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National Parks

Crater Lake National Park

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Crater Lake National Park

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“In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.” – Psalm 95:4.

Crater Lake captivated me as soon I caught my first glimpse of its perfect blue water.  At a depth of almost 2,000 feet it is the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth deepest lake in the world.  The tranquil glassy water is so still, clear and calm that staring down at the lake from the snow covered peaks above is entrancing.  I constantly had to remind myself that what I was looking at wasn’t an illusion, making it all the more fascinating.  Ryan and I had the unique opportunity to visit the park at the end of the winter season, when there was still close to ten feet of snow depth at the park.  The quietness of the winter, the beauty of white snow capped mountains and crisp cool air added the magic I experienced at Crater Lake.

While visiting parks in the winter provides solace and a special way to experience natural wonders, it does limit the activities available to visitors.  Since Ryan and I only had time for a day trip we rented snow shoes from the visitor center and hiked/snowshoed along the Rim Drive; a 33 mile road that circumnavigates the lake.  By the time we visited the park in mid April, the park service had already started plowing the road in anticipation for the summer season.  Therefore, the first mile or two of our hike was actually through an impressive canyon of snow pack.  As we climbed out of the snow canyon and off of the road, we got to see park rangers operating the massive snow plows, which not surprisingly, fascinated Ryan.  The downside of this was that the snow was piled so high making it impossible to see anything until we got on top of it.  I hope to make it back to Crater Lake in the near future, I would love to do a winter backpacking trip around the entire lake and visit in the summer for camping, cycling and maybe even a quick swim!

Crater Lake was formed when Mount Mazma erupted, and imploded on itself, leaving a 5 mile wide and 1,943 feet deep caldera.  Given the high elevation and large amount of snowfall each year the crater quickly filled with pure, fresh mountain water. 

National Parks

Yosemite National Park Part 1: In the footsteps of Ansel Adams

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Reviewers frequently characterize [Ansel] Adams as a photographer of an idealized wilderness that no longer exists. On the contrary, the places that Adams photographed are, with few exceptions, precisely those wilderness and park areas that have been preserved for all time. There is a vast amount of true and truly protected wilderness in America, much of it saved because of the efforts of Adams and his colleagues. – Ansel Adams Biography by William Turnage, Oxford University Press

A few years ago Ryan and I went to an Ansel Adams exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum.  At the time, Ryan didn’t even know who Ansel Adams was, and was not familiar with his photography.  I had taken photography in high school so I remembered learning about Adams and knew he was well known for his black and white portraits.  Walking around the museum admiring the photographs, it never occurred to me that I could actually travel to and see the locations that Adams immortalized. (more…)

National Parks

Kings Canyon National Park

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Another short visit, similar to Sequoia, makes me want to come back…

That was how Ryan’s journal entry about our time in Kings Canyon started. He went on to recall the sites we saw and what we did while we were there, but ended the short entry with the same sentiment.

Most of the park is wilderness so I hope to come back and do some backpacking to really enjoy what this park has to offer.

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National Parks

Sequoia National Park

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Shortly after visiting Petrified Forest NP and camping in our Element for the first time Ryan and I set out on a week long road trip from Scottsdale to California.  We had learned a few things from our first camping trip in the Element and were prepared with new gear and a better strategy for packing and sleeping.  On this trip we were hoping to see Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite and potentially Pinncales.  Ryan was participating in the Flag2GC mountain bike race on Saturday so I was going to meet him at the Grand Canyon campsite where the race finished and then we would leave on Sunday morning. (more…)

National Parks

Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon Trip Summary

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After our trip to Petrified Forest in August 2013, Ryan and I headed to California for a week of camping and exploring.  We were able to visit Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite.  Two years later, these parks are still some of our favorites, you can see our rankings here.   I’m working on a few posts about the trip, but it’s taking me a while to go through all the pictures, journal entries and GPS files.  In the meantime, I put together this fun infographic to share some of the highlights!  More to come! (more…)

National Parks

Mammoth Cave – Thoughts from 300 feet Under.

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Something just doesn’t feel right about sitting on stadium bleachers with 100 other people when you’re 300 feet underground.

My Mom always tells people that I am her child that saw everything as either black or white and my brother tended to see things a little more grey.  When you look at things as only right or wrong, it makes life easy, you don’t have to think, you just do the right thing.  Recently though, I’ve been finding myself in a world that’s turning more and more grey, and to be honest it’s kind of uncomfortable.  It feels as if I’m in a constant state of searching for answers, but there isn’t always a right answer. (more…)