More photos at: Picasa url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YwRasmOSxeM1v5CGRlVuu9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkimg=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--vEmevkjupQ/UhqyPo7MCVI/AAAAAAAACHk/CcoVegGlhKA/s288/image44.jpg Spent most of the day looking at waterfalls in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Delaware River itself isn't terrebly impressive, just a big, flat river, but there are a bunch of great waterfalls on the Pennsylvania side. I started out trying to go the the Kittatinny Visitors Center, but it was closed due to budget cuts. Instead, I drove up the road through the rec area on the Pennsylvania side of the river, stopped off at the headquarters to get an idea what to see, then headed up towards Dingmans Falls. I actually saw two falls in that area (three if you ... read more

More photos at: Picasa url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fAVHZ68dA5i5B13vile_1tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkimg=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nGecHDMXCYs/UhqyODFLbhI/AAAAAAAACHA/yykxq29SbY4/s288/image4.jpg The combination of sleeping in and traveling east led to a late start this morning, but I was still able to get to the Allegheny NF info center (in Marienville, PA) by early afternoon. After talking to the ranger about which trails were good day hikes, I headed to the Beaver Meadows trails for a quick 3.5 mile hike around Beaver Meadows Lake. It was a nice place to hike, though I only took a few pictures. Sadly, I didn't think to take a picture of the armpit high sea of ferns I had to wade through at one point along the trail. I didn't see many hikers on this trail, bu... read more

Nothing but travel. As I crossed Minnesota I continued seeing rest areas blocked off by construction barrels, but no apparent construction. As I was listening to NPR (being in Minnesota, it was being produced by Minnesota Public Radio) (I spent much of my travel days listening to NPR), they mentioned that Minnesota had not passed a budget, and apparently bathrooms were not deemed a critical service. I made my way across the Twin Cities and down through Wisconsin, getting home in the late afternoon.... read more

More photos at: Picasa url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H0BtjoBHVeYPgyp-uKfuZtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkimg=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TGFHo9FZp-s/ThET9qYJlII/AAAAAAAABNI/NjytZXmuU88/s288/IMG_0291.JPG I started the day driving north, making my first stop at the National Elk Refuge. The refuge is the winter range for elk living in the surrounding national parks and forests, but being nearly July the elk weren't there. From there I continued north through Grand Teton National Park. I took a lot of pictures of the mountains, but I couldn't tell you which ones were which. As I drove along, I was surprised to come across a very nice log church in the middle of the park. Also along the way was Jackson dam. Jackson Lake is a natural lake, but the dam raises it's leve... read more

url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MqNh8awbp-aWyjSMoN8YutMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkimg=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qyTvBTPSWIs/ThET4AQ7OsI/AAAAAAAABNA/j4asy3fMfys/s288/IMG_0289.JPG Having covered the areas I wanted to see, other than the Elwha valley which wasn't open yet, I started my way back east. I took a more southerly path back through Washington, passing between Mount Rainier National Park and Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. I didn't want to stop, so I bypassed both. I did make a quick stop a little to the southeast of Mt. Rainier NP to take a picture of Tieton dam. Other than that, I just drove, stopping in eastern Oregon for the night.... read more