Today we got up and got on the road, as per usual. Stephanie and I have been working on crossword puzzles together and today we each worked on separate days' puzzles and swapped after lunch.
First up this morning we headed out to Multnomah Falls and hiked up to the very top of the 620 feet waterfall. Purdue joined me on the hike up to the top. There were eleven switchbacks and it took about an hour to get up.
Next we traveled across the Columbia River to the Bonneville Dam. This Dam was created during FDR's presidency and generates enough electricity today to power over 900,000 homes. We got to tour the damn and check out the generators. They had the fish in mind when they first built the damn and created a fish ladder on the side of the damn so that the fish that spawned upriver of the damn could get back to their birthplace to lay their eggs. Arlington got to meet Herman, the 60 year old, 425 pound, 10 foot long, sturgeon.
After the dam we crossed the Bridge of the Gods and headed into Washington to Beacon Rock. When Lewis and Clark came down the Columbia they called it Beaten Rock but on their second trip out west they changed the name to Beacon Rock. It is huuuuge. Half of our people didn't feel like taking the hike so they just chilled in the car. Purdue and I opted for the hike though. I think it was higher than the waterfall this morning and the switchbacks were a looot smaller. The view from the top was awesome. The rock overlooks the Columbia and you could see where the river would naturally flood if not for the many dams keeping it in place. It was a really great hike.
For dinner were headed to the spaghetti factory, I've been craving pasta.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Sorry I haven't posted for a little while here! It's really hard trying to post on my phone and they finally have a computer in the lobby!
So we are in Troutdale, a suburb (I guess) of Portland. Yesterday we went into Portland and visited the Experimental Rose Garden, the Pittock Mansion, a food truck pod, and Powell's Bookstooooooore.
The Rose Garden was amazing. It was created in 1917 and has over 600 species of roses! (that's 10,000+ plants!)
So we are in Troutdale, a suburb (I guess) of Portland. Yesterday we went into Portland and visited the Experimental Rose Garden, the Pittock Mansion, a food truck pod, and Powell's Bookstooooooore.
The Rose Garden was amazing. It was created in 1917 and has over 600 species of roses! (that's 10,000+ plants!)
The roses were all different shapes and sizes and colors and smells. They even had one that smelled just like Neil Diamond!!
Powell's was amaaaazing! They had four floors of books with about a million books per floor (totally guesstimating that number by the way). I spent a lot of time in the Gold Room- sci-fi and fantasy, the Purple Room- Literature, the Orange Room- children's lit.
They even had Carl!
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| What a cutie! |
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Sacremento
Sacremento is a great city. It feels a lot like Little Rock and New Orleans combined. We took a tour of the Stanford house, led by a Political Science guy named Mario. We learned all about the house and the lives of the Stanfords. In the end they gave all of their money and even their house away when they passed. It was a cool tour and the house is beautiful. In a little while we'll be heading to the train museum and eating supper with Stephanie's cousin!
Yosemite National Park
On Wednesday we headed up to Yosemite from Bishop. We traveled up many a winding road to get to Mono Lake where we stopped for a stretch break and to double check our directions up to the park. Sadly we passed up the sign that pointed the way to the Devil's Post Pile, which I had been looking forward to checking out. When we finally made it in to the park we immediatley parked and went on a hike up to Gaylor Lake. It was a one mile hike up to 10,360 ft. The going was rough but the view from the top was absolutely worth the effort.
We hiked down to the lake and gave our feet a rest with a soak in the freezing cold water. One of the students, Sarah, actually jumped in!
After the not-as-arduos hike back down we drove to a beach and had a nice picnic lunch in the sand. From there we traveled to an overlook and got a good view of Half Dome in the distance.
Arlington got to travel papoose style and has been travelling that way ever since, on the back of my camelback.
We wanted to see Half Dome a little bit closer so we drove down to the valley. It took us quite a while to get down there. On the way down we stopped and got a picture of El Capitan. Apparently people climb this thing... eesh.
I had talked to a girl from Los Angeles, Lexi, about the park and she told me that down in the valley it was like Disney World. When we got there I could see what she meant. Since Yosemite has millions of visitors every year they have had to do some major crowd control. There are shuttles that bus people around the entire park, stopping every so often at the coolest sights. Their museums and visitor's center were absolutely packed! But I did manage to snag a picture with John Muir!
After that a few of us went on a walk up to see the Lower Falls. It was a nicely paved path through the forrest to get to a great vantage point of the falls. People were climbing past the path onto the boulders to get a closer look. We didn't venture that far and decided to turn around so we would be back in time for pizza in the loft.
Bonus: Half Dome a little closer:
Yosemite was a great day, lots of hiking and lakes and ponds!
We hiked down to the lake and gave our feet a rest with a soak in the freezing cold water. One of the students, Sarah, actually jumped in!
After the not-as-arduos hike back down we drove to a beach and had a nice picnic lunch in the sand. From there we traveled to an overlook and got a good view of Half Dome in the distance.
Arlington got to travel papoose style and has been travelling that way ever since, on the back of my camelback.
We wanted to see Half Dome a little bit closer so we drove down to the valley. It took us quite a while to get down there. On the way down we stopped and got a picture of El Capitan. Apparently people climb this thing... eesh.
I had talked to a girl from Los Angeles, Lexi, about the park and she told me that down in the valley it was like Disney World. When we got there I could see what she meant. Since Yosemite has millions of visitors every year they have had to do some major crowd control. There are shuttles that bus people around the entire park, stopping every so often at the coolest sights. Their museums and visitor's center were absolutely packed! But I did manage to snag a picture with John Muir!
After that a few of us went on a walk up to see the Lower Falls. It was a nicely paved path through the forrest to get to a great vantage point of the falls. People were climbing past the path onto the boulders to get a closer look. We didn't venture that far and decided to turn around so we would be back in time for pizza in the loft.
Bonus: Half Dome a little closer:
Yosemite was a great day, lots of hiking and lakes and ponds!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
The First Two Days: Vegas and the Valley
Day 1- Las Vegas
We arrived in Las Vegas at 1pm local time and from the moment I stepped off the plane I felt pretty horrible. I think it was the combination of the dry airplane air and the dry desert air. My nose hated it and I sneezed for about an hour straight. Anyway, we spent the night at the Flamingo Hotel on the strip and I learned that Las Vegas was actually built around the Flamingo. I took a shower to get some humidity back into my system and hung around the room for a bit until I felt better. Our room had a view of the Bellagio hotel and about half of its fountain. You can see the fountain work its magic about every fifteen minutes. It was quite impressive.
For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant in Caesars Palace called Carmine's. The fried zucchini was amazing! Afterwards we walked downbthe strip and saw the volcano erupt at Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio. It was bed time but we took a detour for gelato before turning in.
We arrived in Las Vegas at 1pm local time and from the moment I stepped off the plane I felt pretty horrible. I think it was the combination of the dry airplane air and the dry desert air. My nose hated it and I sneezed for about an hour straight. Anyway, we spent the night at the Flamingo Hotel on the strip and I learned that Las Vegas was actually built around the Flamingo. I took a shower to get some humidity back into my system and hung around the room for a bit until I felt better. Our room had a view of the Bellagio hotel and about half of its fountain. You can see the fountain work its magic about every fifteen minutes. It was quite impressive.
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| Our room view of the Bellagio's fountain |
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| Flamingos at the Flamingo |
Day Two- Death Valley
This morning we each received a Nalgene, courtesy of Dr. C, and we named our cars. We give them names, relevant to our trip, because it's a lot more fun than saying car one and car two all the time. Their names are John Muir, Rivet (as in Rosie the...), Bugsy (after the famous gangster) and Ranier.
The drive to Death Valley was on a long, flat highway. Finally we gained some elevation and it started to drizzle! Our first look of the valley came at 11,000 ft on the top of Dante's View. It was amazing, looking down over the seemingly endless valley.
This morning we each received a Nalgene, courtesy of Dr. C, and we named our cars. We give them names, relevant to our trip, because it's a lot more fun than saying car one and car two all the time. Their names are John Muir, Rivet (as in Rosie the...), Bugsy (after the famous gangster) and Ranier.
The drive to Death Valley was on a long, flat highway. Finally we gained some elevation and it started to drizzle! Our first look of the valley came at 11,000 ft on the top of Dante's View. It was amazing, looking down over the seemingly endless valley.
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| Death Valley from Dante's View |
We visited the Visitor's center and ate lunch outside in 121 degree heat before checking out the exhibit. I did the Jr. Ranger program and earned a badge. I also bought a National Parks Passport and got it stamped! Later we checked out Devil's Golf Course at the bottom of the valley. Eons ago the valley used to be filled in with water. This has since evaporated but the ancient sea left it's salt behind, which you can go walk on.
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| Panorama of Devil's Golf Course |
Afterwards we checked out the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Badwater Basin, which sits 283 feet below sea level. A natural spring occurs there and some of our crew stopped to dip their toes in.
We drove out of the park and made it to Bishop for dinner at the bowling alley and spent the night at the hotel across the street.
Next up: Yosemite!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
John Muir
"When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I've been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures," John Muir wrote in The Story of my Boyhood and Youth in 1913. Today John Muir is recognized as one of America's greatest environmentalists and conservationists. He pushed the American public to recognize the importance of setting special places aside, that would one day become National Parks, for their conservation.
In 1868 John Muir moved to California and visited the Yosemite Valley for the first time. He was inspired by the sights there and knew that it needed more protection than what Abraham Lincoln had signed, the Yosemite Grant Act, four years before. In 1890 Muir successfully petitioned Congress to establish the highlands of Yosemite as a national park. Later, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt toured the park with Muir and was convinced that the valley and Mariposa Grove, an old sequoia forrest, needed to be protected as well. Yosemite was not the only place that Muir found extraordinary. His writings led to the creation of Sequoia and Grand Canyon national parks.
John Muir's legacy is remarkable. In 1892 Muir created the Sierra Club, dedicated to protecting America's wilderness and making the Earth a better place to live. He published books, including his experience as a young boy growing up in Scotland and his travel journals, and numerous articles and essays on topics such as Save the Redwoods, God's First Temples: How Shall We Preserve Our Forests?, and Wild Wool. The amount of places named after John Muir is astounding. You can see the whole list at the Sierra Club's website, but it includes Muir Glacier of Alaska, Muir Woods of California, and the John Muir Trail- a 212 mile long trail starting in Yosemite and ending at the summit of Mount Whitney.
The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez, California, and is the site of the Vincent Martinez abode. The site is nine acres of orchards and parks and includes Mt. Wanda, which is available for hiking. The trees in the orchards are almost constantly in bloom and the park allows visitors to pick the fruits but encourages people to pick off the ground first. The site offers a good start to learning about the "Father of the National Park Service."You can check out John Muir National Historic Site at the National Park Service website here.
Want to learn more about John Muir?
In 1868 John Muir moved to California and visited the Yosemite Valley for the first time. He was inspired by the sights there and knew that it needed more protection than what Abraham Lincoln had signed, the Yosemite Grant Act, four years before. In 1890 Muir successfully petitioned Congress to establish the highlands of Yosemite as a national park. Later, in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt toured the park with Muir and was convinced that the valley and Mariposa Grove, an old sequoia forrest, needed to be protected as well. Yosemite was not the only place that Muir found extraordinary. His writings led to the creation of Sequoia and Grand Canyon national parks.
John Muir's legacy is remarkable. In 1892 Muir created the Sierra Club, dedicated to protecting America's wilderness and making the Earth a better place to live. He published books, including his experience as a young boy growing up in Scotland and his travel journals, and numerous articles and essays on topics such as Save the Redwoods, God's First Temples: How Shall We Preserve Our Forests?, and Wild Wool. The amount of places named after John Muir is astounding. You can see the whole list at the Sierra Club's website, but it includes Muir Glacier of Alaska, Muir Woods of California, and the John Muir Trail- a 212 mile long trail starting in Yosemite and ending at the summit of Mount Whitney.
The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez, California, and is the site of the Vincent Martinez abode. The site is nine acres of orchards and parks and includes Mt. Wanda, which is available for hiking. The trees in the orchards are almost constantly in bloom and the park allows visitors to pick the fruits but encourages people to pick off the ground first. The site offers a good start to learning about the "Father of the National Park Service."You can check out John Muir National Historic Site at the National Park Service website here.
Want to learn more about John Muir?
- Some of his writings are in the public domain and can be found online for free. Here's a link to his books from the Sierra Club website. If you would prefer, Google Books also has scans like My First Summer in the Sierra.
- The National Park Service website also has a ton of information about Muir, including the people who influenced him.
- Gretel Ehrlich's John Muir: Nature's Visionary, from National Geographic, gives an excellent insight into Muir's life coupled with beautiful photographs.
- Check out The Muir Project's website to learn about the team that documented hiking the Muir Trail (the film, Mile... Mile & a Half, is available on Netflix).
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