Berglunds Go South

Photos: CA and OR coast

1911sven — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 06:56:00 GMT

Into OR and leaving the coast

1911sven — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 06:33:00 GMT

Sunday, July 16

We had a good breakfast at the Holiday Inn and continued driving N on hwy101. We stopped at the Redwood National Park to bike 20 miles. It was a crazy uphill through the redwoods, fast downhill to a small single track parralleling the ocean. The single track was a bit wild with several areas where we had to lift our bikes over downed trees. We biked through Fern Canyon and back to the campground. Parts were fun, but overall a bit crazy (and not a very scenic ride). Svea is super strong and cranked it hard on the uphills.

We continued N and stopped at the Tress of Mystery. A gondola ride in the woods through amazing Redwood forests. Apparently, this is where Paul Bunyon and Blue live. Being from MN, I'm quite certain they are actually from there but I think those in Northern CA might fight for the legacy.

We crossed into OR and found the best camping spot of the trip! Right off the road, on a tall bluff over the ocean. Beautiful, scenic spot. We walked down the woods trail to a nice overlook onto crashing waves and the ocean hitting giant rocks to watch another spectacular sunset. The coast is beautiful with big beaches and large protruding rocks all over.

Monday, July 17

We woke up in OR! and continued driving N to Florence. We stopped at Safeway for a quick lunch and to restock our food and then went to Sandland Adventures for the afternoon. We went for a crazy sand dune ride. It was unexpectedly fast and was totally trilling. It was soooo fast! We were awed at every hill, twist and turn. Kyle was our driver and we rode with a family of 5 with 3 small children (too small for that ride in our opinion). We went back to the Adventure land park and drove GoKarts. Super fun!!

We are amazed at the size of the trees here. Big forests, big logging rigs, stacks of logs, wood is everywhere!

At Florence, we turned E and drove to Eugene, OR. We went through small towns including Nimrod, which produced many laughs in the car. We camped for the night just E of the Blue River at the Delta Campground. We had a great site right next to a quiet creek with giant cedar trees. The trees had neat moss all over them, it was a thick forest and we had our second campfire of the trip.

Photos: CA coast

1911sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:24:00 GMT

Beautiful coast including the Lost Coast

CA coast

1911sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:10:00 GMT

Thursday, July 13

We drove 100 N on the coast and it took ALL DAY! we stopped several times at beaches and overloooks to enjoy the scerery and get a break from the crazy, winding roads- up, down, around and around...We almost hit a deer and got dive bombed by a peacock. So many beautiful overlooks, amazing rocks right on the coast. We stopped at Ft. Bragg for fresh seafood- Fish and Chips at the Marina and then went to the infamous Glass Beach. We stopped to camp at McKerricher State Park and once again, got the last campsite available. What? 3 nights in a row- we got the very last spot. We rode our bikes along the coast and watched an amazing sunset at Laguna Point. We hung out there for awhile watching harbour seals and a gray whale in the bay.

Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15

We drove Hwy 1 N to the Kings Range ranger office. We picked up a backcountry pass and a bear can for a one night overnight on the Lost Coast- the last 25 mile strech of undeveloped CA coast. We started hiking at 4:15pm from Shelter Cove/Black Sand Beach and hiked along the beach for about 4 miles. We pitched our tent right at the 'unpassable at high tide' point. We found a nice camping spot near some water and listening to the crashing waves all night. We found a lot of teeny tiny crab shells, lots of large crab claws and the largest chiton shells we've ever seen. The pounding surf was mesmorizing. The next morning, we found live sea stars and saw only a few other backpackers. It was a great night and Stephanie wished we had time to do the whole trip (25 miles). We hiked out on Saturday which was much easier with the packed sand and lower tide line. We drove to Eureka and through the Avenue of the Giants. Beautiful, BIG trees! We spent the night at the Holiday Inn- a nice night. It was the cleanest, nicest room yet. We did laundry and drove to Samoa for fish and chips at the marina. Sven and Svea had shrimp.

Photos: San Fransisco

1911sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:01:00 GMT

Sunny California

California and cooler temps

1911sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 12:49:00 GMT

Tuesday, July 11

We went through Sequioa National Park and took a nice hike on the Congress trail. We saw the infamous General Sherman tree, the largest living organism in the world. He is a big one!! We were so excited to be at higher elevation and breathe fresh, cooler air. We stopped at a roadside stand and picked up some fresh fruit and produce. We headed toward San Fransisco and got to Dan Brekken's house in the city around 7:30pm. We walked to get Tacos at the popular, El Taqueria. It was great to catch up with Dan and he was kind to let us crash his evening. We have seen the most exciting wildlife in CA so far including a possum right in Dan's backyard.

Wednesday, July 12

We stopped at Dynamo Donuts for breakfast and headed to John Muir State Park. Sadly, there was no parking and we had to keep going on the road due to no room for the van. We instead took a quick stop at Muir beach. We started driving up the coast a little blind adn stopped at Doran Beach for the night. We got the last campsite available after the rangers said that someone who had the reservation left early. Score!! We had a great spot, cooked dinner and had our first campfire of the trip. We all embrased feeling cooler temps and rode our bikes down to the end of the point for an evening adventure.

Photos: Vegas Baby!

1911sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 03:10:00 GMT

Viva Las Vegas!

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 16:38:00 GMT

Saturday, July 8

Sven woke up before 6am determined to beat the heat and the sun for a bike ride. He did it. It was so great, he woke up Stephanie at 7 and both rode cowbell loop. Svea was still tucked in and the sun hit the van at 9am. We were off….

We stopped for a quick McDonalds breakfast, as no one seems to be eating enough in the heat. We drove straight to Las Vegas and arrived at noon. We were able to check in early, take showers and walk the strip. We are fish out of water in this land. Cray cray for sure!! So many people, so much to look at everywhere. Hard to get used to nakedness, booze on the streets and cigarette smoke everywhere. Svea’s modesty was pushed to the limit and Sven was amazed he didn’t need to find a racy show to see such nudity. It was so hot (105) that we kept ducking into different casinos just to feel some cool air. We stayed at the Flamingo and walked down to New York New York and rode the rollercoaster. A wild, shook up ride. We walked back to our hotel, ate at PF Changs for dinner and went to the O cirque de sol show- it was amazing and we recommend it to everyone!!

Sunday, July 9

Sven couldn’t take the heat, so he stayed in the room all day to keep cool. Svea and I grabbed some breakfast and a cab and went to Freemont Street and the original strip. I played some slot machines at the Golden Nugget and won $60 on the Big Bertha. I then played at the D hotel on the Michael Jackson machine and won another $150. Overall, I won $300 and was really excited for my luck! We watched the zip lining but didn’t go, as the line was too long. We cabbed it to Circus Circus and watched a few circus acts and we played at the midway. Svea also rode a virtual reality ride, which left her dizzy from a virtual rollercoaster ride. That night we went out for sushi and robado at the Mirage and with my winnings, went and saw the Beatles LOVE show. Another fun and amazing show. We loved the loud music most of all. Svea and I rode the high roller- the large ferris wheel late after the show. This ride is huge. It takes 28 minutes to go around, each bubble is 22ft wide and can hold between 20-40 people. Luckily she and I were only on with one other couple. A beautiful view of the strip. Fun times in Las Vegas.

Monday, July 10

This was a driving day… headed toward San Francisco and there really is nothing but lots of orange trees in the middle of CA. We aimed to camp but it was still 110 degrees, so we got a room at the Comfort Inn and had an easy and good sleep (in air conditioning).

Photos: Utah - Bryce and Zion National Parks

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:48:00 GMT

Amazing rock formations

Photos: Utah

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:39:00 GMT

It is HOT outside!!!

Utah

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:36:00 GMT

Thursday, July 6

We got Sven’s bike fixed early am at Chili Peppers bike shop. Sven bought the part and put it on himself in the parking lot. We drove to Arches National Park and hiked to the windows and the backside to see the Spectacles. Super neat formations; also saw the elephants and double arch. We drove to the delicate arch overlook. It was a beautiful drive, amazing views and walls of magnificence. We drove back to Moab and met Guy Evans for lunch. It was great to catch up with him. We left Moab quickly after- too hot! And drove across the state on I-70 to Hwy 72. We turned off and drove through the mountains and off the Interstate, which was a nice break. There were cooler temps and trees! We were all excited to see TREES. We pulled off the road and spent the night on a forest service road in the Dixie National Forest. Everyone needed some space and alone time tonight- Svea in the hammock, Stephanie reading and Sven on a walk.

Friday, July 7

Woke up happy for a small break from the heat and other people. We drove on the Devil’s backbone highway which was super cool but crazy steep ridge with steep cliffs below. We stopped at the calf creek for a 6-mile hike (round trip) to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. It was so hot and we were happy to get to the falls for a dip. Afterward, we stopped at the Kiva Koffeehouse and enjoyed a coffee in the funky hobbit like house hut built right into the mountain. We drove through Bryce National Park walking out to the infamous Bryce Amphitheatre. None of us have seen anything like it- miles and millions of hoodoos surrounding us. Beautiful! We then drove through Zion National Park seeing beautiful rock formations and driving through a long tunnel. It was super hot and we barely wanted to get out of the car. We drove to Hurricane, UT and found bike trails near Gem Trailhead. We decided to camp there for the night and aim for an early am bike ride.

Grand Canyon

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:07:00 GMT

Tuesday, July 4

We woke up and drove N on 89 to 64 toward the Grand Canyon. We stopped in Tusayan and biked a MTB trail. Svea stayed back to sleep. Sven’s back break broke- ekk!! We entered the park and saw the beautiful canyon. Wow, it really is amazing. We all biked a few miles up the South Rim road (yes, Sven rode without a brake). We then drove back to Tusayan to the airport where we had an EPIC helicopter ride through the Canyon. The pilot, Chelsea, was great and played great music. We all enjoyed the 40 min ride (with another family from Belgium). Play list: Bob Marley- Every little thing is going to be all right, U2- Beautiful Day, Phil Collins, Best Day of your life, American Hero- Green Day. We ate at the local Mexican restaurant and then we went for a sunset Pink Jeep ride. Kayla was our guide and she drove us to some great overlooks and picturesque spots. We rode with a family of 4 from Pittsburg who was really fun – we all had a great time. It was a long day and we enjoyed a night at the Maswik Lodge. It was great to be right in the Grand Canyon Village for the night.

Wednesday, July 5

We hiked the trail of time and visited the Geology Museum at the Grand Canyon. The vistas are amazing! We drove and stopped at overlooks along hwy 64. We got back on 89N to 180 and took 163 through Monument Valley. Beautiful! We drove straight to Moab- too hot to stop!!! We spent a sad night at the Moab KOA- 100 degrees at 9:00pm when we crawled into the van to sleep (with no air conditioning). We were all grumpy and decided that a day over 100 degrees wasn’t a good day to start our ‘be positive’ all day, day. It is seriously way too hot!!

Photos: Grand Canyon

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 08:47:00 GMT

WOW!!

Photos: Sunset Crator

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 08:36:00 GMT

Photos: Four Corners and headed to the Heat!

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 08:35:00 GMT

It is HOT!!

Four Corners and Flagstaff

1911sven — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 08:33:00 GMT

Friday, June 30^th

Left CO and headed toward Flagstaff today. Hit 4 corners and did a quick 4 state tour, hot. Some great jewelry and Svea got some fun stuff. As we drove W it got hotter and hotter. We stopped at the Navajo reservation to get a guided tour of the dinosaur tracks – really cool! T-Rex track was impressive and the pterodactyl skeleton too. Arrived at Corey and Becky’s while Steph got her hair done. We had drinks and dinner and hiked up a hill behind their house for a backcountry swing. Shady and cool in their neighborhood, no AC needed.

Saturday, July 1

We piled in the van, grabbed a tandem and single inflatable kayak as well as two paddleboards and headed to Winslow, AZ for a day on the water at Clear Creek Canyon. What a day! Paddled a few miles up this canyon, deep cool water and cliffs on each side. We jumped off some spots, had a great lunch spot. Everyone took turns on boards, Svea was the pacesetter when on her board with her cooler mounted. We stopped across from the “corner in Winslow, AZ. Such a fine sight to see” and had ice cream. We grilled burgers and had a great fresh salad. Oh yeah! Got Steph’s tire and brought it in to Absolute Bikes where a guy from MN, last name Svenson, got it all switched out. Dialed in, shifts and runs like it should…finally.

Sunday, July 2

Once again the name of the game was get on the water. We drove down Oak Creek Canyon through Sedona to get to our day’s hike to a swimming hole. Beautiful drive, but holy man was the canyon packed! Every single possible parking spot and more were taken, people were walking on the highway like it was a sidewalk. Fascinating. Holiday weekend and everyone was escaping the heat up high. It was 105 at the trailhead and the sun was HOT. Everyone was carrying their dogs out, when asked it was because the dogs were burning their feet. We went ahead, Barry wouldn’t dare stay back. Soon he was favoring the shade and we all were getting cooked. We dropped down to the creek for some ‘creekin’. Good fun and we all got wet and cooled down in the shade. Even Barry got in on the action. We caught blue crawdads and finally got out to make the hike to the hole. We stopped a bit short at a nice deep spot with the weir. Water was chin deep and very cool. Jumped in with all my clothes on knowing the 3 mile hike out would dry everything…it did. We were one of the last cars in the lot, cooled off a solid 10f by the time we got out. Hit the Lumberyard for beers and dinner, solid fare.

Monday, July 3

The kids had to work, so did we. Steph did laundry and she and Svea detailed the van out. We reorganized our bins and roof storage as well. After a morning of working we drove out to Sunset Crater and the Watpaki pueblo ruins just north of Flag. Hot black volcanic ejecta in the shadow of this really pretty cinder cone. The ruins were fun to tour, still well over 100, can’t imagine how anyone lived here back then. Water, hunting, farming? Hiking was slow, heat just wearing us out.

Back at Corey’s the grill master did up brussel sprouts, bbq chicken and potatoes with a Steph built salad. We so appreciated our time at Corey and Becky’s, total fun and a chance to catch our breath for the next leg.

Photos: Durango and Mesa Verde

1911sven — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 15:30:00 GMT

Rafting and Mesa Verde

Durango and Mesa Verde

1911sven — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 15:12:00 GMT

Wednesday, June 28

Drove to Durango via 9/285 through Poncha Springs. Took 160 to Monta Vista and stayed outside of Durango at a KOA. Good site, close to the facilities and nice and flat.

That evening Steph and Svea hung at the Starbucks and Sven hit some trails up on the Mesa away from the forest fire that loomed over town. Great ride, went a bit over and Svea and Steph were sitting on the curb out front after getting the boot from Starbucks…that sucks, but the biking was Fantastic.

Thursday, June 29^th

After another fantastic Sven breakfast we headed to Mesa Verde to see the amazing cliff dwellings. Really neat. Crazy how people lived so high up in these pueblos. Alien landscape, seemingly flat land that falls away to massive canyons. We made it back to Durango for our scheduled whitewater raft trip. Superfun! Had a great time with our guide, Diego (20 yrs old!) and a family from Lubbock, TX. We all paddled, sometimes for show, but a few times we really had to give it to it. Sven and Svea had the front and definitely took a brunt of the ‘cold’ water with Sven’s corner ‘randomly’ taking the first hit on every wave. Afterward we had dinner at Ninas Mexican joint and found an awesome state park campsite at Target Tree. Excellent and unique campsites, very quiet and cool night made for great sleeping (and stars). Sven thought he heard elk bugling, but on the morning’s hike he found the source, cows of the beef variety. Fire above Durango growing steadily, 300 acres after 3 days with ‘little containment.’

Keystone and 14er

1911sven — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 15:09:00 GMT

Monday, June 26

Spent the night in the van in Joe’s driveway. Joe’s girlfriend’s kids have lice in a bad way and Steph freaked. We still did laundry and such, but no sleeping inside. Svea and Sven followed Joe and Steph up I-70 and over Loveland Pass, another brilliant day. On the way we stopped at BB&Beyond for round two of mattress topper tryouts. The 2” from the day before was just foam, we then upgraded to 3” of memory foam…that ought to do it. We got a condo in Keystone, hot tub (which Svea was very surprised to see her dad in) pool, steam room, etc. No A/C and a poorly equipped kitchen…good thing the pullout was so plush for Joe – not. Sadly, he had to sleep on the floor. Sven, Svea and Joe went to ride a 10 mile singletrack nearby, Steph grabbed groceries (no bike) and hung out by the pool, the sun is brutal hot at this altitude. Sven’s front brake broke and after 3 stores they found a pro mechanic with the parts. Wilderness Sports in Frisco, Max was his name and he was the man. Offered to put on an XT rear brake too as the SRAM brakes are garbage, super fair price and free install. I did not take him up on the offer, you know where this story goes. The bike ride was great, Svea rode hard and even had an epic crash when her front wheel went off a bridge, bruised hip, brushed off that pain and put it behind her. Steph whipped up a superb salad and spaghetti dinner in preparation for the next day’s 14er.

Tuesday, June 27

Up early and thankfully Joe drove. Rough road up to the trailhead. We were planning on climbing Grey’s and then seeing if we felt up to Torrey’s too. Goats on the trail, lots of hikers and another packed trailhead. Beautiful country and THIN air. We made it up in 3.5 hrs, 6 round trip. The last 1000 had Sven and Steph gasping, the kid was in Joe’s pocket the last 2500 ft, we couldn’t keep up. Awesome view from up top, even had some ice crystals drop on us (closest thing to precip we saw in CO). We decided not to do Torrey’s, clouds moving in and pretty windy. We felt great about making a 14er, something we never did while we lived here. Afterwards we soaked in the hot tub and grilled burgers, Sven and Joe even steamed. We had a great time reconnecting with Joe and will be sure to stay in better touch from here on out.

Rocky Mountain National Park

1911sven — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 15:06:00 GMT

Saturday, June 24

We had a beautiful drive from Salida toward RMNP. 225 N to 9 through Frisco/Dillon, then through Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby. We got the last spot at a park just outside the park in Grand Lake. We tried the campground in the park, totally full and so glad of it, no trees, camping right on top of each other. The spot in town had trees around it and power, love to give the batteries a break. Clean showers too. Steph put a whuppin’ on Svea at air hockey in the game room that night after a family hike to a local falls (going easy on Svea’s ankle).

Sunday, June 25

We woke up and hit the Chuckwagon Breakfast with ‘all you can eat’ wagon wheel pancakes. Of course the cakes are way too big to have more than one. 2 sausages, 50 cents for each extra. Cheesy cowboy ballads, pretty authentic cowboys…horses all over. Sven got robbed of his choc/PB chip pancake and had to wait for them to make another, the gall. We then made the drive through the park (Loving the Parks Pass). Gorgeous drive, I mean it ain’t Jasper, CAN, but it’s got some great vistas, scary roads and elevation. Hiking up at 12,000 ft was rough. Place was packed, definitely no chances for parking at the trailheads. Made our way to FoCo and got more bad news, part came in for the hub…still not fixed! Took bike with us, what else could we do? Sven and Svea hit some town trails on the bikes, Steph got a pedicure. We hit up Big City Burrito for our THIRD time (didn’t eat anywhere else in FoCo, and soo many good places) and drove to Arvada to hook up with Joe Ranallo. Joe and Sven have known each for years and, of course, he and Stephanie get along famously from our time in CO (he was also in our wedding). He has a great house, job, car and life going for him out here.