Category Archives: National Parks

The Longest Cave

May 17, 2014 Troy 1 Comment

The longest cave in the world is found in Kentucky with over 365 miles of explored caves to wonder and get lost in. Although if you’re not an experienced cave explorer than you have to be escorted inside because it would be too easy to get lost and not be found for a long time as so many of the passageways look the same. Fortunately there is also a lot to explore outside of the cave as well with almost 80 miles of trails to hike and the Green River in this 53,000 acre national park.

Mammoth Cave National Park is not on our National Parks Monopoly Board but has been a destination of interest for us and this spring we had to opportunity to join some friends and visit this cave. I get a little nervous before entering any cave due to claustrophobia but after going in Wind Cave and Jewel Cave I’ve learned that these caves are so enormous, especially where the tours are, that I forget I’m underground in a cave most of the time which allows me to take in the surroundings and enjoy the cave. I recommend getting to Mammoth early in the day as the tour tickets go fast at this popular National Park.

The pathways are fairly easily managed and there is plenty of light to navigate by, once your eyes adjust, while being led through the tunnels by a ranger. Just be prepared for a lot of stairs. There are several tour options available which take you to different parts of the cave and highlight different formations and the historic events that occurred in certain areas such as mining saltpeter which is used for gun powder and holding church services during the hottest times of the year. We chose to take the Historic Tour as our introduction to Mammoth Cave.

After meeting at the predetermined location we began walking towards the historic entrance which was all downhill for us. Following a brief talk covering the rules and guidelines inside the cave we headed down a long staircase going inside the cave. There was a set of doors to go through and we were inside this dark, cool, and damp maze. I was surprised to be underground exploring a cave this quickly. My prior experiences all required an elevator to get inside the cave and yet here we were. It was hard to see much making the lighting seem rather dim. As it turned out, our eyes just needed to adjust as moments earlier we were in the sunlight. Once our eyesight was adjusted for these cave conditions, it was much easier to take in these unique surroundings.

This two hour tour goes up and down, sometimes with stairs and other times just on a dirt path. It winds around boulders and man made structures used at different times during the many uses of Mammoth Cave. In some of the areas there are names written on the walls and ceilings from before becoming a National Park. There are naturally carved areas larger than most houses and tiny narrow openings that only one person can squeeze through in this winding system of tunnels. These passageways were all carved out by running water which continues to make new areas even today. Just at lower levels. Such amazing sights and beautiful formations to remember because photos are difficult and a tripod is not allowed on the tour. I just set my camera on a rock or the floor to keep it as still as possible to get the best pictures I could when there was time because the group was stopped. Otherwise you could fall behind and that was not a pleasant thought.

Without lights it would be so dark you couldn’t see your hand right in front of your face. And when there is no one else near you it is so quiet all you can hear is a loud high pitched buzzing coming from the moving parts in your ears as air moves over them. Even with all the people on the tour there can be a sense of loneliness in such a large rock structure and a fear of getting lost in these numerous caverns. Good incentives to stay with the ranger leading the group and continually counting everyone that started this tour with you. After walking for about 2 miles you begin to see familiar stones again with daylight soon after. The tour is complete. Ready to do it again?

After being below ground for a couple of hours we decided to explore above ground for awhile to take in the scenery and an amazing spring day under the sun. The rock formations here are also beautiful and help translate to the rocks below ground. The main difference is that these rocks are subject to the harsh elements of the Kentucky climate such as wind and rain and snow and ice. There are plants growing all around breaking these enormous boulders into smaller rocks over time. All of which either does not occur underground or in lesser amounts. Plenty of this to climb on or around if you’re young enough. For the rest of us, the trails are relatively easy to navigate so everybody can enjoy time wondering through the woods and catch a glimpse of the Green River which is largely responsible for the depth of the tunnels inside Mammoth Cave by controlling the falling water levels over many thousands of years. Amazing how these different environments work together to make such a creation.

Alaskan Adventure, National Parks, Troy's Blog

The Chilkoot Trail

April 26, 2014 Troy

When first looking over the destinations on our Monopoly Board, this was the location I was most concerned about getting to. A trip to Alaska didn’t seem to fit our reality. First of all, we see enough winter in Minnesota do we really want to see it during the summer? There have been a multitude of people raving about how great it is to explore Alaska. Do we really want to experience the sun 24 hours around the clock? The wilderness of this area is often portrayed as a dangerous place with the rugged and steep mountains along with the wildlife that call these areas home.

As we began to experience some of our Monopoly adventures and visit areas that could be considered dangerous because of the landscape and/or the wildlife, I began to look forward to our Alaskan adventure more and more. These areas can be dangerous if you decide to approach them in a dangerous manner. Otherwise, they are as safe as almost anywhere else. And the life experience you gain from exploring Alaska is incredible. On to the next destination on the board – The Chilkoot Trail.

I would have never known about this historic and beautiful trail if it hadn’t been for our Monopoly Adventures. The trailhead is near Skagway, Alaska so we had to get here and figure out how to get to the trail from Skagway. An Alaskan cruise was the choice of transportation to this town so now we needed to figure out how to get to the trail. Fortunately there are a couple of car rental places in Skagway, an Avis and Sourdough Rental. For a little more information on our choice check out A Day in Skagway. We could have taken an excursion from the cruise line that would have taken us to the trail but they weren’t appealing because of the portions of those excursions that were in addition to the trail and the cost would have been a lot higher.

The Chilkoot Trail gained it’s fame from the Klondike Gold Rush. Those in search of gold would travel with heavy packs 33 miles into Canada and on to the gold fields. You can read more about the history of this trail here….

Along the way we learned more and more about the use of this trail before ever arriving here. That made the significance of being on the same trail that thousands have taken for different reasons even more important. We only had a short time to explore the Chilkoot Trail so we hiked for about a mile or two and turned around. While on this short hike we imagined what it would have been like carrying heavy packs up and down the mountain stepping over rocks and tree roots with a careful step because the trail can get very slippery due to the high amount of rain this area receives. All of these elements combine to make a beautiful tapestry which keeps encouraging you to go further.

I am so thankful that this was on our National Parks Monopoly Board so we could experience this adventure!

National Parks, Photography Experiment, Troy's Blog

Waterfalls

October 26, 2013 Troy 6 Comments

Earlier this year I wrote about Chasing Waterfalls in my attempt at improving my photographs. You can read about that here…. While that portion of the photography experiment didn’t turn out very well, it did give me practice for this next opportunity at capturing waterfalls.

The Pacific Northwest is very scenic with a number of beautiful landscapes to enjoy. The combination of mountains and precipitation create stunning views. Of course finding a day without rain or snow to get out and explore these views is a little more challenging. Fortunately for our trip, there was very little rain allowing us to get out and see some amazing waterfalls. The photographs show this all for themselves so I’ll concentrate on showing them.

This waterfall is a very short hike from the nearest parking area by the Elwha River in Olympic National Park and is definitely worth taking time to see.

While stopped at a pull out near Crescent Lake to take in the view, this waterfall was right behind us.

The view we stopped to take in when we saw the waterfall next to the road.

This waterfall is a bit more of a hike but again was worth the time to explore.

A beautiful canyon covered in mosses and plants carved by the Sol Duc River.

Become a Monopoly Traveler, National Parks, Troy's Blog

A New Edition

December 1, 2012 Troy 2 Comments

Front I was browsing for some images for an upcoming post and ran across a new edition of Monopoly National Parks. Apparently this version was released sometime in 2012. You can get a little more information at World of Monopoly. This is a site dedicated to Monopoly. The history and multitude of editions published by Hasbro and other licensed distributors. Way more information than I need in a single sitting but interesting to browse over.

Board

They certainly went further in this edition than previous ones in that the chance and community chest spots have been transformed into historic sites and battlefield parks. These areas had been left original in earlier editions however the cards themselves pertained to the national parks. In addition, the middle spots are now filled with activities available in many of the parks – hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, and river rafting. The four corners have been left as original which I believe in required by Hasbro in order to be a licensed edition.

Looking over many of the parks used on this board, there are several that we’ve been to and several more we will be going to, and a few not on our current list. Those not on our list are parks I would eventually like to get to someday as the photos and information I’ve read are very intriguing. Overall if I was starting out and choosing a Monopoly Board to travel this would definitely be at or near the top of the list. This being written, We’re going stick to the first edition as we are almost half complete with it. The only difficult spot on this entire board is the Campfire violation. I would probably have to break my rule trying to complete each location on the board minus the corners as there is no interest in a campfire violation.

View

Check it out for yourself. I did see it available on Amazon.

National Parks, Troy's Blog

Isle Royale part III

September 9, 2012 Troy

The first portion of this trail follows the shoreline of Lake Superior giving amazing vistas demanding a moment of your time to take in all the sight has to offer. There are many places along this trail begging you to stop and see what nature has created. Unfortunately this also means more time with a full backpack strapped to you each time you give in to natures majesty. Each ache and pain in your body asks that you keep moving so that this heavy load can be taken off. Each person has to decide which portion of this battle will win. I gave in to the natural creations knowing that the pain will go away but the memories will be there for a long time. I would have regretted not taking in this part of the island. As the trail turned inward to cross the island we began to ascend up a long hill being greeted with a light rain shower. This was no real surprise as we could see the clouds off in the distance while walking along the shore.

Near the top of this hill the rain subsided but the mosquitoes began targeting us for lunch. These mosquitoes where persistent for much of the trail encouraging a faster pace. Our group split into two during this trail: a faster group and a little more relaxed pace keeping in contact with the use of two-way radios. Each group continued on the trail going up and over rocks, around water, and on to our final destination taking a moment to explore an old copper mine along the way. The first group reached Washington Creek and secured the same shelter we used earlier. Our second group had a little more interesting trek. After stopping to explore the Wendigo Mine, they came upon a moose blocking the trail. Slowly backing away as anyone who has encountered a moose knows that they own whatever territory there on. After backing away it was decided to remove the packs as who knows how long the moose would be here and it would be easier to blend in to the trees without the additional weight if that need should arise. After about 15 minutes the moose moved on along with her calf allowing this group to continue towards and eventually reaching Washington Creek.

Everyone was glad to be back at this first campsite quickly removing the packs and resting a few minutes before setting up camp for the last night. The night was cool and again treated us to a sky filled with stars. Our next morning consisted of eating and packing up getting ready to board the Sea Hunter III for a return trip to the mainland. Once again the morning was beautiful and sun drenched giving us one last day with amazing weather. Our younger participants became Junior Rangers once again and where ready to shove off after four days of extreme camping. If you can believe it, this was done with children from 7 to 12 years of age who all carried at least some items as far as they could. A learning experience for all. Just imagine how little we can actually live on and how little we need to survive compared to everything we desire in everyday life. Even living on this little, there were and are people who live on less!

National Parks, Troy's Blog

A Night on Isle Royale…or Three

September 1, 2012 Troy

A trip to Isle Royale National Park is different than many other parks. It is one of the least visited parks for good reason… getting there is a little more difficult because you can’t drive there. This national park is on an island located in Lake Superior and is at least 15 miles from shore. There are only two ways onto this park: boat or airplane. We chose to take a 1.5 hour boat ride from Grand Portage, MN on the Sea Hunter III to the Windigo side of the island. Now once you get to the Island what are you going to do? There is the short day trip that many people utilize and spend about 4 hours exploring Isle Royale before returning to the mainland. If you decide to stay longer you will need to spend the night. Be prepared as there is only one small resort area which is likely booked and requires getting on the right boat to get there as it is on the opposite side of the island from Windigo. The last option is camping. We chose to camp for three nights allowing us the opportunity to explore the island a little further.

Our first night we decided to make it relatively easy and stay at the nearest camp area known as Washington Creek. This location is easy as there where shelters available which are enclosed on three sides and screened on the forth side allowing for air movement while keeping out bugs and other curious critters. Also, water suitable for drinking is nearby and a short distance away there are bathrooms with running water. Our shelter was right on the banks of Washington Creek giving us a relaxing view when waking up. One of the only downfalls of this camping area is the noise coming from boats, airplanes, and a higher population of people than most other areas. Well, a lot of noise compared to the solitude experienced elsewhere but substantially less than even a small town.

The next morning involved grabbing some oatmeal for breakfast then cleaning up and packing it all away in preparation for our hike to Huginnin Cove to spend the next night. Did I mention that you need to bring in all of your supplies and bring them all back out with you again as this area is designated as ‘Leave No Trace’? That means backpacking all of your necessary items if you do not have a boat of your own docked somewhere around the island. We could have spent three nights in Washington Creek and just did day hikes without all of our gear but our purpose in traveling to all these different parks is to experience new and different areas so we decided to try our hand at real backpacking. Thankfully we did a trial run a few weeks earlier allowing us to be more prepared for multiple nights living out of backpacks.

For more go on to part II…

Adventures, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Isle Royale Preparations Update

July 30, 2012 Troy 1 Comment

We are down to the last month of the summer season and only a few weeks away from our backpacking trip to Isle Royale National Park. While in Northern Minnesota for this experience the thought of also visiting Voyageurs National Park had crossed our minds however that has been dismissed due to the distance involved. Voyageurs is about 4.5 – 5 hours drive time from where the boat picks up for Isle Royale in Grand Portage, Minnesota. That would be about the same distance from our house so we will have to look at that another time. Much of the spring and summer has been spent getting ready for our backpacking trip to Isle Royale and the time is near for all that planning to be put through the test. Often you hear that you should step outside of your comfort zone to experience life and find out more about yourself. This trip is doing that for us.

Over the past 5 months we have been researching the gear necessary along with the cost for that gear and possible alternatives and procuring that gear. This being the first backpacking trip, most of our camping equipment does not work due to weight and size. We are restricted to 40 pounds of gear for each person contained in a backpack for the boat ride to and from the island. This should be easier to accomplish on the way back as much of the food weight will be gone. There is a lot of stuff to carry on your back while hiking for miles and most of that is all in an attempt to sleep as comfortable as possible such as tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and a tarp for under the tent. Keep in mind there are 4 of us to accommodate with one of them unable to carry their weight worth of stuff so the rest of us have to pick up that weight. All of this for 3 nights camping on Isle Royale.

In an effort to be prepared for this backpacking trip we embarked on a trial run this weekend. We stayed at a county park with numerous short hiking trails in a mock hiking trip. It was a mock trip because we had our car with us and some extra camping equipment just in case. We tested our 4 person tent, sleeping pads which were made out of foam mattress pads, blankets, cooking equipment and mess kits, etc.… The tent was really tested because there were 5 people and one golden retriever. One person and the dog will be absent on Isle Royale. Surprisingly we all fit however there wasn’t much room. Our sleeping pads work well for adding warmth but offer little in the way of softening the ground. The blankets we brought didn’t keep us warm enough during a summer night and the nighttime temps on the island are expected to be a little cooler so there’s one area we need to improve in the next couple of weeks. Fortunately we had sleeping bags in the car so warmth was found.‘

On the cooking and eating front things look good. Backpacking stoves were tested in an effort to learn how to cook different foods as well as how much fuel we will need. We found foods that will work well and some that we should stay away from. There are two types of stoves in our arsenal: a gas stove and an alcohol stove. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. The gas stoves are adjustable so you can use that for foods requiring different temperatures in order to cook thoroughly or keep from overcooking. Alcohol stoves are either on or off more like a candle. You light it and it heats or the flame is out. They tend to have a wider flame to heat more evenly so are good for boiling water as long as you add enough fuel. Our alcohol stoves come from bottlestoves.com and are quite useful and durable along with made from recycled materials. The mess kits include plastic ware and storage containers that are lightweight and pack together fairly tightly so they don’t take a lot of room. They seem to fit what is needed for backpacking. We did also bring a steel knife, spoon, and spatula for cooking purposes since plastic will melt. One of the things learned in this area is to use a different metal spoon and spatula since the pots being used are Teflon coated and metal can scratch that off.

During our time camping we took 1 1/2 mile hike with backpacks loaded just to get a feel for what we’re in for on Isle Royale. All things considered, this hike went well. We traveled at about a mile an hour on average over uneven terrain. Not bad considering there are two younger kids traveling with us carrying backpacks. I’m glad we did a practice trip as there are a number of things we learned and need to make some adjustments before getting to Isle Royale. All of this for only 3 nights on the island. This better be worth it!

National Parks, New Experiences, Troy's Blog

Dinner at the Ahwahnee

July 15, 2012 Troy 3 Comments

In place of the luxury tax on the traditional Monopoly Board, the National Parks edition has Dinner at the Ahwahnee which is located in Yosemite Valley inside the Ahwahnee Hotel. This is an upscale restaurant requiring a casual dress attire or more in order to enter and be seated. There were those wishing to dine that did not have the proper dress attire of collard shirts and long pants or a dress, skirt or slacks and blouses for the ladies who were given two choices: either borrow the proper attire from the hotel or dine elsewhere.

We had made reservations a week earlier as our schedule was tight and we wanted to be sure and fulfill this location on our board as there are no intentions of returning to Yosemite National Park before this board game is complete. As our time neared, as usual we were running a little late so I quickly made my why to the host stand to check in and let them know we were running late but were there for our reservations. The host looked at me with my t-shirt, shorts and hat just about to remind of the dress policy when I cut him off explaining that we would be late because we needed to change before being seated. Turning back towards the rest of my family we proceeded to a changing area. Many of you would call it a restroom but for us it was our changing room for the evening.

Returning to the host stand waiting to be seated the host once again asked if we had reservations to which I replied yes, gave him the name and mentioned I was the one who moments before stopped by. Surprised he said he didn’t recognize me and quickly found us a table. I guess that could be considered a good thing. Once seated we were given drinks and bread along with being introduced to our waiter George. George has been at that restaurant for 42 years and is the most senior member of their staff. It seemed fitting that we should be served by the most senior member in our efforts to complete this board.

Once inside the atmosphere was beautiful. Built with numerous windows to take in the sights of Yosemite while dining and decorated with stone and wood added to the overall experience of this park. It has been obviously updated since originally built to include electric lighting but still gives the feel of dining by candlelight for an authentic experience. A piano was softly being played to add to the ambiance of this historic dining room. During the evening we recognized many of the songs being played as the kids have practiced most of the music during their efforts to learn how to play piano.

Having looked over the menu on-line we knew ahead of time the selections available for dinner along with the hefty prices for those plates. In past experience when a meal is fairly pricey the portions are generous as well. In this case I was somewhat disappointed in the amount of food we received for the cost. Anticipated generous portion sizes we had determined ahead of time that we would share meals allowing us enough room for dessert in the end without any leftovers. Turns out we could have each had our own entrée and still had room for desert.

I indulged in the rotisserie chicken which comes in a seafood sauce. I’m not a fan of most seafood so I was living on the edge to begin with. The chicken was excellent and the sauce was to match except for the scallops and that is strictly due to the texture of scallops which I do not care for. In addition I ordered a spinach salad which was small but delicious. To end our meal we ordered a red velvet cake. This was definitely the best part of the meal! Sorry, no photos of the desert as the batteries died on the camera. We ate it to fast and didn’t think of capturing this with the camera first.

Finishing desert it was time to locate the Monopoly Board to get another property signed. I made my way back to the vehicle we were using to locate our board along with the pen to be used and hurried back. Night was fleeting and we wanted to get to the top of the mountain for the sunset and take in a clear star filled sky later. Discussing our intention of our travels with people at the host desk they suggested George be the one to sign it (it wasn’t until this moment that we were informed of his tenure at the Ahwahnee). They quickly fetched him and the board was signed. Completing our experience we explored more of the hotel and headed out to witness the end of another day.

National Parks, New Experiences, Troy's Blog

The Last Fireworks at Mt. Rushmore

July 1, 2012 Troy

It was the best of times …. uh … it was a cool and dreary day at ….. it was the worst of times … Let’s go back to that cool and dreary thing. It was July 3rd and the sun had not awakened yet as we were quickly getting up and packing the car for a day at Mt. Rushmore. We had heard about the Independence Day Fireworks being some of the best in the U.S. as they are broadcast in many different areas of the U.S. and even internationally and were eager to get our spot to enjoy a day of festivities.

Daylight was arriving to the Black Hills of South Dakota as we were driving towards this patriotic destination. Friends that had been there in years past for this celebration warned us to get there early or there would be no place to park or sit. Finally we passed the entrance sign to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and began to wonder where all of the cars were. There were plenty of indications that a huge crowd was expected but no lines. Could we really be early enough to have avoided much of the traffic? Enlightenment quickly arrived as we neared the entrance and saw that the only way to get into the park was from the other direction of which the line of vehicles went as far as we could see. We continued driving down the other side of the mountain passing stopped cars waiting to enter the memorial. Finally the end of the line appeared so all we had to do was turn around and get in line.

It was at this time that traveling with children reminding me of the frustrations that can occur as one of them blurted out “I have to go to the bathroom! Can we stop!?” Great! Every minute we delay getting in line reduces our chances of parking inside the park. Well, waiting as long as we were going to have to it was better to not take a chance so I pulled over by a gas station and let out the children and my wife to take care of this issue while I turned the car around and got in line. As the line started to move I began to grow nervous as our missing passengers hadn’t returned yet. As I continued to creep further and further away from the gas station I kept looking for Karen and the kids with no sign of them. The line was about to move forward around a corner when finally here they came. Success! The children were once again comfortable and we were all together again without giving up too many spaces in line.

It was just after 8 a.m. when we entered Mt. Rushmore National Memorial Park. Relieved that we would be parking inside the grounds it was time to find a parking spot and then move as quickly as possible to find a spot to sit for the day. After several minutes more we had landed in our place to park for the day and there was still plenty of room for more cars. Moving on towards the monument we were again stalled due to security screening. Nothing we could do about this so just wait for our turn. Besides, everyone else needed to do the same thing. As we waited there were plenty of things to look at such as a huge screen monitor to watch all the festivities on. This monitor took up an entire semi-trailer! I had never seen a screen that big. Now I wish I had taken a picture of it. Once through security (which was similar to airport security except you could bring coolers through with larger amounts of liquid) it was on to find our living quarters to enjoy the Independence Day festivities. We were fortunate to get prime seating (using our own camping chairs of course) staring directly at the monument.

The entire area was filled with fog keeping the sun from beating down on us. As the morning grew older we could see people setting up the fireworks display we had so eagerly anticipated. After sitting for about on hour rain began to fall. It was at this time we started questioning if we should stay. It appeared as though the rain could continue much of the day and possibly cancel any fireworks display. This was confirmed by periodic weather updates given by park rangers and those watching the radar on their phones. To make matters worse the rain was basically defined to this area of the mountain and just kept building for much of the morning. We decided that there had been plenty of time planning this event that we should stay so off to get rain ponchos and rain coats and wait it out. After being out in the rain for several hours we would take turns going through different buildings to see the displays and find a reprieve from the rain.

Throughout the day there were many different activities planned including Native American dancing and ceremonies along with military aircraft flying over. Around the middle of the afternoon the rain slowed down and eventually stopped. Some of the aircraft flyovers had been canceled already but there were more scheduled and now that the rain had stopped their were indications that these could take place. The sky had began to clear and there was plenty of sun to dry us out and the hope for fireworks had returned making us extremely happy we decided to stay. As the daylight began to wane, so did the clear sky. Just in time fog had rolled into the mountains making it impossible to even see the monument let alone any fireworks. Our hopes of witnessing this spectacular display were once again dashed.

After a long day of waiting fireworks time had arrived. Unfortunately there was one problem! It was uncertain if we would be able see them. Time came and an announcement over the loudspeaker began to confirm our disappointment. They decided to test one of the shells to see how it would look. It was difficult to know if it was the firework or lightning as that is what if reminded me of. After this test the audience was asked if they should continue with the rest of the display. A loud resounding YES! was the crowds response. After a few more minutes the pyrotechnics display we were all waiting to see began. It reminding me of a mix of lightning and northern lights set to music. Once this had finished many members of the audience agreed that this was the best fireworks show we never got to see. As it turns out, this may also be the last Independence Day Fireworks display at Mt. Rushmore for some time to come. To read more about that go here ….

This was a day that tested our fortitude and rewarded our persistence with a unique light show created by humans and nature which will not be duplicated for a number of years if ever at Mt. Rushmore.

Adventures, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Exploring Yosemite

June 24, 2012 Troy

Before leaving on this adventure I had heard about and seen pictures of Half Dome and several of the waterfalls. I also new that this was the third busiest national park in 2011 so there were likely to be a lot of people visiting during the summer. We had made reservations at the Ahwahnee Hotel for dinner as this holds a spot on the Monopoly National Parks Board. Other than that, I didn’t even look at a map or things to do before making this trip so I didn’t even know where we needed to go for dinner. Part of this was due to the craziness of spring with school activities coming to an end along with extracurricular activities ending and all of the end of year celebrations that go along with that. Being a horticulturalist I was also working hard in the yard as life was returning and getting things ready for the up coming summer. Part of my lack of preparation was wanting to be somewhat surprised and flexible to explore whatever caught our attention.

After arriving at our overnight lodging we headed to Yosemite National Park for a few hours of adventure. We stayed outside the park in Oakhurst as many of the areas inside the park were filled before we could make reservations and the cost was somewhat less. There was no disappointment as we headed to Mariposa Grove to get a glance at the giant sequoias. I have seen some large trees but these were almost unbelievable they can grow so large. There were a lot of people walking around which I expected but there were still areas of solitude allowing us to listen to nature around us so all was good. As night was beginning to fall it was time to leave and hopefully catch the setting sun over the mountains.

Our first full day provided us with warm temperatures and blue sky as Glacier Point was our first destination for the first glimpse of Yosemite Valley. Along the way we stopped a time or two to take in the sights. There was even a park ranger filming a video. Not sure for what, we didn’t ask but this is California. Filming is expected I think. Once arriving at Glacier Point we started to get a taste of all of the other people visiting. Parking became a little more of a challenge and there were plenty of lines for the bathrooms. Make sure you plan extra time if going during the summer for lines and finding parking.Views from here are phenomenal! All at one time you can see Half Dome and several waterfalls along with most of Yosemite Valley where people are full of activity. Bring binoculars and you can see people climbing Half Dome. They look like ants busily exploring one area or another.

As early afternoon could quickly turn into evening we decided it was time to go down into the valley and locate the location of our dinner plans. It takes about an hour to get into the valley with plenty to see along the way. You may get carsick as there are many twists and turns jolting you from one side of the vehicle towards the other as you meander down the road. Along the way there is a tunnel carved out of the mountain adding to the interest of the trip. Once out of the tunnel you are struck with an amazing and popular view of Yosemite Valley. Moving on towards the village we stopped and became mesmerized by the base of a Bridalveil Falls. Watching as the water plunges toward you and feeling the mist as the breeze directs the falls towards you was well worth a few minutes to stop. Continuing on we began to feel the presence of so many people as the only way to find parking was to wait for another vehicle to leave. With an hour or so to spare before dinner we stopped at the visitor center to look over the exhibits and took in a quick ranger program. Then it was off to the Ahwahnee for dinner.

After dinner it was time to take in a little wildlife viewing, sometimes a little closer than desired, and off to find a nice location to see the sunset and possibly take in the night sky. Off to Glacier Point once again as this is partially on the way back to our hotel and was high enough we could possibly still catch the setting sun. Along the way a Coyote decided to play chicken with the vehicle. We won. (there were no animals injured during this adventure) Unfortunately we missed the setting sun and had to settle for the evening sky and wait for the stars to appear. As the night grew darker we could see hikers as they descended from Half Dome using flashlights (In the photo below if you look hard enough you can see bright light on the left side of Half Dome towards to bottom. That is a hiker descending). Being exhausted from the day’s activities it was time to return to the hotel and catch a few hours of sleep.

The final day was filled with a 5 mile hike to explore many of the sequoias in Mariposa Grove. For many it may seem odd that we could fill a day with this short of a hike but I would like to mention we were with 5 children and the youngest was 4 years old. This is not just a straight hike, there are many stopping points along the way such as playing in the water whenever there is a stream, climbing any available rock, and playing around the trees. This does not even include the water, snack, and bathroom breaks. Are you starting to understand? Besides, it was not a race but an opportunity to explore our surroundings. I was amazed at the number of people we encountered along the way. How do you keep things as natural as possible when there are so many people beating the trails through the forest? This is the dilemma for the National Park Service. Maintaining nature while allowing as many people as want to explore it. After the hike it was off to find a ranger to sign our board and get something to eat. There is so much more I would like to do but that seems to be the case at most of the parks. Our Monopoly Travels were never meant to be full explorations, just a taste of what each park has to offer in an attempt to experience different landscapes and cultures that the United States has to offer.

Gaining Life Experience

Category Archives: National Parks

The Longest Cave

The Chilkoot Trail

Waterfalls

A New Edition

Isle Royale part III

A Night on Isle Royale…or Three

Isle Royale Preparations Update

Dinner at the Ahwahnee

The Last Fireworks at Mt. Rushmore

Exploring Yosemite

Your Board of Adventure