only a few hours to get a feel for Death Valley, on the other, we weren’t sure our tent would still be there when we returned to camp. Sitting around camp making sure the tent didn’t fly away certainly didn’t seem like a lot of fun so we took our chances.
A wet beginning to Badwater Basin.
Badwater Basin was indeed well worth the risk. It really is an otherworldly scene, the giant salt flat surrounded by mountains. And given my geeky geologic tendencies, of course I was on the ground inspecting the salt grains at only a nose-length. And given my boys’ pre-teen senses of humor, of course they were laying on the ground pretending they were dead in Death Valley.
Not feeling like we’d quite gotten a big enough taste of Death Valley by only visiting Badwater Basin (but still short on time mind you), we took a little ride through Artist’s Drive and Artist’s Palette. The drive was really quite groovy and I highly recommend it. As a drive it’s remarkably roller-coastery so lots of fun on that front. It’s also a geologic marvel in the variety of formations you roll through on the short loop. Even the non-geologists in the car were Ooo-ing and Aah-ing.
The salt flat at a nose length. Check out those little tendrils! Who knew?
Meanwhile, back at camp…
I’m happy to report Agnes held her own during our absence in spite of the relentless wind. Having finally gotten the side guy-lines set before we left was more than enough to combat the gusts. Of course, the wind meant dinner involved a scramble of vestibule cooking and in-tent dining. Gourmet all the way my friends!
Diminutive Rangers…
So one of the things that many kids do when traveling to National Parks is participate in the Junior Ranger activities. We typically try to do them, although George is generally more motivated than Fred. This time, Fred was on board though. He found Death Valley quite enthralling.
Pre-teen interpretation of Death Valley.
So my sales pitch for the Junior Ranger program is that it’s one of the activities done on kids’ terms. They have an activity book they need to complete and once they do, they collect their Junior Ranger badges. The activities help them gather information on the park by examining the exhibits, going on hikes, or attending ranger talks. Having a purpose in participating engages them in discovering why that particular place has been set aside for preservation.
Death Valley already had their attention just for being cool at first sight. But as they delved more in-depth they had a greater sense of the multitude of reasons for conservation, beyond just the “pretty” factor. And, as a little feather in my roadschooler cap, the Ranger who was working with them was delighted by their knowledge…knowledge she said most adults hadn’t absorbed. So a big “Hurray!” to Fred and George for being great little explorers.
A job well done…
You know I love to give credit where it’s due when I meet someone who is really good at their chosen profession, particularly when it’s also close to my heart in terms of nature. In this case I have to give a huge shout out to Ranger Dianne who was not only friendly and knowledgeable but who also ably handled a large crowd while working with Fred and George. She didn’t short-change them under the pressure of a bus-load of new arrivals. While I obviously appreciate it from a personal standpoint for my own children, it speaks volumes for the National Park Service’s values. At a time when the average age of National Park visitors is on the rise, they recognize the need to engage the next generation and treat them with as much consideration as adult visitors.
Final thoughts…
If you’re planning your own visit to Death Valley, here are a few things to keep in mind before you set out:
Ranger Dianne swearing in Fred and George as Junior Rangers.
- Remember, this is the middle of nowhere. Any supplies you need will be expensive and for good reason. Either stock up before you go in or get ready to pony up without complaint.
- Absolutely pick up a map and study it. Do not rely on your GPS. It’s been known to be fatal.
- Always have a supply of water. Remote doesn’t begin to cover how desolate it can get. Don’t underestimate dehydration. Even if you’re traveling by car, a break down without water is bad news.
- As I hope I’ve illustrated above, the winds can be insane. Just be aware.
- Death Valley is enormous…3.4 million acres enormous. You can spend a little time or a lot. Our brief visit has only whetted my appetite for more so don’t be surprised if you feel like you can’t get enough.
Happy trails!
And now for your moment of green…
The colors and textures of the Artist’s Palette are most certainly soul-soothing.
June 5, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: E.T. Highway
Dear readers, you’ve made it. Finally we’re at Episode 5 of George’s Birthday Adventure, we get to the main event, the reason for trekking across the U.S., the big kahuna — the E.T. Highway.
This is where it all begins…
Fast-forward
This is the part where I gloss over the boring details of getting to Alamo, NV via the armpit of Nevada, otherwise known as Las Vegas. Many readers are howling with displeasure at the moment I know. But let’s face it, Vegas is the antithesis of everything I am so it shouldn’t surprise you in the least that I couldn’t bring myself to actually stay there even as an wifi-using, laptop-charging, showering, and laundry lay-over.
That was the original plan since we were due to stay at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge which has none of those amenities and we’d be there for about five days. Instead, through a variety of odd decision-making we opted for cabins at Windmill Ridge in Alamo for the duration of the geocaching portion of George’s Birthday Adventure. More on that later though. Let’s get to the good stuff.
View Larger Map
The scene…
Ok, the E.T. Highway stretches through the Nevada desert with little more than cows to keep you company. Fuel options are sparse to non-existent so you have to think ahead. The caches are usually about 1/10 of a mile apart along Highway 375, Highway 6, and a remote Forest Service road. They’re mostly film canisters hidden off the road a little bit. Given the exposed and open nature of the desert, they’re typically hidden in a small rock cairn, otherwise they’d just be floating about as cow entertainment.
The first cache. Yes, that’s a giant alien in the background. It’s a theme around here.
How this goes down…
So what you need to envision is us blitzing (courtesy of Blubaru of course) from cache-to-cache every tenth of a mile along the dusty Nevada desert roads. One person hops/jumps/runs/sprints out to grab the canister, replaces it with an extra pre-signed one, and dives back into the car. While the driver blitzes to the next location, the passenger stamps the log with our team name and replaces the log in the container just in time for the next cache. This is the nature of tackling a power trail — the fetcher makes the next grab and the logger logs while driver drives. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Do that 1,500 times. Occasionally switch up driver, logger, and fetcher.
A relatively clean Blubaru at #1. Yes, that says open range for the next 110 miles…and they mean it.
Honesty time…
You probably noticed I said 1,500 times. That’s a lot of times. At the outset when George got his heart set on doing this, my inner geocacher groaned. These are easy caches. It’s not about the challenge of finding clever, unique hides. It just sounded tedious. I wasn’t sure the boys would be able to stick with it and see it through.
But I didn’t let on that I had my doubts. I didn’t want to inadvertently sabotage the effort with a sour attitude.
Surprises and lemonade
As I mentioned in the Mojave post, we were suffering from car fatigue by the time we got there and we hadn’t quite recovered yet. We were now facing many days back in the car for the most part. Groan. For my part I chose to make lemonade by practicing sprints to the caches for several reasons: time (so we could actually get this done in a few days), stimulation (break up the monotony), and prep for my upcoming Zombie Stomp (I needed to get sprint training in anyway).
Yours truly at the halfway point. And I’m still smiling!
Obviously we were successful and finished the entire series. It took us three full, grueling days. We even resorted to ten-minute lunch stops where we slapped sandwiches together and chucked them at the boys in the backseat while we continued with the caches. To say it was fast and furious doesn’t quite do this expedition justice. In the quicker sections we managed two caches a minute. That’s two rounds of drive, fetch, & log each minute. We were really good at it by the end!
In all this I had many pleasant surprises.
- Turns out there is a challenge to be had on a series of caches like this. It’s stamina and Camp Granola’s got it in spades baby!
Fred and George (sporting an alien mask) feeling victorious at #1500.
- George is one determined little dude. He went at this with all of his heart throughout the the series. He wanted this and he did it. That’s my boy! *sniff*
- I can’t sell Fred short here. He did a lot of fetching too and with a great attitude even though this really wasn’t his idea of mega-fun. He gets high marks for cooperation…which is a big deal since he is a tween.
- My car rocks! Blubaru handled the off-road conditions, constant sliding stops, and the abuse of careening up embankments like a champ. She was coated inside and out with Nevada grunge and will probably never be truly clean again but it was worth it. She earned her stripes…or whatever cars earn for a job well done.
- Biggest surprise? It was fun. It was demanding in ways I hadn’t expected and giving George the chance to accomplish it was very satisfying.
- Oh…and we discovered the Disapproving Beagle finds cows upsetting or possibly fancies himself a cow-dog of sorts. Ever been in a small car with a howling beagle? Can’t say I recommend it. I have to give him his due though. One cache had cows standing just about on top of it and his howls of protest chased them off. He was exceedingly proud of himself.
Fin
We did it. It was such an taxing undertaking I actually had a few moments of stunned disbelief at the end. That and pure exhaustion. Sadly, we still had to drive all the way back to Alamo…two hours away.
My poor Blubaru at #1500. The inside was actually dustier than the outside.
And thus ends days 6 through 9 of George’s Birthday Adventure. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shout-out to the cache owners who put this together. As grueling as it is, imagine what it took to organize and execute this feat. And from what I hear, they’re adding 500 more this summer.
So unofficial poll…how many of you might want to give it a go and how many of you think we’re just bat-shit crazy?
And now for your moment of green…
In between caches, we got to be amazed by Nevada’s deserts and mountains.
April 16, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: The Mojave
Well we’re at Episode 4 in the saga of George’s Birthday Adventure. This is where Camp Granola finally gets to breathe a sigh of relief for having finished the extensive (i.e. epically butt-numbing) drive from Georgia to California. To do this we set to exploring the Mojave Desert. Truthfully, with only one full day to visit, it was really more of a scratch-of-the-surface. A place so large and diverse simply can’t be explored in a single day… it is 1.6 million amazing acres after all.
The obligatory park entrance shot.
This will make you wonder of course, why we didn’t spend more time. Given the time-frame of this particular trip and George’s thirst for discovery, it was more of a whirlwind adventure of seeing a lot of different places. While we obviously all have a say in the matter, it was technically George’s trip so we let him determine our course as much as possible. With more experience and little guidance I’m sure he’ll become a more settled traveler and discover the joy of slowing down and digging deeper into the places we visit rather than blasting from place to place.
Bad timing…
Travel philosophy aside, here’s where you find out that Camp Granola doesn’t always have great timing. We arrived at Mojave National Preserve after the visitor center had closed for the day on Sunday. It turns out that it would be closed Monday and Tuesday as well…the only days we’d be visiting. Not much we could do about it; we didn’t have flexible enough plans to adjust for the problem.
Fred and George getting revved about about being back in the desert.
The lack of ranger information was a slight bummer. It’s not that you can’t explore a park without it, I just always enjoy the interpretive services they provide, even more so now that I’m pursuing my own naturalist certification for the Smokies. Plus I think it helps the little explorers understand more about the park, helping them put the pieces together as far as why the place has been set aside as a natural treasure.
At any rate, a closed visitor center just means you have to embrace independent exploration, figuring out for yourself what a place is all about. Fortunately there were at least some brochures and maps to be had to get us started. We did have to leave minus our National Park Passports stamp but that’s how it goes sometimes.
The Rings Loop…
So, embracing the afore-mentioned spirit of independent exploration and going with the recommendation of our knowledgable camp host, we set to exploring the Rings Loop that sets out from the visitor center…closed as it was. The loop wraps around some super-groovy rock formations and ends with a climb through the Hole in the Wall that leads back to the visitor center. At only around a mile, it was an easy trail that allowed for lots of Camp Granola examination without having to feel pressed to cover a lot of ground.
Far from barren, the Mojave is a delight of textures, shapes, and colors.
The last time Fred and George visited a desert, they were only 6 and 9 years old. An additional two-and-a-half years at their young ages is significant gain in maturity and provides them with an almost new perspective on this dramatic environment. They marveled anew at cacti and the massive exposed rock formations that we don’t get to see in the lush southeastern U.S. Our leisurely pace let us stop, take photographs, call out into the echoing rock walls, and get lost in the geologic wonder of this remarkable place.
The fun-factor of this loop was ramped up by the “rings” section that requires you to make use of large metal rings to haul yourself through the gap. This unique challenge for any explorer proved a little extra challenging for us with our little quadriped in tow. But the beagle proved himself game, only requiring portage in the steepest sections that his short little legs couldn’t possibly stretch or even jump.
The only other complication was me climbing with camera gear and a not-terribly-light pack. Camera gear is notoriously heavy so hauling myself and gear up the rings was not at all graceful…not that I’m graceful even without a pack but you get the idea. At one point I even teamed up with another hiker who kindly gave me a shove from “behind” shall we say, in exchange for a hand up from above once I’d cleared the narrow, steep gap. Somehow I think I got the better “end” of that deal. (Ba Dum Bum!)
Down time…
After our little excursion and still recovering from the long haul to reach California, we all needed some time to chill and not be rushed and shuttled…which means some camp time was in order. Fred and George played freely while Jester and I got in some exercise to combat the marshmallow feeling that accompanies days on your rear in the car. You know, I prefer to roast the puffy confections, not impersonate them.
Mojave camp life
Unfortunately our efforts to combat Stay-Puft Syndrome were cut short by Fred and George getting involved in a sibling squabble. It seems several days of family closeness finally caught up with them. With some parental intervention and diversion, we got the minions back on track. It helped that George became enthralled with desert sage. He’s our budding chef (a skill and interest he did not get from me BTW) so he found wild-growing sage to be intriguing.
It’s those kinds of discovery moments that remind me you don’t necessarily have to go deep into the backcountry to get your kids excited. Turns out he found his bliss right there at camp. Granted, we drove thousands of miles to get to that particular camp so it’s a mixed bag. Happy Birthday George!
Random Thoughts…
So my final (and horribly random) thoughts on our visit to the Mojave are such:
Of course we couldn’t pass up an interesting cache along historic Route 66.
- I really want to go back and explore more in-depth. I think I’ll continue to be astounded by it even after multiple visits. It ranks as a must-see in my book if you’re headed to the area.
- Even though I would have loved to explore more, it was the right move to let Camp Granola have some down time.
- I will forever find rocks totally fascinating even if my geologist memory banks are a little dusty.
- Man, those are spacious campsites!
- and…I love chatty campground hosts.
That just about sums up Day 5 of George’s Birthday Adventure.
And now for your moment of green…
That’s what I call a nice way to finish off the day.
April 12, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: Episode 3
The saga of George’s Birthday Adventure continues as Camp Granola finally reaches the Mojave on Day 4.
Show me the Mojave…
After a grueling cross-country drive, we finally got down to Camp Granola business. Foregoing any extra stops in the fabulous states of New Mexico and Arizona aside from a couple of quick geocaches, we boogied to the Mojave National Preserve and to the beginning of our camping, which is obviously what we enjoy most. And it was a good thing we boogied…because in the Mojave, when you second-guess yourself and don’t take the appropriate exit, you find yourself going a long way before the next.
Arizona scenery certainly makes the drive worthwhile.
Having reviewed maps of the Mojave area before we left, I knew we’d still get to where we were going, even if it was the long way. In some ways, I’m glad we did. The Mojave is a marvel of diversity and also enormous. Had we gone directly to the campground, we would have missed much of the grooviness along Kelbaker Road which is vastly different from the Essex Road area. Since we were to only have one full day to see what the Mojave was all about, it was nice to at least glimpse some of the other wonders it holds, even if we wouldn’t be able to give it its due in terms of the attention it deserves.
The flipside of going the long way is that we arrived to camp on the late side. Initially we pulled into the Midhills campground which was deserted. Upon arrival we discovered that the water system was under repair. And while we’re fine with primitive camping, we weren’t prepared to have hauled in all the water we needed for the duration of our stay.
So, having come in the hard way, we continued on the “corduroy” road back down to the main campground at Hole In The Wall. It was worth the bone-jarring drive to have access to the little water we tend to use around camp as well as a friendly and informative camp host.
Blowing in the wind…
Rolling in late, we quickly grabbed a campsite at got busy setting up. And while I make that sound easy, this was one tough pitch. If you’re at all familiar with the winds that can blast through the southwest, you’ll understand the challenge of pitching a tent under those conditions.
The Hole in the Wall Campground – our home for a few days. Not too shabby eh?
A normal pitch for us involves leisurely installing tent poles, then the fly, followed by staking. In what the Mojave was dishing out that evening, there was no way that was going to happen! We had to employ a modified pitch technique involving frantically staking first (and giving the RV campers quite a good laugh), then installing poles and fly. Doesn’t make for the best results but at least Big Agnes isn’t floating across the Mojave as we speak. And yes, I did use my child as ballast in the pre-staking moments. Nothing is sacred when getting your shelter set up hangs in the balance. Plus, he makes a good over-sized rock.
Settling in…
This is where putting the kids to work comes in very handy. Fred was set the task of keeping the freaked out dog calm in the car. Dobby was impressively disapproving of the wind so all we could do to keep him out of the way was to let Fred comfort the little booger in the car.
Georgie on the other hand was a big help once we talked him out of heading for the hills when we got there. Apparently the lure of the mountains was nearly irresistible to him and we had to convince him that setting up camp needed to be our top priority. Of course I was secretly quite tickled by his enthusiasm.
After with a simple-but-yummy dinner prepped by Jester in the tent vestibule – another camping modification made necessary by wind, we drifted off to sleep early, completely exhausted. And that’s how we brought Day 4 of George’s Birthday Adventure to an end.
And now for your moment of green…
We only got a taste of the astounding Mojave Desert but it was worth it.

April 5, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: Episode 2
When we last left you in our tales, we had bedded down for the night somewhere in Louisiana. Running later than we’d have liked, we were pressed to get to Austin to retrieve Jester from his work-related visit. Having returned his rental car, he was sitting at the airport waiting on us so we couldn’t be leisurely in our advance through Texas.
So off we rolled, finally free of the pounding storms that plagued us on our first day.
Grave architecture in Justiceburg
Texas, Texas, and (you guessed it) more Texas…
Texas is rather large as you well know so there’s a variety of ways to cross it. We took the long way…not so much for the love of Texas but simply to head up into northern New Mexico and Arizona, thinking we might make a few stops we’d missed our last time through a few years ago. Plus, having spent the bulk of the first day of travel on interstates, I was due for some backroad driving, my favorite kind. Winding our way back north, we were treated to an up-close view of the quintessential Texas scenes of wind farms and oil derricks.
And as we worked northward, we stopped in Goldthwaite and ate at a local restaurant (Peabody’s). While nothing earth-shatteringly amazing, it was definitely a welcome break from the typical interstate-exit food. Sadly, we were only flitting through and wouldn’t be staying for the town’s upcoming Goat Cook-Off that was so prominently announced on banners across town. I can’t tell you how fun it would have been to stick around for that!
The intriguing geocache location in Justiceburg, Texas.
Abiline busting at the seams…
Pushing a little further, we ventured into Abiline hoping to bed down for the night. And here’s the problem with loosey-goosey travel…sometimes there are conventions in town that have all rooms booked. Not knowing exactly how far we would travel each day, we had to leave our plans open and so we found ourselves victims of a power-lifting tournament and had to move further along I-20 than our road-weary selves would have liked.
Which is how we found ourselves in Sweetwater, Texas at yet another Best Western. Just as friendly and accommodating as it’s counterpart in Louisiana, we were quite pleased with our Best Western track record. I’m really not shilling for the hotel chain, it’s just that traveling with a pup in tow can be a difficult and I appreciate when it’s made easier.
One of the saddest sections in Justiceburg – the three small graves in front of the parents’. Their children died at age 19, 9, and the day born.
Geocaching pitstop…
We’d almost made it through the enormity of Texas by the end of day 2 but still had a long way to go to reach the Mojave Desert. It was clear we wouldn’t make it there on Day 3, much less in time to set up camp so we pushed through to Holbrook, Arizona with little excitement, good or bad. We did stop to grab an interesting geocache at a remote cemetery in Justiceburg, Texas however. These kinds of geocaches always provide thought-provoking insight into a place.
Examining the gravestones, you get a glimpse into the lives that have been lived in the area, leaving you to imagine what came between the dates carved into rock. From the heartbreak of a lost child to the obvious pride in a fallen soldier, there are countless untold stories in cemetery. Giving pause to consider the lives lived during such times as the Civil War and Great Depression does wonders for the perspective of your own life.
Westward Ho…
So Camp Granola continued westward quickly, wrapping up Day 3 of George’s Birthday Adventure.
And now for your moment of green…
A tree with the beginning buds of spring in the near-barren lands of a west Texas cemetery.

April 2, 2012
George’s Birthday Adventure: Episode 1
As you know, our little George has a great sense of adventure just like his mom. So as I mentioned a few weeks ago, he requested a birthday trip to Nevada so he could geocache the E.T. Highway. Given it’s distance from our Camp Granola home-base in Georgia, this obviously involves more than a weekend getaway. If you’re going to drag your whole family across the country, you have to make it worth the effort right? So with that we headed west to see what we could discover in addition to our geocaching destination.
I also promised in that post that I would be making an effort to overcome my blogger delinquency and be more timely in chronicling the adventures of our road-schooling gang. This brings us to the first installment of our 2+ week cross-country expedition.
Blubaru loaded and ready to take us across the country.
Let the driving begin…
I guess I don’t really have to tell you there are a lot of miles between Atlanta and Nevada. We were facing several brutal days of driving but the boys didn’t want to miss more of their homeschool classes than necessary so we didn’t set out until noon last Thursday, meaning we were cramming in a lot of travel in a short amount of time. It’s a faster pace than I’d like but it’s what we have to work with at the moment.
At any rate, with classes behind us, we set off through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, hoping to reach Austin by the middle of our second day. We chose the southern I-10 route since, while not as quick as I-20, it was a route the boys had never experienced…and you now we’re all about variety here at Camp Granola. Even without stopping and exploring a great deal, I was hoping they would at least get a feel for what the north section of the Gulf Coast was like…that is, as opposed to the southern Florida Gulf Coast they’re pretty familiar with.
Dobby looking oh-so-thrilled about his dinner on the road.
Slow, wet, and foggy…
Our shiny, happy adventure started off sunny and inviting but quickly turned to an insane thunderstorm pounding courtesy of the great states of Alabama and Mississippi. Given the weather, our plans to explore along the way via geocaching were quickly squashed. We managed a few to satisfy George’s desire to get a cache in each state, but it was a tall order, not only because the storms were severe, but also because they was slowing us down so much that our geocaching time was being eaten away in large chunks. We did need to get out west after all.
So with little exploration time at our disposal, we had to mostly be satisfied with the view out Blubaru’s windows. It wasn’t much but the boys did get to see and smell the Gulf Coast and marvel at the rivers and swamps of the southern deltas. They were sufficiently mesmerized by the early morning fog over the Mississippi River and Louisiana wetlands. And it certainly wet our appetites to return and explore further some day.
I know, not a fabulous picture, but you do get an idea of what we were contending with on Day 1.
A bang-up time in Mississippi…
After slogging our way through Alabama and Mississippi, we were almost in the clear of the roughest storms. In fact, we’d managed to grab a geocache, a quick dinner, as well as some coffee and wi-fi courtesy of Starbuck’s in Mississippi. We had Louisiana in our sights when a traveler from South Africa, confused by driving here in the states, made a huge error in judgement.
Blubaru, being as fabulous as she is, managed to stop short of the errant left-turner. However, the gentleman in the lane next to us was not as fortunate. Thankful our trip had not met an early end, we did have to pause our westward advance to provide assistance. Also thankfully, no one was injured so it was simply a matter of making a statement before we could move on.
Stopping short…
So with all of our delays, we were not as far along as we’d hoped. But we at Camp Granola know that delays are just part of the deal and, not only make allowances for those delays in our plans, but also don’t get our granola undies in a bunch.
Weary from the day’s events, we stopped not far into Louisiana at a pet-friendly hotel. Here’s where I have to give a shout-out to Best Western hotels. Not only do they allow pets, they welcome them. With a pillow and treats for Dobby, breakfast for us, and all at a reasonable rate, I was a happy granola mom. So a big thanks to Best Western for making our trip a little bit easier.
Thus ends Day One of George’s Birthday Adventure.
And now for your moment of green…
Camp Granola has left the lush southeast for the arid deserts of the west.

March 28, 2012