Day 19, Flight home

We're home. Got in around 8:00pm.

Day 18, Craters of the Moon NM

We started the day sleeping in longer than we have in this whole vacation. Hallelujah! We then drove an hour and a half to Craters of the Moon National Monument. The volcanic lava flows and calderas made it seem like we were on another planet. It was neat to see the way the lava had dried, in wavy ripples and sharp rigid chunks. We even got the chance to hike up a giant cinder cone and get a 180-degree view of the volcanic fields around us, which was pretty cool. With all the craters that you find here it’s no wonder why it was named Craters of the Moon.

I was totally at ease until Dad mentioned that the rangers had said, “This place explodes every 1,000 to 2,000 years and it’s been more than 2,000 years, so it’s due to explode at any moment.” Wonderful, another place that can explode in our faces! With spatter cones, which are just miniature volcanoes, all over the place and multiple volcanoes along the Snake River Plain, the desolate beauty of it all makes it worth the trip. Despite the hot temperature of the day, we even found a pile of snow and ice at the bottom of one of the cinder cones.

We then headed to some caves that were formed by the lava which once flowed beneath the surface. When we walked the .8-mile trail to Boy Scout Cave and saw that we needed flashlights, we reluctantly headed back to the car to get our tiny camera flashlight. When we finally got back to the car Dad decided that we would only hike the trail to Indian Cave, because the cave-ins made it possible to navigate without the assistance of flashlights. When we finally got to Indian Cave, the largest cave in the area, we climbed down the stairs and made our way through the giant lava tube. Having to scramble over fallen rock piles at some points made the experience even more fun, and even though I was a little grumpy about having to hike the trail twice, I still enjoyed the cave.

After spending 3+ hours at the Monument, (longer than we had planned) we headed back to our hotel around dinnertime. Hungry for a variety of foods, we decided to eat at a Golden Corral, which we got a discount on thanks to our hotel. The food was delicious and we had no trouble filling both our plates and our stomachs. Towards the end of the meal a balloon artist came over and made a T-rex for me (which I named Rex) and a monkey for Jessie (who sadly remanded nameless). The artist was really funny as he sculpted our creatures, and whether he intended to be amusing or not we still had a good time talking to him. These balloon animals were the coolest things, and I was amazed at this guy’s wicked skills. Once we got back to the hotel, we took pictures outside the lobby with them so we’d still be able to have a souvenir long after they deflated. Later that night, after Dad mentioned that we wouldn’t be able to bring them on the plane, Jessie gave her monkey to a little girl in the hotel pool when she and Dad went swimming.

It was an easy, slow-paced day, but it’s something that we will never forget. Even with our vacation winding down we have still managed to have a blast out here as we continue to explore the Northwest. A lot of the places we’ve visited are locations that I one day hope to bring my children too, so that they have as much fun as I have while they explore and learn about these awesome parks.

Day 17, Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs

With today being the last day consisting of National Parks, what better way to go out than with visiting parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton?

Yellowstone came first and took up most of the day. We had been here a few years ago, and saw sites like Old Faithful as well as the Upper and Lower Falls, but today we entered through a different part of the park with some news site programmed into our GPS.

We first stopped by Mammoth Hot Springs. The whole place smelled like rotten eggs but it was really neat to see some of the springs bubbling and spurting water out their tops and down the sides of the formations. There were so many in the area, and they all came in different sizes and colors. Some areas were a deep orange color while other were as white as snow (ironically those were the hottest spots).

Our next stop was at the Upper and Lower Falls of Yosemite. This was a location we had been to before but it was nice to get some pictures to compare with our younger selves. The hike to Upper Falls was short and easy and brought us right next to the massive falls that pounded through the gorge and over the cliff. They were so powerful and the scene reminded me of a smaller version of Niagara. Off in the distance though, we could the balcony lookout for the Lower Falls and decide to head over there, seeing as we get a better, full-length view of both the falls. The hike down to the Lower Fall however was much more strenuous, but it did have another great view. Though there were lots of families at the upper balcony, by the time we hiked down to the lower one, we found the lookout deserted. Wanting to get a nice family picture, we had to wait several minutes before another family met us at the bottom, but eventually one finally came.

The last stop in Yellowstone that we made, not counting the numerous times we pulled off the road to get some pictures of wild bison and elk, was at Artist’s Point. The ranger at the Visitor Center told us that this was the most photographed spot in the park, and when we walked up to the overlook, we could instantly see why. The whole gorge was painted with different colors of rocks, ranging from golden yellows to bluish grays to dusty purples and greens. It was absolutely beautiful, and the Yellowstone River that cut its way through the bottom after flowing over the falls, along with the scattered trees and puffy white clouds from above made the pictures even more magnificent. We took lots of pics here, wanting to capture every inch of the view in our cameras.

After Artist’s Point we were on our way out of the park and onto the Tetons. With the day winding down, we would have a few hours to spend in this National Park. We asked a ranger at the Visitor Center of his recommendations and he directed us to an overlook on top of a mountain, and a one-way scenic drive alongside Jenny Lake, which bordered the enormous and glorious Teton Mountains.

The overlook on top of the mountain, didn’t have a great view of the Tetons. Instead it looked out over the grassy plains of the park and we had to pull over at a turnout on our way back down and walk a short trail in order to get the view of the Tetons we wanted. Unfortunately, the sunlight was all wrong and we had trouble capturing the magnificence of the mountains in our pictures. Despite the poor lighting, we still took tons of pictures, especially when we were at Jenny Lake, because the glistening waves that rolled below the mountains made the view even more spectacular. As we drove out of the park we also made several stops where we looked back and snapped a couple more pics. The Tetons were without a doubt the most awesome mountains I’ve seen, and probably will ever see. From the moment we drove in the park, to even after we left I found myself gazing up at them in awe. They were like mini Everest’s, towering over all that surrounded them. I really wish we could have spent more time in the park, but if we were planning on making it to our hotel before midnight, then we had to leave soon.

Though the drive was long, we passed an old, abandoned schoolhouse that overlooked some distant mountains as it sat alongside a set of gravel crossroads amidst the prairie fields and thunderclouds. The structure was old, and had plants growing out of its windows, and the black and white pictures we captured it in only added to its beauty.

After a good twenty minutes though we were back on the road and heading to our hotel for the night. This was the night were we could finally sleep in as long as we wanted, and I planned to take advantage of that opportunity with great pleasure.

Day 16, Lewis and Clark Caverns SP

Entering the final days of our vacation, all the major hikes were now behind us. Today especially was a pretty easygoing day, what with only two relatively short stops to make. Our first stop of the day was a tour through the Lewis and Clark Caverns SP in Montana. We had assumed that this would be a site that wasn’t too popular, but after leaving the parks Visitor Center and heading up to the trailhead we quickly discovered that this would not be the case.

Our tour group through the caves consisted of about thirty or so people. Our tour guide first talked to us about local rattlesnakes and a couple of park rules before sending us up the trail and meet her at the entrance of the cave. Everyone walked at their own pace, but since we were the Howland family, we had to walk at a pace that was closer to running than a leisurely stroll in order to claim bragging rights the imaginary gold medal over the rest of our group.
Once the rest of our tour group had caught up, our guide went over a couple more rules such as NO TOUCHING ANYTHING, no flash photography around bats and all that good stuff.

The hike through the caves was so cool. There were several large rooms that we walked through, all with stalactites and stalagmites that took on the form of figurines (for which our guide had plenty of stories and jokes). In some instances we had to duck really low, or even slide/waddle our way under the low ceilings as we moved from room to room. In most cases though we just walked down some stairs, taking pictures of all the interesting calcite formations and pillars. The 2 mile tour lasted about two hours and before we knew it, we found ourselves walking out of the cave and wishing we could do it again. Photo shows the Brown Waterfall formation.

Our second and last stop of the day was at the Missouri Headwaters State Park. At first we stopped by the riverside to take some pictures of the water and adjacent windblown fields. Then we hopped back in our car and drove over to Fort Rock, a trail that lead us up on top of this massive rock formation and alongside the upper ridge of the park which looked out over the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers. The trail was only about a mile long, at most, and being the only ones walking through the rocks made the atmosphere extremely tranquil as we experienced some good family time.

The last stop of in the park and of the day was at the exact headwaters of the Missouri, where the three rivers came together. While we only spent a couple minutes here, taking a couple pictures and walking through the prairie grass by the side of the river, it was defiantly the main part of the park and the reason we came. We left the park soon afterwards and took the long drive to our hotel, having enjoyed another excellent day of our vacation.

Day 15, Glacier NP

This morning we started off our day with the experience of a lifetime. On our way to the park, we passed by a helicopter tour station and decided to check it out. Since the tours were at a discounted price we scheduled ourselves in for the soonest flight possible that would take us through the mountains and valleys of Glacier NP. It was absolutely exhilarating! With huge windows on every side of the chopper, we got amazing views of all the mountains, lakes, and forests as we soared over the park. Our tour was a half hour long, but the minutes flew by as we stared in awe out the windows and snapped picture after picture. It was also really fun wearing the headsets because it made us feel like official pilots. Roger, roger!

When we finally entered the park, after waiting in line behind at least 50 other cars, our first stop was at the shores of Lake McDonald. Here Jessie and I waded through the refreshing water collecting interesting rocks as Dad took pictures of us and the mountainous background. With lots of stuff to do though, we were back on the road after a little while and onto hiking some trails.

Unfortunately, the park was so crowded that we had trouble finding a parking space everywhere we went. Not wanting to waste too much time circling the lots we settled on taking a shuttle bus up to Logan’s Pass, the major trail in the park. The bus passed spectacular waterfalls and gave us terrific views of the mountains and a couple snow caves. However, having not brought any of our hiking supplies on the bus, we thought it best to take the bus back down, collect our stuff and then just drive back up the mountains and try our luck with finding a parking space.

After a quick lunch we drove back up, with a short delay because of some roadside construction. While I went into the Visitor Center to buy some postcards, Jessie and Dad circled the lot in pursuit of an available space. After numerous circles, they finally managed to park our Dusty Bullet in a relatively close spot to the trailhead.

The Logan’s Pass trail we took went on for at least 20 miles, but we only hiked around 5 miles roundtrip. Though the hike was easy, the trail was pretty narrow and had us walking right alongside the edge of the cliff, which was pretty nerve-racking in some spots. But the panoramic views were defiantly worth the trip. One of the day’s biggest highlights though came walking down the trail as we took a family picture. Trudging along the gravel path as if it were a person, a mama mountain goat and her kid passed within a foot of us. They were so close, we could have reached out and pet them, but seeing as they were wild and the mama had a full set of horns, we decided to step back and be cautious. Once they were out of view, we continued our hike, walking all the way until we reached a waterfall about 2 ½ miles from our car. Here we took a break, snapped some pics, and cooled our water bottles in the ice-cold stream that flowed down the side of the mountain. After about ten minutes here we began our way back to the car. To our surprise, we encountered the mountain goat family again. They were standing right in the middle of the path, and several groups, including us, had their cameras out and ready to go. When they began climbing down the steep edge of the cliff, Jessie and I were able to walk behind them and have Dad take a really cool picture of us with the goat and her adorable kid.
Then, within the next ten minutes as we were walking along the last 200 yards of the trail, we spotted several rams grazing in behind a bundle of small pine trees. As they moved out in to the open field to the side we counted seven fully-grown sheep, all with giant curly horns. We couldn’t believe the luck we had with all the animal sightings. First we saw elk, then a baby bear, and now we had mountain goats and big horned sheep to add to our list.

We ended the day driving to our hotel and making a couple of quick stops alongside the road to take some pictures of fields of hay and wheat. Our hotel turned out to be really nice too, and with no major plans for tomorrow we will all take advantage of the luxury of sleeping in tomorrow morning, something we weren’t not able to do today. This day was without a doubt my favorite part of this vacation, and we will surely have tons of stories to tell everyone when we get back home.

Day 14, Steptoe Butte

We awoke early in the morning and ate our breakfast quickly in order to get over to Steptoe Butte SP in time for some good sunlight. The drive to the park was incredible – field after field of golden wheat and hay patched the ground like a giant quilt. Steptoe Butte was just a large, rocky hill that seemed very out of place as it emerged upwards in the middle of all these farm fields. There was a paved road that spiraled all the way to the top, so we were able to have yet another break from hiking. There were several other people at the top too, taking in and admiring the view just as we were, but within after awhile they all cleared out and we had the park to ourselves. The view was even better at the top of Steptoe. Though the sky was a little hazy off in the distance, we could still see for at least 30 miles in every direction. We probably spent the better part of an hour in the park, taking tons of pictures and walking over to the giant boulders that were scattered alongside the mountainside. It was so quiet and peaceful – the perfect place to just sit on a rock, gaze out over the fields and enjoy the tranquility of it all.

With Steptoe being the only thing on our to-do list we began the long drive to our hotel in Kalispell (haha the name makes it sound like a magical place). The 360-mile drive to Kalispell took awhile, and by the time we arrived in the town, checked into our hotel and got settle in it was about time for dinner. We decided to eat at a local pizza place, known as the Mackenzie River Pizza Company. The ordered some delicious chips and salsa along with a family sized pizza that really hit the spot.

While looking for a place to eat, we had passed a theatre and looked into seeing Toy Story 3. I was originally going to see the film with my friends back in Sycamore before we left, and now that we had the opportunity to see the 3D movie in a newly opened theatre in Montana I was all for it. We had heard nothing but good reviews about the movie and after seeing it, I agreed with all those positives remarks. Pixar did an excellent job creating this movie and I would say it’s a MUST SEE for everyone – even if you’re not into animated films. Jessie was even a little skeptical at first, but as we walked out of the theatre, still holding our 3D glasses and our giant bag of popcorn leftovers, even she couldn’t think of one negative thing to say against it. I absolutely loved Toy Story 3 and can’t wait for it to come out on DVD, because then Dad will be able to see it on our Netflix. Since he was extremely tired, and didn’t want to risk falling asleep in the theatre after buying a ticket, he decided to go back to the hotel and pick us up when the movie ended. The whole car ride back Jessie and I were going on and on about how much we loved the movie. It was a great and easy-going day, one I can say with confidence that we all enjoyed.

Day 13, North Cascades NP

The first thing we did after stopping by the Visitor Center and getting our park map stamped was to head over to see the Gorge Falls. While the side falls were running low and hidden by giant pine trees, the Gorge Falls were an awesome sight to see. However, in order to get a good view of the Falls you had to walk out on a see through bridge, which was a little intimidating and reminded me a lot of Royal Gorge from a couple years ago. It was really fun though, and I had a good time teasing Jessie by saying “Shaky…Shaky, shaky shaky!” as we walked across the bridge.

The only trail we did in this park was a two-mile loop to Rainy Lake. The trail was handicap accessible, with little elevation change so it was a nice, easy walk through the woods. Though there were tons of bugs flying in our face the whole way down, the view at the lake was well worth all the swatting.
The lake was made up of beautiful, clear blue water that was surrounded by snowy mountains. There were also several waterfalls that cascaded down the steep slopes and poured into the lake below. It was amazing to see, and though the trail was short we still felt secluded from the rest of the park as we looked out and walked through the water within this tranquil location. We could have stayed there for hours, but we still had a schedule to maintain, and we didn’t want to fall behind on our plans for the day.

Our last stop in the park was at Washington Peak, where we hiked half-mile trail along the cliff of the mountain. With nothing but a wooden rail between ourselves and a couple thousand foot drop off the side of the cliff, I didn’t want to stand too close to the edge. But, even standing back a few meters I was still able to enjoy the magnificent view of the up-close mountain ranges that towered into the clear blue sky. We took tons of pictures, and even got a couple of good 3D shots in there too, but I doubt that any of the pictures will do the mountains justice.

The only thing left on our agenda was a quick stop at Grand Coulee Dam. It’s always neat to see how dams are able to hold back so much water, especially when some of the spillways are being used. While it the overlook had a good view of the both the city and the dam we only stayed here long enough to get in a couple pictures before we were back on the road again.

We were also thinking about doing Steptoe Butte SP that day too, but seeing as it was way out of our route to our hotel, and that the day was nearing its end, we decided to call it a day and drive to our hotel.

The hotel we stayed at was nice, and it even had an old golden lab that was really cute and extremely friendly. We also got some delicious complimentary cookies and ice-cold milk. Though we didn’t do too much hiking, we did a lot of driving and were all tired by the time we arrived in our room. Luckily we were able to settle down and relax for the rest of the night and prepare ourselves for the next day, which would be another long day of driving as we continued to travel from park to park.

Day 12, Olympic NP and misc.

With no free breakfast at our cabin, we had to wait until we arrived in the world famous town of Forks, WA before we could eat. On our way in, we tried to find Bella Swans house, but the address we had programmed into our GPS led us to an empty field. Not feeling the need to pursue the search for another twenty minutes, we headed over to a local restaurant where we enjoyed a full breakfast. Willing to give it one last try, seeing as we wouldn’t be doing anything else as we passed through Forks, we asked our waitress if she knew where Bella’s house was located. Even with only a thousand or so people residing in Forks, our waitress still “claimed” that she didn’t know where it was. We immediately figured that the residents of Forks had been told not to give out the address, and in all truth, who could blame the old woman that apparently owned the house? It’s not like we would want people coming around to our neighborhood and snapping pictures of our house either.

So, with our breakfasts consumed we left Forks behind and headed off to Port Angeles. Here we walked around the streets and down the boardwalks were we looked out over the port and spotted some sea lions frolicking about in the distant waves. We also watched a sand sculpting competition; with six artists from 4 different countries sculpting there works of art to fit the theme “Sci-Fi and Legends”. While they were all amazing, the only sculptures we recognized were Aliens, Planet of the Apes (because it was labeled) and Terminator.

Our next stop was at Olympic National Park. This time we only went to a couple overlooks and a short trail known as the Hurricane Ridge. While the trail was steep, it was only about a quarter of a mile long and had a terrific view of the snowy mountains and valleys that surrounded the hill we had hiked up. The landscape reminded me of The Sound of Music’s “The Hills are Alive” theme. There were also a couple of crows that were flying overhead and they cries were something Jessie really found amusing.

Our final stop of the day was at Fort Casey, which we visited after taking a huge ferry across the bay. Here we checked out the massive artillery such as the disappearing guns that had been used in WWII. The Fort was now a State Park, and we were allowed to walk around through the buildings hallways, tunnels and even the top of the roof. Though we were a bit hesitant (not Dad) on visiting, what with it being such a long day, this was defiantly something we would recommend to anyone traveling in the area. You don’t even have to be a history buff or anything to have a good time scrabbling through the Fort, which was like a giant concrete maze.

Day 11, Olympic NP

Today was a relatively easy-going day. For the first time so far this vacation we enjoyed the pleasure of sleeping in. Then, after eating a delicious continental breakfast we went to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. Here we stopped at the Visitor Center for info and to get our map stamped. Then, after dowsing ourselves in sun block, we walked along a couple trails through the thick, mossy woods. There were tons of flies and bees that kept swarming around our faces, and even after swatting at them a million times they still seemed resilient to go away.
The rain forest was beautiful. All the trees were covered in blankets of thick moss and the streams that flowed through the forest were incredibly clear. After hiking up Mt. Saint Helens the other day we choose to stick to the shorter trails in Olympic and give ourselves a well deserved break. Still, with the reduced length of our hikes, we still took lots of pictures among the trees and fallen stumps.

With no other major plans for the day we headed over to Ruby Beach. This was actually one of my favorite places so far on our vacations. The shorelines were completely covered in fallen logs and smooth, flat rocks, which we all took turns trying to skip across the water. The weather was a bit cloudy and cool, but Jessie and I still enjoyed searching through the tide pools for little critters and chasing seagulls up and down the beach. The low tide was still higher than usual, but we managed to find some huge starfish and some anemones, which stuck to your fingers whenever you tried to pet them. We didn’t stay here for too long, because our hotel (which turned out to be our own private cabin) was right by the ocean too and had a beach of its own.

Once at our cabin, Jessie and Dad went down to the beach while I stayed in the cabin and continued to catch up on our blog entries and postcards. We then ended the night with a “home cooked meal” which consisted of unbuttered stuffing, noodle soup, a hot pocket, and some chicken wings. We also played some card games before finally calling it a night and retiring to our comfy cabin beds.

Day 10, Mount St. Helens and Cannon Beach

After 9 days of vacation the dreaded hike up the mountain of death, aka Mt. Saint Helens, was finally upon us. We awoke extra early, around 6 in the morning in order to get a head start on the day. After completing the hiker registration in the log book, we made the twenty-minute drive to the base of the mountain. The hike was about 10.2 miles, starting off for a couple miles through the woods and then having us scrambling over boulders and trudging (and slipping) through the snow. The hike was the longest and hardest thing we’d ever done so far on our vacations. Following the wooden trail markers to guide hikers, we could only walk a little ways up the steep side of the mountain before having to take a break. Plus, we didn’t have any of the recommended equipment the informational sheet at the motel had suggested (the only supplies off the list we did have were food, water, and extra clothes). (Dad note: The only thing we were really missing were hiking poles.) Having made it close to the top in tennis shoes and not wanting to risk climbing through snow and ash the rest of the way, I decided to call it quits and a solar powered weather station that was located about a mile from the summit. Here the whole family snacked on the food we’d bought the day before, which consisted mainly of sunflower seeds, apples, granola bars, and cookies. We were also lucky enough to find a gallon of water someone had left behind on top of the mountain. Since we were running low on water, we took the huge container and filled our bottles up without a second thought. After we were done eating, Jessie and Dad continued up the mountain for another hour and a half. In the meantime, I remained at the station, talking to other hikers who passed by and ate lunch. I made a new buddy, Todd, as his small group hiked up the mountain. Since there was still leftover water in the jug we’d found, I’d been offering it to everyone who passed by to make sure no one went onwards dehydrated.
After talking to Todd’s group for a while, and offering them some water and my leftovers from lunch, Todd made the humorous comment, “You’re just like a Mt. St Helens greeter, aren’t you? It’s like working at the GAP, only better!” They were a really funny group, but before too long they were continuing up the mountain. As they climbed the distant snow bank though, I heard Todd call out to his buddies “I should have brought my guitar up here and played Jumper!”
While I continued to wait for the return of Jessie and Dad, I opened up a bag of sunflower seeds. Almost instantly, a couple of chipmunks made their way over to get in on the meal. I threw them some seeds, which they feasted on a foot away from me with their tiny, adorable paws. After awhile though, I left my little friend to explore the rock area. There were a couple hikers sliding down the slope and using their poles as braces. While they seemed to know what they were doing, a ranger had told us that yesterday a man broke his leg trying to pull off the same stunt. I decided it would be a good idea to keep an eye on these hikers in case something went wrong, but eventually they made it safely out of my site. When I returned to the rock I’d previously been sitting on, I heard a little scrapping noise. Upon closer inspection I saw my chipmunk friend trying to dig his way through our backpack to reach those sunflower seeds again. When I stepped towards him though, he looked up at me and then scattered off into the rock piles. Jessie and Dad made it back down to me about an hour and a half after they left. Since no one I offered the water to really needed it, there was still some left over so I filled all our water bottles again.

The hike down was easier than the way up, but it was still a challenge. You had to be careful not to create a rockslide or lose your footing on both the boulders and the snow. It probably took us about 2.5 hours to reach our car, and when we finally had the Dusty Bullet in view, it was a time of rejoicing. With every part of our bodies aching, we took great pleasure in driving out of the park and back to our motel to check out and get a bite to eat. At the motel’s restaurant we ordered ice cream, chicken tenders and fries, and let me tell you, food never tasted so good in our lives.

Our next stop was Cannon Beach, which was a gorgeous, yet cloudy shoreline with massive rock islands (stacks) that towered above the crashing waves below. In school last year Jessie had won money in an art competition for painting a picture of this very beach, so while it was neat to visit, the main reason we stopped here was to pay tribute to Jessie’s masterpiece. Dad and I walked along the beach, sitting on logs and taking lots of pictures while Jessie built a sand castle-moat-thingy. The air was chilly and the water was even colder, but Jessie still had a blast frolicking in the sand. After spending half an hour on the beach, we made our way to a local seafood restaurant. Though I ordered chicken pasta, the seafood Jessie and Dad got was absolutely delicious. The only regretful part of the meal occurred when Dad forgot his jacket at the restaurant, and only noticed it was missing about 10 miles into our 25-mile drive to the hotel. Luckily the restaurant stayed open long enough for us to drive back and pick it up. Then, having done everything on the day’s schedule and with all our possessions safely in the car, we headed off to our hotel for the last time to enjoy some hot showers and a good night’s sleep.

Day 9, Mount Hood, Columbia Gorge, Ape Cave

The drive to Mount Hood was relatively short, lasting only about half an hour. When we arrived at the Timberline Lodge, we asked the employee at the Information Counter about the chair lifts visitors could take to the top of the mountain. To our disappointment though, the lady at the counter told us that unless you were a skier, the chair lifts would only take you halfway up the mountain and you wouldn’t be able to hike much. In the end we decided not to take the chair lifts up, seeing as it wouldn’t be worth our money or our time. We did watch some snowboarders and skiers come down the slopes and zoom right past our eyes. It was cool to see people who really knew how to ride the slopes twist and turn as they flew by our position.

Our next stop was at Columbia Gorge. Before we reached the falls we stopped by an overlook, Vista House, overlooking the foggy Columbia River below. We walked around inside for a little bit before heading off to see the falls. We’d been to Columbia Gorge eight years ago, but seeing as Jessie and I didn’t remember too much of that vacation it was nice to come back and see these magnificent falls again. Some of falls had trails down or walkway out to where you could stand by the water, but most of the time we admired the falls from the viewpoint of a bridge. All the falls were extremely tall, but they weren’t massive like the ones we’d seen in Yosemite and Rogue River Gorge. These falls were mistier and fell gracefully down to the small ponds below. Jessie even played in the water at Wahkeena Falls even though it was really cold and she spent most of her time tiptoeing through the water from rock to rock. The trails to the falls weren’t long either – the longest one was a quarter of a mile round trip, so it was nice to get a break from hiking miles on end.

Since we didn’t have enough time to visit Mount Rainier NP, we headed over to Ape Cave, which was a part of the Mount St. Helens monument. The rangers at the Visitor Center told us that the cave, which was actually a lava tube, was ¾ of a mile long and was pitch black the entire way. They told us that we would need our own light sources, but the only flashlights we had in buried in our rental car were two crayon-sized lights. But as long as they produced a beam of light, it was good enough for us. With flashlights turned on, camera at hand, and jackets wrapped around us for warmth, we began our decent into Ape Cave. We moved about one mile an hour, and envied the groups with headlights and huge lamps that passed us along the way, but we still had a blast navigating our way through the darkness. At the end of the lava tube, the cave began to narrow, and since we didn’t feel like crawling through mud another couple hundred yards, we decided that would be the end of our journey. We took a couple pictures here, and the flash of the camera in the pitch-blackness was enough to blind us. Still, it was funny to see the reaction of those in the picture whenever the flash went off. Jessie and I also took a couple crazy pictures too, where Jessie would pose as a caver in distress and I’d be the crazed Yeti ready to attack from behind. The walk back through the cave went quicker now that we knew the terrain better, and before we knew it we were back in daylight and surrounded by the fresh, warm air. With the sun beginning to set, we headed off to our motel to stock up on snacks and rest for the hike up Mount St. Helens the following day.

Day 8, Crater Lake NP

Once again we started off our morning off with a delicious continental breakfast. Then, after packing everything back into our travel bags, we hit the road and headed off to Table Rocks.
Table Rocks was neither a state park nor a national park – it was just a recreation area on the side of the road that looked interesting. Just like Redwood National Park, the trail head sign at Table Rocks warned hikers about mountain lions and bears in the area. But Jessie and I didn’t feel threatened enough to look for defense sticks again. The hike up was steeply inclined for the majority of the hike, and we had to take a couple rest stops even though the trail was only 1.5 miles long. Once up to the top though, the ground leveled out into a huge plateau with an amazing view of the farmland and valley below. There were also some trees along the border of the cliff and we walked through the rocky field over to the edge to take some pictures and admire the view. We spent about an hour scrambling around the dirt paths, and looking out over the valley and distant mountains before heading back down to the car.

Our next stop was Rogue River Gorge. The quite popular paved path was only a quarter of a mile long, making it the shortest trail of our vacation so far. It lead us right beside the gorge, which started of as mighty waterfall and plummeted its way downhill, with waves foaming and crashing against the rock walls. After having some guy take a family picture of us, we found ourselves back in the car and on our way to the day’s main attraction, Crater Lake National Park.

Being a National Park, we had to stop at Crater Lake’s Visitor Center for a stamped map. I also bought a couple more postcards to mail back home to my friends. The one thing we really wanted to do in this park was to take a boat ride out to Wizard Island. However, the boat tours required reservations and by the time we reached the ticked booth, the entire day’s and 1/2 of tomorrow's spots had been sold out. Not having the time to stick around for another day, we decided to just drive around the rim of the Crater and admire the views from the lookouts. Crater Lake is without a doubt my favorite NP. The lake is huge, and the water was a deep royal blue color, a shade purer than the cloudless sky ahead. The snow covered mountains that enclosed the lake and the redwood forests made the perfect background for the pictures we took at every overlook. I could have spent the whole day sitting on the stone wall of the lookouts, enjoying the cool summer breeze and gazing out over the park in awe.

Our last stop of the day was Newberry Volcanic National Monument. At first we had trouble finding the entrance to the park because our GPS (who goes by the name Jill) sent us along a dirt road that turned into terrain better served as a dirt bike course than an actual road. Then, once we finally located the road that leads us into the Monument area we could not find the Visitor Center. We ended up having to turn around and drive through a camping area to ask for directions. The guy we asked had lost almost all his teeth, and his directions “It’s the next left…or right down the road” were all but helpful. Then as we literally drove 2 mph out of the camping site, he called out “And slow down!” Despite the awful advice, we managed to find the Visitor Center, were we got a map. The first thing we did was drive up a narrow road to the top of Paulina Peak, where we had a panoramic view of the Caldera lakes. While they were beautiful, the lakes could not hold their own against Crater Lake. We also visited the Obsidian Flow and Paulina Falls. The falls were interesting enough, but with the swarms of mosquitoes flying everywhere we didn’t want to stick around for too long. We snapped a couple pictures and then finished off the day with a meal at a local pizza restaurant before returning to our hotel for the night.

Day 7, Redwood NP

Today we set our alarm for the crack of dawn to make sure we’d be able to do everything we had planned for the day in Redwood National Park. With our leftover Mexican food and a quick stop to McDonalds as our breakfast, we were on the road by 7:00 am.

The majority of the day was spent driving from place to place. The first stop we made was at the Redwood NP Visitor Center. Here we continued the tradition of getting a map stamped and looking around the souvenir shop, where I bought a few postcards to send back home. Afterwards, we headed out of the Center’s back door, which lead us straight to a sandy beach along the Pacific Ocean. As we explored the shore, looking for interesting rocks and shells, we also took pictures of the seagulls and pelicans that flew overhead. Not noticing the sign warning tourists of the deadly sneaker waves that could pop up unexpectedly, my first attempt at running along the shoreline resulting in a pair of soaking wet tennis shoes.

After spending the better part of an hour on the beach, we returned to our car and made our way to restricted Tall Trees Trail. In order to get to the parking lot, we had to get a special pass from the Visitor Center and use an access code to unlock a locked gate blocking the road. The Tall Trees Trail was about a 3.6-mile hike, with the path leading down to a mile long loop, which took us to see the giant Redwood trees of California. While Sequoias are the largest trees in the world relative to their mass, these Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. Since the brochure at the beginning of the trail warned us about attacks from mountain lions and bears, Jessie and I both carried sticks as a defense weapon against these savage predators. Jessie’s stick was more of a staff while mine would have been better suited to fend off a squirrel.

Along the path were numbered markers, each indicating a special feature of the woods, such as ancient creeks and areas that flooded in the late 40’s. We also came across a huge oak tree that was covered in moss, making its limbs looking like huge tarantula legs. Dad thought it would be neat to get a picture of the two of us standing on one of the lower limbs, and at first I agreed. However, once up on the high limb, trying to keep my balance as I made my way up to where Jessie was, I instinctively knew that I was not coordinated enough to navigate this branch. After debating for a good five minutes – Dad urging me on and me wanting to slide back down, I finally managed to stand up long enough to take a couple pictures. After the camera’s flash though, I immediately made my way back down to the ground and continued hiking.

Though we completed the hike in a few hours, the energy it drained from us was enough to skip the next stops we had originally planned, which included another trail, some caves, and another beach. We had also wanted to do zip lines, but apparently you had to make reservations in advance, and we didn’t have time to schedule another class.

Having driven far enough out of the way to change our minds and turn back, we decided to call it a day and take the 3-hour drive to our hotel in Grant’s Pass, Oregon. Here we enjoyed a delicious meal at Burger King, where Jessie won a free slice of apple pie but choose to toss the coupon. We also made a quick stop to Walmart to stock up on more food and buy a new pair of hiking shoes for Jessie and me, before crashing in our hotel room for the rest of the night.

Day 6, Lassen Volcanic NP

The first part of the day consisted of our favorite activity: hiking. Compared to the amount of miles driven in previous days, the trip up to Lassen NP was relatively short. After stopping by the visitor center for a stamped map and a quick look around, we were heading up the mountain’s switchbacks towards the trail to Lassen Peak. Along the way we encountered a couple geothermal vents and a bubbling mud pot. The area around these sulfur works smelled horrible – like spoiled scrabbled eggs. While Dad and I could tolerate the smell, Jessie was about ready to suffocate and had to use her shirt to cover her nose.

Continuing up the mountain road, we passed tons of snow banks, which were unusually numerous for this time of year. We stopped by one long enough to take a couple pictures and get some short snowball fights in. Once we had finally reached the parking lot, we gathered up and packed our food, jackets, cameras, and water before heading up the mountain for a 4-hour hike. The first part of the trail cut through the snow banks, and we had to be careful not to slip because then we’d slide down several hundred feet. It wasn’t the easiest terrain to navigate through when all we had to wear on our feet was old tennis shoes. Luckily, the trail turned into dirt and rocks, as we got further up the mountain, though there was still the occasional snow back passage we had to cautiously cross. Since Jessie finally broke on this hike, I know I can speak for everyone in the family when I say that this hike was difficult. The inclined trail never seemed to end and I thought I was going to die. Thankfully though, we all made it to the top and got to behold one of the most beautiful sights any of us will ever see. The 360-degree view extended for miles on end and consisted of the neighboring forests, snow covered mountain ranges, lakes, and volcanic craters. Jessie and I even made a couple of tiny snowmen in the banks at the summit too. We also took tons of pictures, and spent at least 40 minutes admiring the view before heading back down. The hike down was much easier, but Dad and I still got a little dehydrated, which resulted in headaches for the both of us. At the bottom a local reporter, who wanted to know what we thought of the hike, interviewed us. While Jessie and Dad commented on how beautiful the scenery was, I was the only one who seemed willing to admit how strenuous the journey had been.

Our next stop was at McArthur-Burney Falls. Too often when we visit some falls, there isn’t a decent amount of water flowing over, but that was not the case with these falls. Thousands of gallons poured over the cliff side like a white veil into the deep blue pool below. The cliff side was also decorated in a variety of plants that hung down over the rocks. It was an awesome sight and the setting sun made it even more pretty to look at. However, even with the rest I had during the drive over, I was still feeling ill, so I stayed at one of the overviews of the falls while Jessie and Dad hiked down to the bottom.

Day 5, San Francisco

The only thing we had planned for the day was to explore the city of San Francisco. While we wanted to get pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, and visit Fisherman’s Wharf, we spent the better part of the day walking around the city on a whim. The first area we stopped in was the Fisherman’s Wharf. When we first stepped out of the car, the smell of the fishing pier hit us like a semi truck driving full speed ahead. It was such a horrid stench – it smelled like everyone in the city pooped their pants. Lucky, the smell went away as we walked further down the street. Here we took some pictures by the pier, a giant ship’s wheel, and a crab statue. We also watched a lot of street performers, who stood literally on every street corner.

Being in San Francisco, the city famous for its steep streets, we had to take a ride on the famous cable cars, which made us feel like eating Rice-a-Roni. Originally we planned to take a one way trip down to Union Square but once we saw how far away we were from the Wharf, where we wanted to have lunch, we knew we’d have to end up taking a cable car back too. At first the three of us had bench seats on the outdoor part of the car, which was what we were aiming for as opposed to the inside, glass-encased seats. But once an old lady got on at one of the car’s stops, I offered her my seat in exchange for being a standee on the outside step of the car. Standing on the outside step as the car zoomed up and down the steep streets of San Francisco was one of the funnest things I think I’ll ever do in my life. It was like being on a roller coaster with the freedom to ditch the seatbelt.

After the cable car rides, and still with an hour or so before lunchtime, we walked up and down the streets, meandering into some tourist shops and looking for souvenirs. Dad bought an embroidered shirt; Jessie purchased a comfy sweatshirt, and I got a small purse.

The chosen location for lunch was none other than the Boudin Sourdough Bakery. Despite being in a place known for it’s seafood, I was the only one who ordered a dish from the sea: clam chowder soup, which was absolutely delicious.

Once lunch was consumed we began walking back in the direction of our car, but stopped to see several street performers. The first group we saw was a band (New Old Cavelry) from Indiana, who played the banjos, base, and guitars to create music that reminded me of the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou. After hearing a couple of their songs and donating a few dollars, me moved on. We also watched the finally of a DARE endorsed dance/acrobatic group who pulled volunteers from the crowd and used them as obstacles to jump and flip over. They were also very comical in asking for donations.

The last performer we saw was by far the best. He was a spray paint artist who could whip up a masterpiece in less than 3 minutes before your eyes. We must have watched him paint planetary systems, mountains, tropical forests, and nautical themes over San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge for at least an hour. It was incredible! He would spray some random colors, usually reds, oranges, and blacks over a poster, and then with one slip of paper, slide his hand over the section in rigid up and down motions and then BAM!! – A perfect range of mountains had been formed in less than 4 seconds. For the planets he would spray multiple colors on the board and then cover one section up with a Frisbee and another with a coffee can before spraying layers of black and blue. Then, after removing the circular items from the poster, a spectacular planet and moon would be revealed. All the movements this artist made were rapid and flawless. He would also use stencils to quickly sketch the city in the background of the scene. We stood in awe – along with the other 50 people surrounding the station as he sold painting after painting. Jessie and I both bought our own paintings too, which we saw the artist manifest before our eyes. Jessie’s warm-colored scenery consisted of the city of San Francisco amidst a setting sun, and a lighthouse that shown out over the harbor. My cool-colored painting was the same city and bridge on top of water and beneath a cosmic view of a planetary system and blanket of stars. It’s hard to tell which one is better (cough, MINE, cough) because they’re both incredible works of art. Before we left the station, we had our picture taken with the artist, which was a really cool experience.

The last thing we did before leaving the city of San Francisco was taking a couple stops at points were we could get a better view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn’t stay at either look out point for very long as the bridge had been shrouded in fog all day, and before we knew it the day was over and we on our way to our hotel in Red Bluff, California.

Day 4, Yosemite

We started off the day with a wonderful complimentary breakfast at our hotel. Before we left for Yosemite, I also got a chance to mail some postcards and letters back home to my friends. The drive to the park was long, but scenic and it was neat to see the landscape change from a barren desert into forests that covered the mountains like a blanket.

There were several stops we wanted to make once in Yosemite, and with the park being the only thing on today’s schedule there was plenty of time to see everything on our list. Our first stop was at an overlook. Here we stepped out of our Silver Bullet to get a spectacular view of a valley enclosed in mountains, El Captain, and a brilliant waterfall, which looked like a white veil falling over the side of the cliffs. After a few quick pictures though, we were back on the road, making our way to the next destination. The main stop we were going to make was to see the majestic Upper and Lower Falls of Yosemite. Originally we had planned to take the trail that lead to the Upper Falls, but we didn’t have time the 5 or 6 hour hike. The trail to the Lower Falls was less than a mile round trip, and it still allowed us to get a great view of the Upper Falls too.

The next stop we made was to take a trail down to see some giant Sequoias in the Merced Grove. This trail was 3 miles round trip, but with the path starting off downhill, we knew the hike back up would be difficult. Once at the bottom of the trail, we encountered the massive trees, usually with 4 or 5 trees clumped together in one spot. In order to see the top of the trees, we had to strain our necks back and look up as if we were staring at clouds rather than treetops. It’s amazing to see some of the wonders that exist in nature. The size of these gigantic trees is something that is sure to stick in our minds for the rest of our lives.

Once done exploring the Merced Grove, we headed back to up to our car, heaving and sweating the whole way up. With nothing left on our schedule, we began driving out of the park to our hotel in Manteca, California. The only other stop we made was at a local farmer’s market, where we purchased some fresh peaches to snack on. This day was without a doubt the busiest day we’ve had so far, but it was also my personal favorite NP so far and is sure to remain as one of our vacation’s top highlights.

Day 3, Death Valley

We first made a stop at Scotty’s Castle, a structure in an oasis part of the park. We were given the opportunity to take a tour of the castle, but seeing as we weren’t that interested and that we would have been the only ones on the tour, we decided to pass on the chance.

We got a map from the visitor center, which we got stamped to add to our collection of NP brochures. While getting directions and info about how safe the dirt roads were, Jessie found a giant tarantula puppet and thought it would be funny to chase me around the room. I absolutely hate spiders; so having a huge, hairy tarantula wriggling after me was not something I enjoyed, though Jessie seemed to get a good laugh out of it all. The park ranger at the front desk assured us that tarantulas were not that common in the park at this time of year, but we would still have to keep an eye out for rattle snakes.

There were only a couple stops we wanted to see in Death Valley, but since we didn’t want to risk blowing a tire out on one of the dirt roads, the only stop we made was at Ubehebe Crater. There were actually three or four craters in the area, and we hiked up to one of the smaller ones after taking lots of pictures of Ubehebe. The hike was short, only about half a mile, but it was the steep trail was made only from the ash of the volcanic crater, causing us to slide back a little every time we took a step forward. Once at the top, we were able to look into a smaller crater below, while still having a great view of Ubehebe. It also gave us an awesome shot of the scenic mountains off in the distance.

With enough pictures taken to recreate the entire scene, and with the temperature continuing to increase, we decided it was time to head back down after a good 20 minutes on the ridge line of the crater. While Jessie and I blasted the air-conditioning in the car and had a big gulp of soda, Dad thought it would be cool to take one of the trails down to the bottom of Ubehebe. He told us to check on him every 20 minutes or so, just to be safe. Within the next 15 minutes though, he returned, saying that the trail to the bottom was too hot and steep, and it wouldn’t be worth the hike back up.

Unable to visit the other locations we wanted to see, due to the rocky, unsafe roads that would surely ruin our vacation if we got stranded, we headed out of the park and drove to Bishop, California. Since our schedule had not been busy to begin with, we would have plenty of free time once we arrived at our hotel. Still sore from the hike to Wheeler Peak the day before though, we ended up using most of this time to relax and rest up for any upcoming hiking trips.

Day 2, Great Basin NP

We started our day off with a delicious continental breakfast in order to stock up on carbs and energy for the long hike ahead of us. Once checked out of the hotel, it took us about an hour and a half of driving through basins and ranges to get to Great Basin NP. Clearly visible from 20 miles out we saw our destination, Wheeler Peak. The mountain had an elevation of 13,063 feet, but with the scenic switchbacks snaking up its side, we would only have to hike up around 3,000 feet if we were to make it to the peak. Round trip, the trail was 8.4 miles, which was about a mile shorter than Franconia Notch, our last vacation's mountainous highlight.

As we walked through scattered forests, Wheeler Peak only seemed to ascend further into the sky, and within the first mile and a half, I was ready to go back down. But thanks to the encouraging fist bumps and numerous rest stops, the Howland family continued to climb. After 2.5 hours of hiking, we made it to the ridge line, which was basically a mountain all in itself. Here the dirt trail suddenly turned into shards of rocks and boulders, and we found ourselves sliding down a few inches for every step forward. As we continued up in elevation, the wind really picked up and the temperature dropped a good 30 degrees. We were all prepared for this climate change though, thanks to the advice from a park ranger who told us to bring some jackets. By the time we made it to the peak of the ridge, we had encountered several snow banks, and enjoyed throwing snowballs at each other. Or at least, Dad and Jessie had a good time partaking in this game, seeing as I was on the verge of death as my lungs were on fire and my heart was threatening to explode.

In a hiker-made rock shelter on top of this smaller mountain (around 11900 feet) is where we had lunch, which consisted of tuna on crackers, apples, and granola bars. Yum! Still about a mile or so and 1100 feet from Wheeler Peak, Jessie and I decided to hang out in the rock shelter while Dad continued to venture to the summit. Laying back against the structure, out of the raging wind, I was enjoying the break. That is, until Jessie nudged me and pointed out an approaching thunderstorm. With Dad still climbing the mountain, we began to worry that we'd be caught in the middle of the storm. Luckily though, after about an hour, Dad made it back down in time for us to begin our descent and avoid the majority of the rain until we were under the cover of the trees. Despite the occasional slips here and there, we managed to make it back down the mountain in about 1.5 hours. Tired and ready to leave for the hotel we left the park and begun our 240 mile drive to Tonopah, Nevada.

The car ride was made up primarily of playing Password, listening to music we loaded onto our GPS, and making bets on how long each straightaway of the highway was (between 8 to 25 miles). Once in Tonopah, a town about two blocks long, and on the verge of extinction due to the lack of... well, everything, we searched for a decent place to get a bite to eat. We originally were planning to eat a local Mexican restaurant, but seeing as the majority of this town's 200 or so townsfolk had the same idea in mind, we settled for take-out at another restaurant. Back in our hotel room, we dug into our dinner and collapsed into our comfy beds, doing nothing but watching Wipeout and America's Got Talent for the remainder of the night.

Note from Dad: What the girls failed to mention was that I got a speeding ticket for going 9 over on the drive down the mountain. I never even touched the gas, just didn't ride the brake hard enough. But more disappointing than that for me was not making the summit. On our way back down the mountain I could more clearly see how close I got to the peak. But the combination of losing my water bottle in a snowbank at around 12200 feet and with rain and lightning coming in at around 12700 I thought it might be prudent to return to the girls, especially since I had the car keys. The basin and range area here is quite beautiful and desolate. During 300+ of the miles we drove in Nevada we probably passed a total of three buildings and would not see another car in some cases for 30 or 40 miles.

Day 1, UT/NV

After our flight and a quick trip to Walmart to stock up on supplies we drove to our first stop, the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwest Utah. We nicknamed our rental car "The Silver Bullet" because it's what Dad thought of when he saw that I got the car up to 115mph through the Salt Flats. Just kidding. While I wasn't able to drive on any road except the highway, the Salt Flats are actually known for the race cars that speed across its barren terrain. Actually, a car very much like ours, except with rocket engines strapped to its sides blasted its way across the Flats and broke the sound barrior!
After we checked into our hotel and ate we went to Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park in eastern Nevada. The ovens and desert here were pretty cool to see with a close to setting sun. Built in 1872, the ovens were only operational for about three years due to the depletion of trees - because who would have thought that there would be a shortage of trees in a desert? Nowadays though, the ovens serve as a secluded tourist spot for those willing to explore sites off the main route. The only wildlife we encountered were some tiny lizards, which scurried across the ground and up the oven walls. While the Ward Charcal Ovens were a quick, unpopulated stop, it is definatly something we would reccommend to anyone traveling in the area.