Wyoming Bison

You may remember the last time we spoke I was lounging around the National Forests of Kentucky; swimming, eating, sleeping, hiking and generally being carefree. You know how it is, your slate is clean (relatively), you’re making plans for the next few weeks – what you’re going to do, where you’re going to go. Then you get a photo text message from your wife, and all of a sudden, plans change. This is what happened when I woke up one early June morning, flipped open my phone and saw this:

Wake up call

Very happy and excited I packed up camp and hit the road, calling Tabatha and talking with her the whole hour-long drive home. We’d been hoping this would happen but didn’t think it would happen this soon. We did have a contingency plan though, and it involved high-tailing it back across the country, spending some time with friends and family in California, then hopping across the Pacific pond and back to Aus.  So, it was time to get the wheels in motion, literally; Indiana, Chicago, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and up and over the Sierra Nevada to our sunburnt, golden home of Butte County, California.

Butte Canyon, California

So now we’re in countdown mode, once again it’s time to squeeze in everything you wanted to do but never got around to. Time to make a roll-call of goodbyes to say and times to spend with friends and family that you won’t see for a while. Camping with my friends Patrick and Kim in the Lassen National Forest….

Patrick and Kim at Lassen

…hiking the redwoods with friends from Oregon….

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

…hanging with the seals on California’s north coast…

California Seal

…or just driving down the Interstate…

Mt Shasta

…northern California in the summer is an outdoor playground with breathtaking sights around every corner. But as winter approaches, so do the grey skies and the Pacific North-west rains. As Tabatha’s belly swells, it’s time to pack up and move to the other side of the Pacific.

I will miss California and America dearly. The past 12 months have been one of the free est and easiest of my life. Never did I imagine north America was so diverse and awe-inspiring. I’ve rediscovered a love for the outdoors and hope to be able to share this with my kids, as soon as they’re old enough to walk. For now though, it’s time to take care of business, build a home and bring a child into the world. Till then…

Rohan

2010

Daniel Boone National Forest – Appalachia

Camping by Indian Creek

Just outside Lexington, Kentucky in the foothills of southern Appalachia lies tobacco growing country and the Daniel Boone National Forest. Named after the famous pioneer and explorer who founded one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian mountains, this bear-infested tract of green hillsides and creeks is abundant in secluded and peaceful campsites. Indian Creek is small but surprisingly deep allowing for great swimming and diving among the sandy banks where shoes, and even clothes, are optional.

50m swimming and diving hole

Sitting by the creek I’m reminded of events earlier in the day, when my intended route through to the famous “Red-River Gorge” area was blocked by the local Sheriff. When I tried to sneak through, he swaggered over to my vehicle and informed me that the park was “closed” because they were “looking for a barrrr”. Suppressing the urge to say, “you’re looking for a what?” I remembered my earlier experiences in the south, where “there’s a bear in there” is apparently pronounced “there’s a barrr in tharrr”, and notioned that he was actually looking for a large, furry mammal known to the rest of the world as a ‘bear’. Apparently some hiker was attacked on one of the trails, and this bear was a repeat offender. No longer afraid of humans, the bear’s fate was sealed and a bunch of gun happy hunters were let loose in the forest to make the bear pay for humans encroachment of it’s habitat.

Indisputable bear-evidence

Well and truly aware of the presence of bears, and one in particular who associates humans with food, I do feel a little out of my depth when hiking alone in the mountains. But I’ve come this far and I’m not going to sit in my car all day and hide, so off I go in search of a hiking trail. Unfortunately, police or park rangers have been stationed at the trail-heads blocking the entry of recreationalists such as myself, so it’s necessary to make your own trail. Luckily the geography of these mountains provides abundant creeks and streams, and invent a new sport I term “Creek Scrambling” which is exactly that; scrambling along a creek. The one I chose is basically the low point from where two steep hillsides rise, and provides a challenging scramble to it’s source.

Creek scrambling in Daniel Boone National Forest

The creek is alive with all manner of fauna, including brook trout, crawfish, this dragon-fly…

"Bzzzzzz"

…and this little fella.

Creek turtle

Independence Day

The following series of photos were taken on colourful Independence Day, the fourth of July, when Americans celebrate their country gaining independence from the King of England. For a noisy video of the parade, click here.

Rohan

Me, Tabatha and Reka

Tennesee

Southern landmark

After an alcoholism-inducing stay in New Orleans it was onwards and upwards into the heart of the continent and Tennessee/Appalachia. In another welcome surprise, Tennessee met none of my expectations. Images of Nashville from the movies were all I had to go on, and good ol’ Tennessee was green, warm and inviting. First stop on the itinerary (well, the only stop actually) was to visit an old friend in Knoxville. From there we went for a three day hike up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the southern Appalachian mountain range.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The ‘Smokies’ were wonderfully green and wet, with torrential downpours a feature of every day. One day I’d love to return and would consider the entire Appalachian trail. However, with the Bonaroo festival looming, three days was enough for now.

Bonaroo

Cooling off at Bonaroo

Bonaroo is a five-day music festival in central Tennessee. Now in it’s 9th year, the organisers have had time to ‘get it right’ and the event was one of the best-planned, long-term festivals I have ever visited. Situated on hundreds of acres of farmland actually ‘owned’ by the event organisers, Bonaroo hosts over 80,000 visitors all camping, and delivers famous names such as Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews Band and many, may others. In great American style, it’s not ‘what’ you know, but ‘who’. And our Knoxville buddy had connections, managing to get us a ‘volunteer’ spot which landed us free tickets and camping, and free food and water for our stay. All we had to do was a few 6 hour shifts at the information booth, and the rest of the festival was ours to enjoy.

Tabatha with Melanie, customer service 'specialist'

Regina Spektor put on a great show….

Regina Spektor

… as did Ween

The boys from 'Ween'

Bonaroo was home to a range of art projects…

'Totem of Dance'

and characters.

Bonaroo character

Ocoee

Shaken and need of about 24 hours sleep, we said goodbye to our new friends and went to southern Tennessee to catch up with a couple we met in northern India last year. Dan and Mary have traveled, by bicycle, from Portland Oregon, down to Arizona and across to Florida and now Tennessee. Sleep was something that avoided us however, as meeting up with friends like this calls for more beer and more celebration.

Ocoee is the name of the small villiage on the Ocoee River, white-water rafting territory and host to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics rafting competition. Torrents of white water gush down the Ocoee from the Appalachians to the north, and provide some of the best white water rafting around. Check out the Youtube vid.

The author plucking a 10 year old out of the river

Dan ponders the hot-sauce options for breakfast

The crew cools off in the Cherokee National Forest

Beautiful southern Appalachia

Benton bacon

Rohan

Deep South

Canal outside of New Orleans

After crossing the continental divide we have the formidable task of traversing Texas to get to our next destination. In what appears to be a theme in all our travels lately, everyone we meet warns us of the next place we are headed; “DO NOT speed in Texas”, “Watch out for Texas police”, “Stay clear of the Mexican border”, and “Watch out for immigration checkpoints” all reminiscent of a Cormac McCarthy novel. And, as usually happens, Texas was very inviting, green, humid and possibly the friendliest place on the trip so far. However, with nothing but oil fields for most of west Texas, we don’t stop until we hit the oasis that is Austin, and Munkebo farm. Run by lovely and eccentric Germaine, Ivan and Milo, 4 dogs, 3 cats, 350 ducks and geese, 2 horses, 4 pigs, 10 cows and a donkey, Munkebo is a developing organic farm that we instantly take a liking to. Just look at how “stoked” Tab is with her carrots..!

Daily duties included waking up nice and late, drinking a few cups of tea, thinking about working, eating breakfast (the food and hospitality at Munkebo were incredible), taking a break, then grabbing a shovel and building new vegetable gardens. Load after load of horse manure and mulch were shoveled as beds were raised by the willing crew to create fertile growing areas that will deliver high yields in the Texas sun and rain.

There was always time for a laugh,

…and to smell the wildflowers.

As we too often do these days, and with sadness in our hearts, we say goodbye to our new friends and home, and keep on movin’. The United States of America is one impressively large country, and time refuses to wait. On the plus side we head to the gulf of Mexico and taste the salty ocean air for the first time in nearly a year. I think our moods and skin instantly brightened as we stripped off our gear and dove under the rolling waves in the warm gulf waters. Texas has a fantastic law that beaches are all considered public land and one may drive and camp along the entire Texas coastline, for free. Consider that Australia!

For two days straight we swam, rested, and shoveled as much fresh seafood into our mouths as humanly possible before driving through historic Galveston and onwards to New Orleans.

New Orleans

New Orleans is a wonderful mix of food, alcohol, progressive drinking laws (you can leave the bar and walk down the street with a your booze in hand) and culture.

Beautiful old southern houses not destroyed by hurricane Katrina line the streets.

Southern house in New Orleans

The food down here was heavenly and cheap as we found out courtesy of our wonderful hosts Mark and Mary. Restaurant hopping our way through this culinary Utopia Tab and I wondered if we would ever leave.

And yes, the sign is real. You really can get drive through Daiquiris here in N.O.

Louisiana also markets itself as a sportsman’s paradise, and while it’s probably too friggin’ hot to play most sports, the ubiquitous canals, bayous and creeks provide great kayaking and aligator spotting.

However the true continental divide, the mighty Mississippi, beckons. After lots of great food, good fun and relaxation it’s time to pack the car and turn northwards, through Mississippi and Alabama and onwards to Tennessee and Appalachia. Part of my family heritage is in this mountain country, so we’ll see what we can uncover.

Hope you enjoyed.

Enchanted Rock, Texas

Rohan

]]> http://xploreyourworld.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/deep-south/feed/ 9 xploreyourworld DSCN6755 (2) DSCN6727 (3) DSCN6661 (2) DSCN6666 (2) DSCN6657 (2) DSCN6728 (2) DSCN6733 (2) DSCN6768 (2) DSCN6801 DSCN6787 (2) DSCN6786 (2) DSCN6765 (2) DSCN6772 (2) DSCN6638 (2) http://xploreyourworld.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/new-mexico/ http://xploreyourworld.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/new-mexico/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 14:55:43 +0000 xploreyourworld http://xploreyourworld.wordpress.com/?p=233 ]]> New Mexico

New Mexico: As the saying goes, “it’s not really new, and it’s not really Mexico”. Straddling the US/Mexico border it is home to a  range of hippies, alternatives, conspiracy theorists, doomsdayers and travellers. Its remoteness also makes it a perfect location for a range of astronomical observatories, extra terrestrial searches, and other enlightened activities such atomic bomb and missile testing. The famous Roswell incident occurred in Roswell, NM.

Nuclear fallout aside, southern New Mexico is a colourful blend of quirky artsy culture, Native American culture, farmland and alternative lifestyle folks. Indeed half the people we met here continued to warn us “the shootin’s gonna start real soon”. They’re begging for a fight with the feds, and who could blame them?

Despite the warnings of the imminent showdown with “the Govviment”, we take some time out to learn about local farming and sustainability methods. “Heartland Mesa” sits below Turleback Mountain range right on the Rio Grande, and was a great place to commence our WOOFING experience.

What is WOOFING? Basically, organic farmers who would like some volunteer help register with the WWOOF organisation, then members like Tabatha and myself can contact farms in our travel path, and see if they’d like some help.  In exchange for food and accomodation we work between 4 – 6 hours a day on various farm activites, including working in vegatable gardens, feeding animals, and construction projects like this badly needed shower I built with the help of Caroline, the farm’s year-long intern.

Of course, one cannot help getting attached to the animals. I’ve had brief experiences with goats in India and Nepal and was unsure about actually spending my days with them. However they turned out to be the most gentle, curious, amusing, entertaining and pleasant animals. On top of their agreeable character, they pump out a good two litres of healthy milk everyday. Great companions and hardy survivors, we also discovered they go well on the BBQ. Having more protein and less fat than chicken, beef, pork or lamb, they are truly the universal animal.

One starry night whist brushing my teeth before bed, I wandered over to the goats’ pen to say goodnight and heard the struggling cries of a female obviously in labour. We sat patiently with the mother to be and sure enough, after 30 minutes and with a little help from the new goat midwife Tabatha, Maya “Twiggy” was born.

Despite the seeming barenneses of the desert, an afternoon’s stroll on the mesa provides rewards for the nature enthusiast, such as this enormous Great Horned Owl. With a wingspan of around a metre, this grand bird has been known to steal baby chickens and even domestic cats for a good meal. Apologies for the distant photo but this bugger was playing hard-to-get.

The time to leave Heartland Mesa came upon us. After spending hours cleaning the dust out of the car, and with a quick stop in at the famous Carlsbad Caverns, it’s onwards and eastwards to Texas.

Next stop, Austin for some greenery and humidity!

Rohan

1000 year old petroglyphs near Sedona, AZ

The time to leave California and continue eastwards has come. This vast continent is not going to cross itself so we say goodbye to Mojave. With Tom Petty’s “Time to move on, time to get going” playing on the radio we climb steadily up the Colorado Plateau towards Arizona and high places.

Arizona is an exercise in contrasts. While not appearing to be at high altitudes, most of the state sits at elevations of between 4 and 8 thousand feet (higher than Australia’s tallest mountain). Native American ruins dot the countryside…

Tuzigoot National Monument (outside Cottonwood, AZ)

Tabatha shows us one of the main rooms of the Pueblo, which must have contained over 50 separate living quarters.

In Phoenix we pick up a friend from Australia, and being good hosts we take her to one of the grandest places of all, the Grand Canyon. I’m so excited to see the Colorado river (see bottom left) I just can’t contain myself.

While I won’t go into the details of the hike, I will say it was long, challenging, and made us all respect this great rift in the Earth’s crust. The local fauna couldn’t care either way. Who would have thought there’d be frogs in the Grand Canyon?

The thing is, Arizona may be dry but it sits so high up that there is alot of snow. Snow has a habbit of melting when the day warms up, creating rivers and streams that support a wide range of wildlife.

The Osprey is one of these creatures that takes advantages of waterways and lakes. It spent the morning circling above looking for trout before coming and perching right above me and my Nikon.

Osprey

Well, as Tom Petty said, “it’s time to get going”. Next stop, New Mexico and Heartland Mesa farms.

"Time to get going"

Rohan

This Great Blue Heron takes off in search of something substantial for breakfast, something that’s going to stick to the ribs.

I follow to see if I can’t get a better photograph, and find it still consumed by the search for breakfast, staring intently at something in the grass…

Then he pokes his beak innocently into the grass and Boom! A high protein breakfast in the form of an unlucky mouse who’s time has come to a painful end.

In a less violent search for food the American Coot looks calm with its red eyes.

And the red-winged blackbird sang the morning in….

Rohan

Death Valley

Our VW van in Death Valley

First obstacle however, is the wall of mountains between California and the rest of the continent, the Sierra Nevadas. Unpassable due to snow we drive 6 hours south through California’s farmland and the fruitbowl of the nation. Unfortunately this equals tedium as we pass through such jewels as Stockton, Fresno and the myriad of shopping malls and highways running through the Sacramento Valley. As soon as we find an open pass we head east towards Lake Isabella.

We drive most of the night arriving in Death Valley about 10pm. Nothing to do but crack a beer and sleep off the drive. In the morning we wake to sunshine piercing the windows of the van and under our eyelids. There is no doubt we are somewhere dry, hot and salty. Badwater salt flats sit approximately 300ft below sea level making it the lowest land on the planet.

Somehow, wildlife exists here even though the temperatures can reach 58 degrees Celsius in the summer. Luckily we have come at the right time, and wildflowers bloom along the highways.

A herd of desert Big Horn sheep scramble effortlessly over rocky mountain sides, and this dragon-fly like creature clings to my hand.

The sand dunes here are also impressive, especially in the afternoon sun. Next stop, Arizona and red-rock country. Bye for now.

Rohan

Thursday, 3pm.

Patrick and I hit the road for a 15 hour haul from our home in Chico, California, to the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Friday, all day

We hike slowly down the Bright Angel trail,

…across on the Tonto trail…

…and down to the Colorado River, the Canyon’s creator.

Saturday:

After waking at 4am, Patrick takes off on his own to exit the Canyon. For the full climb out, we hike alone and join eachother at the top. After 2 days of hiking with little sleep, it’s a 15 hour drive back to our beds in California!

The hike was beautiful and quite easy, starting up in hill-billy country, wandering through the Plumas National Forest, around a couple of mountains and bang, there you are.  Without breaks the trail can be done in around 3 hours.

More info

Map

Tabatha takes a sun-bath…

… imitating the local wildlife.