Wow, What an amazing trip! I knew when Andrew and I first talked about doing the Rubicon over a year ago it would be an epic adventure but little did I know just how much awesome sauce it would actually contain…
With so much time in planning and lots of pavement between us and the iconic trail, this trip was about more than just the trail itself, but also meeting friends in person that Wayalife has brought together through the forum.
Since we are a “stop and smell the roses” kind of family, our trip and pictures started far before our arrival at Camp Wayalife.
We started out 5 days before the run (Thursday, July 9th)
After Alana got off work we hit the road. The plan was to work our way over to just outside St. Louis, covering some fairly boring and familiar land through OH, KY, IN, and IL.
4 days before the run (Friday, July 10th)
It’s hard to justify rolling through St. Louis without stopping by the arch so we did just that. The first picture is of the old courthouse rotunda.
From the bottom of the south leg…
Kegan at the top (and not liking the height)
View from the top out the window
After we wrapped up in St. Louis, we needed to shake-n-bake our way across MO and most of KS. Our goal was to make sunset at Monument Rocks. This is a surreal place that, after traveling almost 11 miles of dirt road, we had all to ourselves. The breeze was perfect and its sights were breath-taking.
We had about an hour drive to our night’s stay at the hotel. It’s a shame the pictures and video didn’t come out too well of it, but there was a massive storm brewing that we swore we were going to get hit by. After a radar check we learned that the storm was actually nearly 50 miles away. In the vast open sky it seems as though we could roll down the window and touch it…
3 days before the run (Saturday, July 11th)
Today would be a long one…The only planned stop was Pikes Peak. This added diversion would make for nearly a 19 hour day in the Jeep. Thankfully it was worth it!
This picture is where the mountain was first revealing itself to us.
Kegan was fairly alert at this point LOL!
We ended up not taking too many pictures of note on the way up. Honestly, we just let our eyes take it all in.
At the Summit. I’m confused as to what the height actually is. Half of the listed documents and shirts said 14115 feet and the other say 14110. Either way, it’s damn high!
We did take some pictures on the way down... Notice you can actually see the curvature of the earth (Cool)
This was on a dirt road diversion from the paved road. It lead to some reservoirs and offered some amazing views of the mountain in the background.
On the road again and while working our way back to the interstate we stumbled on a really nice road.
Even the interstate through Colorado was pretty amazing. Unfortunately, moving at over 70MPH and winding through mountains isn’t the easiest of ways to capture any of it other than through direct experience.
Leaving Colorado and into Utah very close to sunset so we stopped at a rest area to take it in…
Most of our Utah travel was sadly in the cover of darkness where we had spent a bit too much time on Pikes Peak.
2 days before the run (Sunday, July 12th)
I-70 dead ends into I-15 where you either need to go north or south a bit before continuing west. We opted for “Plan-B”. We grabbed a local Utah map, filled up the gas tank and continued the voyage by dirt/gravel road for the next 110 miles until we rejoined US-50.
As we passed this little oasis in the desert, a jack rabbit hopped out along the road and raced us for quite some time. We all learned that their ears work like a gas pedal. Ears down and they are on the gas hard, ears up…not so much. (Yes, I lost! They are quick!)
While taking the picture above… Alana noticed I was being watched LOL
About half way out US-50 we were contacted by Eddie that some guys had started to arrive and they decided to have a BBQ. After his invite, we reset our course and headed over!
This is where we were so overwhelmed with everyone and the hospitality being extended to us that we got a little caught up in the moment and didn’t grab a single pic. We hung out, had a drink and waited the rest of the “true” Easties to arrive.
1 day before the run (Monday, July 13th)
No pictures, just hanging with everyone and making preps for the following day
Trail Day! (Tuesday, July 14th)
Lined up and ready to roll out!
Let’s get this thing started!
Little Sluice
Somewhere…LOL Thank goodness for Eddie and Cindy, we were so lost by now!
Camp!
Group one back out and at the top of Cadillac hill (waiting on all the other slow pokes).
As if they hadn’t done enough, Eddie and Cindy offered to lead for a bonus run to some snow sheds. (I’ll admit that this Ohio boy had no idea what it was when we set out.)
On the way out from the snow sheds, Eddie took a pause at a marker for the Truckee Trail. We didn’t realize it at this time, but this would end up being a theme for the first half of our return trip home.
We stopped at another marker for the California Trail along I-80 on our way home.
Then, we stopped at the California Trail Interpretive Center / Museum in Elko, NV for some knowledge ball growing on the trails and how they all connected.
Our next stop was at the Bonneville Salt Flats. (Had to stop for a photo op LOL)
Andrew and Julie twisted our arm into an interstate diversion along WY-130 in Wyoming. It was a pretty nice and scenic drive during a much needed break from the interstate.
Then, after rejoining the interstate and tiring of it again, we took another path through a large portion of Nebraska (NE-2 to I-29 to US-36)
By this point we were starting to smell the barn and put an all-out focus into getting home.
5124 miles, 13 States, and one EPIC trip… we are home.
This really was a trip of a lifetime for our family and I thank all of you for being a part of it, especially Eddie and Cindy. We would not have experienced the Rubicon as well under any other guidance. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and finally put faces to names.
Congrats and good luck to Andrew and Julie. (I’m thankful I don’t have to keep the secret anymore!)
…..So, who is with us for Moab?
) downs PCH, shoot east around LA towards Sedona, Memphis, DC and home to Boston. I'll continue to update in the rocking rubicon. Or on Instagram itsjulieyoung
