Day 19: Grant’s Pass

Today was a very pleasant day full of not a lot of adventure. We had a few errand-y things to accomplish, and today was the perfect day to get them done. Trips to Walgreens to refill a prescription, Costco for gas, Trader Joe’s (again!!!) for dinner, and a barber for a haircut. Pepper in some […]

Day 18: Oregon Caves National Monument

We crossed the border into Oregon today, making this the 47th state I’ve visited. I was (and continue to be) worried that I waited so long to come here. I’ve only heard great things about the whole state and actually fear falling in love with it more that Colorado. Just after we crossed the border […]

Day 17: Redwoods

Well, this day did not go as planned. And in turn, tomorrow is already off the rails. Our plan was to get to the Redwoods National Park visitors center when they opened at 9 to get a backpacking permit for tomorrow night. We were among the first in line and excitedly asked for the permit. […]

Day 16: Red Bluff to McKinleyville

It was a day of lots of little nothings. I feel like a bullet point list would be most practical. We drove to Redding. Redding had a Trader Joe’s and we instantly felt at home. We stocked up on the necessities: beer, water, and wine. We also grabbed cured meats, asiago, crackers, chips, guacamole, and […]

Day 15: Lassen Volcanic

It wasn’t a bad day by any means, but it won’t go down as the best day of rtxix. We had heard that there was too much snow to backpack, but I wasn’t expecting to not do any hiking. Our plans changes a bunched of time and each time we were let down.When we walked […]

Day 14: Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point

Fierce. Warriors. Beasts. Badasses. Fearless. Hikers. The only way to sum up what Zoe and Ellie did today. I’m so proud. My heart is bursting. After a surprisingly good night’s sleep (for me) we woke up at 4:30. It was still pitch black as we reloaded the car with every scented item it holds. All […]

Pictures from Day 12 and Day 13

Day 13: Yosemite

This morning was perfect, in all the uppity, snooty ways. I woke from the deepest slumber of the trip thus far to the scent of the strongest coffee. We nibbled on our variety of breakfast bars we had had to bring into the room yesterday. We lounged in bed, catching up on the news and […]

Day 12: Lee Vining to Yosemite

We woke up about 30 miles from our destination of Yosemite. Over five hours later we arrived. Tioga Pass is still closed and we had to drive the loooong way all the way around the park to get to it. It was one of those super steep roads, one said “25%” with an illustration of […]

Day 11: Baker, NV to Lee Vining, CA

Breakfast was most definitely the highlight of the day. I know I keep going on and on about Kerouac’s, but the love that seeps in each meal is so evident. This morning we had fresh squeezed orange juice, so pulpy and delicious and the richest coffee in hearty Great Basin pottery mugs. We ordered a […]