Saving Time in a Bottle

relishing the life God has given us

Kayaking in Flaming Gorge

Uintah Basin Road Trip | Day 3 | Kayaking in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area | Sheep Creek Boat Launch to Kingfisher Island & Back | April 2022

On our first morning in Utah, we woke up to find our tent covered in a thin layer of frost. Emerging from our warm cocoon wasn’t easy, but we had big plans for today and knew it was better to get an early start! We were relieved that the wind wasn’t blowing like it had been the day before, and hoped that meant we would have calmer waters for our paddle around Flaming Gorge. (A ranger had told us that some parts of the lake had 3′ waves the day before!)

We drove over to the Sheep Creek boat launch just down the road. I walked Charlotte around, letting her stretch out her legs and sniff wherever she wanted before being cooped up, while Curtis set up the kayak. There were about a dozen trucks in the parking lot, most of which were fishermen who had gotten up much earlier than us. I’m certain we were the only non-motorized boat on the lake this morning, at least that started from this launch.

Once our boat was ready, we grabbed a few things we thought we’d need for the trip — snacks for us, treats for Charlotte, water and a bowl for Char — and set off on our adventure. The initial canyon walls across from the launch were a striking shade of red in the morning light, and I found myself staring at them the whole time we passed by. We had only begun, but we already had a feeling this would be our favorite place we’ve kayaked yet. And maybe this sounds strange, but places like this are why we bought a kayak in the first place — sure, we love kayaking in the lakes around Omaha and on our different vacations, but being desert lovers at heart there’s just something about a mini ‘oasis’ in the dry desert surrounded by red rocks that excites us!

For today’s kayaking adventure, we were paddling counter clockwise around Kingfisher Island, which is only an island because of the Flaming Gorge Dam. Really, Kingfisher is a promnitory between Sheep Creek and the Green River with a low enough saddle that the water level cuts it off from the main plateau. The trip was 6 miles long, which was the longest we’d ever kayaked. The views were spectacular the entire trip, but as we began circling around Kingfisher Island paddling East towards the confluence of Sheep Creek and the Green River, the rock walls around us grew taller and steeper. I marveled at the blue water and the tall cliffs surrounding us, and tried not to think about how deep the lake was beneath us.

The canyon became more narrow as we paddled East to the confluence and then began heading North following the course of the Green River reaching less than a quarter mile or less for almost a mile. My only concern around this part was that a motor boat could speed through here and not see us until rounding a tight bend, but thankfully that never happened. We did our best to stay close to one side as we rounded the corners, which had the added benefit that we could look down into the water and see the cliffs going down deep into the lake. As we began heading Northwest, we caught a bit of headwind causing some light waves, but that was the only “rough” part of the trip.

Charlotte began getting anxious after mile 2 and would occasionally let out a whine. For some reason, she decided to sit facing Curtis instead of towards the front, and she refused to move even though we knew it would make her more comfortable. Thankfully she didn’t have to sit like that for the whole 6 miles — at about the halfway point, we pulled over onto Kingfisher Island to take a break. There is a small campground on the island, which Curtis originally wanted us to camp at but I had vetoed that idea right away (and I’m glad I did — there’s no way we could’ve brought all our sleeping bags that help keep us warm on our little boat, and we needed all the extra warmth we could get!).

We sat down on the rocks and ate snacks — Charlotte was thrilled to learn that we brought not only the peanut butter cookies, but also her own treats. Then we followed a worn path through the campsite and up to a point that gave a great view of the lake and opposite canyon walls surrounding us. There were little cacti starting to bloom, and lots of evidence of deer also being on the island.

After taking in the view and making the most of our time on the island and out of the boat, we walked back and started the last leg of our journey back to the boat launch, crossing over the saddle from Green River to Sheep Creek. Charlotte seemed much happier at this point, and the trip back was all smooth sailing. With the sun higher in the sky, the water appeared to be a much brighter blue/green color that was a stunning contrast with the red canyon walls.

We made it back to the car, the entire trip having taken about 4 hours. (If you’re interested, check out our AllTrails recording here) We then took our time folding the kayak and repacking the car, giving Charlotte a chance to do exactly what she wanted: sunbathe in the parking lot. We eventually convinced her to hop back in the car for some scenic driving.

We drove up UT-44 and stopped at the Sheep Creek Overlook, giving us a gorgeous view of the Southwest end of Flaming Gorge and most of where we had just kayaked. Next, we continued up the highway some more until we came to the forest road leading to Dowd Mountain. We followed the gravel road all the way to the end where we found the Dowd Mountain Overlook. We ended up staying here for almost an hour, enjoying every different view; from the narrow gorge to the East that John Wesley Powell named Flaming Gorge in 1869, to the snow-capped Uintas in the distance to the Southwest. Maybe we even took a little catnap. I had said that I wanted to make this a more “relaxing” vacation, so I guess our interpretation of that is to spend more time at scenic areas when we have them all to ourselves!

Our final scenic stop was on Ute Mountain summit. Curtis had been wanting to visit or hike to a short fire tower peak to get a better view of the Uintas, and this one was exactly what we wanted. The fire tower here was actually the cutest one we’ve ever seen! Unfortunately it was closed, but we still enjoyed what we could see of the Uintas, and Charlotte found herself a nice patch of snow to cool off in.

We had been told that the Sheep Creek Geological Drive was still closed for the season, but because we were able to drive part way through the night before, we decided to try to take that road back to our tent in Carmel Campground. The roads were completely clear and there were no signs indicating the road was closed. We drove through the forest and began our descent into the canyon, making it to just a tenth of a mile from where we had stopped the night before…to find a random gate blocking us from completing the loop. I guess we had been warned at the visitor center, but it was weird that, if we hadn’t stopped and asked, there would have been no indications that the road was closed. Oh well, it wasn’t too far to backtrack back to UT-44, and the views were just as good in reverse. We drove back to our campsite and enjoyed another relaxing evening there — this time with no frost!

Vedauwoo / Pilot Butte

Uintah Basin Road Trip | Days 1 & 2 | Omaha, NE to Manila, UT | April 2022

Since moving to Nebraska, Curtis has been working on earning his Master’s online. One of the nice things about his program is that he usually gets a week off every 7 weeks between courses. We try to take advantage of these breaks and go on a road trip, as much as work will allow. It’s been a fun way to take a regular break from our routine, get to travel around the country during different seasons, and make living in Nebraska more enjoyable. Somehow, the past 2 years have flown by, and Curtis’ last week off before graduation was at the end of April (he still has 2 classes left, but doesn’t get a week off between them this summer).

Of course we wanted to take advantage of this last week off, especially since it was still shoulder season in most places so attractions wouldn’t be as busy as they would be during the summer. However, in the weeks prior we had both been feeling anxious and overwhelmed by our upcoming life changes. We had originally talked about going to the East Coast for this break, but then decided that those plans sounded like too much for one week. I requested that whatever we do, we make it a more “stress-free” vacation with time to relax, something we’re not very good at doing.

I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to travel and didn’t think there was any place that seemed as appealing as our apartment, but then I thought of Utah. I remembered our last trip there back in 2015, I thought about walking on red rocks with snow covered peaks in the distance, and I knew that it would be the perfect place to go and get a piece of our sanity back. We set our focus on Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument mostly based on proximity from home and the fact that we had never been to that corner of Utah before. We were a bit concerned that it was still too early in the season and the weather would be questionable, but we thoroughly researched and decided enough campgrounds and recreation areas would be open to make the trip worth it.

We left Omaha on a Thursday morning, a little bummed that the crab apple trees were finally starting to blossom, and hoped that they’d still be around when we returned in a week (despite seeing signs of spring in the South in March, it’s been a late spring here). After a couple quick errands, we hopped on I-80 and began the long drive West. The first day was mostly driving with minimal stops, but we made sure to make it more interesting for Charlotte by taking her on a few walks. We stopped at a rest stop, and the courthouses in North Platte and Sydney, the last 2 we needed along I-80. In North Platte, we also stopped at Cody Park along the Platte River for a short walk along the River. While driving around, we saw some bison and reindeer in pens — our first “wildlife” for the trip. Somehow we’ve managed to see bison on every single trip since hiking the Centennial Trail one year ago, either in the wild or domesticated, so it was nice to already check that box for this trip!

We crossed into Wyoming after 5 and continued driving to our hopeful campsite for the night in Vedauwoo between Cheyenne and Laramie. For its proximity to the interstate, there are quite a few USFS campsites here. All of them were technically closed, but the forest service does allow walk-in dispersed camping year-round in one part of the park which is why we set this as our goal. We parked and then went for a short walk to the first campsite about a tenth of a mile away. Curtis set up the tent, then we started hiking towards a loop trail that goes around Turtle Rock, a the largest of many granite outcrops for which Vedauwoo is popular among rock climbers. We didn’t really intend on hiking the whole trail tonight since it was less than an hour before sunset, but it was the perfect way to give Charlotte some much desired exercise.

We were about a third of the way up the trail when we heard thunder, and decided to turn back. We hurried back to the car as it started to rain, and then sat inside listening to our weather radio. It sounded like there could be thunderstorms and high winds throughout the night, so we decided that sleeping in the back of the Subaru might be a better idea than camping. We probably would’ve been fine in the tent, but the idea of having a wind storm like in New Mexico last December where we would be forced to retreat to the car when we’d have to walk 1/10th of a mile didn’t sound appealing. So instead, Curtis went out to take down the tent while Charlotte and I stayed at the car.

While waiting for Curtis, the sun dropped below the clouds and caused a double rainbow to appear. It was absolutely gorgeous, so I opened my door to step out and take a few pictures. Charlotte immediately jumped out and took off sprinting towards where Curtis had gone, and I took off after her just in case she didn’t run right to him. She got about halfway to the tent when she turned off the trail and started running towards some boulders. She paused when she reached them, trying to figure out how to scale them, allowing me to catch up with her and drag her back to the car with us both out of breath. She may be almost 8, but she still has so much energy and spunk!

Curtis returned to the car, and we moved things around to make room for our sleeping bags in the back, then ate dinner outside since it had stopped raining for the time being. It rained a little more through the night, but definitely wasn’t as bad as the weather report on the radio made it out to be. We all slept well and stayed warm and cozy in the Subaru, and in the early morning hours the skies cleared and we were able to see the stars clearly through the back window.

The next morning, we got up at 6 and started hiking the Turtle Rock loop trail again, this time going the opposite direction. While passing by the trailhead, I noted a sign about this being moose country. We didn’t think much of it, until we came near a pond which Charlotte led us to, and suddenly we saw a giant moose cow rushing into the woods on the other side! I was terrified, but now the moose was closer to the the part of the trail where we had just come, so it seemed safer to continue the loop the whole way around rather than possibly meet it on the narrow trail. While we were startled, Charlotte remained completely calm and even sat down beside the pond, watching where the moose had disappeared.

Thankfully that was the only moose we saw this trip (it was our fifth moose seen in the wild, all 5 of which have been in Wyoming) and the rest of the hike was uneventful. The weather was pleasant, and besides little patches of snow on the trail, the path was easy to follow and we made it the whole way around.

Once back at the car, we drove a few miles up I-80 to the next rest stop where we made a quick stop to see the monuments and find a letterbox at the highest point along the Lincoln Highway and I-80 near Sherman Peak at just over 8000′. Lots of historic trails crossed this point, including the first transcontinental telephone and the Lincoln Highway. The latter demanded a monument to the president who made transcontinental travel a reality and now Honest Abe glowers down upon all the I-80 traffic.

After that, we began our drive across Wyoming. We had looked for other attractions or short hikes to do to break the drive up further, but it seemed like all the historic sites and drives through Medicine Bow National Forest were still closed for the winter. It turned out to be a good thing we didn’t have plans to stop, because during this drive we ran into a snowstorm with wind gusts over 40 MPH. Thankfully the temperature stayed above freezing and the roads remained clear, but it was a reminder that we were still not “out of the woods” as far as winter weather was concerned. Curtis was just disappointed that the visibility was so bad that he couldn’t see the different Medicine Bow ranges to the South as we drove.

We made it past the storm, and then got off the interstate in Rock Springs, WY to continue today’s adventure. Curtis had learned about a 19 mile scenic drive through BLM land that goes from Rock Springs to Green River that apparently had a herd of wild horses roaming around. We drove North of Rock Springs on US-191 and then West on Pilot Butte Scenic Drive. The road was gravel, but in good condition, with occasional pull offs and signs. We kept our eyes peeled for horses and stopped for some of the especially good views, including a glimpse of Wyoming’s highest peak and the Wind River Range. As we were nearing the end of the drive, we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see the horses, but finally we spotted a herd of about 15 grazing together, including two little foals! I think the drive would’ve been worth it regardless, but it was still so fun to see, and just added to our growing talley of wildlife seen on this trip.

Once we reached Green River, we headed South on WY-530 into Utah. We started getting glimpses of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, red rocks, and the snow-capped Uintas in the distance, and our excitement grew! Curtis stopped at a visitor center in Manila, UT to get some maps and info on open areas, weather, and water levels. We were a bit concerned because it was rather windy today, but they said the winds were supposed to die down tomorrow, so we hoped for the best. We then drove to Carmel Campground and claimed a spot for the next two nights. The campground was a little ways removed from the main highway, and right along Sheep Creek and these sheer cliffs on the opposite side that we just couldn’t take our eyes off of.

Wanting to give Charlotte more exercise, we went for a loop hike on a short interpretive trail nearby. We then started to do the Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Drive, not expecting to go far because we were told it was closed, but we were actually able to drive further than we thought, and it was so worth it! We loved seeing the towering cliffs and the different geology surrounding us. We stopped again for a short walk to a waterfall coming right out of the cliffs, and then to walk along the road before calling it a night. We returned to our campsite, energized and excited for the next couple days we would spend enjoying this area.

Wabash Trace Trail / Council Bluffs to Dumfries

Section Hiking the Wabash Trace Trail | Council Bluffs to Dumfries, IA | April 2022

We have been slowly chipping away at the Wabash Trace Trail for over a year now, and at the beginning of April had around 20 miles left to accomplish. Three quarters of that is the Southern end of the trail, but about 5.5 miles were back at the beginning of the trail, starting in Council Bluffs. Even though this was the closest trailhead for us to drive to, we kept putting it off because it was so long (over 11 miles round trip), and we expected it to be much busier with it being so close to the city. But at the beginning of April, we knew it was time to “get it over with” — the weather will start warming up soon, there will be even more people using the trail, and we want to “finish” the trail on the Iowa/Missouri border and not in Council Bluffs.

And so we drove over as early as we could on a Saturday morning to begin our hike. This also happened to be Curtis’ birthday, which makes this his second birthday in a row that we’ve spent hiking the Wabash Trace Trail! There is a decent sized parking lot off of Wabash Ave in Council Bluffs, and the trail begins to the South across Omaha Bridge Road. Though we did note that bike paths clearly continued North into Council Bluffs, and further research showed that it wouldn’t be too hard to walk to BOB the Bridge, all of which are part of the National American Discovery Trail…but one trail at a time.

The main reason that we hadn’t been looking forward to this section (besides it being busier) is that much of it follows roads that see a moderate amount of traffic, and the trail goes behind many different properties, so it feels like a long walk through the suburbs of Council Bluffs. While part of the trail was exactly how we expected it to be, it really wasn’t too busy when we started in the morning and after passing the halfway point to Dumfries it became much more rural and quiet as the trail peeled away from the roads.

Because we were closer to the city, we didn’t see as much wildlife as we’ve been seeing on sections further South. However, one interesting part about this section was that it actually had a noticeable elevation gain — not that we could tell while walking, but it is obvious on our AllTrails recording. The trail became more scenic as we entered into the Loess Hills, and the scenery reminded us of our first day walking on the Wabash Trace trail last year. We even almost had a few overlooks!

We made it to the bridge where we had left off a year ago, then turned around and walked back. The day had started to warm up, so we took our time walking back and even sat and rested on a bridge for a while for Charlotte’s sake. It took us about 4 hours to walk the 11.5 miles, and by the end we were tired but so glad to have this section behind us. While walking, we noted places in neighborhoods where we likely could have parked to break up this section further, but again we’re glad we were able to knock it all out in one go.

Ledges State Park

Visiting Family in Iowa | Hiking in Ledges State Park | April 2022

The first weekend of April was an eventful one for us. It started with attending the 122nd Submarine Birthday Ball at the Paxton Hotel in Omaha. Surprisingly (or maybe not), this is only the second ball or formal Navy function we’ve been to, with the last one being 6 years ago in Charleston, SC. (The last 2 Sub balls have been cancelled because of COVID, and we never attended in Hawaii because it was so expensive. Curtis would instead volunteer to stand duty instead, because someone had to do it!) We have a fun group of friends that made the event enjoyable, and of course it was fun to have an excuse to get all dressed up.

The ball went until 11, then the next morning we were up at 6 and out the door by 6:30, headed to my family’s house! Being that early, the drive was quick and uneventful, besides the weather — it was snowing for the last half hour of the drive, and in our hometown! The snow didn’t stick around, but the weekend was definitely colder than we would’ve liked. We reunited with my family, Nanna, and the dogs. (One of the best parts about going home is that Charlotte knows exactly where she is when we pull in the neighborhood, and she’s always so excited the moment we let her out of the car!)

The main reasons we were visiting were for fun events that were happening that weekend, but we also hadn’t been home since Christmas so that was reason enough! That afternoon, we helped my sister Gina get all dolled up for her senior prom, and I got to take pictures for her and her boyfriend. That evening, everyone else had plans, so Curtis and I took it easy with the dogs and got sushi from our favorite restaurant, Oyama.

The rest of our weekend was pretty normal and laid back, except on Sunday afternoon Curtis really wanted to try kayaking in the Cedar River up near Palo. He’s talked about doing it every time we’ve visited since getting the kayak, but since there was rain in the forecast I let him go and do it himself. In his words, it was a good learning experience, so it was probably for the better that I let him learn on his own. 🙂

Curtis was able to take Monday off, so we stayed with my family until Monday morning and then said our goodbyes. To make the drive home more interesting, we decided to visit Ledges State Park to do some hiking. It’s one of those state parks we had known about for a long time, but never made the time to go. Since the weather was finally warming up again, we had all day to make the drive and it’s basically on the way…if you don’t mind taking roads with slower speed limits.

We arrived in the late morning and parked in the upper parking lot. The entrance was free (as it is with most Iowa state parks!) and so we took one last look at a map before setting off on the trail. We started hiking along a ridge, which eventually went down to the creek that flows through the park. Since the trees didn’t have leaves, the views down into the Des Moines River valley and all its tributaries were less obstructed than they would be in the summer. We stopped briefly at Table Rock before descending the final bit of trail to the road.

We followed the road, crossed the creek, then began following the trails up the opposite side towards the Crow’s Nest. One of the highlights of this park are the sandstone ledges, and this is where we were able to see them the best. On this part of the loop, we also had a view of the Des Moines River. We looped our way back to the road and creek, then crossed once again taking the shorter and steeper trail back up to our car. Altogether our hike was about 2 miles long — Here is our AllTrails recording if you’re interested.

After we were finished, we drove through the park, then back up to Boone to see the county courthouse. While driving through, we learned that this was the hometown of Mamie Eisenhower, the wife of President Eisenhower.

Next, we drove South on US-169 to Adel where we stopped for the Dallas County Courthouse, and since it was a nice one positioned in the town center we took a short walk around which Charlotte always appreciates. Then to avoid the interstate for a little longer, we took Old Highway 6 West to Redfield, and stopped to see a couple roadside historic sites along the way, which were all a part of the Iowa Scenic Byway Passport.

The first marked the old abandoned amusement park known as Dexfield Park, where, in July 1933, the Barrow Gang (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) was ambushed by local the police and sheriff. While Bonnie and Clyde got away, Clyde’s brother Buck, and Buck’s wife Blanche were captured with Buck dying of his wounds in nearby Perry a few days later. The second marked the location of the 1948 National Plowing Match…a competition for plowing fields (it doesn’t get more Iowa than that). That alone probably wouldn’t warrant a road side stop, but President Truman stopped by as the keynote speaker on his campaign trail drawing a crowd over 100,000+. Some believe that Truman’s speech to the farmers of Iowa started him on the road to his eventual victory against Senator Dewey.

For our final stop on the way home, we stopped to buy a new metal detector for Curtis. He has been wanting to upgrade for some time now, and since he had been using his old detector for almost 6 years it was finally time. We finally hopped on I-80 and finished the drive back home.

Wabash Trace Trail / IA-2 to F Ave

Section Hiking the Wabash Trace Trail | IA-2 to F Ave (North of Coin) | March 2022

In the month of March, we were able to get out and hike another section of the Wabash Trace Trail. This time, we drove to where we had left off right on IA highway 2, and parked at a small event center right off the highway. There wasn’t anything going on there on that Saturday morning, so we were fine parking there for a couple hours today. From here, we hiked 4.5 miles South to F Avenue, the halfway point between IA-2 and the small town of Coin.

The further we get from Council Bluffs and other bigger trail towns like Shenandoah and Malvern, the less people we see, and the more rural the surroundings become. Better yet, the further we get from towns, the more signs of wildlife that we see. In that regard, today’s hike was an exciting one!

Curtis finally found an antler shed along the path which put last year’s antler find from Lake of Three Fires to shame. It had a part chewed off which we suspect could have been a porcupine. At another point, we found a downed tree and huge pile of wood chippings, the obvious work of a busy beaver. And while stopping on a bridge to admire the Tarkio River and surrounding scenery, we spotted a coyote frolicking through an open field.

March also marked one year since we started section hiking the Wabash Trace Trail. It was enjoyable to remember our first time walking the trail, and to now feel like we’ve come “full circle” in experiencing the different seasons along the path. We now only have 4 sections to go to finish the trail!

Here is the link to our AllTrails recording for this hike.

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park

Spring Break Road Trip 2022 | Day 9 | Hiking in Taum Sauk Mountain State Park | Visiting the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City | Jackson, TN to Omaha, NE | March 2022

When we woke up this morning, we didn’t know that today would be the last day of vacation. We had planned on camping at least one more night in the Ozarks of Missouri and doing some more hiking…but the weather had other plans. The day before had been hot — even humid, like you’d expect before a thunderstorm. But all that heat was gone, chased away by the cold front.

We started our day with donuts from Jackson Donuts, then got on the road. We started by going North — we had specifically planned our route so that we’d also drive through Kentucky and Illinois, so we could say we’ve visited two more states for a total of 11 so far this year. We had looked a little for things to do along the way, but it was cold and rainy so we mostly stuck to driving. We made one brief stop in Kentucky at Fort Jefferson Hill Park which overlooked the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, but our walk was cut short because of the cold and sharp winds.

While driving US-51 North out of Wickliffe, KY into Cairo, IL, we were blown away by the amount of water there was along the road. We weren’t sure if this was flooding or if it was normally this high, but either way it was a substantial amount. We had wanted to stop at a park at the Southernmost point of Illinois, but after we crossed the bridge we realized that entire area was under water, and we had no choice but to continue driving North through Cairo.

We crossed into Missouri at Cape Girardeau, then took MO-72 West into the Ozarks. Our main focus for today was to reach the highest point in Missouri, Taum Sauk Mountain. Thankfully the rain had stopped, but the temperature on our car’s thermometer was concerningly low…which led me to look up how low the temps would get that night, and we started second guessing our idea to camp that night. We may have started this trip with camping in cold temps, but we had gotten far too used to the warmer weather we’d enjoyed since then, and tonight would be even colder than our first night.

But the cold wouldn’t keep us from stopping to enjoy Taum Sauk Mountain State Park! We drove up to the main parking lot, bundled up with our coats, hats, and gloves, and set off on the easy trail to the highest point. We did our usual take pictures/find a letterbox/sign the logbook routine, then Curtis talked us into continuing our hike to find some waterfalls, specifically Mina Sauk Falls, the highest in the state. Seeing as there had been plenty of rain lately, evident by the amount of large puddles on the trail, we hoped to find very full waterfalls.

We started off confidently down the trail, which became more difficult after the high point. There were plenty of puddles and on the sloped sections there would be water flowing down the trail. We pressed on, but started to worry about Charlotte being too cold from walking in the water. She didn’t seem to mind and courageously led the way down the trail. When we came to a wider stream crossing, we looked upstream and noted an easier spot to cross, so we turned to backtrack a little to reach that spot, but Charlotte took this as us turning around and she was all too excited to go back instead of crossing and continuing onward. She turned around with such enthusiasm, we couldn’t bear to tell her we weren’t intending on turning around here…so we let her lead us back up the trail, to the easier trail, and back to the car. Oh well, I’m sure the waterfalls were cool, but our priorities clearly lie with keeping our dog happy since she already puts up with so much!

Once back at the car, we finally faced the facts: We were already cold, and it was going to get even colder tonight. We were also only 8 hours away from home, and it was still early afternoon. And while we had researched and found several things to do and had an idea of where to camp that night, none of these plans sounded exciting enough to make us want to put up with a cold night of camping. And so we made the decision to call it a trip and drive home. We had been blessed with a whole week of nicer weather, which is more than what you can ask for in this part of the country in the spring, so going home a day early was hardly something to be disappointed about. (Also, now that we’re over a month past returning from this trip, I’m pretty sure this week was the longest stretch of nice weather we’ve seen this entire spring…so honestly our timing couldn’t have been better!)

And so we began our drive back home, with Curtis starting an interesting new audiobook to keep us entertained. We made one last stop for the trip in Jefferson City, Missouri, to see the Missouri state capitol building, and very much enjoyed our stroll around admiring monuments for the Lewis and Clark expedition, President Thomas Jefferson, and the views overlooking the Missouri River. We grabbed Culvers and then finished our drive back to Omaha, noting that there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground that had fallen recently.

Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway

Spring Break Road Trip 2022 | Days 7-8 | Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway from Rocky Springs, MS to Hohenwald, TN | Woodall Mountain, Mississippi’s Highest Point | March 2022

We started our second day on the Natchez Trace by visiting the remains of the town of Rocky Springs close to where we had camped the night before. There wasn’t much to see aside from a couple of rusted safes, but the old Church was still standing and is technically still in use.

From here we continued Northeast along the trace, not really stopping until we reached I-20 where we left the trace briefly to go into Jackson, Mississippi and see the Mississippi Capitol Building. It was very quiet downtown this Saturday morning and a bit chilly, but the Capitol was nice – if a bit identical to the Capitol building in D.C. But our drive through Jackson with all the traffic and stoplights made us anxious to get back onto the Natchez Trace where there is no traffic or stoplights…one day on the Trace and we were already spoiled.

Just Northeast of Jackson we stopped at an overlook of the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, an impoundment of the Pearl River. We briefly considered getting the kayak out, but the wind and waves were high and we questioned whether it was legal to put in where we were.

Further along the Trace we stopped again to walk through a swamp of cypress and water tupelo trees, all very reminiscent of Congaree National Park. The ranger the day before had said that this would be the best place to see alligators, but it was still much to cold for them to come out of hibernation.

We then drove for a ways, stopping occasionally to read signs and take pictures, most notably of Charlotte at ‘Red Dog Road’ – though the other dog we saw here was significantly more red than Charlotte. We grabbed some big cookies in French Camp (another recommendation of the ranger) and then pulled into Jeff Busby – the second campground along the Trace. We drove into the campground and were immediately skeptical. It had started to precipitate, and every single unoccupied campsite was on a slope. To make matters more peevish – there were places to set up a tent on a flat area, but every single one was occupied, not by fellow tent campers, but by RVers.

We discussed it and decided that driving further North and paying for a campsite in the Tombigbee National Forest would be better than camping here. So we pressed on, not really stopping because of the light rain, until we reached Davis Lake, a few miles west of the Trace.

Rest assured, this was a great decision. For less than $15, we got a flat place to set up a tent AND showers! An added bonus that we had never really considered was that all the electric sites meant none of the RV’s were running their generators at night.

Because of the light rain and wind, we stayed off the water and took the opportunity to set up and break in our new backpacking tent — even though it is smaller than our car camping tent, it was somehow more comfortable. We were definitely out of place with our tent though – of the 30 some occupied sites there was only one other tent camper, a woman (trail name Stambler – a portmanteau of Steady Ambler) who was currently backpacking the Old Trace which is quite impressive considering that less than 75 miles are marked, for the remaining ~400 miles she was effectively blazing her own trail, following the rutted trail through the woods and walking the old county roads. We exchanged stories and may have even convinced her to try out the Centennial Trail this Spring!

The night was fortunately uneventful and we got up with the sun and continued on our last day on the Trace. We stopped right away to see a grouping of mounds (Owl Creek Mounds) as well as a monument to Hernando de Soto who wintered near here in 1540-1541. De Soto is also one of the only explorers to have had contact with the groups of people known collectively as the ‘Mississippian Culture’ and who built most of the mounds we saw along this trip. After his expedition, the Mississippian culture changed dramatically due to social upheaval and epidemics ultimately fragmenting into the various peoples who inhabited the South East.

Still further along the trail we stopped in the town of Tupelo to see a collection of monuments to the Battle of Tupelo, a minor action in 1864 over Sherman’s supply lines during the Atlanta Campaign. The park was only a city block, so we read our history and then continued along.

From here we continued Northeast, stopping once for a short walk, before crossing over the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway, a collection of canals and rivers that directly connects the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico. The trace near here was closed for construction, but that was fine with us, we had planned to get off near here anyway to visit Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Mississippi.

We followed state roads generally North toward Iuka, Mississippi where we followed an access road to the summit. The ‘peak’ is littered with radio towers, and there wasn’t much in way of a view, but we found a letterbox and made sure to get a picture standing on top of the summit rock bagging our 28th State Highpoint.

Our journey then immediately added another milestone when we crossed into Alabama, my 50th state! We couldn’t stop for a picture on the highway so we got back onto the Natchez Trace and snagged some completion pictures at the Tennessee/Alabama state line instead. Our time in Alabama was very short but we enjoyed it sitting along the Tennessee River – or at least tried to enjoy it. This was the only place on our entire trip where bugs were an issue…thanks ‘Bama.

Our time on the Natchez Trace was coming to an end as we entered into Tennessee. But we had one final stop to make: Meriwether Lewis’ grave. Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark expedition) traveled the trace in 1809 while Governor of Upper Louisiana. On his way to D.C., Lewis stopped to spend the night at Grinder’s Stand, 70 miles Southwest of Nashville. There, he was shot twice, and later bled out and died. The cause of death was reported as suicide; a conclusion that was accepted by both Thomas Jefferson and William Clark, and seemingly consistent with Lewis’ mental state at the time. But, historians have questioned this hypothesis, believing that Lewis was murdered, likely by highwaymen for which the trace was notorious, though some have manufactured a conspiracy of libel, intrigue, and assassins. Personally, Curtis believes that Lewis killed himself in a moment of despair.

Lewis remains one of Curtis’ personal heroes, and it was important to him that we stop to see his grave. Lewis was buried near the inn where he died, and then later reinterred beneath a monument. Notably, the monument features an unfinished column representing a fruitful life cut short.

We considered staying at a campsite nearby for the night and even completing the remaining 70 miles of the trace, but the forecast promised thunderstorms across the Midwest followed by a cold front, so we browsed our maps and came up with a plan for the next couple of days, left the trace for the last time, and headed West to Jackson, TN. There we got a hotel, some mediocre barbeque, and the promised rain.

Natchez National Historic Park

Spring Break Road Trip 2022 | Day 6 | Natchez National Historic Site & Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway | Goldonna, LA to Rocky Springs, MI | March 2022

Day 6 of our road trip was the day when we would enter Mississippi for our first time, as well as hit our Southernmost point for this trip and start making our way slowly up North. When planning this trip, we had gone back and forth on how much of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama we wanted to drive through. While looking through which National Park sites we could visit, we discovered the Natchez Trace Parkway, a scenic road that travels Northeast across Mississippi with plenty of historic sites along the way. We decided this would be perfect for our style of travel, so we planned the next few days of our trip around it.

From our campsite in Louisiana we took back highways generally Southeast towards the Mississippi River. The countryside scenery was a bit more of what we expected for the south, with lots of river crossings and farmland, as compared to the endless pine forests of the day before. Eventually we crossed over the great river at Natchez, leaving Louisiana behind. We’re a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of the state, but traveling out to the coast during spring break season and so close to Mardi Gras just wasn’t achievable or desirable this time.

The bridge across the Mississippi topped out on a high bluff where the town of Natchez sits. Having driven a couple of hours we quickly found our way to the Melrose Plantation, a unit of Natchez National Historic Park. This antebellum home served as the residence of a cotton baron before the Civil War and was at one point considered ‘one of the best brick homes in Mississippi’ if not the South or the nation. And indeed the home is beautiful as were the gardens. We enjoyed our time walking around admiring and remembering our time living in South Carolina. The camellia and azalea bushes were just starting to bloom, the enormous oaks draped with Spanish moss were budding, the heat was pleasant with no humidity, and no mosquitos or alligators were pleasant. It was as if we had found all the best qualities of our time in Charleston and put them into a few acres.

We then drove around the town, stopping at the ruins of Fort Rosalie, a colonial French Fort overlooking the river, Louisiana, and the bridge, and then began our way Northeast following the Natchez Trace.

The Natchez Trace Parkway was a public works project created by the CCC during the 1930’s connecting Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS generally following the route of the historic Natchez Trace. That route was one of the first reliable overland routes to connect the Ohio River Valley (and therefore the East coast) to the Mississippi River. What likely started as migratory game trails and native paths grew into a well traveled route for the first half of the 19th century. Andrew Jackson traveled the route with his army to defend New Orleans during the War of 1812. Rivermen from the Ohio valley would float their barges down to the Gulf ports, sell their wares, and then walk back along the trace. And now we get to travel it, free of billboards, semi-trucks, and stop lights.

We decided early on that we would take three days to travel the trace in order to slow down and enjoy the scenery and the history. On our first day we only made it 60 miles down the road, stopping often. We stopped to see Emerald Mounds, the second largest Mississippian mound site in the country (and only the second set of pre-historic mounds we’ve seen after Effigy Mounds) and then stopped at the Visitor Center at Mount Locust where Curtis chatted with the ranger and got the whole scoop on what places were worth the stop. He highly recommended going off the Trace a few miles to visit the next highlight, and so we jogged West back towards the river to Windsor Ruins.

This site was very reminiscent of the ruins we used to see while living in Charleston and was very impressive and provided us with this neat anecdote: The mansion was used by General Grant during the Vicksburg campaign (another NPS site that we’ll have to return for) as a hospital and observation post. The home ultimately survived the war only to burn down in the 1890’s. However, no pictures were ever taken of the mansion, and after a time, the exterior look became a matter of conjecture among historians and locals. That is until the 1990’s, when a hand drawn picture was discovered among the personal papers of a former Union Officer who had camped at the mansion during the Vicksburg campaign.

We returned to the trace near Port Gibson where we stopped to walk along the rutted path that once was the original trace before finally stopping for the day at Rocky Springs. There are 3 campgrounds directly on the Natchez Trace, all of which are first-come, first-served, and free for camping. Here we set up camp, ate our dinner, and then walked down even more of the original trace from a trailhead that began in the campground. It is honestly quite impressive that a route used for less than 50 years could have such a distinctive impact on the environment.

Hiking Driskill Mountain

Spring Break Road Trip 2022 | Day 5 | Crystal, AR to Goldonna, LA | Hiking Driskill Mountain, Louisiana’s Highest Point & Kayaking on the Saline Bayou | March 2022

On day 5, we packed up our campsite in Arkansas and began the drive further South to Louisiana. There wasn’t much that interested us on our route, making much of today a less-than-interesting driving day, but it turned out to be a great day nonetheless and even contained a highlight for this entire road trip.

Our only stop in Arkansas for today was at Poison Springs Battleground State Park – a small battle from the Civil War during the Red River campaign. In 1864, the Union attempted to invade Texas via the Red River and overland from Little Rock. But overextended supply lines left the Union exposed, and small battles like that at Poison Springs ultimately stopped the expedition. The park turned out to be just a small picnic area on the side of the road, with a quarter-mile loop trail through the woods and informational plaques. It wasn’t what we were expecting, but it made for the perfect spot to stop, stretch our legs, and let Charlotte sniff around.

We continued further South until we entered Louisiana — my 48th state, Curtis’ 47th, and Charlotte’s 45th. Also the first “new state” Curtis and I have crossed into since our Alaska trip back in 2019. We didn’t have much planned for our time in this state, but we were excited to make the most of the beautiful day we had to spend there.

One of the big things that surprised us about Louisiana (at least the Northern parts we drove through) was how forested it was. It became quite clear that the primary industry of the whole region was lumber. I was just expecting it to be all swamp or similar to the Low Country in South Carolina, but there was actually some elevation change and the drive actually felt scenic. It wasn’t much elevation change obviously, since Louisiana has the third lowest high point (4th if you count DC).

Speaking of Louisiana’s high point, our main goal for today was to hike to the top! We drove to the trailhead, which is located right off of a church parking lot. The beginning of the trail doubles as a service road, but eventually breaks off and continues the trek uphill. At .2 miles, there was an optional route with a sign stating this trail would also go up and over the second highest point in Louisiana, False Mountain. The sign indicated that this trail should only be taken by experienced hikers. With this being our 27th high point, we decided we were experienced and up for the challenge, so we turned and made our way up the hill.

They weren’t kidding about it being a difficult climb — it was 100 feet of elevation gain in only a quarter mile! But we made it, and then lost most of that elevation gain going down the other side. Honestly the only tricky part was getting around some fallen trees and navigating the not-as-clear trail. It was also starting to warm up, so naturally I started thinking about snakes and other pests that come out when the temperatures start to rise.

We made our final push up to the summit and arrived at the peak of Driskill Mountain, at 535 feet of elevation. We took a little break at the high point bench to admire the view, then took some pictures and signed the logbook. High Point #27 (21 for Charlotte) in the books! For our return trip, we opted to take the easy route, and the rest of our hike was uneventful. If you’re interested, check out our AllTrails recording here.

Once back at the car, we drove for a little less than an hour further South before arriving at our campsite for the night. Tonight we were staying in the Cloud Crossing Campsite in Kisatchie National Forest, a free first come-first served site. We arrived and chose a spot and started setting up, then immediately 3 RVs (all unrelated) happened to arrived at the exact same time. I guess we were officially in the South where camping season was well underway, and we wouldn’t be enjoying any more empty campgrounds like we had the first two nights of this trip! We really did enjoy this spot though — everyone was pretty quiet and spaced out, and who could complain when it’s free? The informational board at the beginning had quite a few interesting notices though — one about alligator safety, another about flash floods, and a third about increased chances of trees falling due to a recent hurricane. Thankfully we experienced none of these in our one night here, though it confirmed in my mind that it was the right choice to come here early in the spring, before the alligators come out of hiding….

The campsite happened to be right on the banks of the Saline Bayou, a National Scenic River administered by the USFS, so we broke out our kayak and went for a little ride. We had never kayaked on water so perfectly still (though technically it is flowing) — everything was mirrored so perfectly by the water, it was like floating on air. The river meandered through the tall cypress trees making 180 degree turns every quarter mile and it really made you feel boxed in, unable to see upstream or downstream, just the tree filled banks to either side. It made us think that this is how we should have experienced Congaree National Park and other places in South Carolina.

We also decided to try having Charlotte sit up in the front with me for the first time. We aren’t sure if it made her enjoy kayaking any more than normal, but she seemed to like being able to see everything in front of her without having me obstructing her view. However, she did this nervous tap-dance with her back feet, like she was never relaxed enough to sit still, so we eventually turned around and headed back to the campsite. After a while, I admit I also was getting nervous — it was quiet, almost too quiet, and I was certain that the sounds coming from nearby bushes or the big patch of bubbles were all coming from alligators about to feast on us, though Curtis claims that he only saw turtles.

Charlotte and I returned to the tent and Curtis went out to kayak for a little longer, then we made dinner and settled in for the night. We agreed that the kayak ride was a highlight of this trip so far, and was probably the best way for us to experience and appreciate some of the beauty Louisiana has to offer.

Hot Springs National Park

Spring Break Road Trip 2022 | Day 4 | Exploring & Hiking in Hot Springs National Park | Kayaking in the Ouachita River | March 2022

After spending a few days constantly driving and moving around, we planned to spend two nights at our campsite in Crystal Recreation Area so that we could spend a whole day exploring a new-to-us national park: Hot Springs National Park, in Hot Springs AR. We got up around 7AM and headed East on US-270, skirting South of Lake Ouachita. All along the road we saw recreation signs for the lake and billboards and vendor signs for crystals – it would turn out our campsite was aptly named. As we got closer to Hot Springs, the traffic picked up and we hit a couple rounds of construction, and then we were in the thick of it: the outskirts of the city. ‘Where’s the National Park?’, we asked each other. We hadn’t even seen a sign indicating we were going the right way.

We knew the National Park was North of town, or rather it was the North of town, so we stuck to our gut instinct, checked our progress on Google Maps, and eventually the sprawling industrial suburbs gave way to a downtown with a turn of the century feel, which eventually gave way to the Bathhouse District.

The road (AR-7) went North between two mountains, and nestled between them were all the old historic Bathhouses. The architecture was neat, but it also gave off strong ‘tourist trap’ vibes. (There’s just something about haunted walking tours and duck boat tours that is so off putting).

A bit overwhelmed, we opted to first go to the part of the park that we had researched and started on the scenic drive up to the top of Hot Springs Mountain. At the top, we found a place to park and walked to the tower which had a steep surcharge of $9/person, and no dogs allowed of course. So we found our limited views for free at a gazebo overlooking the bath houses. The weather was still cool, but starting to warm up so we decided to walk a loop around the summit area enjoying the clear signs that spring was just around the corner (at least it was down in AR).

There were plenty of trails that we could have chosen, and once out of the Bath House District the park becomes much more the ‘Nature Park’ that we love to see in National Parks. But the mountain trails don’t actually have any Hot Springs, and we still needed our cancellation stamp, so we found a free place to park and returned to the Bath Houses.

Once on foot, the row of bath houses and downtown area was much less overwhelming and we were able to take in the beautiful 1920-30’s variety of architectures. The bath houses find their origin in the 1830’s when the Federal Government first set aside the natural springs as a ‘Federal Resource’. As bathing rituals and the homeopathic benefits of hot springs were explored, more and more ornate bath houses grew up around the natural springs. Guided by the Department of the Interior, the area was cultivated and landscaped to provide a luxurious experience for spa goers who could go from bathing to leisurely walks in the nearby parks and trails. The bath houses saw their peak usage following World War II, but then rapidly declined as modern advancements moved culture away from public bathing. Now of the 8+ bath houses, only one is still functional as a bath house – we didn’t go in to see it because Charlotte wasn’t allowed.

We found our National Park stamps, admired the architecture and the budding cherry blossoms, and even filled our water from one of the public fountains. (It was very warm for certain, but lacked the sulphuric taste and smell of the fountains in Ballston Spa & Saratoga Springs). Satisfied with our experience, we decided to bypass the construction and traffic and take back roads through the park back to US-270, but not before going for one more hike.

At the far west side of the park, we stopped at a small trailhead and started a short climb up to the top of Music Mountain, the highest peak in the park. We didn’t really expect much, while spring is coming, it was still ‘mud and stick’ season as far as the trees were concerned. But the hike was pleasant, if a little warm, and we had the occasional view to the West through the trees. The summit had no view, but we still relaxed a while watching butterflies, moths, and the occasional vulture circle around. We arrived at the top right around noon, which happened to be just in time for the monthly tornado siren test to happen. Thankfully we are used to tests like that being born and raised Midwesterners, so we were pretty sure we had no reason to panic, but it of course made us think about what we’d do if they were actually real…

Overall, our consensus on Hot Springs was that it was not the worst experience we’ve had in a National Park, but was far from the best. The fact that Charlotte was able to hike on all the trails with us certainly made it better. Another way to put it: it’s an A tier city park, but a C tier National Park.

We began our drive back West to the campsite, then decided to stop at the Twin Creek boat ramp for a quick paddle on Lake Ouachita. We kayaked for about an hour, covering about 2 miles on the water, and enjoyed the tranquility of the lake and the mountain views in the distance.

On our way back to the campsite, we decided to stop at the Twin Creek Crystal Mine hoping to see some of the crystals we kept hearing about, but they were closing right as we arrived so we returned to the campsite instead. Fortunately, one of our camp neighbors had some success looking for crystals and showed them off for us…Curtis was less successful in his endeavors in the nearby creek. It was really nice to not have to tear down and set up camp again today like we had the past few days, but we agreed that one day was all we needed to experience Hot Springs and were excited to continue our travels further South the next day.

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