I was shocked the other day when I found out that I’d never done a post on Hole in the Rock, at the end of Hole in the Rock Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (one of my favorite parks…
eBook Review: Hidden Gems of the Western United States
Imagine a travel book that overviews about 130 off-the-beaten-path destinations in the western US states? A book that gives historical, geological, and zoological information for a wide variety of parks that will pique the interest of almost anyone? That’s what…
How to Visit the Deception Pass Bridge for Free
Ever since I saw my first picture of the Deception Pass Bridge in northwestern Washington, I wanted to see it in person. There was something so uniquely interesting about the graceful spans, and knowing some of my group members pretty…
Hidden Lake Lookout: A Most Fabulous View!
Hidden Lake Lookout! What a trail that promised much and delivered more! The name evokes pictures in my mind of a half-frozen lake, rocky crags still studded with snow, and wildflowers galore along the trail. Its 9.3 mile length also…
Lookout Mountain – Fabulous Views of Mt. Hood!
The views of Mt. Hood from Lookout Mountain are downright stunning. And I don’t say that lightly…it’s true! So often, it’s difficult to get far enough away from the unique mountains that you can actually enjoy their splendor. But here,…
10 Suggestions for Getting The Most out of the Mayflower II
I’ve been on the Mayflower II twice – once when I was about 8 and a second time in 2014. Both times were an interesting experience, although as much as I enjoyed it as a child, I’m sure I appreciated…
(Accidentally) Visiting Nooksack Falls
We wanted a place to eat lunch. Really, that’s all we were looking for. A convenient dirt side road appeared as we drove along the Mt. Baker Highway, so we took it, figuring we could, at the very least, pull…
Sunset on the Plymouth Jetty
One of my hiking companions has always wanted to walk the Plymouth Jetty. When he first visited Plymouth, MA some 45 years ago as a kid, he wanted to do it…but it didn’t pan out. A couple weeks ago, some…
Sunrise on Mt. Hood at the Cloud Cap Inn
What’s worth getting up very early in the morning for? A sight worth seeing, I’d say. A sight that can only be seen early in the morning or that take so long to get to, you’ll have to get an…
Genesee Riverway and Erie Canal Path: History via Bikes
For some reason, I’ve never biked (or even hiked) the Erie Canal Path. It really isn’t that far from where I live and I’ve driven across it more times than I can count. But for some reason, it’s never been…