Photos and Text: Sven and Magdalena Schlogl
USA Crosscountry, Part 3
After a few days of spectacular wheeling
in and around Moab, Utah, we pushed on.
In Canyonlands National Park we conquered the Elephant Hill - on our way back
we rescued a family from Georgia who had gotten stuck with a broken rear driveshaft
on their rental Wrangler. Towing them over the rough obstacles was a challenge
in itself. We had made some friends in Georgia
Our explorations led us further through
Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park where we climbed Angels Landing
early in the morning to reach the summit before the hottest part of the day.
On a detour to Lake Powell we rented a speed boat to zoom through the narrow
water-filled canyons - an 'off-road' adventure of the different kind. From here
our journey took us back north, past Salt Lake City all the way to Yellowstone
National Park, where the famous sulfur pools, geysers and wildlife kept our
fingers busy on the camera trigger. We had planned some wheeling in the remoteness
of Montana but again, snow and mud prevented us from exploring the high altitude
trails of this northern state (in June!). In Glacier National Park we marveled
upon the majestic rock formations reflecting in the ice-cold water of the crystal
clear lakes which offered a refreshing bath after long hikes.
We cruised through Idaho and Washington to the Pacific Coast. It had been a
little over five months since we had seen this ocean. We took the ferry to San
Juan Island, one of about 100 islands in the Puget Sound, where we spent a few
days with friends and were treated to a boat tour of the waterways. Then we
visited some other friends in Seattle and enjoyed the vibrant birthplace of
American gourmet coffee. The Olympic Peninsula sports the northwestern-most
point of the contiguous USA which couldn't be missed on this crosscountry trip.
Mount St. Helens is famous for its violent 1980 eruption, and the scars of the
lateral volcanic blast are still visible today.
Following the coast of Oregon south, we jumped at the opportunity to switch
rock with sand and went off-roading in the Oregon Dunes, a popular area for
sand buggies and ATVs. Most trails through the deep sand are for ATVs and too
narrow for trucks. We continued inland over windy mountain roads and visited
the Newberry National Volcanic Monument with its lava fields. One of the most
famous volcanic landscapes is Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US.
After exactly 30,000 miles, just four days short of six months, we reached the
border wit California.
We drove to Bodie, supposedly the best preserved ghost town in the West. Then
we attacked one of the most famous four wheel trails in the country. Our friend
Damian had come all the way from Los Angeles to tackle the Rubicon with us.
We both had not done this trail before. In the late afternoon we conquered the
Gatekeeper and set up camp. The next day should become one of the longest days
of our journey. With only two rigs we made good progress, although we had a
club with more than fourty jeeps ahead of us and plenty of trucks broke down
on the trail creating additional obstacles. The camp area in Rubicon Springs
was over-crowded so we decided to push on. It was close to 9 pm when we reached
Cadillac Hill where I rolled our rig in an off-camber section. We tried to radio
for help but did not get an answer. With Hi-Lift jack, tow straps and one Jeep
on all four wheels we finally managed to get the XXXpedition vehicle back on
its wheels. It was 11 pm when we continued our trip.
After a relaxing day at Lake Tahoe we visited Yosemite National Park and explored
the rugged wilderness on foot. We found a last chance to use our four wheel
drive in the deep sand of Pismo Beach where we met up with some friends who
accompanied us on our last leg to Los Angeles.
6 months and exactly one week after we had left for this trip we arrived back
in LA.
A long journey through many states had ended and we needed some time to digest countless impressions. This XXXpedition was definitely a great experience and hopefully we can do a similar adventure in the near future.
Some Facts:
Miles: 31,885
Days on the road: 188
No. of states visited: 41
No. of National Parks* visited: 78
No. of oil changes: 9
No. of sponsor stops: 6
No. of nights spent
o in motels (incl. New York City): 12
o with friends: 21
o camping: figure out the rest
* including National Seashore, National Lakeshore, National (Volcanic, Scenic, Historic) Monument, National Scenic Area, National Parkway, and National Preserve.