First off, I would like to say sorry to Dad and Matt if I seemed down on Havasu a couple days last week. I just have been broker than I have been for a year and a half and I was wondering how I could do it.
But for the past few days it's all I can think about. I am thinking about what kind of food I can bring, what novelties I can cram into my backpack, how good of coffee will be possible, what I can go without, reading about the trailhead and researching gas mileage and routes to Peach Springs and photos and other people's blogs. I have discovered that August can and WILL be an amazing, amazing time to go, and that the hike is not hard at all really, and that the water is 70 degrees ALL YEAR ROUND! I have also found out that you can put your pack on a horse on the way back for 20 bucks....which perhaps Dad might like to do. And Art, if he doesn't actually buy that helicopter ride.
So here are some ideas and what I have discovered.
A: From Placerville, the drive each way is about 700 miles, and there are two main ways. I highly prefer the first one I am going to mention, but everyone tell me whatcha think.
Way Number One: To Markleeville, over Monitor Pass, and down 395 145 miles through Bishop and then east to Highway 95 through Beatty, NV onto Las Vegas and then down 93 to Kingman where we could stay the night ( This route would take us approx. 12 hours) and we would have to get up at 3:30 am to get on Historic Route 66 to get to Peach Springs by 5 am. Which means we would want to leave Placerville around (LITERALLY) 6 or 7 am at the latest so we could get dinner in Kingman and sleep well! If we do this we can get to almost there in one day.
Way Number Two : You all know. Go to Sacramento and down I-99 to Bakersfield and then East to I-15 onto the 40 straight into Kingman. This way would perhaps be faster. Like maybe 10 hours cause there won't be as many mountains and there won't be Las Vegas to drive through.....but also, we could go this way on the way there and take the scenic route home, or vice versa.
B: Arty's parents may very well let us borrow their giant ten person riding van. It works good, gets maybe 12-15 miles per gallon, but it would be fun cause 8 of us could ride in this at a time, and the other 2 of us could switch off either Dad's car or another car that gets 35mpg or so to carry the gear in and such. All ten of us plus gear would be too much for the van. But Art drove 8 guys and ALL their band gear down to LA and back and this van drives great and Cam has done much work on it.
C: Gas with a van and one little car would average around 60 bucks round trip per person. If there is 10 of us that's a 600 dollar gas fund, which unfortunately, we will need that much even if we got three 30 mpg cars or better. Because I figured out that even in a 32 mpg average car this trip is going to be 180 bucks or more. I think we should all plan on donating this money right over to Dad or whoever is going to be in charge of gassing up and that way we won't have to figure it out as we go or later. We can just have one big GAS FUND and get our cash from that for all of our gas as we go. And then if we go over that amount, we can request equal money from everyone for more gas. This way, poor Dad won't have to pay more than everyone else....which he frequently does.
D: MUST READ THESE!!!! VERY VERY INFORMATIVE! Blogs that you should read. For some reason, tons of Mormons write about visiting Havasu. So here are some links to some blogs by nice people, be sure to read all the comments under the blogs too. It was so weird when this Jonas guy mentioned going to the LDS church at Havasu! Just in case Matt and Amy and Dad are interested?
OK LINKS TO THESE BLOGS! DO CHECK THEM OUT!
Here is the first one, a guy named Rhett wrote.
This is a Jonas blog account of Havasu.
There are probably alot more, but these both are great. The first has videos of hiking!
Anyhoo, I miss you all. I love you. I can't wait to hike in and camp for 3 whole nights..... That is what it is going to be, right Matt? Can you tell me exactly what days we are reserved for IN the campsite area?
WHOOOOOo-hoooooo.
I love the nature, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE slowly converting Art into a nature lover too!
A Moment in the Sun - a literary journey
2 years ago
7 comments:
ade i am so excited and most of all i am happy you got into it. you will be able to inspire art, no problem. okay, here we are:
matt, amy, dad, mikie, joey, emma, heather darin, addie artie, stan. possibly martin and candice. that could be 13 people. that might mean more vehicles, or 9 in the van and 3 or 4 in the small car, with gear on top? my vote goes to the scenic route at least one way. when you mention sleeping in kingman do you mean in a room or in the car a while? we can just drive straight there, maybe, and people can take turns sleeping while we drive. it is going to be such an adventure. i hope we can check out historic route 66, which is the way to peach springs where we turn off. there are some cool sites but it might be the middle of the night. i looked at rhett's blog. the girls he is with are so cute. i want to look like that while hiking around in my itty bitty bikini, but yeah right! it's okay, i am reconciled to being womanly.
do you guys have stuff yet? i need some kind of light sleeping pad. i think that's all we're using, no sleeping bags. i can't even sleep under my covers at home.
i am too tired to think about this anymore. can't wait to quit my job and just hike through august. love you hon!
Hey Addie, Thanks for your research--I'm going to list a few things that are essential but inexpensive in the way of stuff needed in a soon to come blog.(just incidental things I remember that may be important). I haven't looked at the web sites you listed but I will. I'm glad that you are so excited now and think Art will also enjoy the expedition immensely, as will everyone else, I'm sure.
Addie,I'm so happy to hear that your back on board, I would hate to have you guys miss out on this. It is going to be the best trip ever. I can't wait. And if you are into looking at others blogs on this you should check out Sierra Stout's (eliandwesley.blogspot.com). She just went with her husband Art and took so many fun pictures. Looking at it made me even more excited to go. I think all the hiking is going to be fun too, but it does sound so nice to be swimming in those beautiful pools of water. I think it's going to feel like a dream down there. Our own little beatty fairy tale. Love you xoxo
Good planning and research Addie. It would work out great on the gas money if you all follow that plan. I'm kinda jealous, but know I could never do it. I'll have so much fun being with the babes. love you honey.
sweet, umm so i was thinking that everybody if they want to should do some reading to get them excited about the glory and magnificence of the desert wildernesses we will be submerged in. i know matt's got lots of good suggestions for stuff to read on that note, and he actually inspired me to read the ones ill post now. but anyways, if anyone at all is interested (and i know heather borrowed one from me) check out one or more of the following.
desert solitaire by edward abbey.
anything about everett ruess. matt im loving it.
obviously into the wild by jon krakauer if you havent yet read it.
also, it doest directly pertain to adventure and nature and beauty and solitude but a few books by cormac mccarthy can give you a pretty rad eery and pleasant feeling about the country we'll be in. even tho his books can be rather violent and death oriented they are brilliant and descriptive and beautiful. read No country for old men, or All the pretty horses, or even THe Road for some reason makes me want to do what we're doing.
anyways, listen to good music and read good stuff and get inspired.
joey i love your idea about reading to get us inspired about this territory. another couple of great books are by terry tempest williams: one is called RED and the other is called REFUGE. they are so beautifully written, poetic, spiritual, and full of true life. the life of the earth and the lives of people. it has flown together nicely to start reading desert solitaire right after reading her. also, i have heard tons of good stuff about sand county almanac by aldo leopold.
Sand County Almanac! I've been wanting to read that--good call Heather. Joey your book suggestions are perfect. Really quite. Also some musical listening would be appropriate, but I think we all have our own preferences on that--
Adie thanks for the research into this. In thinking about it and talking with Amy, let's do what you suggest. 395 south in the early Wednesday a.m. (or at least the way home). Beautiful scenery. Let's get to Kingman--a foreign town--and stay a shortnight, eat dinner in a new place, walk the little streets. Even more to our adventure!
Heather I'm glad you're reading Desert Solitaire. It's a perfect book. I'm in love with the bearded Abbey, a modern poet with a somewhat rugged but beautiful acceptance and understanding of beauty and nature and humanity's rightful place in it all. Oh he has some issues too, but I forgive him those. Light outshines the dark.
Heather we are bringing our mummy bags, at least to sleep upon. We'll probably unzip one as a double mattress, and unzip the other as a blanket, and snuzzle together.
ANYway I will post my gear list that I've been accumulating. Soon.
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