Eric Talaska's Southwest Mega Trip
This was a very intense & extraordinary solo trip where I was on the move with only a few relaxation breaks. Why solo? Because nobody else wanted to go / would rather work or watch TV, other reasons (?). Would like to have had company, help and cost shared. I listened to eco & political audio books while driving that others would have probably not enjoyed.
Purpose: 50% business (eco research, find place to relocate business), 50% pleasure & visit a few relatives
Also to get away from an unambitious, aged community, rain and mosquitoes.
Dates: Just over an entire month: September 22 - October 23, 2009
Total Miles: 5,000 exactly (46 mpg avg.Toyota Prius fuel use: 108 gallons at a cost of: $300)
Eco alert: This is still much less polluting than flying, even if a single flight. I highly discourage flying!
Hotel cost: $1,757 (including tax and some breakfasts & received two free hotel nights that did not use)
I had to pay the double occupancy rate, I didn't eat their much of their unhealthy (conventional) breakfasts,
I didn't use their toxic pool and sauna, and I didn't use their toxic shampoo and soap. I would like a discount for that.
Free Stays: 9 days (Aunt Patti (4) - bartered for PC service, Aunt Mary & Uncle Mike (2), Aunt Marlene (1), friend in Sedona (1)
1 night & day stranded (iced roads) and had to sleep in my running car near Denver
Food: Some free fruit from hotels and salad buffets. I spent much less than most would. Drank cheaper bottled water.
Parks: I purchased an annual National Park pass for $80 (it paid for itself at least twice). I had to pay for any state park.
Best Tip: Avoid all shopping! It's all the same made in China junk everywhere. It is a waste of time. Shop local back home.
Places Visited in order of date visited:
Texas: (9/22 - 9/25)
Caverns of Sonora (spectacular, but don't go if you see Carlsbad Caverns, NM)
Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande River border (great to visit in September while traffic & tourism is very low)
Marfa Lights (mysterious lights)
McDonald Observatory & night sky show, internal tour (saw Jupiter & its four moons, slightly visible)
Terlinigua Springs Ghost Town (neat)
Balmorhea Springs (snorkel, avoid - not noteworthy)
New Mexico: (9/26 - 9/29) Photos
Carlsbad Caverns (day) & bat cave flight (evening)
Roswell: International UFO Museum (I think it was a foreign spy plane)
New Mexico Museum of Space History
White Sands National Monument (extremely peaceful, vast, quiet pure white sand dunes)
New Mexico School of Mining Rock & Mineral Museum
VLA (Very Large Array of satellite dishes)
Blackstone Hot Springs (natural hot springs sauna)
Arizona: (9/30 - 10/3 & 10/14 for Grand Canyon) Photos
Petrified Forest National Park (I liked the natural bridge the best), was extremely windy
Meteor Crater (be sure to see the space man at the bottom)
Walnut Canyon National Park
Sedona ("energy vortex" hikes) Note: I was invited to go to a "sweat lodge" (spiritual sauna). I didn't go.
A week later (october 8th, three people were killed and many others injured in a similar lodge.
Casa Grande Ruins National Park
Biosphere 2
Grand Canyon National Park (after Nevada) (the extreme southeast part is best)
Dinosaur footprints, eggs & dung (on an Indian Reservation) this is authentic
California: (10/4 - 10/15) Photos
Joshua Tree National Park (spectacular cactus trail, scenery)
Starline Tours (tour bus around Beverly Hills, Chinese Theater, etc.)
Santa Monica beach & watched movie production on beach; Venice Beach (trashy board walk)
Fisherman's Wharf (SF), Navy jet show, Chinatown, Aquarium (area is extremely crowded but worth visiting)
California Academy of Sciences & Planetarium show (best) (main eco mission of the trip / most recommended)
(Tip: Park for free on Fulton Ave. - hide all valuables; free admission every 3rd Wednesday of each month)
Yosemite National Park (overcrowded)
Alabama Hills (very scenic movie sets in Lone Pine, CA) & Mount Whitney (view of highest point in Cont. U.S.)
Death Valley National Park (lowest elevation in North America) (take the scenic artist's drive loop)
Nevada: (10/14)
Las Vegas strip (much second hand cigarette smoke)
Lake Meade & Hoover Dam (internal tour)
Utah: (10/16) Photos
Moab: Arches National Park (famous Delicate Arch is crowded and not that great; other areas are just a great or better)
Navajo National Monument
Colorado: (10/16 - 10/22) Photos
Museum of Western Colorado (dinosaurs)
Colorado National Monument (scenic drive)
Yampah Hot Springs (natural hot mineral water sauna) & Natural Hot Springs Pool
Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness Area (Aspen)
Continental Divide / highest point in Colorado: 14,433'
Florissant Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument (giant petrified stumps)
Garden of the Gods State Park (free) & special HD movie
U.S. Olympic Training Center (guided tour)
Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center - VIP Wolf Experience (live interaction with pure wolves - see video link coming soon)
Rocky Mountain National Park
National Center for Atmospheric Research (second most important eco research)
Kansas: (10/23)(there's nothing there!) Always glad and anxious to exit! Makes me appreciate most other places more.
Oklahoma: (10/23) (toll conspiracy: 7 x $2 tolls in short distance for a simple low maint. turnpike)
Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium show (F-14 fighter jet on display inside, sit inside an airplane, ride on air)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Places I missed or would like to see again (in the Southwest):
Golden Gate Bridge Recreation Beach area (San Francisco) and the Fisherman's Wharf area
Sequoya National Park
Sedona, AZ - to hike in the peaceful red rocks, talk to smart, friendly, spiritual people
Where have I decided to relocate & live? Still a bit undecided, but narrowing it down to:
Portland, Oregon (Pros: Mild, positive people, green, scenic, close to ocean beaches; Cons: Housing, rainy)
Fayetteville, Arkansas (pros: Cost of housing, four seasons, closeness; Cons: Very low singles, attractions)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Pros: cost of housing, attractions, Cons: Smoking population, cold wind)
These have consistently been my top choices for 20 years.
Where would I live if I could pick anywhere? Hawaii. Why don't I choose Hawaii? Cost of housing / cost of living.
(the same applies for ocean-front California where I would also love to live except for Venice Beach)
Why not Sedona, Arizona? High cost of living, minimal water recreation, isolated from amenities.
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Purpose: 50% business (eco research, find place to relocate business), 50% pleasure & visit a few relatives
Also to get away from an unambitious, aged community, rain and mosquitoes.
Dates: Just over an entire month: September 22 - October 23, 2009
Total Miles: 5,000 exactly (46 mpg avg.Toyota Prius fuel use: 108 gallons at a cost of: $300)
Eco alert: This is still much less polluting than flying, even if a single flight. I highly discourage flying!
Hotel cost: $1,757 (including tax and some breakfasts & received two free hotel nights that did not use)
I had to pay the double occupancy rate, I didn't eat their much of their unhealthy (conventional) breakfasts,
I didn't use their toxic pool and sauna, and I didn't use their toxic shampoo and soap. I would like a discount for that.
Free Stays: 9 days (Aunt Patti (4) - bartered for PC service, Aunt Mary & Uncle Mike (2), Aunt Marlene (1), friend in Sedona (1)
1 night & day stranded (iced roads) and had to sleep in my running car near Denver
Food: Some free fruit from hotels and salad buffets. I spent much less than most would. Drank cheaper bottled water.
Parks: I purchased an annual National Park pass for $80 (it paid for itself at least twice). I had to pay for any state park.
Best Tip: Avoid all shopping! It's all the same made in China junk everywhere. It is a waste of time. Shop local back home.
Places Visited in order of date visited:
Texas: (9/22 - 9/25)
Caverns of Sonora (spectacular, but don't go if you see Carlsbad Caverns, NM)
Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande River border (great to visit in September while traffic & tourism is very low)
Marfa Lights (mysterious lights)
McDonald Observatory & night sky show, internal tour (saw Jupiter & its four moons, slightly visible)
Terlinigua Springs Ghost Town (neat)
Balmorhea Springs (snorkel, avoid - not noteworthy)
New Mexico: (9/26 - 9/29) Photos
Carlsbad Caverns (day) & bat cave flight (evening)
Roswell: International UFO Museum (I think it was a foreign spy plane)
New Mexico Museum of Space History
White Sands National Monument (extremely peaceful, vast, quiet pure white sand dunes)
New Mexico School of Mining Rock & Mineral Museum
VLA (Very Large Array of satellite dishes)
Blackstone Hot Springs (natural hot springs sauna)
Arizona: (9/30 - 10/3 & 10/14 for Grand Canyon) Photos
Petrified Forest National Park (I liked the natural bridge the best), was extremely windy
Meteor Crater (be sure to see the space man at the bottom)
Walnut Canyon National Park
Sedona ("energy vortex" hikes) Note: I was invited to go to a "sweat lodge" (spiritual sauna). I didn't go.
A week later (october 8th, three people were killed and many others injured in a similar lodge.
Casa Grande Ruins National Park
Biosphere 2
Grand Canyon National Park (after Nevada) (the extreme southeast part is best)
Dinosaur footprints, eggs & dung (on an Indian Reservation) this is authentic
California: (10/4 - 10/15) Photos
Joshua Tree National Park (spectacular cactus trail, scenery)
Starline Tours (tour bus around Beverly Hills, Chinese Theater, etc.)
Santa Monica beach & watched movie production on beach; Venice Beach (trashy board walk)
Fisherman's Wharf (SF), Navy jet show, Chinatown, Aquarium (area is extremely crowded but worth visiting)
California Academy of Sciences & Planetarium show (best) (main eco mission of the trip / most recommended)
(Tip: Park for free on Fulton Ave. - hide all valuables; free admission every 3rd Wednesday of each month)
Yosemite National Park (overcrowded)
Alabama Hills (very scenic movie sets in Lone Pine, CA) & Mount Whitney (view of highest point in Cont. U.S.)
Death Valley National Park (lowest elevation in North America) (take the scenic artist's drive loop)
Nevada: (10/14)
Las Vegas strip (much second hand cigarette smoke)
Lake Meade & Hoover Dam (internal tour)
Utah: (10/16) Photos
Moab: Arches National Park (famous Delicate Arch is crowded and not that great; other areas are just a great or better)
Navajo National Monument
Colorado: (10/16 - 10/22) Photos
Museum of Western Colorado (dinosaurs)
Colorado National Monument (scenic drive)
Yampah Hot Springs (natural hot mineral water sauna) & Natural Hot Springs Pool
Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness Area (Aspen)
Continental Divide / highest point in Colorado: 14,433'
Florissant Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument (giant petrified stumps)
Garden of the Gods State Park (free) & special HD movie
U.S. Olympic Training Center (guided tour)
Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center - VIP Wolf Experience (live interaction with pure wolves - see video link coming soon)
Rocky Mountain National Park
National Center for Atmospheric Research (second most important eco research)
Kansas: (10/23)(there's nothing there!) Always glad and anxious to exit! Makes me appreciate most other places more.
Oklahoma: (10/23) (toll conspiracy: 7 x $2 tolls in short distance for a simple low maint. turnpike)
Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium show (F-14 fighter jet on display inside, sit inside an airplane, ride on air)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Places I missed or would like to see again (in the Southwest):
Golden Gate Bridge Recreation Beach area (San Francisco) and the Fisherman's Wharf area
Sequoya National Park
Sedona, AZ - to hike in the peaceful red rocks, talk to smart, friendly, spiritual people
Where have I decided to relocate & live? Still a bit undecided, but narrowing it down to:
Portland, Oregon (Pros: Mild, positive people, green, scenic, close to ocean beaches; Cons: Housing, rainy)
Fayetteville, Arkansas (pros: Cost of housing, four seasons, closeness; Cons: Very low singles, attractions)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Pros: cost of housing, attractions, Cons: Smoking population, cold wind)
These have consistently been my top choices for 20 years.
Where would I live if I could pick anywhere? Hawaii. Why don't I choose Hawaii? Cost of housing / cost of living.
(the same applies for ocean-front California where I would also love to live except for Venice Beach)
Why not Sedona, Arizona? High cost of living, minimal water recreation, isolated from amenities.
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Photo Galleries:
Eric Talaska
with nephew Keyton & dog Tippy
