Sunday, June 21 & Monday June 22

I left home before 7am to get a full day of driving in. I made it out of Colorado less than two hours later.

I cruised across Wyoming, reminiscing about the CDT as I drove thru Rawlins and the Great Divide Basin. The scenery slowly changed from high prairie to desert, and I descended with many curves into Salt Lake City. By this time, it was time for 2nd lunch and a 2nd gas stop. So, my favorite burger:

I kept moving west, and made a quick stop at this weird dome-y temple thing by the lake.

And then an hour later, I made another quick stop at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, home to the land speed record!

I drove across Nevada, and stopped to camp at a backcountry spot just before Reno.

The next day, I was moving west by 7am, and I was in California shortly after.

I drove all morning, and finally left the freeway at 11am. It was exciting to be heading into the mountains!

I entered the national forest, and despite the warnings it was a nice dirt road.

After driving on dirt roads for 1.5 hours and 30 miles, I parked at the trailhead. I waited another 30 minutes for my ride, since he had gotten lost in the maze of FS roads. Sorry James! (Never trust Google maps on FS roads). He had brought his dad along for company, and the 3 of us chatted for the 2.5 hour car ride to Redding. I picked up my rental car just before closing at 5pm, whew! I grabbed some Thai food takeout for dinner, then started the 4.5 hour drive over to the starting Trailhead in Crescent city CA. I saw some cool views along the way.

I drove to within an hour of Crescent City, then stopped to camp in a national forest. What a long 2 days and 1200 miles! Tomorrow, time to stretch the legs on the trail!