The Utah Loop Plan – 1 month out and about

Here we go, my first REAL post-retirement trip. This will be roughly one month on the road, in the woods and on the river.

The rough itinerary, subject to change on a whim:

• 3 days in Roanoke to take my mom out for Mother’s Day brunch
• 5 days wandering to Kansas City, maybe checking these out:
  • 1-2 days in the Daniel Boone National Forest
  • Land Between the Lakes
  • Historic Cordon, IN
• 4 days in Kansas City with my brother, sis-in-law and nephew
  • Visit the American Jazz Museum
  • Eat some Joe’s KC BBQ
  • Play Company of Heroes 2 with my brother and nephew
  • Go for a long bike ride with my bro
  • Maybe work in a paddle on a nearby river or lake
• 4 days wandering to Moab, UT with stops potentially at
  • Arches National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• 12 days paddling 120 miles of the Green River, UT with my good buddy Dave
  • Put in on May 23 at Crystal Geyser, close to where the Green River crosses under I70, north of Canyonlands, west of Arches
  • Take out on June 3 at Spanish Bottom at the confluence with the Colorado River
• 5 days back home, 400 miles per day

 

My traveling home:

I’ll be living in the back of my truck (2002 Nissan Frontier) which has been fixed up for just such an occasion with lighting and electrical distribution in the bed, including 110V, a memory foam mattress, stove, water supply and storage boxes to keep everything organized. Sweet setup, truly:

 

 

 

Most important, my supportive wife:

My wonderful wife, Denise, has been incredibly supportive of my lifelong desire to travel and find adventure in the US and abroad. She supported me while I worked my tail off in my career for 20 years. Now she’s cheering me on as I take off for months at a time to explore the corners of our most awesome country and world for the next decade or more. Here she is sending me off: