The Quirky Silver Jack Inn, Baker, NV

September 25th,  Baker, Nevada 

Once we did our drive up Mt. Wheeler. we pulled into the funky Silver Jack Inn in Baker, NV. 

It was a compilation of odd little buildings….cafe/store/art gallery, motel-type rooms, workshop, owner’s home and other assorted small wooden shacks for who knows what.  Joyce and I both looked at each other and wondered what we were getting ourselves into. 

From Civilization to Isolation

September 25^th  Nevada Basin and Range

Wednesday morning brought clouds, rain and wind for our trek toward Yosemite, through the rest of Utah and into the vast expanse of central Nevada.  Our destination for the day was Baker, Nevada and the Great Basin National Park where the endangered bristlecone pine trees were hanging on. 

When I wrote about the remote area in Colorado around Dinosaur, I had no idea what remote really was until we came to the Basin and Range area of Nevada.

Whose Idea Was This Anyway?

September 24^th,  Park City, UT

Tuesday morning brought yet another lovely day and Joyce and I were hoping to get up into the mountains via the ski lifts that we were told

were opened up now for hikers and mountain bikers.  We still ended up taking our time in the morning (just too relaxed to be in a hurry) but we eventually made our way over to the Canyons Resort and a lift called PayDay which took us to the top of a mountain. 

Poking Around Main Street Park City

September 23^rd, Park City, UT

Monday morning in Park City was a leisurely beginning.  Joyce and I were loathe to leave the comforts of Silvia’s AirBnB home and it was nice not to have an agenda after the long haul from Denver.  With getting such a late start, we decided on strolling around the historic Main Street area and checking out all the art galleries and shops.  The day was another perfect day of warm sun, blue sky and just cool enough for a pullover. 

Park City And Feeling Like The 1%

September 22^nd, Park City 

After a great morning at Dinosaur, we hopped into the Mini that had evidence of ancient soil clinging to the floormats and headed off on a relatively short drive to Park City, Utah.  We had driven more than 7 hours the day before so Sunday’s travel time of 3 and a half hours seemed like a breeze.  The terrain changed a couple more times…leaving behind the more dry, desert-like basin of mountain ranges with hardly any foliage to alpine mountains with pines and aspens.   The weather eventually cleared and turned into a pretty day. 

We arrived at our Airbnb house situated on a small bench of foothills with the vast expanse of a nature preserve in the foreground view and the big mountains beyond. 

This was a home right out of a fancy architectural or luxury home magazine.

Dinosaurs Galore

September 22^nd,  Colorado to Utah

The day before had been approximately 8 hours of travel from the city of Denver to the remote areas of Jensen Utah.  I had chosen this area for our route to Park City so that we could check out Dinosaur National Monument.  (See our suggested link.) I knew Joyce especially was interested in the geology and paleontology in such magnitude as was at this site.  We had that morning to explore the area before making our way to Park City and our second airbnb accommodations.  There were three main reasons for our visit to this area....dinosaur fossils, pictographs and petroglyphs; and amazing geological formations and the record of time they represent. 

In The Rockies At Last

September 21^st, Colorado to Utah

We so enjoyed our morning over coffee and breakfast with Elizabeth and Yasu.  Yasu would get in from the restaurant after we had gone to bed so mornings were when we could talk in a leisurely way with all four of us.  Like Joyce and I, he has an inquisitive mind and we laughed over the questions that would come tumbling out of him.  I envisioned future visits with them for the endless conversations I knew there would never be a shortage of.  I was feeling the lack of sleep from late night talks over wine with Elizabeth and mornings full of dialogue with a table of four but that competed with my excitement of getting into the thick of the Rockies during our drive that day. 

Joyce and I left Denver in early afternoon, later than we should have for a long bit of driving today. 

Mile High City

September 19 - 21

We made it to the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado on a perfect weather day with beautiful blue skies. As we drove out of the prairie I couldn't help but be excited at my first look in many years of the truly big mountains of the West. I was gleeful when we entered Denver and, just past the city, 

Plains Drifting

September 18^th, Missouri to Kansas

After a couple days of relaxing in the laid back atmosphere of Sharon and Richard’s home in Monett, Joyce and I headed northwest into Kansas.  We didn’t get going until around noon on Wednesday but the goal was to drive as far into Kansas as we could and into Denver by Thursday afternoon.  I was feeling ready for a change to cooler climates and less humidity and within a couple hours of being in Kansas the humidity dropped and the wind began to blow.  And I do mean blow. 

The Wedding Day

September 15th,  Joplin, Missouri

Joyce and I had a bit of a leisurely morning enjoying the quiet of the airbnb apartment.  I've noticed that after a long day of driving, the next morning we seem to feel the need to ease into our day.  Guess the long hours of driving aren't as easy as they used to be ten years ago.  I'm also looking forward to the cooler air of autumn temps as we get into the Rockies.  I don't handle the heat well and my energy level really lags when it's combined with humidity.  However, we have to get ready for more strenuous activities in the mountains so we try to get out and walk/hike whenever we can.  

In the early afternoon we checked out the Wildcat

Airbnb in Joplin,Missouri

September 14th, The Creative Cottage

We left the McCluskey house and drove to our lodging for our time in Joplin for the wedding.  A few months back we had heard about an online lodging

community called Airbnb (see suggested links on right side bar of this blog) and began to look into using that for some of our needs on this trip.  In Joplin, we were to stay at a lovely ‘arts and crafts bungalow’ owned by

Celebration begins

September 14^th, Monett in southwestern Missouri

Today’s afternoon was a long drive through Missouri on Highway 44S.  Our first destination is Monett, MO at Joyce’s sister Sharon’s home for a little gathering with family over dinner and a wedding on Sunday.  The weather is just perfect and we had the windows down for our drive though lots of farmland.  We haven’t gotten into the truly flat prairie yet and enjoyed rolling hills and

Moving on South

September 14^th, St. Louis to Monett, Missouri

On Saturday morning we slowly got ourselves together for another leg of our journey; much alcohol was consumed over the last couple days so slow is the operative word.  We were leaving St. Louis and driving south along I-44 to Monett and Joplin, Missouri for the wedding of Danielle, Joyce’s niece and her partner Barry. 

Visiting Cathy's hood

September 12th, St. Louis Missouri

My good friend Cathy showed us the nicer side of this city and most of our time was spent in a relatively small section in west St. Louis on the edge of Forest Park.  Her home, as usual, is a comfortable but chic place to land with a great sense of style and décor, luxurious bedding to sink into and always a cocktail

September 12th, Gateway to the West

St. Louis, Missouri

When we drove into St. Louis on Thursday we saw a great view of the Arch but since we were on the interstate and a bridge to boot there was no way to get a good photograph of it.  Later on during our stay in the city, we managed to go find a place to catch a full shot of the Arch.  The only problem was,

Cloverdale, Indiana to St. Louis, Missouri

Thursday morning, September 12, began with a bit of rainy and steamy start but as we set off to go see the nearby Cataract Falls in Leiber State Park it cleared up.  The falls are Indiana's largest waterfall and while the water level was a little low,

Mercer PA to Cloverdale, IN

It's the morning of Wednesday, September 11th and we are heading west again as a heat wave continues.  I had so been hoping for cooler temps by now but it feels like August instead of September.  Joyce and I have reservations

Time On The Farm

Our first day of driving was Monday, the 9th of September. We headed northwest to the Patterson home and family farm in Mercer, PA.  We had wanted to begin our trip with a visit to Joyce’s family, most importantly her Aunt Caroline who had been having a rough time with pneumonia and a bad fall.  Aunt Caroline is a regal, beautiful lady of 95 years who looks 20 years younger.

The Packrat vs. The Minimalist

This is the first official entry of our travel blog for our Mini meanderings trek but we are already a couple days into it by now.  From Saturday, September 7^th until Monday, the 9^th, 2013 we were busy organizing our gear and packing it all up.  The photos below highlight some of that process which probably should be considered our first adventure.  

 I’m not known for being a light packer so that’s my weakness and Joyce’s challenge (or cross to bear as she rolls her eyes at what I consider must-haves).