Have Cougar, Will Travel

19 July: Outrunning the Heat in Death Valley: My morning in Death Valley started at 4:50am in an attempt to avoid the worst of the heat and the inevitable overheating it would bring. This meant that I was up when it was still dark, and I got to see a beautiful sunrise as I was making my way down the dirt road I had delicately made my way up the night before. She was definitely happier in the cold morning air, especially since I was coasting down in neutral instead of clawing uphill in first gear. Of course, after all her hard work the day before, she deserved to have her picture taken a few times.      Although it certainly felt abusive and I spent most of the time worrying about puncturing a tire or my oil pan, I have to admit that taking the Cougar off road was a very fun experience, and I'm glad I got to do it! It was the ultimate 'not-a-garage-queen' moment, and she still wears that dust proudly, both on the outside and in the interior. There are also unconfirmed rep...

Badlands or Bust: BLUF: I camped in Death Valley (a change of plans from my change of plans) and it was the best decision of the trip so far.      So let me take you back to the night of the 17th, or what was honestly the very early morning of the 18th. As I finally hit publish on the last blog post, I (foolishly) decided not to set an alarm for the morning. 'I've been working hard,' I told myself, 'I need the extra rest.' Well, little did I know how much rest my body thought I needed.  1:00pm, 18 July 2020: 6 Hours Away from Death Valley. Yes, you read that right; I woke up at 1pm. As I started throwing all my clothes, chargers, and toiletries into their assorted bags, I realized that the plan I had made to visit Death Valley then go stay with some friends near Las Vegas had fallen apart as quickly as it was made last night. I had decided not to camp at Death Valley for two reasons: First, the massive heat wave sweeping the US right now was pushing temperatures w...

Waterfalls, a Pilgrimage, the 101, and GIANT TREES: Hey everyone, I apologize for not updating for a few days, but I hope it makes sense by the end of this post.  15 July: I spent the 14th and 15th with one of my good friends who lives in Portland. We spent most of our time either paddleboarding or hiking. The 10 mile long 'Trail of Ten Falls', a combination of most of the trails in the Silver Falls State Park, was beautiful! Although we were running into a lot of people at first, it quickly thinned out as we hiked a few miles in and most people either turned back or took a much shorter route back. Though we both had a heavy breakfast, by the end of the hike we were starving! One call to Big Burger late, and we both scarfed down Triple Bacon Burgers, fries, and milkshakes in record time.           This was the first day since the trip began that I haven't started the Cougar. Luckily for me, she didn't get jealous or petty on me. 16 July: And we're of...