National Parks

We started today with a very short and very steep hike to Lower Chilnualna Falls. We could barely see the waterfall because the view was blocked by boulders. It is interesting to hear a waterfall rather than to see a waterfall. We attempted a second approach to the falls, but gave up when we saw […]

Today we drove north of the Yosemite Valley to see Carlon Falls. The hike follows a stream below the falls. Some times you are close to the stream. Sometimes you are doing a steep climb. The hike is strenuous in places, but it is a worthwhile hike. At the end you find a multi tiered

Today we took on a steeper trail to Vernal Falls. We only hiked to the bridge which is about half way up the trail. We skipped the 1000 foot climb part of the trail. At the bottom of the trail the stream is flowing well. We were hopeful that the falls would be actively flowing.

Last night we arrived at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. This is the view from our room. Today we hiked the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail. The falls were much different than the last time we were here. Last time it was spring. The temperature was chilly and there was water everywhere. Today the temperature is near

Today we came from a different direction. We could see Mount Lassen rising above the horizon from even further away today. As you get closer to Lassen Volcanic National Park, the scenery seems serene. Our first hike today was on the Bumpass Hell Trail. It is a fairly steep passage. The views on the hike

Today we are going to tour a more active volcano site. You can see the volcano from miles away. Especially when you are driving on straight roads again. We arrived at the park with no traffic. That is, until we got to the entry gate. We waited almost six minutes for the first car to

Driving in the west is different from driving in the east. Straight roads are everywhere in the west. You would think that would make it easier to drive. It does not. Straight roads can be hypnotizing. You really need to maintain your focus. We did not have any particular problems driving. It is just different

Our hotel was located next to the Fall River. We stopped on a short bridge to see the river. It was near the edge of its banks as well. Our hotel was very close to the park. Today we drove from the north of the park to the south of the park. As we drove