Another amazing day. Today was a true winter day – tons of snow and new snow from yesterday’s storm. This morning was 25 at our hotel, then we drove up 2,600′ to the crater’s edge under crystal clear skies. The sun shown brightly all day, making it feel much warmer than the actual temperature. Click below to read about Rangeley’s latest adventures.
Columbia River Gorge
OK, this is not a National Park but we had fun cruising through Oregon again, this time southbound and inland. Tomorrow we will visit Crater Lake National Park but figure you could get a “sneak peak” at our travels to get to Southern Oregon. We have weak wifi so probably will not post the finished product for a couple of days. The pictures are only through yesterday. I will do another blog entry once everything is complete.
North Cascades
Wow, North Cascades National Park and the town of Stehekin were awesome!! We are now on our way to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area before continuing to Crater Laker National Park. This trip has been amazing. Click the link below to see our post.
Mount Rainier
Another wonderful National Park. Between snow, COVID and having Rangeley we were only able to see a very small portion of the park, but it is spectacular. I have been here twice previously, both times in June, to climb. Both times we were turned back by blizzard conditions. It was tough looking at the mountain without a cloud in sight and no wind. Wish I had had these conditions when I was here before so I could have reached the summit. Click the link below to see our pictures and read about Rangeley’s latest adventures.
Olympic
Every park we visit we say what an amazing place, but Olympic is very high on our list of favorites and we saw very few animals (which we love seeing critters). What a beautiful place, from playing on the beaches to being in tons of snow. Rangeley continues to be having a blast at every stop.
Click the link below to see and read about our latest adventures.
Redwoods
Another beautiful National Park. Rangeley continues to be a wonderful travel companion. It is fun watching him enjoy all of our stops. Click below to read about our latest adventures.
Pinnacles
Another wonderful park. We will take our time driving up the coast, so it will be a few days before we get to Redwood. The hotels so far have been surprisingly busy, great to see. We have waited for a table at most restaurants we have gone to as well.
Click the link below to read about our latest adventures.
Channel Islands
Rangeley is not allowed on the islands, but if you asked him this was probably his favorite park visit to date. He swam in the Pacific by the visitor center and then again in Santa Barbara. Click the link below to see the pictures and read about the details of our fun day.
Joshua Tree
Rangeley’s Big Adventure – Round 2 is off and running. After lots of planning and a 2 week delay to get our second vaccinations we are off on the road again. We were hesitant at first what we could do with Rangeley since there are lots of dog restrictions. As usual the Park Ranger at the visitor center was super helpful and we had a great day exploring the park.
Click below to read Elizabeth’s narrative and see our many great pictures.
On the Road Again
We are planning to take off to visit the western parks in a few weeks. Elizabeth and I both have had the first COVID vaccine. We qualify for the second shot on April 2, so with any luck on April 3 we will be heading to California. On the map we plan to go clockwise, so Joshua Tree will be our first park and Death Valley our last on this trip. Yes, Rangeley will be joining us once again. He does restrict what we can do in the parks, but he is a great traveler. We do plan to rent a van again as that worked out really well last time.
When we return in mid May I will switch gears and head to Pennsylvania to hike the northern half of the Appalachian Trail. I will start where I left off in 2018. Elizabeth will meet me in Maine and we plan to visit Acadia. On the way home, we hope to go to Northern Minnesota to visit Isle Royale and Voyageurs. That will leave the new park (New River Gorge in West Virginia) and the Grand Canyon in the lower 48. We will then come up with a plan to visit Alaska and the 8 parks up there.
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 