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The Dolores Diaries

October - November 2017
A 35-day adventure by Eliana Read more
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  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 16

    Antietam/ Harper's Ferry/Shenandoah

    November 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    I left Pittsburgh pretty early to get a jump on the day. The original plan was to go straight to Harper's ferry but I kept seeing signs for Antietam Battlefield and realized I was only 5 miles away. So of course I went. Hell yeah spontaneous road trips. The bloodiest battle in American history. 23,000 dead in 12 hours. That's crazy. Their movie was really interesting. Narrated by James Earl Jones. Then I continued to Harper's ferry which was much cooler and more interesting than I thought it would be. It's a really old tiny Town in West Virginia with 200 years of really important history. From the slave trade to Lewis and Clark to the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement. There is so much to see and learn but I wanted go get to camping before dark and it was starting to rain just a little. So I chose to focus on John Brown. That's where he led the raids that jump started the Civil War. His fort was renovated in 1910. Really interesting place. I could have spent days there learning about US history. Then I drove another 2 ish hours to a campsite in Shenandoah. I saw a tiny black bear cub!!!!! cross the road just in front of me. I looked around for the momma but didn't see her. It seemed weird to me that there was a bear that small this time of year. Shouldn't that happen during the spring so that the bear is big enough now to survive hibernation? I'mma do some googling tomorrow. But anyway. It's a little bit rainy. Thankfully we've avoided rain this far and it's not supossed to rain tomorrow. Hopefully it'll just continue to be misty tonight and not hit too hard. I was in 4 states and 3 national parks today!

    Sorry these all posted way late. I had no service for a while.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    1
    Day 17

    Shenandoah part 2

    November 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    I got an early start to the day and got right to hiking. I decided I should do several small hikes instead of one long one so that I could see more of the park. I started with a nice easy 2 mile hike in the morning. Then I went to a short trail. It wasn't so much a hike as a mile long rock scramble. It was so much fun. There wasn't a real trail, it was just a bunch of boulders on the mountain you climbed up until you reached the top where there was a magnificent panoramic view of Fall in Virginia. It was so much fun. Rock scrambling is the best. It wasn't that far but it was exhausting. Nevertheless I persisted. I went on another hike that ended up being much longer than I anticipated because I got a little lost. Their trail signs are terrible and inconsistent. But it was a nice hike that went down to a waterfall. I put my face in it. That hike was pretty strenuous. My legs ached after all the scrambling. Then I drove a couple hours down the blue ridge parkway. It's so pretty. I'm loving this whole fall thing. I mean the leaves change colors in Cali but not like this. As I was driving down the sun started to set and it was just gorgeous. Them colors.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 19

    Booker T Washington/Andrew Johnson

    November 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    I woke up super early, before any visitor centers were open, so I took myself out to breakfast in a tiny Town in Virginia. It's weird dining alone. The wait staff is always extra friendly and attentive. Good food, way cheaper than Cali. Then I tried to go to the Blue Ridge Parkway vc but it was closed for the season. It was the 3rd one I saw that was closed already. So then I went to Booker T Washington National Monument. It was pretty cool. I knew nothing about who he was. The park was the plantation where he was born and enslaved until he was 8 and finally freed. Then he taught himself to read, went to schools, taught, advised presidents. Cool guy. Then I drove through Roanoke VA. I figured it's a pretty big town I should drive/walk around downtown. I instead ran into a giant parade. I forgot it was veterans day. So all of the downtown area was closed off and there was no parking. Seemed like it was ending so I just got back on the freeway. Such a big parade though. Old cars and tiny boys dressed like their grandpas. Seemed like a pretty cool city. Andrew Johnson wasn't as cool a dude as Booker. He bought Alaska and didn't get removed from office (which he shouldn't​ have been). So that's good but he was president during much of the Indian wars, veteoed the Civil Rights Act, and didn't get much done. To be fair it was a super rough time to lead a still very divided country. Anyway, not my favorite place. From there I went through Gatlinburg​ TN and into the Great Smoky mountains. I settled into my campsite and made a fire (for the first time ever by myself!). Then I hung out and read my book in front of a nice toasty fire. Pretty sprinkles.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 19

    Great Smokies part 1

    November 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    I was driving around in this beautiful place and pulled over at a hiking spot. It said it was 1.75 miles round-trip. I thought great, pretty short first hike let's do it. At first it was steep but manageable. Then I turned a corner and looked at 400 steps. Grueling is how I would describe it. It should really be called "the stair master" just so people know what they're getting into. It was one of those hikes where people who are coming down cheer you on and tell you how close you're getting. It didn't help that my legs were still sore. It was a really pretty view at the top though. After that I was tired but decided to go on the second hike anyway. It was a fairly long 6ish mile loop along a river. Pretty pretty walk. It's still very much fall. I'm pooped.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 20

    Great Smokies part 2

    November 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    I drove into the North Carolina part of the park today. Super pretty drive. I talked to the ranger to see what hikes she recommends and she might be the nicest person I've ever met. She was super sweet and told me all my options to which I said "great that's perfect" she said "yes it is. Today is going to be a great day." She was right. It was so nice out all day. I did the first hike she recommended which was really nice. This place is gorgeous. Then I went to do the second hike place. She said to go half way up the mountain and there will be a great blue. But these are the great smokies so it was so densly fogged you couldn't see anything. And then I talked to some people coming down from the summit and they said it was definitely worth it. So I kept trucking on. They were right. The view from up there was spectacular. I'm glad I did it but by the time I got back I had walked 14 miles, much of it up hill. My feet hurt so bad when I got back to the car. My body will not feel good tomorrow. People on this trip have been so nice. From the super cheery lady at the cheese shop in Wisconsin to Peggy being an awesome host to everyone saying hello when you pass them on the trail. A lady today said "hi there! Have a nice hike!" In a way that made me think she genuinely really wanted me to have a good time. Anyway I am so exhausted and achy I'm about to pass out so early.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 21

    Nashville

    November 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I'm in a hip swanky sandwich shop in downtown Nashville right now and they're playing 9 to 5. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
    I walked by the CMT headquarters. Seriously considered walking in and demanding they pay Connie whatever it takes to get her back. If there's one show that I think could bring a character back from the dead and I'd be super ok with it it's Nashville. It'd have to be crazy and ridiculous but I think I could brainstorm a way to make it happen. I'm open to suggestions. The Bluebird cafe is real! I went there! I just saw outside and peeked in. It is very small. I don't think the inside is what they use for the show. They're only open 5-10 and you need a reservation because they fill up super fast. But it was still cool that it's a real place.
    I walked into the country music Hall of Fame. Such a cool building. I couldn't afford to actually go in and I don't care that much about country music anyway. (though I did find 2 country songs I kind of like this summer, thanks Thibam). That building has great acoustics, there was a guy playing the guitar in the lobby. Turns out every bar in downtown Nashville has live music. I sat in a couple and listened for a while.
    Then I went to my hotel and took a shower. There's nothing better than a nice hot shower after a week of camping and hiking. Excited to sleep in a bed tonight. Ryan's friend Andrew moved here for grad school and invited me to a taco night he was having. His friends are really nice. Andrew is a great host and the best dancer. So I had a nice talk with him and now I'm back in my hotel.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 23

    Memphis

    November 16, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I went to the Grand Ole Opry in the morning. It's a cool building but they weren't giving tours. Then I went to Graceland to Graceland to Memphis Tennessee! Well I didn't actually go to Graceland but I did explore Memphis a lot and that song was stuck in my head the whole time. I got a really really good pork sandwich from Central BBQ and then walked around town all day. I tried to go to Mud Island as per Peggy's suggestion but it was closed for the season. So I walked about and walked up and down Beale St. I got a local beer at BB Kings bar place and then went to a grizzlies game. So much cheaper than the dubs! Unfortunately Mike Conley wasn't playing due to injury. It was a pretty boring game, they were losing by 11 all game until the 4th quarter when it got exciting. Marc Gasol had an open 3 at the buzzer to push it to overtime but he missed. It was fun though. More live music at all the bars downtown. Nice place. Good day.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 24

    Hot Springs/ Dallas

    November 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Yesterday I drove into hot springs national park in Arkansas. I did not enjoy it. It was basically just a row of really old bath houses that were naturally heated. There were no bathable hot springs. They were way too hot. But you could pay a lot of money to take a soak at one of the other bath houses. Basically it's just where old rich white people in like the 20s went to socialize and cleanse. So I didn't stay there long. I went to my campsite and fell asleep really early. This morning I drove into Dallas. I waited in line for an hour for the best rated bbq. Worth it. That brisket was so good. Then I drove a lot more until I got too tired and am now about to nap at a rest stop. I've been driving for some 11 hours today, nearly the entirety of Texas east to west. By far the least interesting day this far but also so delicious.

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  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 26

    Carlsbad caverns/ Guadalupe Mountains

    November 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Yesterday I went to Carlsbad Caverns NP. Probably my favorite cave to date. It's so big and open. I went on an audio tour which I greatly enjoyed. It was so well done. The stops were relevant and interesting. Good interpretation. The first tour I've enjoyed since interp training. But the cave itself is really cool. It had all sorts of decorations like cave popcorn and bacon and stuff. But the lighting was also really cool. They wanted to light the path but for it to still feel cavernous and not be too light as to encourage animals to come in. So they hired a Broadway lighting expert person. It's a cool cave.
    Then I camped in blm land and in the morning made the 1/2hr drive to Guadalupe mountains. I summited Guadalupe peak which was a rough 9 mile hike but I made it. It was really gorgeous up there. It's literally a desert so there were so many cool cacti and things. And thankfully it wasn't too hot. Then I went back to the blm land where coyotes were howling all night. Pretty cool couple of days.

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  • TravelerThe Dolores Diaries
    Day 30

    Chiricahua/Tucson

    November 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Chiricahua national monument is really cool. I don't remember googling it and wasn't expecting much but it was truly spectacular. So many gorgeous vistas and hoodoos for days. I really dig it. I could have spent days there. Their visitor center was terrible but their nature trail picked up the slack. That place is sprinkles. Then I headed to Tucson where I got an oil change and met up with my great uncle Bob. He's a Franciscan Friar who lives at the Mission San Xavior de Bak in southern Tucson on a reservation. He gave me the VIP tour of the really pretty and really old building. The friars fed me dinner and then let me stay in a little apartment in the mission for free. They were super nice and friendly. Bob took me on a drive around the city and we went to the top of a nice mountain. In the morning I watched one of the friars feed hundreds of doves and then we went to an art gallery dedicated to Ted DeGrazia. The artist is a big deal in Tucson. He's known for capturing the SW in his oil paintings. Many thanks to Bob for being a gracious host.

    More adventures tomorrow!    Read more

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