Peakbagging

Why did Dad and I feel the need to hike to the top of this mountain? Because it's there.

After a few hours of slogging uphill, we reached the summit of Sonora Peak (11,464 ft.), the high point of Alpine County. I have to say that the views were worth the effort. The peaks of Northern Yosemite were especially dramatic from this vantage point.

I also have bragging rights now as a bonus.

I Have No Reservations About This Place

No reservations to enter Yosemite National Park? No problem...

There is plenty to see and do outside the park. We drove up Lee Vining Canyon and hiked up to an abandoned silver mine around 10,000 ft. We were greeted by thunder and lightning and got soaked in a downpour (helpful for the firefighters, I suppose). Afterwards we retreated down to Mono Lake and the sun came out, a welcome development which we took full advantage of.

In the picture you can see the Mono Craters, North America's youngest mountain range. It looks like a fascinating area. I've never seen it up close. Next trip perhaps...

Burning Down The House

 My home state, California, continues to have very dry summers and extreme fire seasons. In the background you can see a plume of smoke from a fire in the Carson Pass area. We later found out that the town of Markleeville had to be evacuated. Bummer.

It's pretty clear that climate change is driving a lot of this. It's very important that we find a way to limit emissions and keep this wonderful planet as livable as we can.

Portlandia

We finally made it to Portland, Oregon and a visit with Jackson and Wendy. We only got to hang with them for a few hours, but it was fun. I especially enjoyed Mt. Tabor park with views of the city and the mysterious new statue of York, the enslaved man who was an important member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery.

It had been so long since I'd seen my brother and sister-in-law. I missed them a lot. Well, at least I can say that life is good and together we rock. (Read it on our t-shirts.)

Bernice's Bakery

No visit to the town of Missoula, Montana is complete without a stop at Bernice's Bakery. The yummy treats there are second only to Purple Tree Cafe in Davis. (It's true. Pam did not pay me to say that.)

Fort Union Trading Post

You have to say the "trading post" part to distinguish this place from the military Fort Union site in New Mexico...

We stopped by this historic place near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, right on the North Dakota-Montana border. It was really active during the heyday of the fur trade in the early 19th century. The guide told us that the biggest problem the fort's managers had was to make sure that Indian tribes that didn't like each other wouldn't show up to trade at the same time. I would not have wanted the job of bouncer.

Get Happy

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a favorite of mine. This time we explored the North Unit. You can see the Little Missouri River winding its way through the badlands in the background of the picture.

I'm wearing my buffalo t-shirt which is very appropriate because we later drove very close to a big herd of bison in the park. That was awesome and it made me very happy.

Maah Daah Hey

The Maah Daah Hey Trail winds for 144 miles through the badlands of western North Dakota. We hiked a small portion of it on this trip. Pretty cool. (Actually, it was a hot day.)

The name of the trail means "an area that has been or will be around for a long time" in the Mandan language. I'm sure it will since it's protected by the federal government. More information at: http://mdhta.com/

ND High Point

It took a few backroads to get here, but we climbed North Dakota's White Butte (3,506 ft.), the state's high point. It was a pretty easy climb with a great view of the surrounding prairie. It's the second state high point that I've bagged after Harney Peak in South Dakota which we did in 2017. Dad has slightly greater bragging rights than me because he's been to the top of Mt. Whitney in California.

(Harney Peak has since been renamed Black Elk Peak after the Oglala Lakota leader.)

Badlands

Badlands National Park in South Dakota is a most unusual place. I love the spectacularly eroded landscape and the grasslands too.

We took a hike and even saw a Bighorn sheep. We also met some people who were having fun with "geocaching", a sport that I'm not sure I fully understand.

Aesthetics

One of this country's hidden gems is the Niobrara National Scenic Riverway in Nebraska. It's officially a "wild and scenic" river with no dams and many recreational opportunities. We camped in a state park right next to the water and even though it rained a lot the day we were there it was still a beautiful place. We also saw Smith Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state.

The interesting thing about the Niobrara is that it's a prairie river. Its source is not some faraway stream high in the Rocky Mountains. Instead its waters bubble up from the ground in eastern Wyoming, fed by the Ogallala Aquifer.

Now this raises a question for me. Are the "marquee" vacation spots necessarily better? Is Smith Falls less scenic than Yosemite Falls? Does remote Picture Canyon in Colorado have to play second fiddle to the Grand Canyon? Do the Monument Rocks automatically have less grandeur than El Capitan? I'm not so sure. Maybe it's just a matter of scale.

The whole world is beautiful if you look at it right.

Monuments Men

Many of the interesting sights in the Great Plains can be found on private property (thank you Homestead Act of 1862). Fortunately, landowners in these parts are generous about granting public access. Case in point: the Monument Rocks in Gove County, Kansas. These limestone monoliths were once part of an ancient seabed that covered what is now rolling prairie. There were about a zillion swallow nests built onto the rocks high up. Somehow each bird knew exactly which one to return to to feed their young.

We did a good job of following the rules here: don't leave trash and don't harass the cattle.