http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/cashley10/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from cashley10 en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:43:31 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:43:31 +0000 Last day before I start my LONG drive home. I went to the Grand Canyon this morning. What a place It is huge and overwhelming how large it is. The shapes that are present in the canyon were awesome and to find out that the canyon averages about 10 miles across is stunning. I spent several hours at the park and enjoyed seeing it. As I was leaving I heard the call of a bull elk. It was p http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-439801.html It has been a few days since I have given an update. What a few days I have been to three amazing National Parks. Monday I went to Arches and Canyonlands in Utah. These were two amazing parks to see. I had not planned to visit Canyonlands but a hiker I had talked to in Glacier recommended it and it was worth the time spent in there. I also spent a little time in the outdoor activity hub of M http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Williams/blog-438987.html What a day I am trying to do an organized event in all 50 states. While on this trip I had knocked out two more states and CO was on the agenda for today. 25k should be about 15.5 miles. It WAS NOT 15 probably a bit closer to 17. The run started in Marble at an elevation of 7950 feet. I didn't really know that going into the run. The run gained 2900 feet in almost 6 miles. It starte http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Colorado/Grand-Junction/blog-438339.html Today started in Victor ID. I left Whitefish Friday and drove to Victor to run in the Horseshoe Canyon 10k trail race this morning. I love the Teton Valley. It is so impressive to see the HUGE peaks of the Teton range just shooting up from the valley floor. I camped in Victor for the night and had the chance to watch a storm blow off the western slopes of the mountains. It was a gorgeous sigh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Idaho/blog-438073.html I have had a couple of laid back days in the area. Just took it easy Tuesday still recovering from my run. Wednesday I decided to go back into Glacier and do another hike. I decided to hike Otokiimo Lake. It is 5.2 miles one way and gains about 1900 feet up the trail. It was a tough hike and I was really working to cover the distance. The clear blue green water of the lake made the tough w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Glacier-National-Park/blog-437356.html I am pretty sore from my run yesterday. I hung around the place for a while and finally decided to go back to Glacier and go for a hike. I went to the Many Glacier area of the park and decided to do the Iceburg Lake hike. It is five miles one way I was a bit concerned going out by myself after all the bear warnings. I was very aware of every noise around me. While I was walking two birds wal http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Glacier-National-Park/blog-436658.html I did the Two Bear Half Marathon this morning in Whitefish MT. It was a brisk morning in town and by the time they dropped us off at the start it was really cold. The course was very scenic as we ran by Whitefish Lake. About 160 people competed in the half marathon. I did better than I had expected. Because of the all the time I have spent in my car and eating junk. I figured my time would b http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Kalispell/blog-436330.html Glad to be in one place for several days. All of the driving in the last week has been rough. From the parking area at my condo I can see several of the ski runs at the Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort. I got up and drove over to Glacier National Park. The natural beauty hits you as soon as you drive in the park and gets better as you drive. The park is crossed from west to east by one main roa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Glacier-National-Park/blog-436039.html Another day and another 400 miles Glad i don't have to drive much for the next few days. It was chilly again this morning in West Yellowstone. I went back into Yellowstone one last time before I left the area. I got to see a couple of more bison before I left. That made my day they are great creatures. Then it was back on the road for the long drive to Whitefish. It was a long day driving http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Kalispell/blog-435815.html I drove down to Driggs ID today to register for the Horseshoe Canyon 10k trail race on Sept 19. The drive down was amazing. I was in the Teton valley which is west of the Teton mountain range. The views of the peaks were amazing and the road was fun to drive. It finally warmed up and I headed back to West Yellowstone to go and ride in Yellowstone. I don't know why but I was a little apprehens http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/West-Yellowstone/blog-435666.html What a day I left before 9 AM to go into the park. It was a breezy 33 degrees when I rolled in and found about 5 elk beside the river and one of them in it. About 2 miles later I finally found my bison. There is not an animal that symbolizes the West more than a bison. I was really glad to finally get a good look at one. I would end up following one down the road later on in the day. He http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Wyoming/Yellowstone-National-Park/blog-435327.html I didn't think my trip could improve but it keep getting better every day. I left Jackson and drove up to the Grand Teton National Park. The weather has been unbelievable so far. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and it was an amazing day to be in the park. The setting of being in the valley and looking up at these huge mountains gives you perspective of just how tiny we really are. I stop http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/West-Yellowstone/blog-435321.html Another day another 500600 miles. I got an early start out of Sioux Falls because I knew I had at least a five hour drive ahead of me. On interstate 90 I passed five HUGE fields of sunflowers just starting to follow the sun. My original plan was to go straight to Mt. Rushmore thank goodness I changed my mind. I decided to drive through Badlands National Park. It was amazing The form http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/Badlands/blog-434435.html Well I made it to South Dakota I drove for 600 miles on Friday and made it to Illinois. Up early Saturday to start it off and try to get as much traveling done as possible. Raining in St Louis and could not see the Arch. Finally cleared up and kept on and kept on going across MO. Made a stop in Council Bluffs IA to visit a riverboat casino. I left my 13 and left fairly quickly. Found ou http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/Sioux-Falls/blog-434433.html Another day and another 500 or so miles in the book. I was not really looking forward to another long day behind the wheel but man was I wrong. I took highway 16 out of Buffalo and what a drive I went through the Ten Sleep Canyon and later the Wind River Canyon. These were amazing views on the road. I hated to drive I wanted to look to much. You can really tell where the developments ar http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Wyoming/Jackson/blog-434745.html I decided to get just a little more time on the beach before leaving. I went to Hanalei Bay before I left. It was a nice bay and had a lovely beach. It was also pretty neat to see where the Hanalei River runs into the ocean. I am not sure but I would say that river comes off one of the mountains because it was very chilly. The bay was very protected because of the offshore reef. The bay was http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/blog-279295.html Today is my last full day on Kaua'i. The natural beauty of this island is amazing. It was a pretty overcast this morning so I decided to drive to a couple of the waterfalls located on this island. I went to Opaeka'a Falls first. On the drive up you could see several Heiau structures built of lava rocks used for religious purposes. It was a bit muggy this morning it was so bad I swam throu http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/blog-278815.html I decided to go find another beach to try snorkelling at today. I had read alot about Tunnels Beach. After I found it I realized that it was packed with others. I went on up to the end of the road. There are a couple of caves up there. One was dry the other had water in it. I finally found a county park that had some spaces to park. I walked a pretty good ways up to Tunnels. It was impres http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/blog-278554.html I had just planned to take it easy today and find a beach to lay out on. I went to Kilauea lighthouse this afternoon. When I arrived I was a little upset that I had five dollars to get in the park. It was worth it. The lighthouse is on a cliff sitting several hundred feet above the ocean. I don't even know how many pictures I shot before I even got to the lighthouse. The place was just buzz http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/blog-278151.html What a drive I decided to head up the Waimea Canyon today. That is an amazing drive up and down the canyon. The convertible definately was nice to have. The canyon is awe inspiring. You definately see why they call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is amazing to look at this huge canyon and then you realize you are on an island in the Pacific. WOW. I went up a little farther an http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/blog-277674.html