Canyons and mountains

Grand Canyon, North Rim

Camping in the woods close to the North Rim. In total darkness the first clue of where you are is the wind – you can hear it howl in the distance as it blows from the tops of distant canyons and when you do feel it, it doesn’t come from either side, but from the bottom, as if you’re standing on the very top of a tall mountain.

Sitting on a rocky outcrop, waiting for the first rays of sunlight to pull back the blanket of darkness from on one of the most spectacular stages in the world is like experiencing Bressons decisive moment stretched and spread around in time.

Camping Stop, SW Utah, 

After a long and scorching hot drive from Grand Canyon to St George we decided to take the day off and found a camping spot not far the city, next to Baker Dam Reservoir. Having the whole day to roam the area I decide to go for a hike and climb a tall hill that was just outside our camping spot.

For someone who spent all his life in a temperate and flat eastern Europe, exploring the red sanded high desert environment was like landing in Mars – a source of endless fascination. The area where we were staying was overgrown with some sort of desert bush, when you rubbed  its leaves between your fingers you could sense a strong, tea-like smell, similar to Earl Gray.

Reaching the top we were rewarded with a view of the vast landscape below.

Soon after having the well deserved rest we noticed a group of eagles that started circling above our heads. Maybe they were just stalking the rabbits that were occasionally darting from bush-to-bush, but at the time it seemed like they were following us, making passes no more than tens of meters above our heads.

We decided to take the short way back – a very steep and rocky mountainside. It was unnerving to descend down the loose rocks, with nothing more than frail desert bushes to protect us from the sharp talons and the massive beaks. After reaching a wooded area lower down we were left alone by the birds and followed a dried up river bed back to the camp.

After getting back to the home base we go for a drive in search of food and meet the sunset on the roadside in the grassy hills.

Utah

Pit stop on the way to Salt Lake City

Leaving Yellowstone we take a long drive through the forests and fields of Idaho and into the deserts of Utah.

Castle Rock, South of Salt Lake City

After spending a night and picking up one more travel companion in Salt Lake City, we head south, to visit the Grand Canyon and to eventually reach Las Vegas which will mark the southern-most point of our trip.

But for now, after a long drive from Salt Lake City and having had bad luck in the search for the next campsite we stumble upon a secluded and peaceful campground, out of the way of the major roads. Here we spend the night and first half of the next day, using the opportunity to explore the surrounding cliffs and the weird, cone shaped rocks for which the campsite earned its name.

Nearby you can find ancient art, etched in the rust colored rock.

Our World Is ________

This is part 1 of a series about our month-long drive in the American west.

Starting point: Somewhere In The Middle Of Washington State

We leave the coast after reaching Seattle and get over the mountains. Here we find ourselves in a landscape of brown grass, dust and an immense cloud covered sky hanging above our heads.

The empty Mars-like landscape is inhabited only by the wind that fills the immense spaces with an ever-present white noise and the howling trucks carrying their cargo to unknown destinations.

The white van here – named Bob is something of a fifth family member in our little group. Serving not only as a means of transportation, but as a full-fledged multi-purpose survival pod, Bob is the single most important thing in our arsenal. That being said, Bob is also a constant source of anxiety seeming to always be on a verge of breakdown. A steady supply of not only gas, but also coolant and oil (which are burned and leaked out almost as fast as they’re poured in) is paramount.

Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

Blasting through Washington, Idaho and Montana in one day our arrival at Yellowstone marks the end of the first, and biggest, one-day leg throughout the entire trip.

We spend a few nights camping near the national park – to rest, enjoy the bubbling lakes and geysers and do some horseback riding. Next stop – Salt Lake City!