The Moto Wanderer: Crinkly's Good Ole American Family Road Trip Overview

Crinkly's Good Ole American Family Road Trip

8/27-9/28 2015

States visited – Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico

Miles traveled - ~9800

Who/What is Crinkly?

Crinkly is the empty can of Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company's 1836 that a friend gave me for my summer of travels. The can came with me to Asia however since I had Berry at the time, he made very few appearances. Since Berry was donated to Japanese kids (at the owners bequest) at the end of that trip, Crinkly became my new travel companion for this trip.

Favorite parts:

1. Yellowstone - my favorite place from the whole trip was probably Yellowstone. Depending on where you go in the park, the scenery is highly different which makes for some cool exploration. It is amazing being able to see such a serene and beautiful wildlife area containing the waters from hell; these hot water formations also contribute to the ridiculous beauty that is Yellowstone, just in an unusual way. We went when it was not too crowded, however we still managed to see tons of people and find a few traffic jams (how does the park manage in the summer during "peak" months?). I would like to go back for a week or 2 and take my gear and just hike around and explore the inner parts of the park (the parts that cars dont get to go to).

2. Yosemite - Yosemite is beauty straight out of classical american textbooks. Filled with hiking trails, waterfalls coming over the mountains here and there (more on this later), and amazing views all over the place, this historic park definitely has plenty for people to see and do. For being even later in the season, the amount of people in the park surprised me, and I still dont understand how these parks handle the amount of people that flock there during the busy season.

3. National Parks Service/Department - Thank you Mr. Teddy R.! After this trip, I think I could easily make and argument about Teddy being one of our greatest presidents; he is the one who created the national park department back in the day. I have been to many places on this earth and after seeing more of the vastness that this country has to offer, I am thankful that that land is protected so that us and future generations are able to properly enjoy mother nature in all its glory. From the canyons (Grand and Bryce), to the mountains (Yellowstone and Yosemite), to the forests (sequoia and redwood), and the desert (Big Bend) this country has something for everyone and beauty abounds all around us. It also helps that many of the parks have tram services that will take you around the park (not sure on cost if any) so you dont have to drive and park all over the place, so get out there and explore!

Honorable mentions - Chicago, Northern California, Jackson Hole

Lessons (re)learned:

1. Timing - This ties into the waterfall comment earlier. This is the second year in a row I have taken an American road trip out west in the fall and both times the major lesson I learned was that some of these parks rely on snowmelt for some of their natural beauty; therefore, many waterfalls and water formations that are normally there were absent. Also didnt help that California has been going through a 2 year extreme drought. Seeing these places in the fall makes me want to see them again in the late spring once all the water is flowing (who doesnt love watching majestic waterfalls flowing over some huge mountains?). That being said, natural beauty is appreciated in all its forms so I still absolutely loved the things I saw.

2. National Park exploration - Most, if not all, national parks we went to had some really good information in the visitor center. Yellowstone had a giant museum of the science behind what was happening in the park, how it affects the wildlife, etc. They are like mini-museums about the area. I think people who go to check out national parks should factor this into their time allotment as there is a lot of information that will be missed otherwise.

3. Lodging - Having planned this trip a few months prior, and really figuring it out while on the road, we were left to the lodging that was open (nothing in the parks). As we visited the parks, we realized that if you do not stay in the parks, there is a lot of driving necessary (not necessarily a bad thing but when you are driving all over the country it is nice not to have to drive on some days). Many of the campsites seemed really nice with people all around (I think they would make for good places to socialize if one wanted to as they are close to one another and you are all in it together), however they were all booked/full when we got there.

I would like to thank my parents for this awesome trip. This was their graduation present to me and it was amazing seeing all these different sites with the wonderfully awesome people who are responsible for me becoming who I am today. Love yall with all my heart. I would also like to thank my aunt, who came along and allowed us the opportunity to spend quality time with each other that we dont normally get. She is an amazing woman whom I have had the pleasure of having in my life since I was a wee lad. Love ya!