Visited: Sunday, August 2, 2009 -> Monday, August 3, 2009
Yellowstone is very deserving of its reputation; the variety of wildlife, the variety of natural phenomenon, and the divergent beauty of the park really stand out. I missed out on Old Faithful while our tire was repaired, but there are other geysers in the park which are in their own ways every bit as fascinating.
About the only disappointment for me was the hotel, which wasn't air conditioned and our room was situated right above the bus drop-off, making for an unpleasant evening during an otherwise very enjoyable stay.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
12) Grand Teton
Visited: Saturday, August 1, 2009 -> Sunday, August 2, 2009
Impressive as all get-out, but this is definitely Yellowstone's little sister. Beautiful - Megan took some wonderful pictures - and some interesting wildlife, but somehow there's just not as much there there. Absolutely worthwhile as a side trip when visiting Yellowstone, but not really a primary destination.
Impressive as all get-out, but this is definitely Yellowstone's little sister. Beautiful - Megan took some wonderful pictures - and some interesting wildlife, but somehow there's just not as much there there. Absolutely worthwhile as a side trip when visiting Yellowstone, but not really a primary destination.
11) Golden Spike
Visited: Thursday, July 30, 2009
Now _this_ is my type of NPS site. Nothing against the sites offering natural beauty - I enjoy them very much - but I love the history one can learn at sites such as Golden Spike. For some reason, history is a lot more interesting when one has been there. The transcontinental railroad never really captured my imagination, until visiting the site of the golden spike.
The site is out in the middle of nowhere - there's really nothing there save for the national park site. The museum is well done, if small; what really makes the site is the trains, which provide a strong visual representation.
Not as strong, however, as the trench that was dug out for the railroad, viewed on a car tour around the site, but never used; both companies were trying to dig as far as they could as fast as they could, and dug well beyond Promontory Point before actually backtracking and lining things up. The unused trench - dug over 140 years ago - remains, an amazing way to see just how much work there was to connect the country even when they weren't trying to deal with the Sierras.
Now _this_ is my type of NPS site. Nothing against the sites offering natural beauty - I enjoy them very much - but I love the history one can learn at sites such as Golden Spike. For some reason, history is a lot more interesting when one has been there. The transcontinental railroad never really captured my imagination, until visiting the site of the golden spike.
The site is out in the middle of nowhere - there's really nothing there save for the national park site. The museum is well done, if small; what really makes the site is the trains, which provide a strong visual representation.
Not as strong, however, as the trench that was dug out for the railroad, viewed on a car tour around the site, but never used; both companies were trying to dig as far as they could as fast as they could, and dug well beyond Promontory Point before actually backtracking and lining things up. The unused trench - dug over 140 years ago - remains, an amazing way to see just how much work there was to connect the country even when they weren't trying to deal with the Sierras.
10) Yosemite
Vistied: Monday, July 27th, 2009
Yosemite is a park which really requires multiple days to get the most out of. Unfortunately, we spent only a day there.
The sequoias are fascinating - not the easiest part of the park to get to, but well worth the bus trip. But just as breathtaking is Yosemite Valley - and Tioga Pass has some incredible views as well. And that's just the portion of the park we saw something of; there's a lot more we didn't even begin to investigate.
I had no real exposure to Yosemite before - about all I knew of it was some photos Mark Jackson has posted - and I definitely want to get back.
Yosemite is a park which really requires multiple days to get the most out of. Unfortunately, we spent only a day there.
The sequoias are fascinating - not the easiest part of the park to get to, but well worth the bus trip. But just as breathtaking is Yosemite Valley - and Tioga Pass has some incredible views as well. And that's just the portion of the park we saw something of; there's a lot more we didn't even begin to investigate.
I had no real exposure to Yosemite before - about all I knew of it was some photos Mark Jackson has posted - and I definitely want to get back.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
8) Zion
Visited: Sunday, July 19, 2009
Zion is a gorgeous park - that is entirely too hot in July. Of all the parks we have visited, I think we got the least out of Zion. I'd really like to go again in Autumn.
However, we stayed at the Cliffrose Lodge, just outside Zion - which feels like it's inside the park; spending the evening in the garden, looking up at the cliffs as the sun set was a wonderful experience.
Zion is a gorgeous park - that is entirely too hot in July. Of all the parks we have visited, I think we got the least out of Zion. I'd really like to go again in Autumn.
However, we stayed at the Cliffrose Lodge, just outside Zion - which feels like it's inside the park; spending the evening in the garden, looking up at the cliffs as the sun set was a wonderful experience.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
7) Glen Canyon Dam
Visited: Sunday, July 19, 2009
Perhaps my greatest regret during our trip last year was spending more time at Hoover Dam than at Glen Canyon Dam. Because even the most commercial of the national parks isn't as commercial as Hoover Dam.
So getting back to Glen Canyon Dam is high on my list of things to do. What little time we spent there was quite enticing - but we were on our way elsewhere...
Friday, September 10, 2010
6) Grand Canyon
Visited: Saturday, July 18, 2009 -> Sunday, July 19, 2009
You know, I really doubt there's anything useful I can say about the Grand Canyon that's not been said. Well, except that the time we were there there were a _lot_ of bees around, and that the good was disgusting. (Well, the soft serve ice cream was OK. Everything else was inedible.) Of course, one doesn't visit the Grand Canyon for the food or the insects, but for the views - which are incredible. I'd definitely recommend staying at the Grand Canyon; you avoid the bad traffic, and the bus service isn't bad within the park.
But the Grand Canyon was also where I started to realize two things:
1) I prefer the parks focused on people or things to those which present nature. It's not a black and white preference. I like them all, really. It's just that I'm more taken by history than by nature.
2) I prefer smaller parks to larger ones. Really, this is a consequence of the smaller parks being less commercial. As much as I'm looking forward to visiting Acadia in a couple of weeks, I'm even more looking forward to visiting St. Croix Island. In the West, there's a fairly easy way to discover if a park is popular - look at the Western National Parks patches. If there's a patch - it's a _small_ park.
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