Dear friends,
When I decided to drive back instead of flying back, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Naively, I had planned on a huge 2’500 miles long trip. What actually happened is that I grossly underestimated the actual size of this huge country and how much “sightseeing” would add to the trip. Instead of 2’500 miles I actually ended up driving 5’000 miles, that’s about 8’000 kilometers! Crazy? Yes. What is worth it? Absolutely.
From Salt Lake City, Utah, we drove to Gerlarch, Nevada, the last desert town before entering the huge Black Rock Desert where we spend 3 days. Then we drove to Northern California were we spend another 4 days in an Orthodox monastery and convent. And then we hit the long drive home in a roundabout way: from California to Oregon, to Nevada, to Utah, to Colorado, to New Mexico, to Texas, to Louisiana, to Mississippi, to Alabama to the Florida panhandle and finally back home. Along the way, we stopped in locations like at Crater Lake, the Arches National Park near Moab and Mesa Verde. It was exhausting, but also amazing.
Now that I am back home, I first want to apologize for this long and unplanned absence and let you know that starting tomorrow Monday the blog will return to its usual pace. I have reloaded my psychological and spiritual batteries and I want to go off to a running start.
One more thing before I go: thanks a lot to all those who send in donations during my absence – while we were away we obviously could not work and since we have no paid leave every day pushed us more down in to the red. We will try our best to catch up with all the work during the next couple of months, but your help will really help us in these “belt tightening” times!
A big thank you to Amarynth, Herb and Scott for keeping the blog up and running while I was away.
Hugs and cheers to all,
The Saker
Welcome back home Saker ! we are waiting for your analyses in the well known way of yours.
Thanks! While it might appear that nothing much happened during my absence, I think that in a deeper way some very important things did happen and I will write about them beginning tomorrow (today in unpacking, getting organized and “restarting brain” day).
Cheers,
The Saker
As we say in arabic al-hamdulillah – praise be to God for your safe return.
Really looking forward to your take on Trump now because it looks as if he has been completely beaten down.
Al-hamdullillah indeed!
It was a once in the lifetime experience we will relive in our minds many times over.
As for Trump, I agree with you, he has been crushed and is now little more than a rather pathetic Obama 2.0.
But at least he is not Hillary, again al-hamdullillah for that too.
Kind regards,
The Saker
Welcome back Saker – glad you got back safely and your batteries are recharged.
Not a scratch on the car (but LOTS of desert dust), not a single ticket from the cops, and no bad memories at all. Yes, we are lucky and happy!
Cheers,
The Saker
Welcome back friend. Loooong roadtrip. Highly deserved break for you and family.
Doing this distance here would amount to at least USD. 2500,00 in diesel alone, and appr. USD 1500,00 in toll road fees.
The benefits you have in cheap gasoline and diesel in the US are quite something.
If your government imposed taxes on Gasoline/diesel, like we have, you would have a revolution on your hands pretty fast I believe.
Transfer of funds Tuesday.
Take care
Kent
We completely avoided toll roads, we stayed in cheap hotels, we tried to eat cheaply and our car was reasonable fuel efficient. We got a very good deal in the car rental. We also tried to stay frugal and yet we mostly failed as the “little extra here and there” rapidly add up. I just looked at my credit card statement and I am rather horrified by what I see :-( So August and September will have to be “wall-to-wall” hard work months for us. I will never *ever* do that again, 5’000 miles (8’000 kilometers!!!) is plain *crazy*, and I have had to deal with some pretty severe leg pain issue to make things worse, but now that I am back with a head full of memories and beautiful sights, I am also glad I did it as a “once in a lifetime” experience.
Thanks for being here Kent, it’s good to hear from you!
Hugs,
The Saker
Hahaha!
Well done for doing 5,000 miles of travelling.
In 2005, I managed London to Moscow and back via Eurotunnel, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Around 6,500 miles round trip. To top it all off, a Zil truck rear ended me on the last day and I spent 5 days getting my car repaired, submitting a Russian Insurance Claim, and getting out of the country before my visa expired. I got out with 2 hours to spare into Finland. 3 months later I got £950 from the Russian Insurance Company via a relative.
So what I am saying is that I understand exactly – both that you decided to this, and that you got through it!
6’500 miles?!
OMG!
How long did the full trip take?
Cheers,
The Saker
The total trip was 25 days but only 10 was real serious driving.
London – Moscow via Latvia is 2.5 days.
Welcome back and take a day or two to decompress. We’ll be around when you really return.
thanks Joe, it is good to be back :-)
Hugs,
The Saker
welcome back!
Sorry to hear that you missed Arizona!
Indeed. I missed it by very little, but since I had visited Arizona in the past (about 10 years ago) I took the turn to Durango in southern Colorado (which I never visited in the past).
I will tell you that I LOVE Arizona, especially the Chihuahua and Sonora deserts (I am a “desert guy”) and I dream of the day I will be able to visit AZ again.
Kind regards,
The Saker
Really glad that you had such a wonderful time. Continue your wonderful work
thanks!
Saker, welcome home, and please do write about the trip as well, if there is anything you can share. A road trip across the US is something that more than one person has made an entire book out of :)
ps..how long was the drive across Texas?
please do write about the trip as well
Really?
I suppose I could do that in the “sanbox” section. I need to find the time. I badly neglected the blog over the past couple of weeks, so I have some catching up to do. But after that, I will try.
Cheers,
The Sake
Saker
“And then we hit the long drive home in a roundabout way: from California to Oregon, to Nevada, to Utah, to Colorado, to New Mexico, to Texas, to Louisiana, to Mississippi, to Alabama to the Florida panhandle and finally back home.”
A zig-zag route to avoid the submarines. Smart move. ;D
Arches National Park. Best iconic arch IMHO is Delicate Arch:
https://youtu.be/gr7xUnBN_SQ?t=319
Were you able to hike in 1.5 miles for that?
Did it twice with wife and kids about 5 years ago …about 7-10 pm under a full moon…..and back the next afternoon for photography.
The night time trek was not all that well advised. Somewhat terrifying where I start the above video after mostly walking on huge slanted sheets of fairly flat smooth pale reddish rock to finally approaching the arch on narrow ledges near it…….. that slipping on would mean a fall into a huge steep rock bowl beneath Delicate Arch with resulting death or minimally multiple severe fractures like a crushed bug at the bottom of a huge bowl.
Similar rock “mountains” or large hills (mostly all one huge contiguous slab, with occasional small pine tree trying to take root in a crack) coming east out of Yosemite to Mono Lake a few days ago returning south on the east (much drier) side of the Sierras.
I fully comprehend:
“I have reloaded my psychological and spiritual batteries and I want to go off to a running start.”
except in my case I am forced by age to be a bit more contemplative after last week. Still got good cardio for ascents in Yosemite but descending is much tougher than just a few years ago:
Knees and ankles were wobbly and sore enough on the way down from Vernal Falls
https://youtu.be/fQpHGO9CQf0?t=45
that I had to take multiple breathers of 5 -10 minutes each to stay safe enough.
I was thinking about how far away the Orthodox monastery might be…..because there are plenty of places in California that lack El Capitan and Half Dome and the Yosemite Falls
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=El+Capitan+and+Half+Dome&id=B87F1840C130789551626CA68BEEA216227DD912&FORM=IQFRBA
but have a similar inspiring, if not as famous, feel to them.
Lots of French, German and Chinese tourists.
Also some Russians and many Scandinavians.
You meet any interesting locals or other travellers?
My ship comes in next week. I’ll send you a pallet or two of its cargo.
Come on everyone!!! A dollar$ donation or more???
I’m giving my $$$ to boost The Saker’s Spirits… already very high from this great trip…
I’ve done 17,000 km in a couple months… That’s crossing Canada and USA trip. Those legs do need to rest.
Glad you made your trip longer and EXPERIENCE USA.
LOVE and JOY and $$$
the seagull
Welcome back and God bless you and protect you and yours my Orthodox brother. I am curious did you go to the monastery in Platina or the one near Yosemite? I’ve wanted to visit both. God willing one day I will.
Welcome back Saker – you’ve been missed!
Just read your cracker of an analysis, you’ve definitely recharged your batteries :-)