Toby Guillette: Athlete, Adventurer, Social Media Expert

Thanksgiving 2009 was nothing short of an adventure. Our 1400+ mile route took us from San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Bishop, New Jack City and back to San Diego in 8 days.

After a couple months of planning the basics with my friends, Nick and Jake, our general route was plotted but the details of our stops and activities were left loosely decided to see where the road would lead us.


Nick, buried in our gear-filled car

San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park

Our adventure started with a weekend in Joshua Tree National Park for a group camp/climb trip. I’ve been joining this core group for the last 4 years and this year’s gathering was the perfect send off for our road trip. While in Joshua Tree, I ran a solid 16 miles on the Boy Scout Trail with my friend, Fran, and then climbed a few routes with Jake, Nick and Austin. The highlight of this group trip is always gathering around the campfire for food, drinks and stories with friends after everyone returns from their respective day in the park.









Joshua Tree National Park to Mojave National Preserve

After climbing hard on Monday, we left the park and ate at Crossroads Café. After a couple more stops to replenish our supplies, we continued on to Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in Mojave National Preserve. The drive was easy and we arrived after dark to set up our bivouac shelters for some much-needed sleep.



Mojave National Preserve to Red Rock Canyon

I was up at dawn to shoot sunrise photos while the guys slept in. The view from our mountain-side campsite was amazing and we were right next to the entrance of Mitchell Cavern for the ranger guided cave tour at 1:30. The tour was totally worth checking out!







After that, we continued on to see the Kelso sand dunes before sunset.







Our original plan was to continue on to Death Valley that night, but our route didn’t pass by anywhere we could stock up on supplies--food, beer and water--for multiple days in Death Valley. Instead we decided to head east and camp at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.

Red Rock Canyon to Vegas

We climbed a few sport routes in Red Rock Canyon and then explored the beautiful rock formations. 











That evening, we gave into the allure of Las Vegas, just 15 miles away, and decided to go get our first shower of the trip :) We had gone 5 days strong!  We found a decent room for $30, an $11 all-you-can-eat buffet and beers on draft for $1.50 :) Vegas baby, Vegas!!



Vegas through Death Valley National Park to Bishop

Thanksgiving Day began with an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet before we loaded up with supplies at a supermarket and hit the road to Death Valley National Park. Our destination was set for the Thanksgiving potluck at the hot springs of Saline Valley, but our lack of 4WD and our fully loaded suspension made the 50-mile dirt road impassable. So we changed our plan and continued on to Bishop, CA at the base of the Sierra Nevada, where we got another hotel room after dinner.














Bishop to New Jack City

We climbed all day in Owens River Gorge, and Nick and I took a 40-minute trail run along the river to warm up. After the sun left the gorge and the temperatures dropped, we headed back into town for dinner before hitting the 395 south to the New Jack City climbing area outside of Barstow, CA.














New Jack City to San Diego

Our decision to head to New Jack City was based on the forecasted snow in the Sierra, and it’s proximity to San Diego for the final drive of our trip. This turned out to be the right choice as the Sierra got a foot of snow but unfortunately, we got rained out from climbing on our final day and decided to head back to San Diego where it was also raining (first recorded rain in 164 days!).



This year’s road trip was packed with fun, beauty and a chance to unplug for a week and enjoy living simply. This trip made me realize how much there is to see and experience in our world and how little time we have. But instead of feeling overwhelmed with urgency to tackle it all, I feel calm and ready to focus on what is most important. 2010 is just weeks away and I look forward to the adventures that await :) Until then, enjoy the slideshow from our trip and stay tuned for updates this weekend as I take on a 31-mile ultramarathon in San Francisco on Saturday and then the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday!

Yours in Adventure,

~Toby

Click here to launch the full slideshow