Road Tripping in the Wild Wild West
To answer your question, yes, I am beyond happy to be back in the US. There's just a certain level of comfort you feel being in your own country that you can't get being abroad.
Capitol Dome and Pectols Pyramids
To make a statement, our National Parks are frickin' amazing and all Americans need to go witness their beauty. You don't need to leave the country to see some of the best scenery in the world, so hop in your car, dust off your tent, and get a move on!
Stunning Beauty - Glacier NP
My plan is to road trip from coast to coast, but I'm starting in the middle and going west first. After arriving back to Michigan from South Africa in the beginning of June, I spent a week there regrouping and seeing friends and family. I was able to make a day trip to Detroit as well, a city I've lived 35 minutes away from for most of my life but have rarely spent time in. My Aunt Sandy gave us a great little tour of downtown, and let me tell ya, Detroit is looking good! I'm no longer in fear of being shot when going down there, in fact, there was a lot going on. I then made my obligatory stop over in Chicago to see my peeps before suffering through a 50k race that my body was severely underprepared for in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Next, I shot up to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (NP) mainly so I could cross North Dakota off my "Visit All 50 States List." Six left to go! The park was surprisingly cool, I had low/no expectations going in. I saw lots of buffalo and prairie dogs and got a good scenic bike ride in, but I didn't stay long. I was on my way to the main attraction, Glacier NP!
Detroit skyline
The D
Me and my Mica :)
I just can't get enough.
Family time :)
Syd (yes I named my car) and I are ready to go! Wish Mica could come with!
Fun in Chicago!
Love this city.
Indiana Dunes running on Lake Michigan
Racing in South Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt NP
Buffalo on the road!
Prairie Doggin' it
Montana post-storm sunsets
After several hours of driving through remote Montana, I made it to Glacier NP and it did not disappoint. I only spent 5 days there, but I could have spent a month. It is seriously spectacular scenery and nature. I hiked to Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Glacier, and Dawson Pass in addition to doing all the usual scenic stops along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. I will DEFINITELY be back.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Scenery
Many Glacier Area Scenery
Iceberg Lake
On the way to Iceberg Lake
On the way to Iceberg Lake
Swiftcurrent Lake
Lake Josephine
Grinnell Glacier Hike
Grinnell Lake
Two Medicine Lake
Route to Dawson Pass
Route to No Name Lake
No Name Lake
Dawson Pass
So ensued my month-long stay in the state of Washington. It was a beautiful drive through NW Montana and northern Idaho, with a mini pitstop at Lake Coeur d'Alene, before I reached Spokane, WA to reunite with one of my best friends, Ris, and the rest of the Mykines clan! Ris and I played soccer at the University of Illinois together and were roommates every year. So basically we're family. The Fourth of July is a big ordeal and a blast with her family at her Aunt's lake house so I try to make it whenever I can. The celebrations of this great nation were a success yet again this year!
'MURICA
Ris, Me, and Ali
Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty for the boat parade
The little nuggets are ready for the parade!
Deer Lake
Deer Lake
After the Fourth of July weekend, my intention was to hike about 400 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in Washington. The PCT is a hiking trail that goes from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada, 2,650 miles in total. I ended up doing a little over 100 miles around the Steven's Pass and Snoqualmie Pass area. I went a bit too fast and was carrying too much weight - my knees started swelling up so I decided to take a break, head to Portland, and possibly continue from that area going north before heading back to Spokane. I had been to Portland before so I didn't feel a strong need to see all the sites. Just to get a grasp on how unique Portland is, my stay at a hostel was in a yurt (a tent nomads use in central Asia). Unfortunately, after four days of rest, the swelling was still there and I decided to go back to Spokane early. So instead of hiking more, I chilled out with Ris in Spokane for 2 more weeks, which turns out is exactly what I needed in order to recharge myself. We spent the last weekend up in northeast Washington at Sullivan Lake, having yet again a great time with her and her family. Eventually though, it was time for the road trip to resume. I continued west to Seattle and reunited with a couple of cousins and some soccer friends there.
My bedroom on the PCT one night
Glacier Peak
Mount Rainier
My yurt in Portland
Sullivan Lake, WA
Me, Ali, and Brittany - teammates from the Vancouver Whitecaps team in 2012
Mariner's Game at Safeco Field
Fishin' with cousins
Then the national park hopping began! First up was Olympic NP, which I really enjoyed. There is a lot of different scenery and a lot to do. Then some trail running on the PCT near Mount Hood in Oregon, followed by Smith Rock State Park, brewery touring in Bend, OR (which I really liked), and another reunion with family in Eugene. The haze from the many wildfires out west started in Eugene and stuck until I got to Utah. It was very noticeable at Crater Lake NP and even more so at Lake Tahoe. At Crater Lake I did a boat tour to Wizard Island which was cool. The water there is just so incredibly blue! I can't get over it. I did a long run on the Tahoe Rim Trail which should have had great views of that lake but you could barely see the water through the haze.
Mount Olympus, Olympic National Park
Hurricane Ridge, Olympic NP
Lake Crescent, Olympic NP
Hoh Rainforest, Olympic NP
Hoh Rainforest, Olympic NP
Ruby Beach, Olympic NP
Ruby Beach, Olympic NP
Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast - Highway 1
Oregon Coast - Highway 1
Mount Hood
Mount Hood National Forest
Smith Rock State Park
Mount Hood from a distance
Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park
Brewery Hoppin' in Bend, OR
Bend, OR
My hotel room for the night in Bend
University of Oregon in Eugene, OR
Crater Lake NP, OR
Crater Lake NP
Volcano crater on the top of Wizard Island at Crater Lake NP
Crater Lake NP, from Wizard Island
Crater Lake NP, from the top of Wizard Island
Wizard Island, Crater Lake NP
Lake Tahoe, CA
Sunrise on the Tahoe Rim Trail (can't see Lake Tahoe off to the left because of the smoke)
Sunrise on the Tahoe Rim Trail
Quick pitstop in Sacramento. Gorgeous State Capitol grounds
I ended up having to skip Yosemite, unfortunately, because of closures there due to fires. Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP was a very pleasant surprise though. It had awesome Sequoia forests paired with Yosemite-esq mountains. I only had a day here but I definitely want to come back and get some overnight hiking in. Making for a particularly long day, I continued on from Kings Canyon through Death Valley NP, finally stopping outside Vegas for the night. It was 116 degrees driving through Death Valley at 7:30pm. I will tell you, I have no desire to return to that place, especially during the day.
Kings Canyon NP, CA
Trunk of a Sequoia tree
General Sherman Sequoia Tree, Largest in the World by Volume
Desert sunsets - Death Valley NP, CA
Stupid hot in Death Valley NP
The next day I went over to the Hoover Dam and Pat Tillman Bridge to cross it off my bucket list - yeah, I'm an engineer :) Then I went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before holing up in Zion for a week. Zion is incredible. The variety of scenery and grandness of it all is indescribable.
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
I <3 Bridges
Pat Tillman Bridge at the Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon North Rim
Grand Canyon North Rim
Imperial Point, Grand Canyon North Rim
Imperial Point, Grand Canyon North Rim
Grand Canyon North Rim
Top of Deer Trap Mountain, Zion NP
Top of Deer Trap Mountain, Zion NP
Top of Deer Trap Mountain, Zion NP
Zion NP, UT
The Narrows, Zion NP
Hiking through "Wall Street" in The Narrows
The Narrows, Zion NP
The Narrows, Zion NP
Observation Point, Zion NP
Observation Point, Zion NP
Observation Point, Zion NP
Zion NP
On my way back east I hit up Capitol Reef NP, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Colorado Springs, and Denver. Capitol Reef had awesome scenery and no crowds, a nice change from Zion. I hiked and ran through canyons and up to mountain tops. Black Canyon was super cool, the massive 2,300 foot drop off of canyon walls on each side with only a couple hundred feet between them is unlike anything I have seen. I was born in Colorado Springs and have only been back once so I did a quick tour and got to see our old house and climb a mountain that used to be in our backyard - WHY DID WE MOVE?! And then I saw family friends in Denver and my friend Eileen who I did engineering with went around town with me deciding where I should live :)
Grand Wash, Capitol Reef NP
Capitol Dome and Pectols Pyramids
Rim Overlook
Rim Overlook trail
Hickman Bridge, Capitol Reef NP
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, CO
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, CO
Sunrise in Western Colorado
Blodgett Peak, Colorado Springs, CO
The house I was born in in Colorado Springs, 1990 and 2018
On the long-haul drive back to Michigan, I popped into Arkansas so I could cross it off my list. I stopped in Champaign and caught up with my Illini teammate, Julie, then went on to Indiana and got a great dunes run in with my running partner, and then celebrated my old roommate, Christina's, birthday in Chicago! And when I got to Michigan, I slept for about 4 days straight :)
Made it to Arkansas!
My happy place in Champaign, the soccer stadium
Happy Birthday Christina!
Matt and I looking fresh in the first mile :) 99 to go!
Alisha and I
Cannot describe the feels on this finish!
4th Place
My main crewman
After recharging at home for several days, it was time for me to take care of some unfinished business. Two years prior I had ran a 100 mile race in Michigan and did not finish. I pulled out at mile 80 due to a hip problem and it has been a thorn in my side ever since. I wasn't as well trained this time but there had to be a bone sticking out of my body this time for me to not finish the race. I ended up finishing in 22 hours, 2 hours slower than I wanted, but I got 4th place for women and 11th overall. It was sweet redemption! Major thanks to my Dad for crewing for me the whole race and running 8 miles with me and my friend Alisha for running 12 miles with me in the middle of the night! My friend Matt also did the race and ended up winning the whole thing!
The winner and I
And now, after 16 months of fun-employment, I begin the final stretch of my quarter-life retirement adventure! I'll be road tripping through the eastern half of the US for the next 6 weeks, mainly focusing on the northeast region.
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