Once again it is time to open the Travel Archives to tell you a tale from the past, so here we go…
A Little Background
During the spring semester of 2006, I found out about a one credit summer course that involved an 11-day trip to the Grand Tetons National Park. After hearing about the details I quickly signed up. The trip was composed of riding in passenger vans with three professors and twelve students with various stops for camping and activities. We had a few preparation meeting throughout the rest of the semester to go over the necessary supplies and what to prepare for when we would finally hit the road.
Saturday July 1, 2006
After an early start we left from Yuma and made our first stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument outside of Camp Verde, AZ. Right after exploring Montezuma Castle we enjoyed a nice hike at Montezuma Well. After our hike, we got back on the road to our final destination of the day a KOA in Holbrook, AZ. My camera and I hadn’t become inseparable yet, so I missed out on some photos this day. However it was a fun start to the trip. The weather in northern Arizona was perfect for camping that night.
Sunday July 2, 2006
After the first night of camping, we arose and made it to our next stop, Petrified Forest National Park. On the second day of the trip, I made sure I had my camera accessible as we explored around Petrified Forest National Park, hiked in the Painted Desert, then camped in Moab, Utah at a KOA.
Monday July 3, 2006
Another early morning as we went Colorado River Rafting with Western River Expedition by Moab. Of course I didn’t have a waterproof camera, so no photos from rafting. Later in the day we went to Arches National Park and then camped at Fossil Valley RV Park. I may have overcompensated for the missed photos earlier in the day when i got to Arches.
Tuesday July 4, 2006
Early mornings had become tradition at this point. On this day we made stops at Flaming Gorge Dam and then Dinosaur National Monument. Finally that evening we made it to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After three nights of camping we got surprised by staying in cabins at a research station.
Wednesday July 5, 2006
As the first full day in Wyoming, it was a cloudy and cold day but we still went rafting on the Snake River. One again my camera didn’t make the trip. We got to see some beautiful scenery along the river even with the dreary weather. I also got to claim one of my first infamous river stories on that day, which I always enjoy telling to this day.
Thursday July 6, 2006
The weather improved significantly for most of our next day which included hiking in Grand Tetons National Park with the final destination being Surprise Lake. Along the way we saw plentiful wildlife from chipmunks to deer to a bear cub. Seeing the bear cub was a tense moment as everybody wondered were the mother was, but luckily we never came across her. After making it to Surprise Lake and taking a few photos, it started to rain. Luckily I had my rain poncho in my backpack, but the rain made the descent a bit precarious as the path turned to mud.
Friday July 7, 2006
On this day we gave back by doing some trail restoration. We also got to see some more great views of the area.
Saturday July 8, 2006
On this day, we drove over to Yellowstone National Park. We saw various geysers including Old Faithful. As we drove through the park we got great views of the wildlife including bison, elk, and even a moose. I also vividly remember the scolding we received from a professor when we hopped out of the van to get photos. In her defense, bison are huge and will attack with no provocation, but what do you expect from a bunch of college kids. We could have easily spent a week exploring Yellowstone, but unfortunately we only had the day. After Yellowstone, we visited some hot springs along the Boiling River.
Sunday July 9, 2006
On this day we got to do some exploring around Jackson Hole and I participated in an interesting photo shoot. For this night we got to camp in bear country. It took me a while to fall asleep since when we were setting up tents a bear decided to casually stroll through the campgrounds.
Monday July 10, 2006
Last morning in Wyoming, but before we left the state we made a stop to dig for fish fossils Dig at Warfield Springs Quarries in Kemmerer, WY. Our last night of camping was at Settler’s RV Park St George, Utah.
Tuesday July 11, 2006
The last morning of the trip was bittersweet as we broke camp in preparation for the final drive of our 11 day trip. The drive back to Yuma was uneventful, but I truly appreciated the bonds that had formed during this 11 day excursion. Many of us had only met during spring semester, but friendships were formed and many gatherings happened afterwards.
Final Words
At the time my travels were pretty limited, so an 11 day trip to see various national parks and monuments was mind blowing. Even after all these years and my various travels, I would still jump at the opportunity to do it again.
