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Hello fellow wanderers!

Grand Canyon. When you hear those two words, most people instantly think of the South Rim or even the North Rim. Most people do not even know that a West Rim exists. Grand Canyon West, however, is not part of the National Park system. It is owned and operated by the Hualapai (wal-lah-pie) Nation. 

The entrance fee paid to the Hualapai Nation is $45 per person. This fee includes entry to Eagle Point, Guano Point, hop-on / hop-off shuttle and self guided tour. During our stay in Laughlin we had family with us that had never seen the Grand Canyon or Arizona so we decided to take them to the West Rim since it was only a couple of hours away. 

Chris and I had visited the West Rim a few times back in the 2000's when we lived in Las Vegas. Back then, you could drive right up to the rim of the canyon, get out and walk around. There was nothing touristy about the West Rim and you had to make it over a 20 mile dirt road to get there. On occasion, a native member might have been sitting on a chair on the side of the road to collect $20 from you as you approached the canyon.

Today, Grand Canyon West is completely different. You pay to enter and then hop on a shuttle after you are pushed through their visitor center and gift shop. The shuttle's first stop is Eagle Point. This is where the famous Skywalk is located which is an additional $23 per person. Otherwise, you can just walk around and check out the Native Village and you might catch a Native Dance Show on stage. We were there in March and the restaurants were still closed or had limited food service due to the pandemic. Once you are finished here, you hop on the shuttle and head over to Guano Point. This is a much better view of the canyon and you can explore the old Guano Mine. After this stop, you shuttle back to your car. 

If you choose to go on the Skywalk, you are not allowed to take anything personal out there with you. You will be forced to put all personal belongings into a locker, this includes phones, cameras, wallets, etc., basically anything that can fall and potentially hurt the glass bottom or fall into the canyon. You will be required to walk through a metal detector prior to going out on the Skywalk. 

They do have photographers on the walk. If you want to pay for photos, you stay in the line to the right. If you do not want photos, you enter the walk on the left. We paid for photos which in my opinion, you have to do the Skywalk once so why not indulge in the photos for keepsake. The photos for the full package was $69 and we got about 14 photos in the package. Otherwise, it is $17 per photo. 

We have heard other YouTubers say "I'm not wasting my money going on the Skywalk" or "I cannot believe they charge to do that" and several other comments pertaining to not going. First of all, you are supporting the Hualapai Nation. Second, why go to the Grand Canyon West if you have no plans of going on the Skywalk. Truly, this is the only reason why you would go, in my opinion. So go and support the Hualapai Nation and get your photos for proof and memories! We had family with us and we got individual photos and group photos and we paid the $69 for the package and got them digitally so that we could share. Please visit at least once if you are in the area and support the Hualapai Nation. 

The Grand Canyon West is a once and done type of attraction for me. I will not go back after this visit. We went, we did it all and that is good enough for me. Keep in mind, you can cruise along Route 66 on your way up to the canyon for additional wandered off fun. 

Our Grand Canyon West video is up on our Wandered Off YouTube channel. We hope you watch, subscribe and like our videos.

Thanks so much for wandering off to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Back in March we spent two weeks RVing in Laughlin, Nevada. During this time, we spent a day in the Mojave National Preserve in California (2 hours from Laughlin) and our number one attraction we wanted to see was the lava tube. We had seen other YouTube videos of this tube but we were simply in awe at what we experienced personally. 

As long as you time the sun just right (we happened to be there at 2pm), you will get the fullest sun beams coming down into the lava tube. It was magical. It was awesome. It was amazing to see in person! 

The lava tube is located in the NW corner of the preserve and can be accessed from I-15 from the North or from the South via Kelbaker Road through the preserve. We came up from Amboy through the preserve and drove down the five mile dirt road (Kelbaker) to get to the trailhead. Once you park, it is an easy quarter mile hike up to the entry of the tube. At the entry, you will be met with a set of stairs that drops into the tube. The tube was beautiful and amazing. There is really nothing more that I can say. You just need to experience it for yourself. Bring a flashlight and your camera! You will not be disappointed. 

Please check it out by watching our YouTube video. We captured some great footage of the beams and the lava tube. Please subscribe and like our videos. 

Much appreciated!

Thanks for wandering through the lava tube with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Muir Woods. Everyone must visit at least once in their life if they love all things forest and giant redwoods. We spent a few days in the San Francisco area and thought we would take a day and hike the famous and historic Dipsea Trail. Yes, you read it right, I said historic. The first Dipsea Race took place on this trail back in 1905. It is the oldest trail race in the United States, putting this trail on the national historical registry. 

This trail just about killed us (not literally, but close enough). It is a grueling and treacherous trail with tons of ups and downs. If you do not like steps or physically cannot handle steps, then please avoid this trail. We hike a lot on many different types of trails and we were not prepared for this hike at all. 

The Dipsea trailhead at the Muir Woods Visitor Center was closed so we were forced to enter the Muir Woods park and walk the board walk to the very end and cross over Bridge #4. The boardwalk is beautiful and the Visitor Center was open. We stopped in and grabbed a sticker for our collection. After we crossed Bridge #4, we followed the Ben Johnson Trail up to the Dipsea Trail. There were several switch backs on the Ben Johnson up to the Dipsea. Once we finally connected to the Dipsea, the steps began. I cannot even tell you how many steps there are, up and down. We stopped at the leg of the Dipsea that takes you down to Stinson Beach (our goal was to make it to the beach but we didn't give ourselves enough time). We stopped and snacked here before turning around. While we were eating, we were approached by a coyote. It was getting late and we had a lot of steps to climb back up. Had we stayed, we would have hiked out in the dark.

We hiked a total of 10.4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 2,500-3,000 feet total. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the Jeep. It is an absolutely beautiful trail and hiking in February was perfect weather as well. It was not hot or cold. The overcast marine layer covered up the ocean so not much of a view there but Muir Woods is a magical place that all should visit at least once. 

We had plenty of water and snacks for the trail but what we didn't have or even think to get since we were staying in a hotel was a protein shake or muscle milk. We hurt the next three days and could barely walk after all of those steps. If you don't believe me, watch our YouTube video for the full hike. It was brutal! (and we don't say that often).

We hope you watch our video and subscribe to our channel. We would truly appreciate it. 

Thanks so much for wandering off into Muir Woods with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers! 

We wandered off and hiked the Wilson Canyon Trail located West of Yerington, NV. This trail is a favorite for a few reasons. Besides the fall colors, different rock formations, the Walker River running through it and the wildlife that we ran across, this trail has some crazy interesting history as well. 

Wilson Canyon is a gorge that has been created by the Walker River cutting through it. The canyon consists of volcanic cliffs and rock formations. This trail is a loop trail that is 3.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 803 feet. We did the loop clockwise which put us walking along the river first and coming back through the canyons.

Rugged is a great definition for this trail as you will be scrambling over boulders and loose rock. A decent amount of water is required, especially if you hike this in the summer. We hiked this in November 2020 and it was a bit chilly but wear layers in the late fall and winter months.

Wilson Canyon Trail is an interpretive trail with lot of plaques and signage giving descriptions and the history along the way. You will find several kinds of native plants, wild flowers, petrified wood and different kinds of rock, including hoodoos. Be careful, we even found quite a few wild cat prints and we believe we found the cats den right off the trail. A few deer were spooked by the river and we caught them on video running up the hill. We believe the wild cat, or something similar, is what spooked the deer (we always carry bear spray just in case).

There is quite a bit of railroad history and Native American history along this trail as well. The Paiute Indians were the first people to live in this area and in the view from the sign below, there used to be a lake. Hard to image that this area was under water. 

The area across the highway from the trail head is a popular BLM OHV area for everyone who loves everything about off-roading. You will find restrooms over in this OHV area as well picnic areas for day use only. No over night camping is allowed. 

There is so much to see and learn on this trail that I hope if you are ever in the area and love this kind of stuff, that you will add it to your list. 

Thanks for wandering through Wilson Canyon with us. Please watch our YouTube video for the full hike and let us know if would like more information about our adventures.

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Last October, the day before Halloween, we decided to climb to the summit of Jobs Peak. Jobs Peak is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains just south of Lake Tahoe. The trail head for the hike is on the California side of the mountain range, although, we live at the base of Jobs Peak on the Nevada side and look at this mountain on a daily basis. 

This trail is rated as difficult on All Trails and I cannot disagree. You will basically hike up 2.2 miles to the peak with an elevation gain of 2,011 feet. That is 1,000 feet of elevation gain per mile. It is no joke. Most of the trail is dirt or sand and there is not much shade. 

We hiked up in the afternoon to catch the sunset on the way back down. At the top of Jobs Peak, there is a mail box with goodies that previous hikers have left. We donated some mole skin and left some positive vibes in the notebook. The views of Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe are spectacular and are not to be missed! The weather was great until we got to the top. The wind was pretty relentless as the afternoon progressed. 

Jobs Peak is sitting at a cool 10,633 feet and this trail connects to two other peaks. Jobs Sister Peak is sitting at 10,823 feet and Freel Peak is at 10,886 feet. Jobs Peak is the shorter of the three. One day, we will be back to hit all three peaks in a day hike. 

We highly recommend taking plenty of water and snacks. Take a lot of breaks going up. The elevation gain is a butt kicker. The road coming into the trail head is off of Highway 89 South of Lake Tahoe and is a dirt road. Our F350 handled it fine but the road was quite narrow in certain areas as we squeezed through the best that we could. 

Please check out our Jobs Peak video on YouTube and let us know if you would like to learn more about our hike! 

Thanks so much for wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello wanderers!

Have you been to Bodie, CA? This ghost town turned historic state park is pretty amazing and should be on everyone's list if you are passing through the Eastern Sierra's on highway 395. 

The famous Cain family was the last remaining property owner in Bodie and sold the town in 1962 to the state of California. California then preserved the town and turned it into a State Historic Park, charging admission of $8 per adult to enter and wander around. 

The town looks as if the people just vanished. As you wander around and look in the remaining 5% of the buildings left standing, you will see all kinds of relics and things of the past sitting in these buildings covered in dust. If these walls could talk, the stories that they would tell!

W.S. Bodey from NY discovered gold in this area in 1859. He unfortunately died a few months later never seeing his namesake town (Bodie) in its heyday from 1877-1881. No one knows why the name spelling was changed or how but it is rumored that Bodey is buried on the hill somewhere above the cemetery. 

In Bodie's heyday, the population grew to about 8,000 people with 30 different mines, 60 saloons, prostitutes cribs, opium dens, a Chinatown and a wild and rough crowd leading the town to a reputation for bad men and wild times. 

In the early 1900s, the population started to decline and mining shut down in 1942. The schoolhouse also closed down in 1942 and the town sat almost vacant for 20 years prior to the state of California buying it for preservation. 

When you wander around today, you will see several buildings still standing including the Standard Stamp Mill. The mill does operate guided tours, however, due to the pandemic they were closed to the public. But don't let that stop you from visiting. There truly is so much to see and explore. Peak your head into the windows of the buildings and you will see peoples belongings left in the houses as if they just up and vanished one day. You will see a barber shop, gym, mercantile store, hotels, post office, saloons, doctors office, bank vault, church, morgue, Shell gas station, jail house and so much more. Don't forget to wander up to the Bodie Cemetery.

Bodie does not have any services so make sure you have a full tank of gas and a packed lunch with lots of water. Bring your camera and your imagination! This place is truly amazing and you will spend hours here wandering around and peeking into the past of Bodie's heyday. 

If you don't plan on being in the area, we invite you to watch our Bodie video on YouTube. We got some great shots of the town and interiors of the buildings. I love a good ghost story and this town has an endless supply of those! 

Thanks for wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Have you ever been to Great Falls, Montana? We were passing through as we traveled last summer from the Dakota's to Washington State. I had put a shout out on Facebook looking for recommendations of things to see and do as we stayed at the KOA for 2 nights so I could take care of some work. Literally, no one had any recommendations and I was even asked why we were stopping LOL! 

Well, we did a lot in the two days we were there, even while I was working. The KOA is tucked in behind a Wal-Mart which for some is very convenient and for others, not so much. The KOA has two areas, an older area and the newer area. We stayed in the new area in a pull through with a patio. We had amazing views of the meadows from our site, however, like most KOA's, not a lot of trees or vegetation. Their older area is mostly back-in sites and cabins and in a nice wooded area, however, it is very limited for big rigs in the older area. This KOA has a nice store, pool and water area for the kids, big dog park and even a petting zoo. Mostly everything was closed due to the pandemic. We would stay again if we were passing through.

As for Great Falls, we love the outdoors so of course we checked out the "falls". The falls, we learned, are really dams creating and causing the falls but still a lot of history in the area with the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveling through Great Falls in 1805. Rainbow Falls and Crooked Falls were our favorite as the area was beautiful with some hiking trails in the area. Take bug spray! Lots of mosquitos here. Ryan Dam was another unique place as you walk across a bridge onto an island to view the dam and the falls. Not a lot of people due to the pandemic so it was a great time to be there and explore. 

We spent a few hours in Giant Springs State Park. The springs are nice to see once and we took the River's Edge Trail down to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center which was closed. The fish hatchery was open enough for us to go in at a low capacity (go in behind the fence) to see the outdoor pools but the inside was closed. 

We also drove around Great Falls as we both love old buildings and architecture. There is plenty of history in Great Falls if you are into that type of thing. Of course, the court house and most buildings were closed.

Overall, we enjoyed our stayed at the KOA and wandering around Great Falls. It is a great place to stop if you are passing through, or even staying for a while. 

Please watch our Great Falls video on YouTube and subscribe if you haven't already. We love your support!

Thanks for wandering off with us,

Chris and Brandi

Hey there wanderers!

When we asked our youngest daughter where she wanted to go for her senior trip, she said Yellowstone National Park. I personally was hoping for the Caribbean or Central America somewhere, but hey... she wanted Yellowstone. I had already been to Yellowstone as a teen but my daughter and Chris had both never been. So we started planning for an epic week in the parks. 

We used our timeshare condo in Island Park, Idaho which is just about a 30 minute drive south of West Yellowstone. This was before we had an RV. 

The condo was great, a little dated but had all of the amenities including a driving range with a beautiful view of the sunset. You will see Makenzie perfecting her swing in the YouTube video we just posted. 

Island Park also has a playhouse where we watched an absolutely hilarious dinner show. The show was at Mack's Playhouse but a new playhouse has since been built. Yellowstoneplayhouse.com is now the new venue. The dinner was great and the show was fantastic and I would highly recommend it. Even Makenzie was impressed which is hard to do at that age. 

We also rented a raft at Mack's Inn and took a half day to float the Snake River (Henry's Fork). It was so peaceful and the water was crystal clear. We saw tons of birds and even a young moose at the river's edge. 

We spent only a few days in Yellowstone simply because of the high volume of tour buses. Our absolute favorite spot in Yellowstone is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It is awe inspiring and the water falls are amazing. Our second favorite spot is Grand Prismatic (which I think is everyone else's favorite). The colors are stunning and do not forget to hike up behind it to the overlook. The Grand Prismatic is epic and beautiful. We then took off from there and hiked out through the Fairy Meadows to Fairy Falls. This was a nice break from the crowd as most people tend to stay on the beaten path. Of course, we saw Old Faithful and a few other popular spots along the way. We then headed up to Mammoth Hot Springs which is our third favorite spot to visit along with Roosevelt Lodge. We also spent a half day driving around and hanging out at Yellowstone Lake. The lake was also surrounded by deer and elk and the water was also pretty clear. And of course, tons of Bison just walking around everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

None of us had ever been to Jackson Hole so we took a day off from Yellowstone and drove down to Jackson Hole. We shopped and ate our way through the charming and tiny town and then we headed up into Grand Teton National Park where we spent the rest of the day driving around and hanging out at Jackson Lake. 

Don't forget West Yellowstone! Such a charming town with a wild west theme, lots of shopping and places to eat as well. We visited the Grizzly Discover Center and old Union Pacific Train Depot which houses the Museum of Yellowstone. 

We currently have another week planned this August 2021 near Jackson Hole and our sole purpose is to explore and hike our way through Grand Teton and we may head up to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, just because it is that amazing. 

Please watch our latest video on YouTube and please subscribe if you haven't already. Also, if you would like to know more about our trip to these parks and the surrounding area, please send a message and we would be happy to help out. 

Thanks for wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Have you been fortunate enough to hike and explore any of Utah's slot canyons? This was a bucket list item for us and it did not disappoint! We were fortunate enough to RV and stay in Duck Creek Village for a few weeks last September into October and we took full advantage of that location. We hiked Bryce Canyon (videos on YouTube), we visited Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (also on YouTube) and we hiked a few slot canyons. Bull Valley Gorge Slot Canyon is our favorite (also on YouTube) but Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch are a very close second! These canyons are amazing. The depth of them, coloring in the landscape and the history. There is so much to take in while exploring these canyons. 

The route we took started at the Wire Pass Trail Head. This trail takes you through a wash until you get to the entrance of the canyon. As you proceed into the canyon, you will come up to a complete drop off with no way down and the day that we were there, someone had tried to make their way down this 8'-10' drop and fell and we heard they cracked their skull. So please, when you get to this point, turn around and go back out to the wash. To the right of Wire Pass's entry, there are rock cairns that you can follow that take you straight up and over and then you drop down a sleep slope back into Wire Pass Canyon. Head back to the left and finish exploring that part of Wire Pass before proceeding to the right which takes you out to Buckskin Gulch. When you reach the confluence (intersection) of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, stop and take it all in. There are 800 year old petroglyphs on the walls in the confluence. 

Wire Pass basically dead ends at Buckskin Gulch and you can take a right or left into Buckskin. We started out on the right and hiked in a ways (about a mile) and then turned around and hiked back through the confluence into the other side of Buckskin.

Buckskin Gulch is a total of 13 miles long and is considered the deepest and longest slot canyon in the Southwestern United States. 

Wire Pass is a total of 3.7 miles round trip if you do not enter into Buckskin Gulch. We hiked a total of 6 miles after exploring about a mile of Buckskin on each side of the confluence. We will be back to finish exploring Buckskin Gulch in its entirety! 

There is a day use permit that is required at the Wire Pass Trail Head. We were able to fill it out on site and left $6 cash in an envelope. I also believe you can register and pay on Recreation.gov but we have not done this for this trail. 

We had great weather at the end of September 2020. Take lots of water and snacks. Wear good shoes while exploring these canyons and know your bearings. We always download trail maps prior to heading out. 

As always, if you have any questions or would like more information about our hike, please leave us a comment of send us an email. Please watch our video on YouTube, like and share and don't forget to subscribe! 

We truly appreciate you all wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi