Early in our marriage my wife and I spent a night at the Quinault Lodge. What I remember most about our time was dinner. During dinner we were suddenly told that we needed to evacuate the dining room because of a fire in the kitchen. We all went out onto the back lawn standing around until the staff finally instructed us to return to our tables. Now over 40 years later we would return to the area to see what…
Continue Reading “Olympic Peninsula: Quinault, More than just a Lodge”
Olympic National Park is somewhat unusual in that there are bits and pieces of the park scattered around the Olympic Peninsula. Not only that, but there is such a wide variety of locations. On this day we would explore two different locations. First would be Rialto Beach along the Pacific Ocean. Later we would discover the drama of a temperate rain forest. To get to these locations it was time to change accommodations so we packed up our car and…
Continue Reading “Olympic Peninsula: Rialto Beach to the Hoh Rain Forest”
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is the channel that lies between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. It is odd that the name has a Spanish origin, and it turns out that the story behind the name is even more unusual. Whatever its name, the area is a beautiful region that often gets overlooked on visits to the Olympic Peninsula. We decided that our visit would be sure to include opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this beautiful and…
Continue Reading “Olympic Peninsula: Touring the Juan de Fuca Highway”
If you are visiting the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic National Park will probably be at the top of your list. Of course going up to Hurricane Ridge is one of those must-do activities in the park. We have been to Hurricane Ridge a few times over the years, but it was time for another visit. I had looked at the weather forecast and decided that Sunday would be a good day to travel up to Hurricane Ridge. (My daughter thinks…
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We woke up on Monday to grey skies in Seward, Alaska. It was a bit of a disappointment after the fabulous blue skies of yesterday, but blue skies don’t last forever. We would make the most of this day no matter the weather. Our plan was to drive back to Anchorage, our last stop on this sojourn. Before we left Seward, however, we planned to visit Exit Glacier which was the basis for the name of our accommodation, Exit Glacier…
Continue Reading “Alaska Sojourn: Exit Glacier and the Whittier Tunnel”
The sun was shining brightly as we got up Sunday morning. We had not anticipated that as the previous day had been quite cloudy. The blue skies seemed a good omen for our day on the water. Today we would take a six hour boat ride through the fjords out of Seward and see parts of the Kenai Fjords National Park. In this post be prepared for lots of photos as I took nearly 500 photos on our tour. There…
Continue Reading “Alaska Sojourn: A Great Day Sailing the Alaskan Fjords”
This is the third post in a seven part series on our June trip to Alaska. Don’t miss any posts by subscribing today Denali is a well known national park in Alaska. Because of its more remote location, it is not visited as much as some parks in the lower 48. When people do visit, they most likely visit for one of two reasons. First they want to see Denali, the mountain. As the highest mountain in the United States,…
Yellowstone National Park is filled with many interesting experiences. I’ve shared with you the unique and interesting geothermal locations as well as the natural beauty of this part of the country. There is one more element to visiting Yellowstone, and that’s the animals. Yellowstone is the place to see some of the major wildlife in the United States including elk and bison. Set in the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone is home to some of the large animals that are well known…
While Yellowstone National Park is most famous for its many geothermal sites and wonders, it’s hard to ignore its beauty. Within the park there are a number of locations with amazing landscapes and scenery to enjoy. With mountains as a backdrop, its rivers and lakes create some stunning vistas. When visiting in the autumn months, one has an opportunity to enjoy even more intense beauty from the fall colors. One of the most beautiful locations in the park no matter…
Continue Reading “Extolling the Autumn Beauty of Yellowstone”
While Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone, it is far from the only one. What makes Yellowstone such a unique place is its many geysers, mudpots, fumaroles, hot springs, and other unique geological features. A collapsed volcanic caldera forms the center of the park, and underneath the ground the heat creates the amazing features which Yellowstone is famous for. When we first arrived at Yellowstone through the western entrance, we were headed down to Grand Teton National…
