Month-Long Western US Trek with my Dad

[csclifford]

Eventually we arrived at Olympic National Park.

The park itself was gorgeous as we arrived...and definitely not busy at all. It was still very early in the season, so we were the only people that were staying at the park. At night it got down to around 20°, which was a bit nippy considering we didn't really have proper cold weather sleeping gear. But that's what layers and long underwear is for!

Our campsite for a couple days (and the only picture on my phone I have of our tent set up..haha. I'm sure my Dad has plenty, though):



We then decided to go up Hurricane Ridge. We drove up pretty high, and then proceeded to hike several miles on foot to get to some better views:


The snow in the parking lot near the ridge:






The Ocean, and in the distance, Canada:







One of my favorite photos of the trip:

 

[csclifford]

The neat thing about Olympic National Park is the three different ecosystems that the park has.

Going from the top of the snow-covered mountains, our next trek was in the rain forest section of the park. This area has the largest amount of bio-mass per square mile in the world! Pretty crazy to think of the stark difference from where we were in my last post.






After several miles we came upon a 90° bend in the river, which led to some pretty neat rushing water:

 

[csclifford]

After Olympic, we were running out of time. We decided to head South along the coast and go into Oregon:






Unfortunately, we only had a week left of time and some 2,000+ miles to cover to get back to Eastern Iowa. This was where I apparently stopped taking photos on my phone. If I get any ones from my Dad I'll be sure to upload them.

The road home:


A little under a month after we left, we arrived home. We covered 6,000 miles and made some awesome memories. Living in a pop-up for a month was definitely a change of pace from living in downtown Chicago as I had been doing previously.

I'm sorry I don't really have any good photos of how we set up my vehicle/tent for the trip. Our organization wasn't very good, as we basically just had stuff separated into tubs in my Jeep. We then kept all of our sleeping necessities and duffel bags in the trailer.

I can't wait to do some serious overlanding in the future. Once I get a new vehicle I know I'm going to start prepping it for the next trip. My girlfriend has a very adventurous spirit, and I know we'll have the opportunity for some awesome trips in the future.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Cam

 

[unkamonkey]

Spend time with your father while you can, actuall modify that to spend time with both parents.
In 1992 we did a fathers/sons trip to Buena Vista CO. All of us young pups did the camp chores,the OG's seemed to enjoy us handing them food and beer
My father died less than one year later, I'm happy I had the chance to spend some more time with him. We had done years of travel around N America, that one weekend is the one I cherish the most.

 

[JCMatthews]

Once I get a proper overland-vehicle setup I want to go back and do the White Rim Trail that goes about 100 miles throughout the entire park. It looks to be about a week-long excursion and would definitely be beautiful.

I can tell by your comment that you are a novice off-roader.:sombrero: Maybe there isn't a lot of red rock in Iowa. Your Jeep is more than set up for the White a Rim Trail. I have seen all manor of stock SUVs on the trail. You've got a good set up now you just need to learn how to use it and trust in its capabilities.

Looks like a great trip by the way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[csclifford]

I can tell by your comment that you are a novice off-roader.:sombrero: Maybe there isn't a lot of red rock in Iowa. Your Jeep is more than set up for the White a Rim Trail. I have seen all manor of stock SUVs on the trail. You've got a good set up now you just need to learn how to use it and trust in its capabilities.

Looks like a great trip by the way. Thanks for sharing.

I definitely have no doubt about my vehicle's off road availability, rather it really isn't set up for living out of for a week of a time!

That being said, I have a lot to learn. Thanks for reading!


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[team-oomizumi]

Enjoying your report. Sorry to hear that unfortunate circumstances were partially responsible.

That was the first time that we both had been fly fishing...So needless to say we didn't catch anything all day (there isn't much fly fishing in Iowa, haha). But we still had an amazing time.

You might get some use out of that stick yet. As a native Californian, I didn't think there was much fly fishing in IA either. I walked into the Fin and Feather in IC and a young "kid" showed me a map of the places he fishes. Surprised the heck out of me.

 

[Rubicon_Fan]

Not only you have some great pictures, but also an Inspiration to get out and spend time with a person who gave you everything. Great pictures, and an outstanding trip! Kudos to you for making unforgettable memories.

 

[haven]

I moved this thread to the "completed adventures" area. The trip described doesn't meet the criteria for "expedition," which include

1. Primary purpose: Exploration in support of geographic, scientific or humanitarian endeavors.
2. Duration: Typically several weeks to many years.
3. Logistics: Detailed planning is required for environmental, geographic and geopolitical contingencies.
4. Route Finding: Navigation can be highly complicated, and many areas may have no mapping detail available, requiring extensive research and/or support from the local population.
5. Camping: Accommodations will range from remote camping to hostels due to weather conditions, security concerns or duration of travel. There also may be limited camping available, requiring use of local accommodations, hostels, military and church grounds, etc.
6. International Borders: Often includes crossing of multiple international borders.
7. Risk: Moderate to severe risk to personnel and equipment due to security issues or the extreme remoteness and difficulty of the journey.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...n-A-helpful-guide-for-posting-in-this-section

 

[Steve Richmond]

This is such a great write up. Keep them coming. It's nice to here others from eastern Iowa love doing this sort of thing. Go a Iowa City, go HAWKEYES!


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[shawnr]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing and the inspiration to get out and explore.

 

[csclifford]

Thanks for all of the support, everyone. This site has been an incredible source of knowledge so I look forward to creating many more trip reports in the future!

And Steve, Go Hawks!

 

[Wilbah]

Thanks for sharing your trip. And good for you for making that time with your Dad. I am sure he was thrilled. And you will have those memories for many many years.