Blackwater Falls State Park and the Appalachia Mountains

I camped in the Blackwater Falls State Park, WV on my last night before reaching Washington, DC. Despite the warm temperature in the valleys, it was very mild in mountainous West Virginia. I had to wear a sweat shirt and got bundled up in my sleeping bag to go to sleep that night.

Eat Rite was my favorite nasty greasy 24/7 trucker's diner when I lived in St. Louis. It was great for after pubbing. Coffee on Grand was one of the cafes I frequented.

Forest Park in St. Louis, MO

Forest Park was my favorite part of St. Louis when I lived there. It's a huge urban park on the western edge of the city. As the name indicates, it used to be heavily forested. But the city decided to chop down all the trees to help build the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. The wood was later recycled to build many of the original buildings in Richmond Heights, MO.

Sunset over the Mississippi River and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

It's now a campaign slogan in Missouri!

Fort Scott, Kansas

I stopped in Fort Scott, a former border outpost on the Kansas/Missouri border. Interesting history here about former US Indian policy and the fort's role in the Civil War and opening up the West.

Here one will see the bakers and the laundresses at work. They were nice enough to stop to talk about the fort and gave Jack some cold water.

Jack posing for the camera during the drive from Colorado to Kansas.

This gent from Kentucky really knows how to travel in style!

Jack complaing about the hot sand in the dunes.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

My hike into the dunes on July 14, 2006. It was hot even though it was 7am.

This is my first night at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Jack didn't like the sand dunes very much.

Earthship, New Mexico

This is a house in the Earthship housing development just outside of Taos, New Mexico. It's made of all natural and recycled building material. It's interesting. But it's not a style I would prefer my house to be.

Santuario de Chimayo

On the way to Colorado I took the High Road to Taos. One of the stops in the Santuario de Chimayo. I wanted to step into the chapel but Jack wouldn't let me.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

More photos from Santa Fe. It's a very pretty town and very artsy. I wish I can spend more time there. But I also wonder what people do there for a living. There's nothing there except for art galleries.

Photos from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe National Forest

My campground at Hyde State Park in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico.

My camp at the Kaibab Lake Campground, AZ.

Jack is in the background. This was around 4:45am, as the sun wasn't fully up yet

Route 66 through Arizona was awesome! I drove through Oatman. It was a touristy little town, complete with wild burros and an old west main street (the town's only street). Great sunset!

As I drove through the desert, smoke from the San Bernardino forest fire was so thick it covered the sky for about 50 miles. I also stopped to see the Amboy Crater. I believe it is the youngest volcanic site in North America.

I started my trip across the country from Los Angeles to Washington, DC on July 11, 2006. I planned to take Route 66 and portions of the Santa Fe Trail. My first day I started on I-10, I-15 and I-40. Somewhere in the high Mojave Desert I got on Route 66 and took the Mother Road into Arizona. It took forever but it was very scenic. I passed through a town called Daggett. Funny enough, the only spot in town with any signs of life is the cemetary.