Southwest Road Trip 1991

So there I was, about 33 years old, unattached and with a profession where I could find work just about anywhere. So why stay in cold, rainy Seattle yet another winter? I can't remember what exactly sparked the idea, but I think I was chatting with a pal at the then "Seattle Club" (now the Seattle Athletic Club) when it began. How about heading for the desert southwest for a few months, even the whole winter? At the time I did "agency" work as an RN, picking up a variety of shifts in most of the big Seattle hospitals as kind of an independent contractor. My agency had branches other places, so there was the possibility of picking up work in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego...

So I obtained a nursing license for Arizona and California and had my records faxed to a few branches. I was set to earn money while in search of warmer climes.

Next, I started looking over maps and guidebooks and talking to friends who had been to the Southwest. I knew Moab, Utah and a visit to the Canyonlands would be on my itinerary, perhaps also the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert. A friend mentioned pulling off the road somewhere along a river, just over a bridge outside of Moab as a good place to camp. Well, OK, I'd look for that then, also.

One night when I was out for a beer at the Trolleyman Pub (at the old Redhook Brewery when it was still in Fremont), I started chatting with a guy about my trip. He told me about the author Edward Abbey and his book "Desert Solitaire", a must read, he insisted. I can't remember if I read it before or during the early parts of my trip, but it really set the tone for falling in love with the desert and canyon country. I went on to read all of Abbey's stuff over the next couple years and loved it. Abbey is credited with being sort of a godfather to the EarthFirst! movement, had a hand in many real-life "Monkey Wrench Gang" eco-defense adventures and writes lovingly about the wild places in the Southwest. One of his one-liners that I have adopted as a favorite is "Piss on the developers' graves".


My kitty Caliope was tucked away at my parent's home, the condo I rented was sublet, I had my youth hostel card, nursing licenses, maps, books, journals, backpacking gear, bike on the bike rack, car tuned and new tires, warm weather and cold weather clothes as well as outdoors stuff, city stuff and nurse outfits. Ready for everything and anything, I hoped. This was well before I owned a cell phone, so I got a CB radio, figuring it might be a good back up if I got stuck somewhere in the mountains or something. Oh, plenty of taped music for the trip too. A friend recorded a collection of great road songs that kept me company.

And so the trip unfolded kind of like this (with excerpts from my travel journal in blue):

I left Seattle on November 17 and drove 720 miles to Gooding, ID and spent the night at a youth hostel. "The drive along the Columbia River and through the Willowa and Blue Mts. was great...the wide open relatively barren landscape suited me. I pretty much enjoyed the whole 14 hours of driving today, I even felt exhilarated - good music, good scenery, a sense of freedom and adventure."

Nov. 18: Drove 616 miles, through Salt Lake City & Provo, UT, arrived Dead Horse Point in the Island in the Sky district of the Canyonlands National Park after dark. Camped under the stars in 20 degree weather. "...after Provo, the road/scenery was pretty fun and I was feeling downright euphoric. Hard to explain now - just driving and feeling happy and free and adventurous. All this unexplored territory and just playing it by ear where I go - I like that. As I neared the Moab area after dark, the land was looking fine from what I could see on a nearly-full moon night. I ended up at Dead Horse Point. It was very cold...I found a spot to put out my sleeping bag on a little plateau by the cliff's edge. I could see the canyons and river (Colorado) down below by the moonlight. Keeping warm was a little tough... I saw the sun rise..." What I did not include in my journal for some reason, but what stands out now as a huge first impression, was my first glimpse of the Canyonlands by daylight. The sun illuminated a flaming bright, gorgeous landscape with sheer cliffs plunging down to the confluence of two rivers. I was stunned at my luck to wake up in such a spot!

Nov. 20: Explored many viewpoints around the Island in the Sky area and went to nearby Arches National Park and day-hiked around there all day. After 2 days and 1300 miles driving, my butt was tired so I tried jogging a trail in Arches. I quickly realized that I was indeed at 5000 ft. above sea level and gave up on the running. Stayed in a youth hostel in Moab for the night ($6.00/night!).

Nov.21: Drove down to the Needles District of the Canyonlands, a little south of Moab and backpacked into Chesler Park for the night. My gear at that time was not very good. I had an old, ill-fitting external frame pack and some cheap K-Mart pup tent that rippled and fluttered in the breeze all night and actually blew over a couple times. "This is too weird. I hiked to Chesler Park in the Needles District today. I am now camped out and am writing by the light of the full moon - it just rose over the rocks behind me. It is so eerie and beautiful. Every corner I turned today had some new, odd sight - weird rocks, cliffs, arches or narrow passages between rock walls, or smooth, spiral, gnarled tree trunks, soft red sand. And Silence. Hardly any noises besides my own breathing, footfalls or now, the annoying rustle of sleeping bag or tent (I do need a decent pack and tent).It is cold (20's) but I am warm enough with extra wool on tonight and the tent up. This land is so strange but literally breathtaking. So many times today I had to murmur to myself something like "wow", "I don't believe this" or "I LIKE it". I'm sort of mesmerized by it all....I have to admit to feeling a little spooked and on guard being here by myself. If I hear noises other than the tent rattling in the breeze, the most likely thing would be deer - I saw enough of their tracks."

Nov. 22: Hiked out of Chesler and road-tripped along a "Scenic By-way" through part of southern Utah to spend a cold night in my car at Capitol Reef. By this point in the trip, I was definitely wanting to re-visit these places, but in warmer weather. The cold limited the ability to linger outdoors and the early darkness made for long, cold nights when away from indoor living.

Nov. 23: Up early and drove to Bryce Canyon which was glowing like some jewel in the morning sun and with snow to contrast the hot red colors of the spires. I would have hiked, but the trails were too icy. The nighttime temps had been below zero (and it felt close to that sleeping in my car). I got my first speeding ticket ever outside of Page, AZ ("Shithead capitol of the world", says Edward Abbey, but that has a lot to do with nearby Glen Canyon Dam and his desire to see it blown to bits and see the Colorado returned to a wild river; ). 73 in a 55 (like, totally in the middle of NOWHERE! But the cop must have liked me or maybe cuz it was my first offense, but he wrote me up for 65).

Made it to Flagstaff, AZ by evening and settled into a youth hostel. It might as well have been a 5 star Marriott Resort & Spa. Real shelter, a real bed, a hot shower and a hot meal at a great vegetarian-friendly restaurant nearby and I felt like a Queen! I spent a day exploring Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon which was not so spectacular as where I had visited days before. A second night in Flagstaff then I was ready to drop into lower elevation and seek some warmth! "Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona..." I just like saying that whenever I'm in Flagstaff. ("Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino...").

Nov 25: Side trip to Jerome, AZ then on to Phoenix which was a possible place to land work for a few days, weeks, months. Remember, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. But I take one look at the huge, HIDEOUS, sprawling, monstrosity of that city and I don't even stop. Tucson has got to be nicer that this! I am becoming Edward Abbeyfied and a snob about the beauty of the wilds and the contrasting ugliness of places like Phoenix. But wait! Surely there must be a Starbucks at the next intersection!? No? What kind of town is this anyway?!?

Nov. 25 - Dec. 8: Tuscon was to be home for only about 2 weeks. The nursing supervisor at the agency where I made my first stop upon arriving that afternoon asked where I was staying and ended up offering me room and board at her nice house. I think I paid something like $9.00/night for a bedroom and full use of her nice suburban house with jacuzzi on the edge of town. She was rarely home. Sweet deal! I did work a few shifts around town and earned a bit of money, but work wasn't as available as I had hoped. The weather was mostly nice, in the low 70's for awhile and I spent most of my days doing lots of day hiking in the various desert areas on the edges of town including Saguaro National Monument and Sabino Canyon, took a couple long bike rides, found some public pools to do some lap swimming (outdoor pools in December!), visited, Bisbee, the Sonoran Desert Museum, drove down to Nogales and crossed into Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, which was kind of creepy, dreary and depressing. I felt uneasy so I got the hell out of there. Bought some cheap Kahlua first though. And shopping. Sure I was a sucker for buying southwest trinkets and mementos.Towards the end of my stay in Tucson, the weather had turned to grey, rainy and windy. I was getting irritable and cranky. If I couldn't have the euphoria of being outdoors in weird, beautiful places or enjoying the adventure of the open road like I had early in the trip, then I needed warm weather and the chance to earn money. And I was getting lonesome. "I think I can cope better being on my own when I'm in the middle of nowhere, or on the move. But I've come to a temporary halt here in Tucson... I am restless and something in me wants to pack the car and GO. So, I went.

Dec. 9: Packed up and went north to Prescott for one night. Had some beers and shared some travel stories and camaraderie with a fellow road warrior Nan at an old historic saloon. Next early a.m., I am headed for the Grand Canyon.

Dec 10-11: " Despite the warning I got from the ranger to not try and hike all the way down the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch (6.4 miles and 4800 feet down) and then return in the same day up the Bright Angel (9.8 miles and 4460 feet up), there was no turning back once I started the hike. I got down in 2 hours by jogging part of the way. My reaction to the Canyon was such a feeling of joy and delight. I felt happy and content. The scenery was great but I was also loved the hiking. The physical work, feeling alive and healthy and strong and feeling like everything was coming together perfectly. As I continued my descent, I felt confident about managing the longer return back up. I was a little nervous at first, but I ran into other hikers who planned also to do the round trip as a day hike. Besides, once into the Canyon, there was no choice but to continue to the bottom. It was too great; how could you not feel it was worth the risk and the work? I had read about needing advance reservations for a room at Phantom Ranch, but this turned out to not be the case. I got a bunk in a dorm, a hot shower and meals in the mess hall. What good fortune! I would spend the night deep in the canyon and not risk exhaustion by hiking out the same day. I went on a side hike up the Crystal Creek Trail on the north side of the Colorado River, climbing about 1200 feet in the wind and rain...Next morning: the hike out. It took 2 hours to get to Indian Gardens, 4.8 miles. Another 4.6 miles up to the rim and I was out in 3 hours and 45 minutes."

(I don't know why I wanted to rush leaving such an awesome place, but hiking fast is what I used to do. I remember being pleased with covering those miles and that elevation gain in the time I did. The sign at the top of the trail suggested allowing 4 to 5 hours to go down and double that coming up).

Dec. 12 - 17: Southwest to Yuma, then west the San Diego and north through California to visit multiple relatives along the way. I was back home with plenty of time to put up a Christmas tree and hang all my new Southwest ornaments. Every year that I decorate a tree, my favorite ornaments are things from or reminiscent of my Southwest trip: chili peppers, saguaro cacti, howling coyotes, javalinas, rattlesnakes, and various hiking or SW Native American baubles.