Visits to National Parks
Our morning held a big surprise as we began to drive. Evansville, Indiana was having quite the snow storm. Visibility was poor and the roads were becoming slick. Not the day we were expecting. Especially since our destination was Mammoth Caves. Inside where we were headed, the temperature is always in the 50s, and it […]
March 19, 2023 : Trip 9, Day 5 – Mammoth Cave National Park Read More »
Today was a lot of driving. We started in Indiana. We drove across Illinois to Missouri. We toured the Gateway Arch National Park. Then we drove back across Illinois to Indiana. This is the definition of a whirlwind tour. Our focus for the day was the Gateway Arch. This was the first full view of
March 18, 2023 : Trip 9, Day 4 – Gateway Arch National Park Read More »
We started this morning where we finished yesterday. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Our first hike was the Kilauea Iki Trail. It travels along the edge of the caldera of Kilauea. You can see the current possibility of lava flow (steam) and the evidence of some relatively recent lava flows. We even got to see a
November 12, 2022 : Trip 8, Day 11 – Volcanoes National Park Read More »
We started our day on Hawaii Route 200. It is the main road across the big island. It is also the road to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Our first destination was Mauna Kea. You can see both volcanoes from very far away. The area around Mauna Kea looks like a desert. Lots of browns
November 11, 2022 : Trip 8, Day 10 – The Big Island, Lots of Volcanoes Read More »
The other reason we left for the hotel right after sunset the previous night was because we had to get up at 3 am the next day to greet the sun at Haleakala National Park. Our very early morning drive was over some very dark and mostly winding mountain roads. We also got an occasional
Our first planned stop of the day was False Klamath Cove, a beach about ten miles from our hotel. As we were driving there, we noticed a large number of cars stopped on the sides of the highway. As we drove through, we discovered the reason for all the cars. A gang of elk were
September 3, 2022 : Trip 7, Day 18 – Redwood National Park Read More »
Our hikes through tall trees began today at Lady Bird Johnson Trail in the Redwood National Forest. It was cool and foggy today. Perfect weather for growing Redwood trees. Redwood trees are not as large in diameter as the Sequoias we have seen. However, they are much taller and grow closer together. The effect is
September 2, 2022 : Trip 7, Day 17 – Redwood National Park Read More »
We are in Sacramento today to visit the California State Capitol. It is a typical copy of the capitol in Washington DC. One thing that was very different was the formal dress of the staff at the check in location. Based on the staffing and the amount of scanning equipment, they are very serious about
September 1, 2022 : Trip 7, Day 16 – Sacramento Capitol and Redwood National Park Read More »
Our drive to Pinnacles National Park took us across the valley in the middle of California. While on the plain we saw a very large solar farm. The panels went on for many miles. It appeared they were in the process of expanding the solar panel field. We drove for a while until we saw
August 30, 2022 : Trip 7, Day 14 – Pinnacles National Park, West Side Read More »
Wasachi Lodge is truly in the wilderness. We saw mountains, huge trees, and lots of deer. This morning, while walking to the car, we saw three different deer very near our walking path. Today we get to see the world’s largest tree. We are excited to see the place where the Sequoias still grow and
August 29, 2022 : Trip 7, Day 13 – Sequoia National Park Read More »