Mushrooms and Arches

The time has finally come for me to head back to Kentucky! I have one year left in my degree and I’m excited to graduate and get a job somewhere in the forest. This summer has been super awesome and my time in North Bend has taught me so much about forestry and the Forest Service.

In all honesty, I have no idea where I’ll go when I graduate!!! The forest service is going through some hiring and budget issues right now, which may disqualify me for a job with them, but it’s a long time until May and a lot can still change. For now though, let’s focus on what I did to get back to KY!

1. 08/16/2024: North Bend, WA -> Boise, ID
2. 08/17/2024: Boise, ID -> Salt Lake City, UT
3. 08/18/2024: Salt Lake City, UT -> Laramie, WY
4. 08/19/2024: Laramie, WY -> Lincoln, NE
5. 08/20/2024: Lincoln, NE -> Starved Rocks SP, IL
6. 08/21/2024: Starved Rocks SP, IL -> Chicago, IL
7. 08/22/2024: Chicago, IL -> Independence, KY!!

08/16/2024: North Bend, WA -> Boise, ID

It was hard saying goodbye this year because it felt a lot more final. Despite this, I packed up my stuff and hit the road to get back to the bluegrass.

I saw a lot of cool things today even though I didn’t make very many stops, and a lot of great scenery!

My first major stop was the Central Washington Agricultural Museum in Union Gap, WA. I had heard about this place from Atlas Obscura and decided to check it out since it was free and really close to the interstate.

They had a lot of antique farm implements, which were all very interesting to see! (And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT). They had a whole room full of vintage chainsaws and even an old (making an assumption) cable yarder.

They were also getting ready for a power show this weekend, which I am sad to miss! People from all over were on the museum grounds setting up their tractors for the show. There were so many well-taken-care-of pieces of equipment that still ran and were in great condition.

I really wanted to check out the letterpress museum as well, but they weren’t open today. 😥

From there, I saw the mighty Columbia River as it split Oregon and Washington. I stopped at a rest area to get a state map of Oregon, and I hit the road towards Boise, and ultimately the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey Conservation Area (try saying that five times fast).

It’s a raptor sanctuary that provides habitat to migrating and native birds (and even some threatened and endangered ones!). There’s a gorge with a dammed Snake River running through the area with developed campsites on it, which was my final goal. The good thing about camping in the West is that there are a lot of free, dispersed campsites on public land – and this is one of those sites!

When I started the day in Washington it was in the 50s and cloudy, and when I got to Idaho it was nearly 90 and sunny. That was a bit of an adjustment!

I also got to meet a cool family from Boise who is spending the weekend down here. They invited me to their campfire and even fed me dinner. We had a lovely conversation over the campfire then they turned in for the night.

08/17/2024: Boise, ID -> Salt Lake City, UT

I hit the road early this morning to make it to Salt Lake City in a reasonable time. The sunrise was beautiful in Idaho, and the drive went very smoothly! I listened to a lot of NPR on the drive over and was enjoying the weekend programming.

I got some good photos too!

I ended up getting to Salt Lake City around 1pm in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. I saw multiple lightning strikes on my way in and sheets of rain were coming down.

I decided to stop at the central library to make a game plan for camping and to see what the weather was going to look like going into the morning. The library in Salt Lake City is absolutely beautiful! This is the second library on my adventures that has had an expansive atrium, and I really like how it looks. I think I still liked the Minneapolis central library a bit more, but the SLC library had free parking up to 2 hours and a very expansive zine collection.

It turns out there is a big storm system coming through the SLC area that is going to last until tomorrow morning. Having found that out, I got a cheap-ish airbnb and saw some cool sights while the weather was clear in the evening!

After I left the library I drove around to see the temple, which is under construction. Then I got some pho downtown (I figured soup in the rain would be a good idea) and checked in to my airbnb.

It was POURING when I was checking out the temple, but the rain cleared out by the time I got to my airbnb around 5. The evening was really pretty so I decided to go to Great Salt Lake State Park, which was about 40 minutes away.

The park was small, but beautiful! And most importantly, I was able to get a Utah road map, which I wasn’t able to get at the state welcome area on the interstate because it was closed – and I’m definitely not upset about that at all.

I managed to snap some cool photos of the lake and antelope island.

08/18/2024: Salt Lake City, UT -> Laramie, WY

I wish I had more time to explore around Salt Lake City! It’s a cool place and I’d definitely come back in the future if I had the chance.

I got up early this morning to go on a cave tour at Timpanogos Cave National Monument. It’s their centennial this year, and to celebrate, they’re doing lantern tours throughout the cave. The interesting thing about the cave tours is that you have to hike all the way to the top of the mountain to get to the actual cave, which ends up being 1.5 miles one-way. It’s not an easy hike but it’s not the worst I’ve ever done. The most challenging thing is that there are sections of trail you’re not supposed to stop on because of the potential for rockslides.

Otherwise, I got up with no problem and hung out with one couple from Minnesota who does whitewater rafting instruction in the summer, and another who lives in Salt Lake City.

The tour itself lasted about 2 hours and was super fun and informative! I still believe that Mammoth Cave reigns supreme among all caves, but I enjoyed this one. If I had to rank the caves I’ve been to so far, I would put this at #3 behind Jewel Cave (#2) and Mammoth Cave (#1).

There were lots of interesting formations throughout the cave that aren’t typically found in mammoth cave like helictites!

The only thing I was disappointed in was that the lanterns were LED and not real ones. When I did a lantern tour at Mammoth Cave last year, the lanterns were in fact real and it was super cool to feel the heat and see the light they produce. It’s way different than the LED ones!!

But I digress…

When we got done, I hiked down the mountain and headed to the gift shop, then I hit the road to Laramie, WY.

It was a really straightforward drive – just east on I-80 until I got to the right place. The scenery was beautiful coming out of Utah, and crossing over the Rockies was just as cool. I got some great pics! There was even a tunnel I went through while in the badlands of Wyoming.

I took some time while driving to call family and friends, and finished a book I had started reading in North Bend.

The campground I am at is very nice! It is just off the interstate and close to Laramie, WY. I talked to a group of campers next to me who are staying until Wednesday to ask about weather and it looks like it will rain tonight but not very much! So I will be braving it in my tent.

It turns out that last night in Salt Lake City there was a HUGE storm that passed through, so I am very glad I got the Airbnb. I slept really well and it was good to relax indoors even though I had only been camping for one night at that point.

Tomorrow is another big drive – and a time zone change! I’ll be in central time for the first time since April.

08/19/2024: Laramie, WY -> Lincoln, NE

My longest day of driving coming back!

I started off the day by having a big breakfast at camp and checking out the Abe Lincoln memorial rest stop, which was on the way to the interstate from my campsite. They have a giant statue of Lincoln’s head visible from the interstate, which was neat! It was there to commemorate the Lincoln Highway, the first trans-continental highway in the US.

Today I crossed into Nebraska for the first time, and it was not as bad as people say it is. The western part of the state is in the foothills of the Laramie range of the Rockies, the first major range you come across going west on I-80. Despite the flat terrain, it was still very scenic in central Nebraska, with rows of corn stretching across into the horizon, interrupted occasionally by tribes of windmills rotating in the vast wind of the great plains.

I will say, the worst part of that drive was the smell of the industrial cattle farms. I came across a few of those in Idaho, and the smell was bad, but the one I passed in Nebraska takes the cake for the absolute worst- it had me gagging in the car and holding my breath…

I stopped intermittently along the way to fill up and get snacks, and totaled 7.5 hours of driving, plus a time zone.

When I got to Lincoln, the state Capitol had closed to visitors, but I still walked around the grounds and admired the architecture! Its dome has a big tower, and I’d love to know if there are offices in the tower, or if it’s a HUGE atrium.

From there I drove to my campsite for the night, and today I got a bit creative. Nebraska, just like Kentucky, has various wildlife management areas for hunters to utilize during hunting season. My favorite near Lexington is Griffith Woods WMA because of its history and unique artifacts. In both states, there is free camping available at WMAs where it’s available.

I hatched this idea after spending time with Jeff from Hot Springs, SD, who recommended doing the same thing in Kansas.

So I decided to camp for free at the Little Salt Springs WMA. I had no idea what was the place was going to look like other than what I could find on google street view, and the information about this WMA online was sparse. I took my chances and drove out there to see what was up, and luckily I have the place to myself for the night! There isn’t any cell service, but that’s ok. I looked up the weather beforehand and made all my calls before I left reception. The cicadas are out in full force as I am writing this, and it’s making me realize how much I miss the sounds of the east! The nighttime symphony of crickets, birds, and owls is something I haven’t heard much of in the Pacific Northwest and hearing them all sing together right now makes me happy to be heading home. I also forgot that lightning bugs are out right now!

08/20/2024: Lincoln, NE -> Starved Rocks SP, IL

It was another long day, but my long days of driving are now behind me!

It ended up raining in the morning, which made my tent a bit wet unfortunately. I stayed dry on the inside, but the rain meant that I didn’t get to stay at camp and eat breakfast, and that I hit the road pretty early.

It was a straight shot across I-80 to Starved Rock State Park in Ogelsby, IL, and I made three big sight-seeing stops, all of which were unplanned.

First, I stopped at a Danish Windmill in Elkhorn, IA. They had signs advertising it from the interstate and I immediately knew that this was somewhere I wanted to go to. And surprise, surprise, it’s ANOTHER retirement project of an old white guy with Scandinavian heritage. He purchased a windmill from Denmark in the 70s, marked each of the timber pieces, disassembled it, shipped it across the ocean, and reassembled it in Iowa in 1975. It’s fully functional and is regularly maintained to produce flour and grind grains. I got a short tour of it, and got to look around the gear mechanisms inside. It’s super neat and they have a great gift shop you can visit at the end where you can buy the flour made by the mill.

Afterwards, I checked out a woodworking shop next door to the windmill. I talked to the owner for a bit about woodworking and forestry and he showed me all of his cool projects. At the end, he gave me a car be made for free! I was very grateful, and it’s just like me on this trip right now.

My next stop was Des Moines, IA, the capital of the Hawkeye State. I stopped at an Asian botanical garden, which was next to a pedestrian bridge over the Des Moines River commemorating women in politics. Then, I walked around the capitol building and got some great photos of the golden dome! It’s very different than the one in Lincoln. I would have walked around on the inside, but I wanted to get to my campsite in time before sundown, so I just got my pictures and headed out.

My secret bonus stop was this really nice rest stop that looks like it was just completed. The bathrooms were super nice, and it had lots of maps and information. I really enjoyed it, and had a quick snack there before heading to my final stop, which was…

The World’s Largest Truck Stop!!!

And when they say largest, they mean it.

This place had everything: convenience food, fast food restaurants, coffee, doughnuts, car parts, truck parts, truck mattresses, guitars, showers, laundry, a movie theater, a dentist, a barbershop, and even a chiropractor. That’s not to mention the world trucking museum, which I would have gone to if I wasn’t trying to get to my campsite before sundown.

I would definitely come back here in the future!

From there I drove straight to Ogelsby and checked in at my campground at Starved Rock State Park (Apparently the #1 park in the state of Illinois!). It has really nice campground with showers, hot water, and the works. I even have electricity at my site.

There are a bunch of trails I plan to check out tomorrow before I head out to Chicago! This was the perfect campground to end my days of sleeping outside on.

08/21/2024: Starved Rocks SP, IL -> Chicago, IL

I had a fun day of hiking and riding the ‘L’!

I got up early to make breakfast, let everything dry and plan my route for the day. Then I started hiking at Starved Rock State Park around 8. The geology of the park looked very familiar! Like a miniature version of the Red River Gorge in KY. I saw a lot of limestone canyons and outcrops, but in slightly different configurations than what you can see in KY. I also got to practice my trees again. It was rough at first trying to remember all of the hardwoods, but I was able to get it towards the end.

My favorite part of the hike was overlooking the Illinois river and seeing the lock and dam they had near the park. When I went there was a ship going through the lock, and it was fun to watch it as it slipped through. It made me wish that many of the locks in KY were still in operation. I went to one near High Bridge earlier this year and it was super fun to see what had become of it!

I wrapped up my hike around noon, checked out the visitor center, then hit the road to Chicago. This was the shortest amount of driving I’ve had to do so far this road trip – only about 2.5 hours, and the time flew by.

I went by O’Hare to pick up my roommate, who just got back from Germany, and we headed to our friend’s place from last year. She moved only one block over from where she was last year so getting there was not a problem.

I walked around in the park for a bit, then my roommate and I got dinner at a Kyrgyzstani restaurant, followed by hanging out at a café.

We took the train around to see various friends, then called it a night when we were both falling over from exhaustion.  

08/22/2024: Chicago, IL -> Independence, KY!!

Finally! I am back in the bluegrass!!

It was a very long day of driving but my roommate was able to help for half of it. We got breakfast at a café with some friends before hitting the road to KY.

We stopped for gas a few times, and tried to stop for lunch in Indianapolis, but were thwarted by a large group of college students coming in the restaurant we wanted to go to as we were about to enter. So we called it quits and got lunch elsewhere on the road.

Johnna called and we talked to her for a bit, too, which was fun! She put out her own blog about her travels in Georgia, which you can read here!

We finally got to KY in the afternoon and stopped at a UDF to get milkshakes, then we braved traffic to go straight through to Lexington.

My plan was to drop off my roommate and my stuff at our new house, then driving back to northern KY to see my parents for a day.

All went well and I got to unload my road trip stuff! I have a lot of unpacking to do when I get back to Lexington, and a lot of organizing.

But after 8100 miles, my second trip to Washington is complete! It was absolutely amazing and I learned so much about the forest there and working for the Forest Service. I hope I can come back after I graduate to the Pacific Northwest, because it has taken a grip on my heart.

Stay tuned for another blog post soon about how school is going! I intend to keep this page updated throughout the year, but not as frequently as I have been doing in Washington.

See you all next time and thanks for joining me on this trip!