Often the last leg of my trips is simply about getting home. However, this time I wasn’t shooting to break land speed records so I wove in a few interesting distractions into each day. Given the new path I had chosen for my return, finding new things wasn’t difficult.
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Boulder … Denver … Colorado Springs, all major Colorado cities sitting at the edge of the Great Plains with their backs to the Rockies. All relatively close to one another and all very worthy of exploration. Here I paused for two days in my cross-country drive to get exercise and enjoy the uncharacteristically warm weather.
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Time to meander home. Why “meander”? The fact is that all the primary east-west routes via the Interstate Highways I’ve already explored. Sure, there’s alway more to see but they’re not the rich passageways as they once were. By taking secondary highways and especially diagonal highways I come across abundant new veins of discovery to mine.
Not in keeping with the above, I started down the Columbia River Gorge which I love, love, love to drive. However, once I emerged on the east side of the Cascade Mountains I jumped on a quiet road, the John Day Highway, to the National Monument I had once visited too briefly. Then I cut east through the Blue Mountains to historic Baker City.
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Normally I drop into a rut when I drive up the California coast: relax, enjoy becomes hurry up, running late. To reset where my rhythm kicks in I reached the coast via a new route. Now I had the luxury of suffering the same pattern but starting at a different spot on the coast.
Back when we lived in Los Angeles, Beth and I talked about living in San Luis Obispo some day. Why? It’s not too complicated an answer. SLO lies along the glorious stretch of California coast, has a large enough population to have all necessary services and benefits from having a local university: Cal Poly.
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Could I visit the last of NPS sites in Arizona on this trip? Perhaps not but I was going to try. If only I could keep from becoming distracted by serendipitously discovered sites worth visiting, beautiful locations worth taking pictures of, or parks worth hiking. For me, this tension always exists.
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To a great extent I stayed focused on my “12 Great Hikes” trip. Tempted to visit the Grand Canyon, I avoided it. Drawn toward Zion, I repelled it. Pulled upon by Arches, I steered clear. It was emotionally difficult but my days were numbered and I had a goal to achieve. Where I slipped was in the Badlands.
With its long-eroded formations, Badlands National Park has a different character throughout the day. The first time I visited was in the late afternoon and early evening where the affect of the setting sun left me with a feeling of awe. I took pictures galore and enjoyed tootling around very much. In a place with so much character I was yearning to see it in the morning light … and that’s exactly what I did this time.
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Great Hike: Zumwalt Meadows
Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two national parks which share a border. They’re both vast, their histories are intertwined and they are run out of the NPS as one unit. Given I had one day to take in both of them I made a plan to skim the surface. No time for extensive hikes but I’d make every effort to pass though each of their five regions and visit its primary sites, as recommended by Park Rangers. First stop was the Visitors Center for advice on how best to spend my time.
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Great Hike: Four-Mile Up and Panorama+Mist Down
Twice in the past few years I’ve visited Yosemite Valley. Once it was a cold and slushy mess after a snow storm and once it was a flooded and rockslide-ridden jumble after a rain storm. Adding insult to injury, last time I even got a flat tire! Imagine how exited I was then to learn I would be in Yosemite for three days with crisp air, cool temps, and hardly a cloud in the sky! I was ready to enjoyed this park!
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Great Hike: Sun Notch Trail
The hike I chose is more a sentimental favorite for me and perhaps not for everyone. Sun Notch Trail is short (0.5 miles), relatively level, and not exactly full of sites to see. However, parts of the trail along the cliffs provide excellent views of Phantom Rock, a deliriously appealing island within Crater Lake. I’ve visited the park three times in the past few years and was never able to get close to Phantom Rock due to weather. This time on this trail I was practically on top of it while the morning sun made it shine. Finally I was able to photograph her in detail.
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Great Hike: Bumpass Hell
Until I arrived at the hydrothermal basin at the end of Bumpass Hell Trail I wasn’t sure which path I’d select as my Great Hike. Many were enjoyable but this one had steam plumes, radiant ground colors, bubbling waters, and the smell of sulfur in the air. Add that my best views of Lassen Peak came from along the trail and you’ve got the winner. It was a crowded path on this beautiful Saturday but well worth the 3 mile effort each way.
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