Week 1: Caprock Canyons to Rocky Mountain National Park

This summer, I’m taking a solo cross-country road trip. I’m journaling along the way to document and share my experience.

DAY 1: May 19th

410 miles driven; 1 state

The journey has begun! I started with a lovely three-and-a-half-hour drive to Abilene. Traffic was light, the sky was a light gray blanket, and it’s early enough in the year that flowers are still blooming and the grass is still green. I stopped at the Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, which was a cute place to recharge, despite the jackhammering from nearby construction.

After a lonely three-hour drive, I arrived at Caprock Canyons State Park. When I pulled up to the Visitor Center, it was shockingly quiet – the only sound was the wind. Despite all of the campsites being reserved, the park has been remarkably empty. The campsites are much closer together than I expected, but I don’t mind. It’s comforting to have a small sense of community. After a long day of driving and with a storm brewing, I’ve had a nice calm evening at camp listening to the symphony of nature. As I write this, I’m surrounded by chirping crickets, singing birds, and the pitter-patter of rain on my tent as thunder echoes in the background. I’m excited to explore the park more tomorrow once the weather clears up.

DAY 2: May 20th

425 miles driven; 2 miles hiked; 1 state

I slept well, sleeping for 10 hours despite the 6:30 AM wake-up call courtesy of the local wildlife. Unfortunately, I also woke up with symptoms of a mild migraine. Determined to not let that stop me from exploring the park, I headed out intending to hike the Upper Canyon Loop, a moderate 6.7-mile trek. After a fifteen-minute drive through the park with stunning views, I ended up making my way to Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail, a 2.5-mile intermediate-to-difficult trail with an elevation gain of 700 feet. The trail was much more challenging than I anticipated – after around a half-mile of nearly vertical climbs, I decided to turn back. The views were gorgeous, but the lack of clouds and the absence of shade made the sun feel oppressingly hot. Particularly when hiking alone, it was more important to safely make it back to camp than to complete an arbitrary goal. While I felt some sense of failure, my shaking knees and pounding headache as I climbed back down confirmed that I had made the right choice. I was very grateful to have a cold Gatorade waiting for me when I returned, 1.85 miles and a little over an hour later.

There’s nothing to make you feel small and insignificant like being completely alone surrounded by vast canyons and plains as far as the eye can see. I’m always amazed by the power of water to shape the earth in such dramatic ways.

On my way back to camp, I stopped at a number of the scenic overviews I had passed earlier. As I approached the amphitheater, I was confused by the swarms of birds outside. Then I stepped inside, and the reason was immediately obvious!

Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake and left a jar of peanut butter in my tent… which I returned to find filled with ants. Considering my strong aversion to ants, I remained remarkably calm under the circumstances. A quick Google search, duct tape, soapy water, and two hours later, I had successfully cleared my tent of unwelcome insects, but it’s not an experience I would recommend! At least I now know to avoid eating in the tent and to store food in the car…

Notable animals I’ve encountered:

• Bison
• Roadrunners
• A snake (which gave me a good scare as it slithered in front of my car)
• Lizards (the main company on my hike this morning)
• Turkey vultures (in addition to other birds I didn’t identify)

It has also been interesting to note my best purchases so far:

• Tent (though it would be nice if tiny ants could find another place to call home…)
• Camping table (I waffled quite a bit about getting this one, but it has already been very useful to have a work surface.)
• Waist pack (I wear this everywhere, as most of my hiking pants and shorts don’t have pockets. It might look a little doofy, but it’s very practical and allows me to always have the essentials at hand.)
• Mosquito repellent band
• Sleeping pad and sleeping bag liner

Overall, despite not feeling great, I had a pretty good day with great views and important lessons. In addition to food storage, I was also reminded to be more careful about applying sunscreen. Though I wore long sleeves and reapplied regularly, my forearms (which I forgot to consider) are mildly sunburned. Lesson learned!

DAY 3: May 21st

785 miles driven; 2 miles hiked; 2 states

(To clarify, these are totals I’ll be tracking throughout the trip – I didn’t drive 785 miles today!)

Unfortunately, my first night of good sleep did not continue for the second night. It was a bit too warm for comfort, even just in my sleeping bag liner, and the moonlight and wind created a less-than-ideal sleeping environment. I also found it much more challenging to turn off my mind, which was fixated (not totally unreasonably!) on the fear that my tent would be invaded by insects in the middle of the night.

I woke up around 6:45 AM and packed up camp. It took me longer than expected, as I hadn’t accounted for continuing to feel intensely nauseated and am still figuring out the most efficient way to pack things up. Around 8:45 AM, I left for the hour-and-a-half-long drive to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The drive was mostly unnotable, but the approach to the park was shocking – miles of flat, uninteresting ground suddenly gave way to deep canyons. Disappointingly, all of the trails were closed due to Wednesday’s storm, so I ended up continuing on another half-hour to Amarillo without hiking as planned.

In Amarillo, I stopped at Planet Fitness for a much-needed shower. (As a side note, this is a great tip I learned from other people who live on the road. For $24 a month and no commitment, I have access to over 2,000 Planet Fitness locations – and their showers – across the country.) I was very glad to have made window covers for Toothless. I felt much safer leaving my car in a somewhat questionable environment when it wasn’t obvious that all of my belongings were inside!

I stopped to get a delicious acai bowl from The Acai Bar, then continued on to Cadillac Ranch on my way out of town. I wasn’t particularly impressed by Cadillac Ranch – it’s just ten heavily spray-painted cars in the middle of a very windy field – but it was still a nice way to get in a short walk.

I then got back on the road, driving three-and-a-half hours to Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge. The drive was boring, hundreds of miles going in a straight line through flat plains of tan grass, though a great audiobook made it tolerable. It almost looked out of a cartoon, with endless flat land, strong winds, and literal tumbleweeds. A downside of traveling alone is that I can’t get any pictures on the road – I’m always driving.

After hours of nothingness, mountains peeking over the horizon were an exciting development. Maxwell NWR offers free camping year-round. It’s a perfect place to camp, though the 30-to-40 mile-per-hour winds created quite a bit of dust and made setting up a tent alone challenging.

Unfortunately, I felt pretty terrible most of the day. I was able to power through my migraine yesterday, but it caught up with me today. I’m also developing shin splints, which is frustrating. I still enjoyed the day and made good progress despite the headaches and intense nausea, but I’m definitely hoping I’ll start feeling better soon. On to Colorado tomorrow!

DAY 4: May 22nd

1,030 miles driven; 3.5 miles hiked; 3 states

I’m tired; the past few days have caught up to me. I (unwillingly) woke up with the sunrise and the birds around 5:30 AM. I was the first to arrive at the campsite yesterday, but I woke to find that five or six other campervans and cars had joined me. Even without interacting directly, I feel a wonderful sense of camaraderie with them – we all made our way to this secluded road doing the same thing. It’s also always comforting to have at least a few other people around. After a calm morning packing up camp, I left for the three-hour drive to Colorado Springs, briefly stopping at Safeway for a bagel and some fruit on the way.

Colorado is absolutely gorgeous. I arrived at Red Rock Canyon around 10:45 AM. Unfortunately, it was quite crowded, and I only ended up hiking around a mile and a half. Considering that it was a beautiful Saturday morning, I shouldn’t have been surprised! I then drove to Garden of the Gods, but the situation there was even worse. After failing to even find a parking spot, I went to a local library to use the restrooms and regroup.

The weather was not on my side. As I sat in the parking lot, lightning struck close enough to shake my car. Torrential rains and hail quickly followed. The hour-and-a-half-long drive to Denver was slow and incredibly stressful, but I eventually arrived safely. I’m staying in Denver with Molly, one of my dad’s close friends from college. I spent the afternoon and evening catching up with her, cuddling kitties, and trying to plan out my next moves.

I knew I would balk at some point, and it turns out that that point is now. I had a clearly planned path up until now, but I just have question marks from here on out. It’s stressful to not know where I’m going to sleep a day from now! I’m also entering the part of the country where the weather and animals are dangerous and unfamiliar to me. COVID and my timing present challenges as well, as widespread restrictions and snow-covered trails abound. Honestly, I’m tired and scared. I’ll keep going, but it’s hard. I’m going to stay here in Denver at least another night to give myself some time to recover and plan. A solid night’s rest will do me some good. (:

DAY 5: May 23rd

1,030 miles driven; 7.5 miles hiked; 3 states

Today was nice and slow. I slept in and then went for a four-mile hike in Reynolds Ranch County Park with Molly. The weather and scenery were beautiful, and everyone we encountered was lovely. I loved hiking with the backdrop of running water and wind rustling through the trees. Unfortunately, I’m very susceptible to altitude sickness and struggled significantly with the higher elevation. I started feeling unwell shortly into the hike and continued to feel worse as we continued to ascend. The symptoms were textbook altitude sickness – headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, and intense nausea – and began to subside once we decided to turn back. While it was disappointing to be unable to finish the hike (and to feel so terrible), I enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

I spent the afternoon and evening planning out the next few days. Finding free or inexpensive camping is often possible, but it can be challenging and time-consuming. It was nice to have a free block of time to sit down and map out options for the next week or so. I’m going to slow down a bit and spend a few more days in Denver before continuing on. I’ve been moving pretty quickly so far – over 1,000 miles in four days can take a toll! While this will be a nice chance to recharge, I’m also hopeful that having more time to acclimate to the elevation will help reduce altitude sickness as I venture higher into the mountains.

DAY 6: May 24th

1,100 miles driven; 9 miles hiked; 3 states

I started today off by exploring downtown Denver. Driving and finding parking in the city was stressful, but I managed to figure it out. I eventually parked at the Cultural Center Complex Garage and then walked around the Denver Art Museum, Denver Public Library (closed for construction), Colorado State Capitol, and the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

After stopping for lunch, I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was relatively crowded, but the gardens were beautiful and well worth the visit.

By this point, I was a bit worn out. I drove another half-hour to Golden, where I spent some time at the public library before walking 1.5 miles along Clear Creek Trail.

DAY 7: May 25th

1,235 miles driven; 11.25 miles hiked; 3 states

After packing up, I drove two hours to Rocky Mountain National Park. After a quick stop at a visitor center, I then continued on another half-hour to Bear Lake. The scenery was stunning. The weather here was vastly different from what I’ve encountered so far. The cool air was refreshing, but it also necessitated breaking out some of my warmer clothes! I ended up hiking around 1.8 miles in the area. While the trails were all considered easy, they were also covered in feet of snow and ice. I was very grateful for the traction on my hiking boots, but I still felt silly waddling along next to people prepared with spikes and poles! I definitely let out some involuntary squeaks as I slipped and slid more than a few times…

I took my time heading out of the park, stopping at a number of scenic overlooks along the way.

I continued on to the aptly named Lumpy Ridge, where I hiked 0.75 miles along Gem Lake trail. I didn’t make it to Gem Lake, giving up not too far in. Honestly, I considered not even writing about this. But I think it’s important to write about the tough times as well as the good. I’m certainly not perfect! I’ve struggled so far with not being in good enough shape to complete some of the hikes I’d like to do. There are added challenges (allergies, altitude, and shin splints, for instance), but I’m just not as fit as I was when I was playing sports. It feels like a huge oversight – I prepared for so many aspects of this trip but didn’t consider preparing physically. Part of the difficulty is that I find it much harder to exercise alone. When I’m with someone else, I push myself further to avoid letting them down. When I’m alone, I’m only letting down myself. On the bright side, I’m sure I’ll end the trip in better shape than I started! I feel a lot of pressure to make the most of being at these spectacular places. It’s hard to find the balance between doing as much as possible and taking much-needed breaks!

With that said, I took the evening more slowly. I’m spending the night in a hotel in Estes Park, around ten minutes from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. After a nice shower, I got delicious veggie enchiladas from Ed’s Cantina and some ice cream from a local shop. Sometimes you just need some yummy food and an evening watching Infinity War. One week down!

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I’m breaking up my posts by week. If you’d like to keep following along, look for my Week 2 post!