Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
Several days into the trip and we finally made it to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. First stop was Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee and the infamous Appalachian Trail. Views here looking over the mountain range are normally quite amazing, however today Mother Nature had other plans. Driving up the 7 mile … Read more
After making a mistake with campsite reservations at Wyalusing (and a less than restful stay at the last motel available), I woke early and headed to the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. I didn’t know much about this park, but it was on my list simply to check off another nationally-managed area. … Read more
An hour away from Las Cruces on the way back to Wisconsin is White Sands National Monument. Known for its very rare almost pure white sand dunes, it seems almost out of place compared to the other local landscape. Interesting fact: at 275 square miles, it is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. … Read more
Today I tried to be pro-active and book lodging before actually arriving to my destination (what a crazy idea, right?). Well, in this case it worked against me. Booked a hotel in Santa Fe, NM thinking I would have time then ended up at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park about an hour from … Read more
After Capitol Reef I had a decision to make – skip some parks and start driving south, or press my luck and go for more. Made some distance calculations with my road atlas (no cell service out here anywhere) and made the call to push onward in my adventures. Only about 100 miles or so … Read more
Cold, windy night in the tent again but wore my snowboarding gear and stayed toasty warm. First day in a while with 8 hours of sleep! Broke down camp and was in the park before 8am but found this wasn’t ideal to photograph the rock formations. Had to wait 30-45 minutes for more light to … Read more
After finding that a) temps get really cold in GCNP during fall, and b) campsites are reserved over a year in advance regardless of what the interwebs say, I had to cave in and stay at a hotel. Upside is I slept like a baby for the first time this trip. Howard Johnson’s beds are … Read more
Started the day by heading to the Kanab BLM center to get info on the Escalante National Monument and found the drive was more than expected. Also I am to the point I actually need to pay attention to the date – time is going by too fast! Alas, no Escalante on this trip. Also … Read more
Ran into a dilemma this morning of which direction to take next. Each way leads to a path where I miss out on major locations I wanted to see. Ended up taking the safe route and going for a quick day trip to Bryce Canyon, and coming back to my little shack in the RV … Read more
Came into Grand Teton from the west via Teton Pass. 10% road gradients and intermittent rain do NOT make for a fun drive. Wish I could have enjoyed the views on the cliff sides but no good overlooks/turnouts without risking life and limb. Probably the most dangerous road I’ve been on. Weather of course did … Read more