RILEY J ROAMS

All of the sudden it was the end of August, and it was time to drive across the country to spend two and a half months in my favorite place in the world—Joshua Tree. But why would I rush getting there? Everyone always says it’s about the journey, and not the destination, so a road trip with my best friend Molly from Chicago to Yucca Valley would be the ultimate journey. 

September 3, 2019: Chicago, IL

My Ford Focus—with two bikes strapped onto the back of it—was packed to the brim with my belongings. My road trip began a few days before Molly’s, so I could spend some time in Chicago. Laughing with my friends—both old and new—on an apartment rooftop, shopping at Gethsemane Garden Center to gaze at the wide variety of plants, and getting drinks at O’Toole’s was the perfect was to say goodbye to one of my favorite cities that won’t be a short drive away anymore. 

September 4, 2019: Chicago, IL

Tela made us breakfast burritos and read my tarot cards before heading to work. I felt like my reading was pretty accurate—depression in my past, recovery in my present, and new beginnings in my future. Molly got into town in the evening, and we went to Chicago Diner, a vegetarian’s heaven, to eat with two good friends from college. We laughed about inside jokes while I ate the Buddha’s karma burger, a sweet potato burger with grilled pineapples for a tropical, but sweet dinner.

September 5, 2019: Chicago, IL – Kansas City, MO

We grabbed breakfast at the Golden House Restaurant and Pancake House, or better known as Patsy’s Pies in Shameless, before heading to to Kansas City, Missouri. Driving through Chicago with my full car was stressful to say the least. Once we beat the traffic we were on our way south to Kansas City. This eight hour drive consisted of mostly corn, but I had no idea fields of corn could be so beautiful.  

The sun had set once we finally finished our long drive, but our friend Gus insisted that we still go out. So we headed towards the Power & Light District where we grabbed dinner at No Other Pub before getting drinks. We spent the night bar hopping, singing karaoke at Hotel Karaoke, and even got to ride a mechanical bull at PBR Big Sky. Even though we had a long day of driving we somehow were able to stay up  enjoying the city until 4 a.m.

September 6, 2019: Kansas City, MO – Colby, KS

We grabbed brunch at the Corner Restaurant where I ordered the hashes, and it had to be one of the best breakfasts I ever had. After our late night of partying, the five-hour drive to Colby, Kansas dragged on. The whole drive was among fields with little, yellow flowers growing along the side of the highway. We got to The Country Club Drive Motel around sunset. It was in the middle of nowhere and felt creepy—much like any other motel. The room was relatively clean, but we both had a hard time sleeping. We each paid $23.63 for a night at this motel.

September 7, 2019: Colby, KO – Golden, CO 

After a night of barely sleeping we took off around 10 a.m. excited to be in mountain air. During the three and a half hour drive from Colby to Golden, Colorado the landscape drastically changed from fields of corn to towering mountains. We made a pit stop downtown Golden to grab some lunch at Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta before heading to where we were staying at Christina’s place.

When we arrived at Christina’s home, her kitten Pip and the two goats that share the property with Christina greeted us. It’s been years since I have seen her and it was so good to be with her again. We played with the goats while gazing at the mesas that surrounded us. 

Molly and I immediately showered the Kansas motel off of us, and then relaxed outside while playing with the goats. Christina went to the store to buy us some snacks and a frozen pizza, and when she returned we binge-watched When They See Us on Netflix. I felt emotionally drained after finishing this four-episode series, which showcases how police unfairly treated the five, wrongly-accused boys of the Central Park Jogger Case. Molly and I fell asleep on her couch with the windows wide open as a stormed poured down outside.

September 8, 2019: Golden to Rocky Mountain National Park – Fort Collins, CO

We woke up to the Colorado sun shining down through the window. We slowly got ready to drive an hour to Rocky Mountain National Park. We all met at the Safeway in Estes Park so we could grab a couple snacks and pile into one car before entering the park. Molly and I had an annual parks pass, which can be bought at any park entrance for $80. Right after passing through the entrance we were blown away by the magnificent mountains in every direction.

Dark clouds were becoming bigger in the sky as we drove down the winding roads. We ended up by Bear Lake and began a short hike around the lake, but the sky had other plans. It started down pouring as we were walking along the lake, so we ran back to the car. The rain pounded on the car roof as we sat, completely soaked. After a little while we decided to head out of the park. Molly and I got back into our cars at the Safeway and then drove another hour to Fort Collins where we stayed with my friend from college, Jack.

When we got to his house he had two burritos from Café Mexicali waiting for us. This is one of the best burritos I’ve ever had. Their white sauce is so delicious.  

September 9, 2019: Fort Collins, CO – Moab, UT

The next morning we ate the rest of our burritos while chatting with Jack and his dad. To my surprise, his dad had completely fixed all the problems with the two bikes I had while I was asleep this morning and he gave Molly and I a pair of walk-e-talkes so we could talk to each other while caravanning.

We began our six-hour drive to Moab around noon. Driving down I-70 was breathtaking as powerful mountains turned into delicate, red rocks. We found ourselves in the middle of nowhere often and it was so peaceful. We got to Moab as the sun was setting and creating a pink sky. We had hoped to explore Arches National Park tonight, but the sun was already setting, so we looked on Free Campsites to find a spot. We ate a quick dinner as dusk turned to dark at Cotter Mine Campsites along US 191, the same road leading into the park. The ground was so hard that I couldn’t hammer the nails for my tent into the ground, so instead we turned Molly’s car into a bed a slept in there.

September 10, 2019 – Moab to Arches National Park to Zion National Park, UT

Around 4 a.m. I was woken by the brightness of the big dipper in the night sky. I stepped out of the car to go to the bathroom and was greeted with cool air in a silent landscape. I crawled back into the warm car until I was woken again around 6:30 when orange and pink clouds were whisking across the sky. I shot up with a burst of energy. We had finally made it to the desert.

We both started packing up so we could get an early start on our day. We drove into Arches around 9 in the morning, and it was already packed with people. We slowly drove along the main road while taking in the views of the staggering rock formations. We made multiple stops on the side of the road to walk among these questionable structures and take photos.

Because we were trying to get to Zion National Park at a decent hour to meet our friend Storm, we only did a short hike to the upper delicate arch viewpoint. After hiking to the viewpoint where we could see the delicate arch from very far away, we got in the car and drove through the rest of the park. There were various arches standing throughout the park, and the landscape was so dynamic for being one of the smaller national parks in the country. It didn’t take longer than a few hours to drive throughout the whole park.

As we began our five and a half hour drive to Zion, dark clouds began forming in the sky. There was lightening striking in the distance as we kept driving among the red rocks. It started raining a little bit, and then a little bit harder, and then it was full on hailing. Molly and I pulled over because we couldn’t see anything, and it was hailing so hard it felt like it could break our windows.

Eventually the hailstorm cleared and we were on our way again. We were in the middle of nowhere all down I-70. It was crazy to experience this part of the country after being so used to cities and suburbs. 

We got to Zion around six. A touristy area filled with overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops surrounded the south entrance. As we drove through the winding roads of the park the yellow, evening light shined on the breathtaking rocks. We drove through a dark tunnel before getting spit out at the east entrance where we found Storm. They had just finished training for a nature therapy position in Utah, and they drove out to meet up with us. We did a short hike close to the east entrance of the park as the sun set. 

It was dark by the time we exited the park and began looking for a camping spot. We were having issues finding a free camping spot outside of the east side of the park, so we decided to drive back through the canyons to the other side of the park in hope of finding some free camping. It took us two hours of driving to different campsites until we finally found one. The Kolob BLM camping area is about 15 minutes away from the south entrance. We spent the night exchanging stories until falling asleep around 1 a.m.

September 11, 2019: Zion National Park, UT

Red rocks surrounded us when we woke up. Molly and I spent the morning relaxing in her car while eating breakfast and enjoying the desert air. We packed up our things and drove towards the park. Up until now I had been parking my car at a store or hotel outside the park, so I could get into Molly’s car to use the park pass. Because the town of Springdale surrounds Zion, I ended up paying $15 to park my car in a lot. I probably should have just left my car at the Kolob camping area, but I was nervous about leaving all my belongings in the middle of nowhere. 

During the summer the park operates on a shuttle system. The park was packed with people so finding a spot to park the car was difficult. We ended up leaving Molly’s car at a pull out and then walked to the nearest shuttle station—Canyon Junction. 

We exited at the Zion Lodge stop and did the 1.3-mile lower emerald pools hike. This hike was heavily populated and took us to small pools of water under a thin waterfall.

After warming up with this short hike we hopped on the bus and took it one stop further to the Grotto so we could hike Angel’s Landing. This 5-mile hike features steep switchbacks until reaching a peak where you scale the canyon for the last mile. The trail was very busy with increasingly beautiful views the higher we hiked. The red rocks that surrounded us on our way up didn’t look real. 

When we finally reached the peak we took a break and ate some snacks. I was eating trail mix when a little chipmunk came up to me. Then another one appeared. And then another one. Before I knew it these chipmunks were crawling all over me and my backpack trying to eat my trail mix. I didn’t know friendly chipmunks existed.

After our moment with the chipmunks I headed over towards the last mile of the hike. There was a big sign stating that ten people had died doing this last part of the hike where I have to hold on to a chain while climbing the canyon. I did part of this, but ended up turning around.

As we made our way back down the switchbacks the sun was beginning to set over the canyons. There were much less people this time around as we slowly made our way back down.

Our legs were aching as we waited for the shuttle to take us back to the car. As we passed by the Zion Lodge there were about 30 deer lying in the lawn by the lodge. We were pretty hungry by the time we made it back to the car, so we headed towards Springdale to find some food. All the restaurants in this area were pretty expensive—like $20 for a meal—so we ended up grabbing some Subway.

We booked an Airbnb yurt so we could shower and sleep in a bed after our long day of hiking. This yurt had the most comfortable bed.

September 12, 2019: Zion National Park, UT – Valley of Fire State Park, NV 

            We were one day away from our desert home. I can’t believe how beautiful this country is—especially Utah. I’ve gotten to visit so many friends all over the country. I’m so excited for the future but also nervous about finding a job.

Today we have a two-hour drive to Overton, Nevada where we will camp. We had forgotten about the time change so we got to Valley of Fire State Park pretty early. It was 90 degrees out so we decided to hang out in a library and work all day until the temperature dropped.

We drove into the park around 6 p.m. The tall Aztec sandstone was otherworldy. We did the short fire wave hike while the sun was setting. The red seemed to have lit on fire during the sunset when the light wasn’t so direct. There weren’t many other people there, probably due to the scorching heat, so it felt as we were driving all alone through a wildfire. A nearly full moon rose right as we were about to exit the park. The pink sky held the yellow moon among red rocks.

We camped on sand mine road BLM area where we could see the main road from where we were camping close to a ledge. 

September 13, 2019: Overton, NV, – Yucca Valley, CA 

            There was just five hours of driving in between us and our home in Yucca Valley. We passed Las Vegas, but other than that the land was barren.

Gas prices soared after driving through Las Vegas with the norm being a little more than three dollars. We ended up stopping for gas right before going over the California border at a place called EddieWorld. There was a giant ice cream cup next to the castle-like building. After filling up our tanks we had to check out what the inside of this place was like. When we walked inside we were greeted by stuffed animals, candy, and a variety of food booths. It was the strangest gas station in the middle of nowhere. 

When passing over the California border there is a checkpoint with guards. They didn’t make us stop or look in our cars, but I didn’t expect to see that at a state border. Driving through the desert is both freeing and eerie. A lot of the highway signs said things like “Ghost Town,” or “No Services.” 

We passed through the small town of Barstow about an hour away from Yucca Valley then the last hour was more desert nothingness. We drove south on Highway 247 for that last hour until we eventually turned down the dirt road our house was on. 

Pulling into the driveway felt euphoric. We had actually made it with no issues. When we got out of our cars we scared our duplex neighbor because she wasn’t expecting us to appear all of the sudden. She was a friendly, French woman who was planning on buying property in Joshua Tree because she loved her three month stay in Yucca Valley so much.

Unlocking the stubborn front door took about twenty minutes, and when we finally got inside we noticed that the Airbnb was missing a couch it had advertised on the listing. We began to rearrange the furniture in the house to turn the dining room into another bedroom. 

We unpacked as much as we could before our friends, Mandy and Daniel, came up for the weekend from Los Angeles. I could hear coyotes howling from my bedroom window as the sun was setting. By the time Mandy and Daniel arrived it was dark out. We showed them the place before heading into the park to see the full moon on Friday the 13^th. 

Conclusion 

This road trip is one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on. I hope everyone gets the chance to experience the dynamics of this country by driving out west. I spent around $220 in gas to drive out here. We were so lucky to be able to visit and stay with friends during this road trip.