Overland Expo Road Trip: Day 8 and 9

Until I woke up on Monday morning, I had been so busy that the end of Overland Expo 2012 hadn’t really had time to sink in. It was a bummer that the big trip was nearing its conclusion, but on the positive side there were still two days left, including another night of camping and a visit to that Grand Canyon place.

We reluctantly packed up after breakfast. We helped J. load his bike into the bed of his pickup and then said our goodbyes to him and others like Lou and Nancy who stopped by our camp on their way out.

You could almost hear the spiritual sigh as Anthony and I hit the road. We enjoyed the last drive along the beautiful local scenery as we made our way back to Flagstaff, where we topped up our tanks again. Soon we were back in unfamiliar territory, climbing past 8,000′ elevation and heading northwest towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

The woods around Flagstaff thinned and vanished and we found ourselves back in scrubby, flat terrain. We eventually knew we were nearing the park because of the sudden increase of tourist attractions and gift shops. We arrived at the park entrance station, paid our fees and drove up to the visitors center parking area.

We walked to the south rim and I finally had my first look at the Grand Canyon after all these years. I’d passed close by a few times, so it was a relief to have finally made it. It was as impressive as I had expected, although I had a feeling it might even be more stunning when viewed from the canyon floor.

We spent a couple of hours there, admiring the remarkable scenery and snapping photos. We even ran into some folks we’d met at the Expo. It was hot, but not uncomfortably so. We finished up with a quick pass through the visitors center building and then the “book store” which I guess is a loftier name than “gift shop”! Still, I was happy to pick up a sticker for myself, as well as a cute stuffed animal for my daughter.

While we were there, a worker at the store was telling a couple that had arrived via shuttle bus that there were only vending machines snacks and energy bars for sale. They stormed out, angry that no full lunch service was available, loudly proclaiming “How stupid!” while the other patrons shook their heads.

We hit the road again, this time heading south to Williams and then west again on I-40. We drove through Williams looking for a place to grab lunch, and discovered a funky old downtown area that was a couple of blocks long. It certainly had personality, even if it was hard to gauge what exactly that personality was!

From there the drive was pretty much a highway cruise, taking in the sights of the American southwest along the way. At another dusty, hot stop for fuel we finally nailed down our camping plans for the night, which had only been loosely-defined up to that point. We’d considered heading back up to Balancing Rock on the eastern end of the Mojave Road, but then Anthony had a great idea: we could camp at the Pleasant View School campsite again. This had a number of advantages: it was only a short distance off of the paved roads; we knew it was a great campsite; we’d be able to see Kelso and some new areas of the Mojave; we’d be further west when we started home in the morning; and best of all the camp should be cooler than the lower, furnace-like areas.

Speaking of which, we stopped for gas at the expensive and surly Goffs service station. The doors and windows were plastered with cranky signs that explained a wide variety of homemade rules, how the owners were trapped there and how things were not their fault. It set the tone for the inside, where a tattooed woman behind the counter quickly blurted out “I don’t make the rules.” without pause after asking me to leave my drivers license with her while I filled up. On top of the angry tension that radiated from the station, it was also 105ºF outside, and then Anthony’s Land Cruiser seemed to be vapor-locked again.

He cranked for a while without success, and we both dreaded the idea of needing any sort of assistance here in Bad Juju Land. We were thankful that after waiting several minutes with the hood popped, Hank the Tank fired up again! We both took a deep breath of relief and got the heck out of there.

The sun was reaching the horizon as we headed west on 40, then north on Kelbaker Road to Kelso. It was a nice drive through the desert here, with another nice Mojave sunset to watch, but it got much hotter again as we descended about a thousand feet into Kelso. We turned onto the Kelso-Cima Road and cruised along it to the turnoff for the Mojave Road as darkness settled over the desert. We turned on our lights and made good speed to the campsite, where we settled in under the stars. Anthony had a very nice curry chicken dinner planned, and we waxed poetically about the camp, the night sky, and the trip in general. And cold beer.

We slept well, thankful that the wind remained mild, and in the morning began the final long stretch home. We stopped in Kelso on the way out, and enjoyed our quick tour of the finely-restored old rail station. The Mojave roads were a joy until we reached 40 once more, and it again turned into a long highway slog home.

Many hours later, as we approached the bay area and the point where we’d go our separate ways, we made our goodbyes via our radios. From there, I made best speed back to San Jose, where I pulled up at my daughter’s daycare at exactly the usual pickup time. She didn’t know I’d be picking her up, but after all this time would she still remember her dear dada? ;^)

It was wonderful to see my little monkey again and we had a joyous reunion, although she did object to my prickly 9-day beard! More good times followed when I got home to Carrie, and to my own shower. And my own bed, after eight nights in a tent! It was nice (but weird!) to be home, sad to be done with the road trip, and I was in a mental fog from the long drive and general fatigue… And I had to be at work the next morning. Ouch.

It had been an epic trip, to me anyway, and I’d love to do it all over again for Overland Expo 2013.

• Day Eight Miles: 460
• Day Eight Miles offroad: 9
• Trip Miles: 1,467
• Trip Miles offroad: 172.8
• Days without a shower: 2

• Day Nine Miles: 498
• Day Nine Miles offroad: 9.2
• Trip Miles: 1,965
• Trip Miles offroad: 181
• Days without a shower: 3 – until I got home!

Overland Expo Road Trip: Day 8-9 photo gallery