Redwood Letters

July 20, 2013  
        
            THE SHUTTLE from our campground in Rising Sun leaves for Logan Pass on another extra hot, extra sunny day in Glacier NP. It's around 11:30 and we've finally got our shit together ready to be in the mountains. The Highline trail, leaving from Logan Pass, starts right at the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6800 ft.  
          Our first encounter with wildlife was no more than three minutes into the hike! A few big-horn sheep were chillin in the mountain meadow, little did I know the rest of the herd was just around the corner. There is something very powerful and organic about experiencing animals in the wild where they are at home and you are invading their space.  
          These incredibly large big-horn sheep were strong, and far from being sheepish. Bah! A slightly intimidated self watched in awe as the entire herd treaded past me no more than ten feet in front of my face. I soaked up the moment with marvel and disbelief as I watched them run up mountain terrain with an effortlessly smooth motion about their step. Another corner housed mountain goats in the sheer cliff. One being a cute little baby goat...not the last we would see of these rather careless looking creatures.  
          Rachel seemed to be loosing it with one of the most epic views the US has to offer. The first eight miles were taking their toll though, and we weren't at all prepared for what the mountain had to throw at us. With a stress and time crunch to catch the shuttle back to Rising Sun we were caught in the middle of the trail with a desicion to make. Right about then was when a mountain goat and her baby decided to block the trail. I took that as a sign to take it easy and soak in all the beauty that the sun was lighting up in front of me. Approaching with caution we passed the goat, who seemed to be pretty consumed with eating some grass.  
          Not ten minutes later a Bald Eagle flies right above me in an elegant silet flight of grandeur, commanding my respect and admiration once again for this great bird of prey. It's broad wingspan is motionless as it glides upward on a thermal and out of sight around a ridge. I was unaware of their presence in these higher elevations, which lead me to believe that it may be a Golden Eagle or a Bald Eagle without its full plumage (which can take over 4 years).  
          THREE MILES later we staggered up some rocky steps to a chalet at the top of the mountain called "Chalet". Genius. Searching for a slight bit of relief from the beating sun and maybe some water, we found nothing but wretched smelling pit toilets and billions of annoying little bitches called flies. At this point we were out of water and I thought Rachel was going to die. No doubt this had been one of the hardest things she has ever taken upon herself. The terrain was difficult, and the speed we were going caught us up to people that started the same trail at 9am. As we finished the last spoonful of our cheddar-broccoli-potato chunky soup (cold and fresh out of the can of course) we set off for four miles of descending shin-breaking bliss with a 2600 ft. loss in elevation to "The Loop" parking lot to catch the shuttle.  
          BACK AT LOGAN PASS we just catch the shuttle and sit in front of our new friends for the two hour ride back to our campsite. Freddy and Stacey are on their honeymoon, here from Chicago, and just blasted through the same trek we had. It's not very often you meet younger, more relevant people here, most are retired folk driving their expensive bus RV's around the country in complete comfort. They've got some good stories, but these Chicago folk were going for beer after, and I liked that.  
          There is a place in East Glacier called "Kips Beer Garden" owned by a man named Coyote Bill and his Native Indian 'partner,' who wasn't feeling to well on account of him having just passed kidney stones through his private area. This is where we met Freddy and Stacey for some post hike brews, and some entertaining conversation. This incredibly decieving bar was a pretty hip place, with $8 pitchers of PBR and some live bluegrass comin up. How can you go wrong in the middle of nowhere with that action?    
          Rachel had mentioned the last time we had a legit shower and Stacey invited us back to their KOA site where we used the showers. This is somewhere I'm sure we will arrive at again! After more brews and some much needed pizza, we said goodbye to our new friends and genuinely wished to see them again on our way back through Chicago for some deep-dish pizza.  
         LEAVING GLACIER was a joyful feling of satisfaction this morning, with excitement in reaching the Canadian border later this evening.

- Previs

July 15, 2013    

            ABOUT ten miles west of Rexburg Idaho lie a hidden gem of sand dunes just off highway 33. This is where I awoke after an evening in the sand by a fire pit with some mormon twenty-somethings. Mormons are interesting folks. I immediately sensed the christian vibe, and it quickly turned into a latter day saints vibe. These guys and girls were perpetually stuck in twelve-year old naivety, but they offered us smores and soda in a typical friendly fashion.  After an introduction of everyone in the circle, we quickly came into conversation about our travels. I informed them that this was the last state on my list of continental states to visit, and one of the girls  spoke up saying "thanks for making us last!" To which I digressed.  

            Indeed Idaho was the last state amoung 48 that I would putter into after years of travel and a goal that began in the summer of 2006.  I cant even count the times I've been across this continent, both the US and Canada. The highlighted map of where I've been since 2006 looks a little like a highlighter exploded.  

            It is now the summer of 2013, and there I was, standing at the Idaho sign, my head racing just as fast as my heart on this calm, sunny, warm day at the continental divide on highway 20 from Yellowstone NP. I teared up a bit, thinking of all the road, all the friends, all the mountains, all the excitement and all the boring and all the stories I've had from travelling the way I have. All the highlights came rushing back, from the first time I saw the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to the beauty of White Sands NM in New Mexico. The East coast had been kind to me, with its Nags Head sunset and wild chickens of Key West, to the history of Boston and the tall buildings of New York City, but the West Coast was where I found my home. The coastal mountain range of Washington state and Oregon, the Redwoods of California, Death Valley, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon have all left me with some pretty epic sense of adventure. 

            Today it's road trip life back to normal. Waking up with the sun, and once again finding a river to clean my dirty self. Did I mention I was travelling with a girl named Rachel? She's pretty good with this road trip thing. It's not very often you find an incredibly good looking woman who is'nt annoying as hell to accompany you in a frugal quest across the continent for two months. Minimal showering and maximum sweating, unstable sleeping conditions, and absolute unsuredness is not typically what a girl can call enjoyable. You may think thats pretty ghetto and not a lot of fun at all, but I assure you, it's the best way to travel!

- Previs

     So I'm sitting in the car as Previs drives us through Minnesota. We just crossed the Mississippi river on our way to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore. This is one of the days where we just drive. So I'm going to take this time to tell you a story...

     Once upon a time, a young couple pulled into a ridiculously overpriced parking garage in Chicago. The two had bright eyes and high expectations; to see a large metal bean, an exciting downtown, high buildings and interesting homeless people... but most of all the famous Chicago deep dish pizza. As the dirty road trippers  wandered the streets they met a tall black man with terrible oral hygiene who wished to share his insider's knowledge of the best places to see in Chicago, for a small donation to the Salvation Army of course. After some quick back and forth, the couple learned of a free trolley ride, a riverwalk, and the best deep dish pizza around... Uno's Pizzeria. There is was,  their mission laid out for them. Little did they know, nothing is free, Including information from some missing teeth.
     Trolley ride was a dud, riverwalk was a dud, even a $4.27 cookie from the one and only Hershey store was a big let down. The poor couple had one more thing to look forward to.... deep dish.
     Finally, they came to Uno's ready for some tasty tasty cheesy meaty globs of heaven from a pan. Into the Pizzeria they went, only to find a 45 min wait for a $22.00 SMALL. They left the place with empty stomachs in search of a cheaper alternative.
     Their dimmed eyes looking for something, anything of lesser value. There it was, printed on a pink 8.5X11.... “$3.00 SHOTS  $3.50 BEER” after a heavy chested Polish blonde made double sure of their foreign ID's, the Canadians were finally tasting the watered down local brew; Chicago Old Style. After wordless wandering in the loud, humid city it was about time to move along. Their dinner consisted of Walmart trail mix and cold can of Hormel's Chunky Bean Chili, the tired, drained couple finally retired to the make-shift mazda bed for a farty night of deep dish-less digestion.

-Rachel

For those following us around, (pretty sure its only our mothers) I've posted our schedule.  Also, if there are any friends in the area who would like to hang out, experience a west coast espresso, or a good old pint of locally brewed stout, give us a shout!

http://soundcloud.com/previs-davidson/cambridge-records