Geo: 61.1308, -146.348 Friday, 7/30/2010 –Drove to Valdez (pronounced VALDEEZE) by retracing the drive along the Tok cutoff and then took the Richardson Highway south of Glennallen. Stopped at the main Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center near Copper Center and hiked a short trail there while waiting for it to open at 9:00. Saw the park movie and talked a bit with a very nice and informative ranger there, then drove on to Copper Center where we purchased a couple of wraps at a place called “The Fisherman's Widow” for lunch later that day . Anne got a small one with veggie stuff (humus, veggies, etc.) and I got a Bacon Ranch Chicken wrap. Both were huge and delicious. I had gotten a large one and could only eat half for lunch. (Unfortunately, I left the other ... read more

Geo: 61.2181, -149.9We had been cautioned by just about everyone to be careful about bears. We were advised to make lots of noise, preferably by talking, so the bears would know we were coming and, hopefully, get out of our way. Well, I don't talk well when hiking - concentrating too much on breathing I guess. So I decided to use a bell. Not the little jingle bell things they call bear bells, which we were advised were not very effective, but a real, very loud, cow bell. This is a historic cow bell, actually used to cheer on the Chester High Red Cyclone football team of Chester, SC, back in the late 1950's. It has also seen some time around an actual cow's neck. Anyway, I clanged all around Alaska with this thing hanging from ... read more

Geo: 34.0533, -118.245On our last day of the trip we got up in time to take a short trip back down the road from Stovepipe Wells to a short boardwalk hike along a salty creek. The boardwalk is only about 1/2 mile but we walked around it several times so that we probably got around 2 miles of exercise before climbing into the car for the trip back to LAX. The salty stream is the only home to a rare pupfish that is able to live in this salty water. The stream originates at the foot of nearby mountains and flows into the desert where it disappears into the sand of the valley floor. It is extremely salty but is amazing to see flowing water there in the middle of the desert. In summer the lower ... read more

Geo: 36.6001, -117.128Up Sunday Morning and drove to Death Valley NP via Twentynine Palms and Amboy, CA, through the Mojave National Preserve to Baker, and on to Stovepipe Wells in the park. Very interesting trip with lots of varied topography. Between Twentynine Palms and Amboy we passed through a valley with a large dry lake, Bristol Lake, which had a layer of salt crystals that looked like snow. Beyond Amboy and at Kelso, CA, in the middle of the Mojave Preserve we stopped at the Preserve Welcome Center, an old railroad station converted into a very modern looking building. Overall a very pleasant drive to Death Valley. Thanks, Rosa. Arrived at Stovepipe Wells around 3:00 PM and were able to check into our room, change into some suitable hiking clothes, and hike into the Mosaic Canyon ... read more

Geo: 34.1347, -116.312After spending Thursday night in Azusa, CA, enroute to Joshua Tree NP we drove on to the park by way of Interstate 15. Between Banning, CA, and Palm Springs, CA there is a valley with very strong winds and many, many windmills taking advantage of all that free energy. Stopped at a California Welcome Center in Yuca Valley and got some advice from a ranger there about hikes. Drove on to the park and hiked the Queen Mine trail, a trail to the ruins of a series of abandoned gold mines. One information sign indicated that over 4,000 ounces of gold had been extracted from the mines. Lots of old mine entrances were all around the mountains there. All had been blocked off with screens to prevent entry and injury to sightseers. PHOTO_ID_... read more