MY TRAVELS TO THE NATIONAL PARKS WITH MY FAMILY

ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO OUR FAMILY VISITED VARIOUS NATIONAL PARKS THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAN WEST. THEY INCLUDED DINASAUR, ZION, GRAND TETONS, HOOVER DAM, GRAND CANYON, NATIONAL GRASSLANDS IN SOUTH DAKOTA, YELLOWSTONE, AND GLACIER PARK IN MONTANA.

WE CAMPED HALF THE TIME AND STAYED IN HOTELS THE OTHER HALF. IT TOOK US ABOUT TWO WEEKS AND WE TRAVELED OVER 3000 MILES FROM OUR SANTA ROSA LOCATION. WE BROUGHT A SMALL REFRIGERATOR AND OUR BIKES (THAT WAS A MISTAKE). THE ROAD DOWN TO THE RIVER AT DINOSAUR WAS SO RUGGED THAT OUR BIKE RACK WAS RUINED! THE CLIFFS WERE GREAT - OVER 200' HIGH, AND VERY FEW CAMPERS WERE THERE. IN DINOSAUR WE VISITED MANY OF THE ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS WHICH INCLUDED PICTOGRAPHS AND PETROGLYPHS.

IN THE GRAND TETONS WE TOOK A BOAT TRIP TO THE MAJOR FALLS ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM THE MAINLAND. THERE WAS A NICE HIKE TO THE HIGH WATERFALLS AND THE TRAIL WAS BUILT WITH STONES. WE CAMPED IN A HIGH FOREST WHERE WE SAW A LOT OF BEARS, BIGHORN SHEEP, ELK, AND MOOSE - SO WE HAD TO KEEP OUR CAMP CLEAN.

WE ONLY VIEWED THE LODGE AT THE NORTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON AND SAT IN BIG ROCKING CHAIRS TO LOOK DOWN THE CANYON - WE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO HIKE THERE. I THINK IT WAS EXTREMELY WINDY THERE.

IN SOUTH DAKOTA GRASSLANDS WE CAMPED AT A NICE PLACE BY A LAKE AND HIKED AROUND MOUNT RUSHMORE WHERE THEY HAD CHANGED THE ENTIRE LOOK OF THE TRAILS AND BUILT AN ENTIRELY NEW VISITOR CENTER. WE ALSO SHOWED OUR SON WHERE WE HAD LIVED IN HOT SPRINGS AND WENT SWIMMING IN THE OUTDOOR STREAM WHERE THE INDIANS SWIM IN A COOL NATURAL POOL. IT WAS JUST SO FLAT IN THAT STATE - I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. WE DROVE THROUGH THE WIND CAVE PARK AREA AND TOOK PHOTOS OF THE BUFFALOS WHICH CAME VERY CLOSE TO OUR CARS AND THEY HAD HERDS OF ABOUT 100!

YELLOWSTONE WAS AN EXTREMELY LARGE PARK WITH TRAILS THAT WE HIKED PRIMARILY AROUND THE BOILING POTS AND GEYSERS. IT WAS A FUN SPOT IN THE OLD LODGE - A HUGE 1800'S LODGE WITH A BIG FIREPLACE MADE OF STONE. WE CAMPED THERE AND IT WAS COLD EVEN IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE OF THE HIGH ELEVATION! MANY BEAUTIFUL FLOWEER MARSHES AND CREEKS. SOME TRAILS I DID NOT WANT TO GO ON BECAUSE THEY WERE SO STEEP AND HAD STEEP DROP OFFS.

WE JUST SPENT ONE DAY AT ZION TAKING A BUS TO THE MAJOR TRAILS AND SAW VERTICAL CANYONS AND A FEW DEER. THERE WERE NO INTERPRETERS THERE - JUST A NICE VISITOR CENTER. IT IS BEAUTIFUL IN THAT AREA.

WE TRAVELED TO HOOVER DAM BUILT IN THE 30'S ON THE COLORADO RIVER WHERE WE TOOK A BOAT RIDE WITH A TRAVEL GUIDE THAT HAD BEEN WORKING IN A RESTAURANT. IT WAS OVER 100 DEGREES THERE AND WE TOOK A COOL SHOWER AT A WATERFALL AND SAW MANY WONDERFUL PETROGLYPHS. OUR GUIDE TALKED ABOUT THE EARLY EXPLORERS GENERAL POWELL WHO EXPLORED THE RIM AND THE COLORADO RIVER WITH A GROUP OF PIONEERS. THEY HAD LITTLE TO EAT AND SHE SAID THEY HAD MAJOR STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE.

WHEN WE GOT TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK THERE WAS LITTLE SNOW AND WE HIKED IN SOME HIGH ALPINE TRAILS THAT WERE DESIGNATED "BEAR COUNTRY". HOWEVER WE DID NOT SEE ANY BEARS. IT WAS JUST A HIGH COUNTRY PARK WITH SOME MAGNIFICENT VIEWS OF MOUNTAINS. I ACTUALLY LIKED THE MOUNTAINS IN THE GRAND TETONS BETTER. THEY HAD MORE VISUAL QUALITIES THAN IN GLACIER.