Tag Archives: National Parks

Adventures, Isle Royale National Park, Troy's Blog

Isle Royale – A Moose Close Up and Personal

March 29, 2020 Troy

A day after hiking into Siskiwit Bay I wanted to back track on the trail we came in on the day before. We passed a beautiful meadow in full bloom that I wanted to take a few photos of. On the way I was talking with my cousin, who was also coming with, and noticed something unusual out of the corner of my eye. There was a line of trees to our right. Studying this cluster of trees I saw something move on the other side of them. It turned out to be a bull moose grazing. We stopped to watch it for awhile. A couple of other hikers appeared on the trail at this moment stopping in there tracks wondering what we were looking at. After spotting the moose they watched until it laid down in the trees and then they continued on. We decided to move on also and see if we could locate the moose on our way back.

Wondering around the meadow, all that was missing was a nice blue sky with a few soft, white clouds passing by. Unfortunately there were more clouds than sun making the meadow less spectacular but still beautiful. We spent about 20 minutes taking pictures and decided to head back towards our shelter. On the way back I headed towards the trees where the moose was earlier in hopes of being able to find it in a more photogenic place. As I was nearing the trees my cousin began to yell in a hushed voice “He’s still there!” I immediately stopped, looked up and spotted him close to where we left him but he was standing now. Watching him again he was just following the tree line away from us while foraging for leaves along the way.

I decided to quickly walk down the trail trying to get ahead of this moose. There was a clearing in the trees and if he continued to move in the same direction, would give me an opportunity for a nice shot. Successfully moving into position, I crouched down near a clump of trees and got my camera ready. My cousin continued down the trail and found another spot to potentially photograph the moose also. In a matter of minutes the moose was nearing the opening as I was hoping for. I began to shoot away and enjoyed watching as the moose lingered near this opening in the trees. He seemed to be continuing on near the tree line but suddenly stopped. I could see his ears now above his head pointed towards my cousin. I could hear my cousin shifting from time to time and the moose seemed to be able to hear it also.

Now the moose backed up and looked back and forth through the opening in the trees which began to make me nervous and excited at the same time. It provided a nice opportunity to get some close up photos of a full sized bull moose but I’m feeling in the way of where the moose may want to go. After glancing my way the moose turned once again towards his original direction bringing a small sigh of relief. I was now ready for the moose to continue on allowing me to exit without a confrontation being quite sure which one of us would win in a direct confrontation. The odds were not in my favor. A few steps towards the trees and the moose stopped again and paused with ears pinned forward.

Once again the moose retreated a few steps and turn towards me. Only this time he took more steps in my direction causing my heartbeat to pick up. A thrilling and unnerving situation to be in. I continued to take advantage while I could and photograph the moose. My camera was on manual focus in order to minimize the noise as I snapped pictures. This monstrous animal continued to move in my direction heading straight for me. At this point I stopped focusing my lens in order to keep as still as possible hoping the approaching moose wouldn’t notice I was there. As the moose got closer and closer I was trying to figure out my escape plan. What are my chances if I play ring around the trees with this large animal? Just a few lengths away, I snapped one last photo before this adult bull moose turned feet from me and ran around the clump of trees I was crouching behind.

Breathing a sigh of relief I realized I had been holding my breath for some time now in an effort to remain still as the moose worked his way towards me. It took me a few seconds to regain enough strength in my legs to stand up and begin to walk towards my cousin. Turning around to look back at where I was and where the moose traveled, I wanted to figure out just how close it was. Fortunately the moose’s footprints were still in the grass allowing me to track exactly where it went. In the picture below, there’s a clump of trees just to the right of the trail with a downed tree in front of it. I was right next to this clump near the trail. The moose came close to the other side of that clump wanting to exit the forest on this side. Stepping off his closest point to me, I measured about 15 feet between me and the moose before it changed direction. WAY TOO CLOSE! Fortunate for me there was no incident. My adrenaline started pumping at this wild experience. Later that day I wondered, “did the moose also sigh relief believing it almost got killed?”

Exploring, National Parks, Troy's Blog

An Afternoon in Arches National Park

May 18, 2019 Troy 1 Comment

Nestled next to Moab, Utah lies a park which is composed of beautiful rock structures including over 2,000 arches. Even typing this is hard to believe that many arches can be confined to such a relatively tiny area next to the Colorado River. After off roading a nearby trail, my friend and I decided to spend a portion of the afternoon exploring Arches National Park. With so many incredible landscapes surrounding the area, this national park is nothing short of spectacular with it’s natural stone carvings that are larger than life. No wonder so many movies are set with this backdrop. In the photo above you can just make out the South Window Arch near the horizon just right of center. The others are obscured from this point of view. Viewing the park from this vantage point can only be done with some type of off road activity such as hiking, biking, or four wheeling which is what we were doing.

Having spent a good portion of the day in Utah’s back country, I couldn’t imagine seeing anything here that was more impressive. Some of these famous arches that are spread across many books, magazines, and even movies in person was amazing. Being later in the afternoon I was growing tired and was having difficulty in gathering much in the way of energy to really enjoy these sights but it didn’t take long for that to pass once the arches became visible. I don’t believe they were any better than the scenery passed earlier during the day while navigating the Top of the World off road trail (which I’ll be writing about in a future post) but they were a great compliment and equally amazing as those beautiful sights.

To be able to walk right up to several natural sandstone arches, and in several case underneath them, really brought them to life. Their enormity is not easy to grasp from many of the photos I’ve looked at. Standing inside of a few arches allows you to see the details of this sandstone rock and the beautiful patterns carved into them. You just want to reach out and touch it but the arches are just too tall for that so trying to settle for a photograph or two will have to do. Yes, while underneath one of these stone structures you begin to wonder how they can even support the stone overhead and question how much longer will it continue to stand. Will this moment be the one which you find large stones dropping over top? And then you recall these have been standing like this for a very long time and it is not likely they will collapse while you’re underneath.

I took a few moments while standing underneath the North Window Arch to reflect on where I was and what I’ve been fortunate to do and see in the beautiful area. It was peaceful and very humbling to think how fortunate my friend and I were to be able to spend time on such a great adventure creating stories we’ll be able to share for the rest of our lives. Often I feel a sadness fall over me during moments like this because it means the adventure is coming to an end. Not on this day as the realization there were several trails yet to come although I was unsure how they could get any better than what was already explored.

After visiting Arches I watched a few movies filmed in the area and was amazed at the familiar scenery I had just visited in person. That’s one of the fun pieces of traveling to certain areas. Whenever you see them in a TV show, movie, or on the news you can recall your person experiences in that exact spot and what the people were like and how the surrounding areas looked and any particular smells or sounds you may have experienced. You begin to realize what so many people are seeing on the screen is such a small portion, and often an inaccurate representation, of that place.

There were numerous arches all with their own unique appearance making each one worth viewing but the most impressive arch, for me, was Double Arch. I’ll have a full post on that one arch coming up.

Adventures, Jeep Badge of Honor, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Off Roading in Canyonlands

May 12, 2019 Troy

A unique way to explore Canyonlands National Park in Utah is through their off road trails. The Elephant Hill trail runs through the Needles district which is in the southern portion of this beautiful landscape. As with many places in Utah the scenery is amazing. Around many turns or over hills reveal much to see and take in. After entering Canyonlands we needed to stop at the visitor’s center in order to obtain a free permit to travel their off road trail. There are a limited number of those given out each day and my friend and I were lucky enough to obtain one for this beautiful, sunny day.

It was time to hit the trail so we stopped at a pulloff on the way to the trailhead to get the Jeep ready for some rock crawling adventures. In a short time we had the tires aired down and the suspension prepared for the trail. While stopped I had to photograph some of this incredible scenery in this beautiful park. A few minutes more and we were heading to Elephant Hill.

The trail gets right into the difficult portion with steep climbs and sharp turns. There’s no mistaking this for a casual gravel road. In no time at all we had climbed to the top of Elephant Hill and began to wonder what was left for a challenging four wheel vehicle. Fortunately there was plenty more to enjoy. Along the way we took time to park the Jeep and take in the incredible views all around us. The top is relatively flat and extends for a bit of a distance allowing you to look around and see the different rock formations and canyons leading to the reason for this park.

Near the end of this plateau there’s a sign directing vehicles towards the trail. This is the only place there was a sign indicating the trail goes down through here. I found it entertaining that the icon was of a Jeep. Once getting part way down the hill it was obvious why. A sharp turn requiring off road vehicles to back through a portion of the trail along with tight turns while climbing rocks is already challenging enough. To do this with a truck which has a longer wheel base is even more difficult to near impossible. There was a Toyota Tacoma coming up the hill forcing us to wait at the top for awhile as it grappled with these tight turns up steep rocks. More than once we listened to tires screeching as it tried to make it up. Once at the top the driver looked extremely uneasy and glad to have finally made it through proving it is possible. Just not for the faint of heart as we had passed the drivers wife earlier in the trail walking away from this portion unable to watch as the Tacoma struggled to get to the top.

During a portion of the trail we were warned of some tight areas that could lead to damage on vehicles. As we approached one of these we were unsure of being able to make it through. Approaching this tight canyon slowly it became apparent the Jeep would get through with a bit of room on each side but very little opportunity for errors to avoid rubbing against the canyon walls. It was fun to glide through and fortunately the top comes off it we got stuck so we wouldn’t be trapped inside the vehicle.

Canyonlands National Park offers some amazing views with so many different rock formations and colors all around. I could have spent hours just taking in all of these views of the area landscapes studying the different types of rocks and rock formations. But there’s still a lot of trail left and much to see so on down the trail we went.

Much of the trial consists of rock ledges to climb over which aren’t extremely difficult but add to the fun while traveling through this beautiful park admiring the views both up close and off in the distance. Some of those views can become a bit distracting so thankfully accommodates in some places. Otherwise you could stop every few minutes just to look around and never drive the entire trail in one day.

Earlier in the day, while waiting for the Toyota Tacoma to make its way up Elephant Hill, we decided to grab lunch as we had plenty of time before being able to continue on the trail. It was an amazing spot to eat surrounded by all these beautiful rock formations under the big blue sky. Even though lunch consisted of sandwiches, chips, and an apple (so nothing fancy), I would take that every day with cool sunny skies overlooking the canyons instead of eating a warm meal trapped between four walls inside. As the day continued on we enjoyed climbing over numerous rock ledges and dirt roads all the while enjoying views from the top and bottom of the canyons while taking in a few short hikes here and there completing our day at Elephant Hill on the first full trail of an off road adventure.

Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Troy's Blog

Abstract Pieces of a Lava Flow

July 29, 2018 Troy

While exploring Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii we noticed many interesting shapes and forms of lava from previous flows. As we looked even closer at them the colors in some of these flows caught our attention causing us to wonder how those were created. Without seeing an actual eruption it was up to our imaginations as to the creation of these different forms and colors. The photo above shows what appears to be a little lava rock which, landed in this spot or was carried to this place by flowing lava, and remained hot for longer than the lava it landed on causing these red, orange, and yellow colorations seen in the photo. They probably were exposed as this lava rock cooled and began to split apart causing a piece to roll down the flow further.

These same reds, oranges, and yellows can be seen in other portions of this same lava flow bringing an added element to these interesting textures. Did this portion of lava also cool at different rates causing these colors to emerge in only certain areas? What would cause one area to cool faster than another? I’m certain some people understand what happened at one time to make these interesting patterns and colors especially now as they can study the new eruptions and flows currently creating new patterns, colors, and shapes.

It amazing how different amounts of lava and lava temperatures combined with the terrain it’s going over can create so many unique types and shapes of rock. Some lava is smooth which is called pahoehoe which is the type shown in the photo above. Below shows another form of lava called a’a. This type looks like a bunch of smaller rocks. As you look closer there are multiple colors all mixed together which combine to look like a dark grey field from a distance. Our time was short to continue looking for more interesting pieces and forms created from an old lava flow but it was fun to have at least a little time to examine lava rock and find the different shapes and colors. Sometimes we forget to take time to really see what makes up a landscape especially if you just get use to viewing it everywhere around you.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Troy's Blog

A Return to the Volcano

April 29, 2018 Troy

It’s 4:27 am and I’m rolling over to shut off the alarm before it wakes anyone else wondering if I really want to get up and drive back into the park for another view of the volcano. After debating for a minute or so with myself I decide to get up and get dressed. Fortunately I had company as my cousin is with and decides to join me on another ridiculous morning adventure. When will we be here again to see this active volcano?

Fortunately one of the priorities of this trip was to witness the glow of lava during the night so we planned a one night stay just outside of the park in Volcano, HI making our early morning journey a fairly quick one. Within 15 minutes of leaving our lodge we were staring at the glowing coming from the top of the mountain. It looked like a large fire was burning off in the distance. Walking closer to Jagger Museum patio while scarfing down the last of a quick breakfast we could see the glow intensify as smoke continuously billowed from the caldera.

Over the next hour or so I just kept taking photographs of this almost unreal sight. In the above photo you can see a few stars along with the moon shining high above the volcano although it appears more like a star in this picture. Eventually I realized there was lava spatter erupting just above the rim from time to time. Seeing lava was something I hoped to accomplish while visiting Hawaii but the accessible flows had stopped a few days prior making it unlikely to spot and yet here was actual lava. The whole concept of standing on top of this mountain watching an active volcano spitting out lava seemed almost more of a dream than a fortunate reality. This was something I never imagined I would do during my life and here I was witnessing the continued creation of this island with my own eyes.

Daylight began to break across the horizon reducing the glow from the lava lake while my cousin and I realized just how much we were shivering as it was quite cool in the night air. It didn’t help that I wasn’t properly dressed for being at a higher elevation for an extended time only wearing shorts and a sweatshirt. Definitely worth getting up a little early to see!

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Troy's Blog

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

April 20, 2018 Troy

There was one day set aside to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park so not a great deal of time. Making things a little less interesting was rain at the top of Kilauea making it difficult to see much and decreasing our motivation to venture too far from the car. Still we were determined to do all that we could on this final National Park adventure. Arriving mid-morning our first destination was the Kilauea Visitor Center to learn a little about this area and the active volcanoe we were standing on. Looking over the exhibits explaining what was creating this mountain and the surrounding new land along with plants and animals inhabiting it brought us to lunchtime. There really wasn’t a good place to eat nearby that we knew of plus our plan was for to have a picnic while taking in some amazing views. The rain outside indicated we needed to make other arrangements so looking over the park we found some possible places to sit and eat under dry skies at the end of Chain of Craters Road which was next to the ocean and away from the rain at a lower elevation.

After a short break eating, it was time to explore the coast in front of us a little and work our way back up to the summit of the volcano. Just looking out over the ocean was beautiful with the blue water and waves crashing against the shore. Examining the shoreline closer, which is really a cliff plummeting into the water made from a lava flow in 1971 which has been eroding ever since, we discovered a sea arch nearby. An interesting structure protruding from the cliff defying the brutal ocean waves which continually beat against it. Looking even closer the designs throughout this cliff wall made some interesting patterns and colors from all of the different layers of lava flowing at different times binding itself together to form new ground. You can make some of this out in the very top photograph.

A little bit of time to explore this cliff wall and stare into the sea and we began to ascend back up the mountain towards the smoldering volcano summit. Along the way we stopped to explore some of these lava flows just below the clouds more closely finding different types of lava formations. It was some much fun and amazing to see the different patterns and colors created from lava which flowed 45 years ago. Some has smoother edges more like a mud flow might have while other lava created sharper rocks that, from a distance, appear like dark, rich soil to grow crops in. This is not the case as there is almost nothing growing on it still after 45 years of inactivity.

Returning to the car we continued higher up the mountain and soon became enveloped in clouds followed by rain. We wanted to see the popular Thurston Lava Tube which is a cave created by flowing lava at one time. Bravely we donned raincoats and ventured out into the rain to explore this cave. With soaked shoes we entered this tropical cave feeling like we were entering something out of the movie Jurassic Park. Hoping for a dry place we found water dripping from the ceiling and large puddles across the floor. Fortunately the floor was lit up so you could make you way through this portion of the lava tube avoiding many of these puddles. Still it was an eerie experience to know large volumes of lava flowed through here not all that long ago to make this and this mountain is still an active volcano.

Making our way back to the car having been thoroughly soaked by rain and standing water we continued on to the top of the volcano to catch a glimpse of the large lava lake. Nearing the crater there were steam vents all around trying to alert us to the fact that there is hot lava close by. Still we drove on until arriving at the Jaggar Museum which stands at the side of the crater looking into this volcano. The clouds were covering this mountain making it near impossible to see anything so we headed inside to explore more exhibits and learn about this area. After some time looking things over the clouds cleared a little revealing more details of the mountain summit so I headed outside to look around. Shortly after getting outside there was a large clap of thunder. Excited to see a storm I scanned all around looking for lightning but found none. And then another clap of thunder and I decided seeking shelter might be a good idea. Once inside a ranger told us that it was not thunder we were hearing but rocks moving inside the volcano crater. That was kind of cool to hear and yet a little unsettling at the same time that there are large enough rocks moving to create a sound like that.

Unfortunately there was no erupting lava to be seen on this cloud filled day and the active lava flow had stopped flowing a couple of days before we arrived. It was a little disappointing to go all the way to Hawaii and visit an active volcano and not have the opportunity to witness actual lava with our own eyes and feel the heat protruding off of it. In a last ditch effort to see some lava I did return another time which I will write about later.

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

The Game is Complete!

April 14, 2018 Troy

A few weeks ago we made our final Monopoly National Parks adventure to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to complete a journey which began almost nine years ago. It’s hard to believe we were actually able to complete this goal of visiting 28 parks in that time frame.

On the road to this entrance sign it was difficult to pay attention to driving as I often caught myself reminiscing over past adventures that all began at Badlands National Park where our two girls first became Junior Rangers and we all began to see the luxury of our National Parks. Once the final signature had been obtained we were congratulated by those around us in the visitor’s center but the fact that this game was now completed didn’t really sink in at first. In fact I think there was probably more sadness than sense of accomplishment because we are now without plans for another family adventure. It’s a weird, empty feeling that I’m not sure how to grasp. There’s always been another place to plan and prepare for.

While our board of adventures was complete there was a small piece to add in order to make our journey full circle. That was to visit Pearl Harbor. More specifically to re-enter the gift shop there 15 years later with our children to the place where this whole thing actually began. It was in this very place that Karen and I first discovered the National Parks Monopoly board and this idea of visiting each place was conceived. Only this time there were four of us to complete this list of incredible adventures.

The End!

National Parks, Troy's Blog

Craters of the Moon

October 21, 2017 Troy 1 Comment

At least that’s what they thought before people actually traveled to the moon. Craters of the Moon National Monument received it’s name from the volcanic rock and volcanic cones blanketing this area of Idaho appearing to look like what scientists believed the surface of the moon to look like. Because of this, lunar training took place at this place preparing for going to the moon’s surface. After landing on the moon it was realized how inaccurate that belief was.

This unique landscape in Eastern Idaho is a result of volcanic eruptions 2,000 and 4,000 years ago leading to the possibility that another eruption could occur at anytime again if the cycle were to continue. Nothing to worry about yet though as there will likely be signs of an eruption well before it actually occurs. These special rock formations can only be found here and in Hawaii within the United States with Idaho being the easier place to see such volcanic formations.

Probably the most amazing part is the vast tunnels called lave tubes created by lava flowing under hardened volcanic rock. Several are large enough for people to walk inside and feel like they’re in a huge cave similar to Mammoth or Wind caves but being just a short distance below the surface allowing natural light to illuminate much to the path. Another interesting piece to these lava tubes is the cold temperatures inside. While visiting the scorching heat outside was near 100 degrees F. Once submerged into these caves, the temperature dropped rapidly enough to maintain ice on the cave floor. A nice natural air conditioning as there are no trees to provide shade near these tubes.

Another fascinating feature of Craters of the Moon are being able to look inside these volcanic cones called cinder cones. To be able to see deep into these relatively small volcanoes is quite interesting. Even though they are capped after their eruptions you can still imagine lava surging out of them blanketing the surrounding landscape scorching what may have been their growing. Amazingly even though it has been 2,000 years since the last eruption there is little plant growth covering this lave. Of course receiving very little rain could have a lot to do with this characteristic preserving these formations. Still a few plants have been able to persevere in this harsh climate.

Night skies provide amazing views into the universe with this national monument, being an international dark sky park, if you’re able to remain awake for it to show it’s full splendor.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Little Bighorn? Which is it?

June 24, 2017 Troy

Actually it’s both because this National Monument is located next to the Little Bighorn River which flows into the Bighorn River which hopefully makes more sense. This was one of the few remaining destinations on our National Parks Monopoly board which we visited recently. This is an interesting but solemn place memorializing a battle between Lt. Col. Custer with his Calvary and 5 different Indian tribes taking place over June 25th and 26th, 1876 as well as the location of Custer National Cemetery.

This battle was won by many different Indian tribes working together led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to defeat the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry in a final victory before being forced onto reservations a few short years later. Photos above and below show a beautiful memorial to this battlefield where Indian tribes came together at this location for one cause – preserving and remembering their way of life. It’s sad and unfortunate that this battle had to take place due to the greed of those further east over control of the land and it’s resources, but if it hadn’t happened in 1876, I’m quite certain it would have happened at some point in a desire to possess land by those with wealth and power.

Little Bighorn is a popular National Monument with more people entering hear than I’ve seen at other National Monuments of this size.When asking about this popularity, as this was not the only battle between the U.S. Army and Indians, the response was increased attention due to the high profile people involved such as Custer, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse along with this is the only battle that has markers in the exact location where each person died during the battle. Additionally it is a National Cemetery so there are visitors seeking out those buried there.

After this battle was over, those who survived buried those who died where they were found a placed markers so each persons location which is unique. These people have since been moved to different burial locations but the markers have remained and been replaced with the inscribed stones seen in the photo above and below. Red are for Indians and white for U.S. Calvary. There are far more white markers throughout the park than red ones reinforcing how one sided this battle actually was. This gives historians and visitors a more detailed map of what took place on this battlefield over two days.

Adventure, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Petroglyph

June 19, 2016 Troy

Excited to begin our Spring Break adventures, we landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico on a warm spring like day in mid March headed to Petroglyph National Monument. This National Park is a smaller park in Albuquerque established to preserve the rock drawings created hundreds of years ago. This was our second Monopoly board excursion with much to see and learn.

Petroglyph has a number of short hiking trails which bring you near many of the drawings carved into volcanic rock by people living in this area long, long ago and a modest visitors center to provide more information of this area and its formation. We took in a few of these hikes while enjoying the warmth on this bright, sunny afternoon with mountains lining the horizon. A great day to be here, especially since when I returned a week later it was to snow and ice blanketing many parts of this area.

Most of the hikes wonder around and through rocks and what must younger people do when approaching rocks? Well they must be climbed of course. Before allowing them to touch a rock we tried to find any petroglyphs so they would risk damage even though these rock drawings have been there for hundreds of years and likely have been climbed over numerous times before.

While hiking we would come upon a petroglyph which was interesting but it seemed like a bunch of kids were let loose in the park with sticks or rocks and told to draw on the rocks. How did we know if the drawings were 5 days old or 500 years? It was hard to know in most cases so we had to just believe these have been there for a long time. We were amazed at how well preserved they were given how long many have been here although I’m very poor at analyzing them to figure out what they may be showing so well preserved or not, I couldn’t really decide what they were portraying. Most of the petroglyphs were simple shapes to depict and animal, bird, or person with some being more intricate to show a particular type of person or event. Seeing these rock drawings in person provided some great historical education to think back on when traveling to different places.

Gaining Life Experience