Epic American Roadtrip Summer 2014 (third edition)
5 Jul 2014
The little ol’ blog is a bit behind the times. I am currently three weeks into the Epic American Road Trip Summer 2014 and I haven’t even told you what it is. (Hint: it’s an epic roadtrip in the US! During the summer!) This is the third edition of #EpicAmericanRoadTrip — see what I did there? I just gave myself a hashtag! — which is really awesome to think about because it means Macky and I have been traveling around for THREE YEARS and we still love each other. Cue “aww moment.”
This year we are joined by our teammate Sean (aka the mountain man) and his girlfriend Emily from Tennessee. In addition to providing expertise in the realm of biscuits and gravy, Sean and Emily have a sprinter van.
Which means that this year…
… instead of looking like this:
Our summer looks like this:
#likebosses #doingitright.
This year’s road trip will take me back to some of my favorite places (MOAB!!!), as well as a lot of new places that I cannot wait to explore (BRITISH COLUMBIA, WHAT UP!). As usual, there will be lots of bike-riding and adventuring and camp-cooking and the occasional, probably not-as-prompt-as-some-might-hope blog post. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE SUMMER?!?!?!?!
As I said earlier, this is three weeks late, so we’ve already hit the first few stops.
Here’s a quick summary of the past few weeks, highlight reel style:
Snowmass, Colorado — silvery aspen trees, views of the Maroon Bells mountain range, lots of purple lupins, racing the Big Mountain Enduro #1 and falling on my face multiple times, camping by a beautiful alpine river.
Driving to Durango, Colorado — driving a sketchy mountain highway at night, trying not to pay attention to the huge drop offs, picking up a stinky hitchhiker who claimed to be legally blind and said his “friends” stole his glasses and left him on the side of the road, finding a camp-spot in the middle of the night, backing a 35-foot sprinter van down a terrifying gravel road on the edge of a 100-ft cliff, making curry at 10 o’clock at night and eating it in the van
Durango, Colorado — riding the unbelievably epic Kennebec pass, racing Big Mountain Enduro #2 and NOT falling on my face (win!), tubing the Animas River and conquering some pretty legit rapids that I suspect most tubers do not attempt (and toppling out of our tubes on multiple occasions)
I plan on writing more in-depth posts on these destinations, possibly featuring some alliteration (i.e. Danger in Durango, Summer in Salida), so you can get excited for that and/or suggest possible alliterative titles in the comments.
What’s your summer looking like? Have you ever gone on an epic American road trip? What are your favorite Western US destinations?!?
This looks awesome and completely epic! And, I love alliterations. So, win win win. Hope the rest of the road trip goes amazing! :)
Thank you! And yes, alliterations are boss!
Ooh! Looks like you’ll be stopping in Portland, Oregon. If you haven’t already been, you will absolutely love it. It’s especially great in the summer time! Make sure to drink craft beer, eat from a food cart, and visit the world’s largest independent bookstore Powell’s.
I majorly <3 powells. I could live there. Like in the store.
That indeed is an epic summer getaway with friends and as well as the whole family. Wow! That is just exciting when you experience everything from the things you expected and things that are unexpected. That sure is one hell of a great adventure. Maybe I can experience this kind of road trip soon. Thanks
So jealous! Is that Sprinter yours? I want one SO BAD! Looks like a fabulous trip. I grew up in Boise. Tons of good mountain biking there. Good beer as well. Have fun!
Sadly the sprinter belongs to my teammate, Sean. But I am saving my pennies (literally, pennies) for the day when I can get my own!