Zion National Park

We finally left Kanab, the location of my falling and cutting my leg going to the POOL!   We were headed to Zion National Park on the way to Las Vegas.  Yes, this park is an easy 1-2 hour drive from Vegas, incase you feel the need to exercise some of sin city out of yourself. 

Unlike Bad Lands, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon, our primary point of visiting Zion National Park was from the floor of the park, not from the top.  While Zion wasn’t quite as beautiful as Bryce Canyon or as grand as the Grand Canyon, the vantage point from the base gave it a different feel. 

Most of the tour group did a hike to a small waterfall, most had planned on going further, but the trail stopped there due to construction so it was the end of the line.  We got some great photos and headed back to the visitors center there for some shopping and snacks.

On the way to the hike I noticed our coach driver and tour manager inspecting one of the tires, it turns out we had developed a leak in one of the tires.  What’s a tour to do when that happens?  Go to the main visitor center so the driver can find the National Park bus driver guys and try to get the tire fixed. 

The only problem with this is that when you’re waiting for your bus to be fixed and you already have seen a nice piece of the park, you don’t really have time to do much more then shop at the bigger store and soak in the experience. Oh, and don’t go to far incase the tire is fixed sooner then you thought. 

As I recall, it took less than an hour and then we were on our way to fabulous Las Vegas!

Grand Canyon's North Rim

Our visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon started with an early drive from our hotel in Kanab and a time change. Of course we were staying in Kanab that night so our return from the Grand Canyon would include a time change. 

At the North Rim there is a nice visitors center that includes facilities, maps, a restaurant and beautiful views.

From the visitors center there are some shorter walks along the ridges (they’re perfectly safe for the average person) and offer AWESOME views. If you’re visiting this area follow the trails to the Bright Angel Point.

If you’re looking for something more strenuous you can do the Bridle Trail, which I did.  The good thing about the Bridle Trail is that it is shaded and easy for the average visitor. The bad things is that most of it has absolutely no view.  So why do it? It leads to the trails that go into the canyon.

I opted not to go down into the canyon because I was afraid it would be too much for me and I would find out too late. But I hear the trail was not one of the nicer ones we would have done in the National Parks due to the donkeys.  Apparently the trail was not as clean and pristine. 

Instead I opted to relax and take a nap inside the visitor’s center while looking out at the Grand Canyon.  I’ve got nothing against the outdoors and all that nature stuff, but sometime it’s better to sit and be in it rather than doing as much as possible. Today was that kind of day.

We did have lunch in the restaurant, it was a bit pricey, but it was good.  And after I had just enough time to take my favorite wildlife photograph ever!

Photo of the Week: Bryce Canyon

From Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon

After seeing Salt Lake City and having to prove myself for a drink (I was 35 at the time) it was time to head south to see some National Parks.  Bryce Canyon was our first stop.  If you havne't been following me for a while you should know, I have a fear of hiking downhill.  It's been near paralyzing at times.

With that, we arrived at Bryce Canyon in the afternoon and were given 2 hours to explore.  We were given the choice of a couple different trails and although I was hesitant I took the longer hike.  Oh, not only do I have a fear of hiking downhill, I was also in terrible shape having had bone taken from my right leg 3 months before for a bone graft. But then, nothing like a little exercise to get your body back. 

The hike actually only took an hour and 15 minutes and I did manage to hike down without killing myself.  The hike up however... it was strenuous.  As in, switchbacks like I haven't seen since I was in Norway going to Geringer Fjord, except instead of riding in a bus I was walking it.  Ugh, I thought I was going to die.  Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but I was hurting at the end. And my shoes were coated in a lovely layer orange dust. This is one of those place I would suggest bringing your old shoes too.

It was worth it though, Bryce Canyon is beautiful.  The colors are fabulous, I'm sure it helped that we had a bright sunny day to contrast with the deep earthy browns and oranges of Bryce.  The formations of the hoodoos make the landscape unique from all of the other National Parks I have visited.  And as much as the hike sucked, it was also fun, there were a lot of quirky formations there, the kind of things a writer could make an interesting story out of.

Yellowstone - Old Faithful and Norris Geyser

For my last edition of Yellowstone posts it's all about Geysers, specifically Norris Geyser Basin and Old Faithful.  I'll start with Norris Geyser since I know after you read about Old Faithful you'll probably want to move on and we can't have that.

At Norris Geyser there are several different geyser areas.  Steamboat Geyser is probably the most popular because it is the tallest geyser.  But, I went to the Porcelin Basin, which was very pretty and had some steam pockets, but nothing went off.  I didn't feel so bad though because nothing went off at Steamboat Geyser either.  This are though represents a more baren type of geyser area, some others are more woodsey.  But it's the type of place you could hang out at all day and nothing happens, which would make me sad.

Old Faithful is not the most regular or the largest geyser, but it is the most regular large geyser.  At Old Faithful there are two large lodges, one with food and shops, the other as more of a visitors center.  Old Faithful goes off every 35 to 120 minutes, when I was there it was on a 45ish minutes cycle.  She went off for about 2-3 minutes when we were there, long enough for me to watch a bit and take over 150 pictures.  When you enter Yellowstone the guards should be able to tell you when she's scheculed to go off, you could probably also find out from just about any ranger at the park too. 

The area is sectioned off and has a large seating area of benches.  People will be seated at least 15-20 mintues before, if it's a crowded day you'll probably want to find seating early.  The restaurant there will be busy after she goes off, you may want to plan your time around that if you don't like crowds.  Is Old Faithful worth it?  Of course, it's pretty cool watching a geyser go off and the wind blow the water off in one direction.  It's a cool aspect of nature.  And since Old Faithful is pretty regular, it's a great choice to guarantee you see a geyser go off.

Photo of the Week: Bandlands

From Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Yellowstone - Yellowstone Falls and West Thumb

Moving past the less attractive sites of Mud Volcano and Mammoth Hot Springs to some of the nicest spots in Yellowstone today I'll talk about Yellowstone Falls and West Thumb.

Yellowstone Falls are beautiful, my picture of them even made it my bathroom.  Yes, that is actually a compliment, it was not easy to find the perfect picture that was serene, beautiful and the right colors to hang in my bathroom.  At the falls there is an overlook/photospot, there are a few stairs here, but you can see the falls without climbing the stairs, it's just not a great view from there.  For the more adverturesome there is also a hike here.  I am not a hiker, if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know hiking is not my thing and I actually have a fear of hiking down hill, falling to my death is NOT on my bucket list.  The hike is about 45 minutes and not too strenuous.  There is a bit of up and down hill, but if I can do it, then the average healthy person can do it too.  But it does offer some great views and a breathe of fresh air.  I did skip the extra bit where you go down close to the falls, mostly because I wasn't sure I would make it back to the bus on time, the people who went said the hill was pretty steep and the view wasn't that much better.  Of course this hike makes more sense if you have someone to pick you up at the end.  I believe there is a bus system at Yellowstone, but I don't have a clue how it works, but it may be an option.

The West Thumb Geyser Basin is another beautiful spot at Yellowstone.  Although this is a "geyser basin" the area isn't known for its geyser activity, instead it has colorful, deep and really hot pools of water.  We stopped at the Abyss and Black Pools.  The pools are beautiful and unique, and just a treat to see.  This area also provides a great view of Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone Falls and the West Thumb Geyser Basin should be on everyones list of places to stop at while in Yellowstone.  They are beautiful and offer totally different landscapes and pretty ones at that. They are also very different landscapes then Mud Volcano and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Have you been to either?  Which is your favorite?

Yellowstone - Mud Volcano and Mammoth Hot Springs

Ok, I'll admit it, neither Mud Volcano nor Mammoth Hot Springs are the prettiest places in Yellowstone.  But they are interesting because they are different then the typical landscapes you would see elsewhere.

Mud Volcano is where the not pretty is emphasized.  Unless of course you like mud...  The landscape here is similar to several other areas of Yellowstone, except instead of pretty water there is a mud like substance.  Mud Volcano was discovered in the 1870s, and "went off" shortly after.  It has left behind as a smelly, bubbling spring.  It would be wrong of me not to warn you, the place smells of sulfur or rotten eggs.  But because of its uniqueness it's worth a quick visit, I just would choose to do a hike in this area.

Mammoth Hot Springs have an interesting formation, from the NPS website, "The step-like terraces form as heated water moves along the Morris-Mammoth Fault. The hot water carries dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to the surface of the terraces where pressure lessens. Carbon dioxide then escapes as gas and the carbonate combines with calcium to precipitate as travertine." This means that the formations are constantly changing.  You wont notice a difference from day to day, but if you visit years later you may.  If you climb to the top you'll get the payoff - the view of the valley below is gorgeous.  So, although it's a hike to the top, it's worth it.

Yellowstone National Park

Back in June on my Contiki Northern Adventure we had a day and a half stop in Yellowstone.  I've been to numerous National Parks, all very beautiful, but Yellowstone is MASSIVE and has a wide variety of beautiful scenery.

On our trip we visited several different areas of the park; Mud Volcano, Yellowstone Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin and on our last day we visited Old Faithful and West Thumb Geyser Basin.

In this post I'll just talk about the overall experience there.  First, we were very lucky on our trip, we saw all of the infamous animals, which is not normal for a group traveling as quickly through the park as we did.  Buffalo were everywhere.  Actually, it was annoying the second day when we were stuck in traffic by all the people who apparently had not seen a Buffalo and were not used to seeing them everywhere.  Yes, Buffalo were everywhere.  As were deer and elk.  But wolves, bears and bald eagles are not everywhere, yet we managed to see them all! 

A couple points of interest, Yellowstone is volcanic, as in, one day a volcano will erupt there.  Luckily, this is highly tracked so they'll know well before it happens.  Yellowstone is also considered our first National Park.  But most importantly, it was chilly there for June.  Hey, when you're sensitive to the cold that is an important detail. 

But if you're planning a trip here you really need to plan.  There are so many different types of things to do there, that you really need to plan what types of things you are interested in doing and find the best spots to do them.  If you just show up there, you'll drive by pretty lakes and stuff, but you'll miss the most interesting sites, some of which don't sound like the most intersting from their names.


Have you been?  What are your favorite areas of the park?

Photo of the Week: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park, Nevada

Badlands National Park

After my trip through the National Parks I had dinner with one of my Aunts, she told me how one of her nieces had gone to Badlands National Park and didn't really like it.  It turns out she had done the National Parks in the opposite order I did them.  It made me wonder what my impression would have been if I had not done Badlands as my first park.

I really liked Badlands National Park, my first impression was that it was a smaller, less dramatic and more muted (color wise) version of the Grand Canyon.  I don't mean that to put it down, it's hard to live up to the reputation of the Grand Canyon and this wasn't quite as great, but it was still spectacular.  It was also HOT!  But there were some beautiful landscapes here too.

After talking to my Aunt I thought about it in the context of having seen the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Bryce and Zion.  And of those 5 parks, Badlands was the least exciting of them all.  The colors were not as exciting as Bryce and Zion, the landscape wasn't as varied as Yellowstone and it simply wasn't as grand or majestic as the Grand Canyon.  It's still a great park, but a little lower on the list of the great parks. 

What does this mean, should you skip it?  No, I wouldn't skip it.  But I would suggest doing it before some of the other big named parks, or at least not on the same trip where the comparison is so easy.

From a Town known as Oyster Bay Long Island...

..Rode a boy with a 6 gun in his Hand... From Billy Joel's Ballade of Billy the Kid.

Oyster Bay is an interesting little town on the North Shore of Long Island. There's a beach and some historical sights, what more could you want? It's not a bad little place to spend the day if you want to see a smaller town on Long Island that isn't too suburbanized. While there is some strip malls, they hold a lot of the necessary places - grocery store, drug store, Dunkin Donuts. You wont find large box stores here, and there is a small downtown district so it has a quaint feel to it. And if you're looking for stars, go to Stop and Shop and maybe Branjolina will show up.

I'll start with some historical sites: Teddy Roosevelt's house, Sagamore Hill is in Oyster Bay Cove, it's a very nice National Historic Site. Visiting the house is by tour only, which are conducted regularly throughout the day and only cost $5. Check their website for operating hours. If you're stuck waiting for your tour there are a few other things to do there - take a walk, Sagamore Hill is in a lovely woody area and walking paths. There is also another museum on the property about Teddy. Of interest in Oyster Bay is the talk of building a Theodore Roosevelt museum in Oyster Bay, though I'm not sure of the status of it.

Raynham Hall is another museum in Oyster Bay. Raynham Hall is the former home of the Townsend family and features the history of the American Revolution and Victorian Times. There is also a Railroad museum in the works for the town.

The beach. Oyster Bay has a quaint little beach, it has a view of Centre Island and its mansions, always fun to look at. There are tennis courts, handball courts, a playground for children and the Oyster Bay marina with some lovely boats to look at. I enjoy taking a walk at the beach when I'm in the area. The one problem with the beach is that it is VERY rocky. If you're not interested in going in the water you're better off hanging out at a grassy area and avoiding the rocky sand. If you need to park and don't want to pay the fee, there is some parking near the old train station at the end of Audrey Avenue.

There are no hotels in Oyster Bay, the closest one would be in East Norwich, but I believe it is closing if it hasn't already.

Dining - For a diner type of restaurant I recommend Taby's on Main Street. The prices are reasonable, better then many other diners on Long Island, the portions large and the food is fresh and consistently very good. There is also Canterbury Ales which is popular with the locals. They have a bar and are a little pricier. Oyster Bay Clam Bar has a good reputation though I've never eaten there. If you want some quick pizza or pasta you can try Mario's, I don't love their pizza, but the have fantastic ravioli.