All Posts – Page 8 – Pick-up and a Pop-up

Redwoods National Park

Posted on July 15, 2018December 21, 2019 by Matt Oliver

By Samantha

At first glance, it was an ordinary forest that just had really tall trees. At second glance, it was an alien world with bizarre flotsam hanging off the trunks of ancient slumbering trees. This unique landscape has not been overlooked by filmmakers and has an impressive repertoire of movies grace its natural wonders. Over the years, Redwoods National Park has become a variety of movie sets, most notably becoming the Forest of Endor in The Return of the Jedi, and a canyon in Jurassic Park 2. So, when I arrived in Redwoods I naturally did the only thing a Lord of the Rings fan could do in a place that is the spitting image of Fangorn Forest. I flipped out. When we arrived in Fern Canyon, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t start choking back tears. The stone passages of the canyon were covered by a mass of quivering green fans, and dusty beams of sunlight filtered in through the gnarled trees up above. Waterfalls poured from the heavens and into the canyon, turning into babbling brooks of undiluted joy. The floor was a mosaic of swiftly moving streams, smoothly molded pebbles and fallen mossy trees. Except for the sound of rolling water, it was quiet. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It was all I could do stop myself from hysterically bursting into tears. When I found a hidden nook in a fallen tree, high above the rivers and tourists, I seriously considered abandoning my family and living there forever. I will always remember Fern Canyon, a place with a vivid green heartbeat and the place of my dreams. To me, Redwoods will always be much more than tall trees.

Mouth of the Kalmath River with coastaly trapped river plume

Lassen National Park: Family Camp Along

Posted on July 13, 2018December 21, 2019 by Korin Oliver

When we arrived at the Lassen National Park Manzanita Campground we found Grandpa Epp working hard to set up his campsite. We were excited to spend time with him, Nona, Nona’s Great-Granddaughter Jaliya, and their spoiled dog we affectionately call Cousin Bella. We spent the afternoon and evening catching up, exploring the lake, eating dinner, roasting marshmallows and playing games. After a great night sleep and an amazing breakfast, we set off to see the park. Lassen is known for having four different types of volcanoes: cinder cone, shield, composite and plug dome. Mount Lassen erupted in 1914 leaving a destruction zone that we could explore. We also saw two beautiful alpine lakes: Emerald and Helen. The most popular hydrothermal area in the park, Bumpass Hell was closed but we did get to Sulphur Works, which had some boiling mudpots. Before heading back to the campsite, we went on a three-mile hike to Kings Creek Falls. The views of the meadow and waterfall were stunning. As we hiked, I felt incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to see these amazing places and spend quality time with my family. When we got back to our site, Grandpa and Nona had made a steak dinner for us —what a treat! It was the best dinner we’ve had since starting our journey. Around the fire, Grandpa told us stories about camping as a young man while Nona and kids the played Clue. The morning we left, Matt caught a nice brown trout in Manzanita Lake. We had a fabulous time together in a spectacular place and unsurprisingly, it was difficult to say goodbye.

RVing VS Camping

Posted on July 13, 2018June 27, 2019 by Korin Oliver

Between Great Basin and Lassen, we spent one night in Sparks, Nevada to do laundry, get an oil change and resupply. We stayed at Sparks Marina RV Park where they evaluated our rig to see if it was up to community standards. I think they mentioned no duct-tape, which is actually a problem for us. We were the only tent trailer in a sea of triple axel motorhomes pulling luxury coupes. We decided to come up with a short list about the difference between RVing and Camping.

Top ways you know you’re in a RV park:

You have fake grass next to your concrete pad.
The public bathrooms are super clean because no one uses them.
They give you a list of cable channels when you check in.
You mistake airplanes for stars
There are more rules at check in than in the Bible
You can hear and see your neighbors television
Your neighbors have an outdoor, tabletop cat cage.

Great Basin National Park: An oasis in the desert

Posted on July 9, 2018December 21, 2019 by Korin Oliver

When we reached the Great Basin Visitors Center it was 101 degrees and the kids were sluggish and complaining. They knew our campsite wasn’t going to have electric, water, flush toilets or showers. Furthermore, the thought of sleeping in hundred-degree weather was daunting, even though Matt assured them that our campsite wouldn’t be hot. After getting information from the ranger and watching the park movie, we drove up the ten-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which climbed to 10,000 feet. When we pulled into our campsite it was 51 degrees and raining! The kids were elated and went off to watch two deer in the meadow and explore a nearby stream. The rain continued and we waited it out by playing Hearts inside the trailer. After the rain stopped, we made dinner and hiked around two miles to the grove of Bristlecone Pine trees, the oldest trees in the world. They grow slowly and are highly resinous, which means they have a ton of sap. They also decay very slowly so even after dying, they can still be seen for hundreds of years. When we reached the grove I felt a sense of reverence and inspiration. We saw one living tree that was around 3,200 years old, which means it germinated about the time the Israelites were wandering in Sinai wilderness! Matt gave all of us a science lesson on the trees and as we hiked down, crushing pine needles from several different species while discussing how unique they all smell.

Bryce Canyon: Kids hit the wall

Posted on July 8, 2018December 21, 2019 by Matt Oliver

We’ve been pushing the kids pretty hard; 9 National Parks/Monuments in two weeks. At some point, I was waiting for the first breakdown, and it came on our first day at Bryce Canyon. We got on the Queen’s Garden Trail early to beat the heat and the crowds. The blue-bird day accentuated the contrast between the pink Hoodoos and the deep green trees. Personally, I was high on nature, virtually skipping along the winding trail, mouth gaping at the beauty. We were only about 1.5 miles into our hike, when Korin and I noticed that the kids weren’t hiking, but shuffling along, staring mostly at their shoes. We knew this was the day. At some point, tired kid legs just won’t go anymore. We wrapped up our planned hike early, hiked back to our truck through Wall Street (which is amazing) and spent the rest of the day driving through the park. At one point, we tricked the kids into doing an extra 1 mile loop with us through the Bristlecone Pine trail (which was amazing). After that, they were on to us, and started their revolt. We were back at the campsite by noon, and spent the rest of the day at the campground pool. Eli found some kids that also had RC cars, but it wasn’t too long before he wrecked his car pretty badly. We need new parts to continue. Total bummer!

That evening, I noticed that the inside of the front tires of our pick-up were nearly bald. This was bad news, so I called around to try and find tires, and a place that would do a much needed alignment. Thankfully a nearby tire repair shop had my size, and were willing to do an alignment on a Saturday morning (Thank the Lord!). I spent the next morning at the repair shop. Somehow the bolt on the front tie rod had come loose. The kids were happy about our truck situation because that meant I couldn’t put them back on a trail somewhere. They got to spend the day in the pop-up resting, playing board games, and watching movies. We even got to experience a short hail storm in the pop-up! That evening, we did a 0.8 mile trail to Mossy Cave, and enjoyed part of the Fairyland Loop. We are looking forward to our next trip to Bryce Canyon!

Capitol Reef: The oddly named national park

Posted on July 6, 2018December 21, 2019 by Matt Oliver

Highway 95 through Glen Canyon is the most scenic drive I have ever done. The road meanders between high red cliffs that give you the feeling of driving through the Grand Canyon. I didn’t know how Capitol Reef would be able to top this scenery. Capitol Reef is a 100 mile water pocket fold, that inhibited east-west travel for early pioneers. Early sailors, turned land lubbers, were the ones that thought it should be called a “reef” since it would grind down your gear as you attempted to cross it. “Capitol” was added because one of them thought one of the prominent domes looked like the US Capitol. For whatever reason, the name stuck. We arrived at the Fruita Campground in the evening just in time to cook some pizzas over the open fire, while the kids picked ripe fruit from the onsite orchards. In the morning, I was awakened by the rustling of cotton wood leaves and saw several large bucks in our campground. It was much cooler because a layer of clouds had moved in overnight and dampened the heat of the sun. We decided to take advantage of this blessing and hike the Cassidy Arch Trail which is a 3.4 mile round trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. The sunlight passing through the moving clouds made the color of the rocks dance like a living rainbow. The occasional rain shower cooled us off as we approached Cassidy Arch. We hiked on top of Cassidy Arch and were rewarded with breathtaking views of the Grand Wash Canyon below. We could see that our cloud cover was leaving us so we double- timed it back to camp where we stopped at the Gifford House, a preserved homestead of early Mormon settlers where they still bake old fashioned pies. To our surprise, many of the pies were dairy free! Time to order 1000 of them (or 2). They were a fitting reward for a good hike in a magnificent place. Reflecting on our short trip to Capitol Reef, I am thankful for the safe travels through desolate but beautiful country, the morning clouds that gave us relief from the heat and the wonderful dairy free pies that our whole family enjoyed.

Our Fruita Campsite inside Capitol Reef NP. The campground is nestled in a preserved grove of fruit and cottonwood trees next to the Fremont River.

Eli celebrating the 4th of July in the Fruita Campground

Korin, Samantha and Eli on top of Cassidy Arch

Part of the HWY 95 drive through Glen Canyon

Natural Bridges National Monument: Hiking Redemption

Posted on July 6, 2018December 21, 2019 by Matt Oliver

Having been put into a suplex by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we were out for some hiking redemption. A quick hike to the base of Sipapu Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument is just what we needed. Plus, it broke up the drive from Canyonlands NP to Capitol Reef NP. From the rim, the trail is only 1.2 miles round trip, but descends about 1000 feet. The Sipapu is created out of Permian Sandstone, deposited ~270 MYA. There was a definite sense of history entering into the canyon. It is a quick hike, and something my 42 year old Dad-bod could handle. A nice combination of slick-rock, step-stones, and wooden ladders make for a fun adventure. At the base, we relaxed under giant cottonwoods that provided plenty of shade, while also showing evidence of flash floods that seasonally rip under Sipapu. Once the Turkey vultures started to swirl, sensing that we may be their next meal, we climbed our way back to the rim in just under 20 minutes. It was a great, unplanned stopover on our adventure.

Eli navigating one of the wooden ladders that leads to the base if Sipapu Bridge. Nice form kid!

We made it to the 13th largest natural bridge in the world…and we didn’t die!

We were thankful for the Cottonwoods (both alive and dead), to provide a nice shady place to rest before our sprint out of the canyon.

Off the Beaten Trail: An Adventure in Canyonlands National Park

Posted on July 6, 2018December 21, 2019 by Korin Oliver

By Sam

When we pulled into Canyonlands National Park campground, Eli and I immediately started tearing up. Why? Enter Devil’s Garden, the Arches National Park campground, where two years ago Eli and I had hiked giant boulders and cliffs so that we almost touched the sky and scared our parents half to death. Now, we were looking at a campground surrounded by mesas that reminded us of that magical day in Devil’s Garden. So, as soon as we decided on a campsite, Eli and I bolted out of the truck and started climbing the mesas while our parents set up the pop-up.

The most challenging part about climbing those steep red rocks was finding hand and foot holds that allowed minimal risk of injury if we fell. The trick to this was to imagine my mother’s face if I came back with a broken ankle. If I found a route that might be a bit risky, I would keep that image in my mind as I made a decision. Eli and I scampered around the mesa, climbing higher and higher until we were almost blown off the cliffs by the wind.

Unfortunately, as we turned around to head back to the camper, Eli and I realized that we could not remember which direction we had come from. In other words, we were lost. Well, sort of lost. We knew with absolute certainty one direction we had to go: down. So, we painstakingly made our way down from the mesa, trying to remember landmarks and which site the pop-up was in. Eventually, we reached the sweet, sweet ground and made our way through the brush to the road. We galloped down the road until we saw our trailer, and even though we had an exiting time, we were happy that our mesa climbing adventure in Canyonlands was at a close.

Entering the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park

Samantha and Eli looking back on the campsite from a huge rock. The canyons were calling!

Mesa Verde National Park

Posted on July 4, 2018December 21, 2019 by Korin Oliver

In about 1200 A. D. the ancient Puebloans decided to upgrade their living quarters from underground pit houses to impressive cities nestled in cliff alcoves, complete with million dollar views. However, they lived in their creations for only twenty years after the building was finished before mysteriously vanishing from Mesa Verde. This ancient enigma has drawn both scholars and visitors alike to this national park, and has made it a place of wonder. We arrived in Mesa Verde just in time to take the Twilight Tour of Cliff Palace, the largest ancient dwelling in the park. Cliff Palace is thought to have been home to 100 to 130 people. The next morning we toured the Balcony House, which was home to only thirty people. The fact that the Ancient Puebloan people had called Mesa Verde home for 700 hundred years captivated our imaginations as we contemplated the lives of those before us.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: Humble Thyself

Posted on July 3, 2018December 21, 2019 by Korin Oliver

The single most important word to describe Black Canyon of the Gunnison is severe. The national park, which consists of a narrow gorge with steep painted walls and a 2,700-foot drop into the Gunnison River, is characterized by the chilly evenings and burning days of the high altitude desert. After successfully hiking 10 miles in the Rockies at a higher elevation, we were feeling strong and confident that we could handle a simple 2-mile hike down into the Black Canyon.

The Gunnison Route, which is one of the routes down the canyon, drops 1800 feet in one mile and also features an 80-foot chain where climbers have to lower themselves down the canyon. The trail was steep, but was shaded by the towering canyon walls, and we navigated our way to the chain section in about 45 minutes. The chain was a fun challenge and we made it down with only a few scrapes and frustrated groans. After this, the trail consisted of loose gravel and dirt, and we felt as though we were descending a mountain on banana peels with the bruises on our hineys to prove it. At 2 ½ hours into our descent, we heard the Gunnison River roaring like muffled thunder. However, we also noticed our precious shade was receding quickly and temperatures were rising. The trail was taking us much longer than we anticipated and we were facing the possibility of climbing out of the intimidating canyon in the beating sun. Reluctantly, even though we could now see the river, we decided to turn around. On the way back up, we scrambled on all fours, tossing up the loose dirt into the air. The dust cloud we created coated our bodies like cocoa powder, and our tempers were rising with the heat. After twenty minutes of tough scrambling, we realized we had lost the trail back to the canyon rim. We were dirty, tired, hot and lost. We searched for the trail unsuccessfully for 15 minutes. It was time to pray. Just then in the silence of the canyon, Samantha heard hikers about 100 yards to our west. The trail was covered by low-lying brush and we couldn’t see it. We called to the hikers, who waited for us to make our way back onto the trail. Sarah and Matt were ascending the Gunnison Trail and they offered to accompany us back to the rim. We learned that they had started their hike two hours before we did and were already climbing back up to avoid heat exhaustion from the sun. We made it to the top, sweaty, dirty, and humbled.