around the american west
a photographic gallery, and story of 2019 trip across 6 states, covering 7000 miles camping and riding bikes along the way
words and photos: trevor anderson
I have been traveling around the 'American West' throughout most of my life. This section of the U.S. is very near and dear to me, and after convincing a friend to tag along for a large portion of the journey, I was set on making my way across six states, driving over 7000 miles from August - October 2019.
After a three night shakedown along HWY 395 in eastern California to be sure my 1985 Toyota Pickup was running fine and I had packed everything I needed, I made a pitstop back home in southern California before heading to Arizona to stay at my Dad's off-grid house for a couple of weeks. About a week before my friend, Anthony Renna, was to meet me here and begin our trip, I made a point to pop off the valve cover on my truck and retorque the head bolts and check the rocker arm adjustment. A few months prior, I tossed in a new head and cam after finding a crack in the old head due to a blown head gasket. When I pulled the valve cover I noticed something I, nor anyone I know, has ever seen before - the cam was going flat on the exhaust side lobes. And not just a little bit either, it was dug out nearly an 1/16 of an inch.
Luckily I was only a three hour drive from the legendary LC Engineering in Havasu City, AZ, who specializes in Toyota engine parts. So, that Monday we made the six+ hour round trip drive, and after speaking with some of the people at the shop it seemed as if the cause of the cam destruction was the fault of a bad head. (Note to self: don't buy a brand new, built top end from a random shop in East LA for $300.) The following two days were spent swapping in a new head, cam and rocker arms. The two days after that were spent hoping I did everything right and I wouldn't be left stranded somewhere in the desert, because that Friday, Anthony met me in Arizona and we headed east for our first stop - SW Colorado.
Across Southwest Colorado
The basic plan for this trip was to camp and ride bikes as much as possible. However, we had one hard deadline to be in Denver for a weekend of live music - remember live music? So, we needed to make our way through this steep landscape, that could take someone a lifetime to explore, in only a couple days. Southwest Colorado is a place like no other, especially in the summer months. The ‘Million Dollar Highway’ cuts through some unthinkable terrain and because of this it is often one of the more crowded stretches of highway during this time of year. Slowly but surely in our two rather underpowered trucks, mountain pass after mountain pass, we made our way to Gunnison where we had dreamed of riding bikes in the Hartman Rocks Recreation Area.
This is definitely an area to stop by to get a few laps in on the bike if you're ever nearby. The ease of access is unbeatable with campsites scattered throughout, making rides from camp an easy way to spend the day on the bike while stopping for food or drinks when needed. Unfortunately we were only able to spend this one day here, for now.
Moving On
Another well-loved little Colorado town of mine is Leadville. This former mining town is a bit out of the way from other attractions, but it is one we were glad to have spent a night in. A nice, quiet campsite right on the river was just what we needed and we spent that afternoon wading around in the cool water, getting the previous day's dust off us. Every time I come to Leadville it seems like there are far fewer people than the rest of the state of Colorado, maybe I have just gotten lucky, but it is because of this solitude that I feel drawn to come back here year after year.
That next morning we woke at our waterfront camp on Anthony's birthday. Again, we had no real plan of what to do that day, but over coffee we decided the day would be best spent riding a new, trail. It wasn't long before we made way for Breckenridge, setting out on two wheels for a day spent well above 9,000 feet. Thankfully we were able to acclimate over the passed few days camping in the higher elevations of Colorado, but that doesn’t mean this ride was an easy affair.
While the ride was incredible, we decided to make our way out of the tourist hotspot. After a quick bite to eat, we found a site to camp at a couple hour drive away in a seemingly well kept secret location somewhat near Guanella Pass. The next three days would be spent in Denver with a favorite band of ours, Phish. After a couple nights in a Walmart parking lot, and one luxurious night in a $60 motel, we headed west for Salida.
Salida certainly is my favorite town in Colorado. It is nestled at a modest 7,000’ considering the elevation much of this state sits at. Because of this, we made the decision to spend a few days here and ride bikes all day, everyday - except that day it rained all afternoon.
Back To Some Big Mountains
Our eventual departure of this quaint little town led us to one stop we have both been dreaming of for quite some time, and that was the 'Monarch Crest Trail.' I could go on forever preaching about this trail and how great it is, so for the sake of time, I'll keep it at this; if you ever get the opportunity to ride this slice of perfection - DO IT.
Westward we went to Crested Butte. A few more cold nights were spent here and thankfully we were able to ride a couple of the great trails Crested Butte has to offer, including the Teocalli Ridge trail, before we were unfortunately met with a couple days of rainy weather, which meant muddy trails. Because of this we opted to spend the days exploring in the trucks instead of damaging the trails. We were then met by a new friend, Brian, from 'Off-Grid Backcountry Adventure.' That night we all hung around camp and he gave us some intel on a decent off-road route out of town towards Fruita, where we would spend the last few days of our time in the great state of Colorado.
A handful of days were spent camping outside Fruita, not far off their incredible trail network they have outside of town known as the '18 Roads' trails. This zone is another one with incredible access from camp. We opted to make out camp about a mile or so outside of the riding area so we could have some privacy from other campers. This meant each morning after breakfast and coffee we made a quick drive to the trailhead. The ‘18 Roads’ trail network is setup so you can ride all day doing lap after lap on a variety of different trails, each time riding passed your car in the lot, making it an easy and great way to stop when needed for cold drinks or a snack.
A Week In The Desert
Unfortunately Anthony needed to make his way back to California and head to work while I made my way to the popular mountain biking destination of Moab, Utah. Whether you hike, bike or want to wheel your 4x4, this popular desert tourist town has got plenty of options for you. For me, this stop was a great way to recharge after the last month of constant movement and adventure in Colorado. While there are tons of incredibly beautiful campgrounds, they can get very crowded, so I found my own spot up in the La Sal Mountains just outside of town. I made camp here for about four days and headed down to the town park daily to relax in the sun and charge up some of my electronics. I was grateful to rest for a few days before heading back onto some trails. Finally, on my last day in Moab I got up before the sun in order to beat the heat on the infamous ‘Captain Ahab’ trail.
This trail is one of the most well-known in this area, and for good reason. It is plenty technical, with great views of the valley below. I rode it on my hardtail, which was a bit much to ask of that bike, but a full-squish would have been a touch nicer on this particular ride. However, I am a big fan of the simple hardtail mountain bike and rode that Santa Cruz Chameleon on every ride on this trip and rarely missed my full suspension bikes.
After nearly a week in Moab, it was time to move on to some cooler weather - Stanley, Idaho.
A Drop Of Temperature, And A Rise In Elevation
From 90+ degrees in Utah to snow Idaho the next day. The way to Idaho wasn’t just a straight through drive because there was one important stop in Salt Lake City and that was the Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Museum. This place is a must stop for any Toyota fan. They have just about every generation Land Cruiser you can think of. But, this was just a quick pitstop on the way to the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. While I’m sure the backcountry of this zone is absolutely incredible, because of some unfortunate weather I wasn’t able to ride at all or get up into the mountains. Thankfully, even the forest roads outside of Stanley can yield some great exploring from the seat of a 4x4.
After only three days in the area, I got a text from a friend who I was planning on staying with in Missoula, Montana the following week. She was reaching out to let me know about a storm that was going to be passing through within the next couple days and offered for me to head north a bit early in order to take shelter. The next morning I made my way all the way up into Montana and fortunately was able to take cover from the snow, thanks Phoebe!
Because of the weather over the next couple days, I didn’t do a whole lot during my time in Missoula. Thankfully I was able to ride a bit on some of the trails they have in town, but I was forced to begin my journey back south to meet up at my last stop of the trip in Sedona, Arizona.
Final Destination
While making my way south from Montana I had a coupe days to kill before I met with friends in Arizona. So I decided to stop just outside Zion National Park and then on to Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Here I spent my mornings riding bikes and my days hanging out in the sun. It was now finally getting to be a manageable temperature during the day in the desert. After these few days in Utah it was time to drive down to Sedona. Here I would be met by a handful of friends that were going to drive out from Southern California for a week of riding bikes on some of the most fun and technical trails in the west. We rode a few of the more popular trails in the area, including the ‘Hogs Loop’ and ‘Hiline,’ however before they arrived, I was able to sneak in a night bikepacking the ‘Robber’s Roost’ route. Eventually, after our few days in Sedona it was time to wrap things up and make my way back home.
This trip is one I know I will look back on for the rest of my life. Especially now, during these COVID times, I feel immense gratitude of the fact that I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity. There is nothing like the freedom you feel while driving through these landscapes, and it is a feeling I will always be chasing.
Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and thank you to all of my friends and family who met me along the way, or let me stay with them. And if you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read through this and take a minute to enjoy some of my photographs I made along the way.