Tag Archives: parks

A is for Alaska

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or Alabama or Arkansas or Arizona..any other “A” states? I think I got them all.

Where is this going? you might ask and my answer is Alaska , Alabama, Arkansas and Arizona.It’s not just where am I going but where have I been and where do I still want to go.

There’s a magnetic map they make where you can collect a magnet from each state you visit and eventually the whole map will be covered with magnets. Maybe I’ll get one someday. Until then I think I’ll just go on chronicling and planning .

To that end I thought I’d take stock of things and the easiest way is alphabetically.

 So of the 4 states that start with A I’ve only been to one, Arizona, the Grand Canyon State, home of Red Rock Country and the New Age land of Sedona. It’s where I took my first and so far only helicopter ride.  I’ve stuck my feet in the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I’ve marveled over ancient Indian Ruins and strolled through an “African Serengeti” and all that only scratched the surface.

Alaska. Where to start? It’s such a huge state. It’s where I hope my vacation will take me in 2012. I want to see the glaciers and animals; lots of wild animals. There should be bears and seals and bald eagles. There might even be a wolf and whales. We’ll cruise the Inside Passage and spend time in Denali.

Now we get to the other “A”s. Arkansas and Alabama. I don’t know much about them as far as tourist locations but lets see what I can dig up.

Arkansas: Well the Clinton Library immediately comes to mind. After all, Bill Clinton is still a prominent figure, not some dead president. But if that’s all there is it would be a very short visit. Arkansas is a center for quartz crystal mining. Hot Springs and Mt. Ida have Dig-Your-Own Crystal Mines. That could be interesting. The Arkansas Ozarks are beautiful forests and mountains with loads of  hiking trails but beneath your feet is a labyrinth of cave systems. Tours abound  so that could also be interested along with canoeing and kayaking the wilderness areas with my trusty camera in hand. I’m sure there’s more and I’ll have plenty of time to see what else I can find.

Last but not least is Alabama. Right off the bat I can tell you there are National Parks. A great opportunity to collect my Park Stamps. I believe there are 7 separate parks spread throughout the state. Indian culture…the Trail of Tears of the Cherokee people as they were forced to leave their homeland. How about other history. Alabama was a hot bed of history in the civil rights movement and a visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute sounds like a good way to start exploring it. There are Zoos and Aquariums and more history with the Civil War Trail. Sounds like that could be a very full vacation too.

After the “A”s comes “b” but I don’t think there’s a state that starts with “B”? Am I wrong? If there are no B’s we’ll have to move on to the C’s. But I’ll save that for another post.

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If any of you have been to these states or live there and can offer some suggestions or insight, I’d love to have your comments.

Cannon Mountain

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Tickets for the Flume Gorge and the Tramway at Cannon Mountain can be purchased together on what is known as a Discovery Pass. Luckily you don’t have to do both on the same day. I spent 3 hours of my afternoon at the Flume Gorge so I would have only had an hour at Cannon Mountain. Not knowing what to expect there I made the decision to wait til the next day. The weather was supposed to clear up so the visibility from the top should be good.

Even with a substantial dose of ibuprofen my legs were letting me know that I had used muscles that I normally neglect. I was looking forward to a gentle ride up the mountain. I imagined a casual walk around the top like there was on Mount Washington. That was far from the reality!

I arrived at the mountain at about 10:00 am. A sign said the temperature at the top of the mountain at 9am was 60 degrees. I had on a tank top so I went back to the car to get a jacket…just in case. I remembered how chilly but refreshing it was at the top of Mount Washington.

It was really great to watch the cable cars head up and down the mountain. It was almost more fun to watch that than to ride them. The car going up passes the car coming down at the midway point in the trip. Seemed like there were a lot more passengers going up than coming down. At each tower the car gave a little dip and sway. The guide on the tram said if we liked that we should come back on a windy day!

There’s a little bump as the car settles into it’s dock at the top and we’re there. There are 2 decks with tables and a cafeteria style restaurant. They were putting out fresh-baked cookies that smelled wonderful. I stopped to buy a bottle of water and commented on how good the cookies smelled. The cafeteria gal said that’s why they bake them…so it will temp us to stop and buy something. I bought the water but my legs were a reminder that I didn’t need the cookies so I managed to resist.

I followed the trail signs and next thing I knew I was following a hiking trail upward. Oh no! More hiking and climbing! My legs will never be the same. I am definitely going to have to get on an excercise program when I get home!

The views are spectacular! The trail takes you right along the top of the mountain right up to the edge in some places. Finally it curves through some woods and opens up at the base of an observation tower. It looks like a fire tower but the only people climbing it were us tourists. From the top we could see Maine and Canada (or so  we were told). I can imagine it’s true as it looked like we could see forever. I’m glad I waited for a clear day although even today it was a little hazy.

There was a cool breeze but it was quite warm in the sun. I stayed on top of the tower for quite a while as I wanted to see if I could get some shots of the cable car from up there.

 The trams run every 15 minutes but I didn’t see it. I finally realized that it wasn’t that the cable care wasn’t on schedule, the angle was wrong. I had to look very closely to spot it as it came up the hill and then dipped into the building to dock.

The path back down from the tower was much shorter, only about 500 yards. It was so nice and peaceful up on the top and cool too. 

 I sat and relaxed and enjoyed the view and the comfortable temperatures.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with the rest of my afternoon so I just sat and contemplated. 🙂

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The Flume Gorge, A Tale of Misadventure

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The Flume Gorge in Franconia, New Hampshire is one of Mother Nature’s Gems and like so many of her wonders, it takes a little effort on our part if we want to experience it to its fullest.

The Gorge is located in Franconia Notch State Park so is well maintained by the park service. The visitor center has some wonderful displays that range from a stage-coach

 to a huge display of two bull moose locked in combat.

This display is for real. A hunter found the remains of the two moose in the woods. They got their antlers locked during combat. When the victor was unable to free himself they both ended up dying.

 A very sad end but that’s the way it is in nature sometimes.

 The trail is a two-mile hike that leads you down into the gorge to experience the 90 ft walls towering up on either side of you.

 Much of the trail through the gorge is a boardwalk and there are many, many stairs.

 The walking can be slippery and when there is an uphill ramp, slats are nailed to the boardwalk to give hikers traction.

The walk can be strenuous but benches are strategically placed to let tired hikers catch their breath before moving on.

I do not remember ever going to this gorge before. I have hiked other ones as a child but nothing like this as an adult so here’s where I made my first mistake. I did not realize how narrow or long the trail was. I did wear hiking boots. (Best decision I made this day) and I took my trusty Mono-pod for the camera and , I must confess, it makes a super sturdy walking stick. But then I decided to take my tripod too. I had high hopes of capturing some of the falls with a long exposure and I didn’t trust myself to be steady with just the mon-pod.

It was quite a warm day. There were some clouds and the threat of a passing shower but in the gorge there was a cool breeze as the air moved over the cold water. All was going well until just before Avalanche Falls. The boardwalk slants upward and there were quite a few people in front of me leaning out to take pictures. I propped the mono-pod up against the railing and set the folded tripod down at my feet so I could hold the camera out to try for a picture. Somehow the mono-pod came loose from the railing and fell into the gorge before I could grab it.

It landed grip down and pointed back up but slanted away from the boardwalk. It was just out of my reach. A couple of men stopped but after a half-hearted effort they just said “Too far-Too bad”. Finally I got down on my hands and knees. I took the tripod out of its carry case and then I took the case and used its strap to lasso the end of the mono-pod. Slowly I pulled it toward me until I could just grab the tip. Success!

Now I scrambled to my feet, stuffed the tripod back in the case and headed off as quick as I could. I was worried who might have seen that little mishap. The only people to mention it was a nice couple that I had talked to earlier. Turned out they were the ones behind me on the trail and their only comments was to laugh and say “That was quite a picture!”

Ok so back on track. I was so glad to have the monopod back because my legs were really starting to protest all the uphill walking. I finally reached the top so the return trip should have been all downhill, right? Well that was my next mistake.

There were 2 trails back to the visitor center. One was the Rim Trail which follows the rim of the gorge back to Boulder Cabin where a shuttle bus will pick you up and take you back. The other trail was the “forest trail” or something like that. I selected that one. After all, why see the same sights. Going back a different way would just let me see new things. I’d still be going downhill, right?

WRONG! There were some pretty views of the gorge and some waterfalls and I did get to use the tripod at one of the waterfalls. The sign said it was a 100 ft cascade. But bottom line, it was much longer and it had a lot of uphill as well as down.

The literature said it was about 1- 1.5 hours round trip. OMG! It took me 3 hours round trip. It showed me just how out of shape I really am. No chance of kidding myself now.  It also taught me to open my mouth and ask what the conditions are like. Will there be room for tripods and so on. I could have lightened my load considerably as I only used 1 lens the whole time and only used the tripod once. My backpack with extra lenses and the tripod could have stayed in the car.

I do plan to go back and do this again but not til I’ve spent a few months working on a treadmill! I did meet many others who were not carrying anything that were huffing and puffing their way along. And I met some later at Cannon Mountain that said they were afraid they couldn’t get through it at all so they weren’t even going to try.That comment  was from a woman in her early 40’s so I guess I don’t feel quite so bad.

I still think it was beautiful, worth every drop of sweat and sore muscles! I can imagine what it must have been like to see it all alone and enjoy the pristine tranquility to the sound of rushing water. With all of the lush greenery it looks so primal; maybe even Lost World or Jurassic Park ish. I guess I am just selfish but it would be nice to sit on the bench near Avalanche Falls and be the only one there…just for a little while. 🙂

Kancamagus Scenic Highway

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When I got up this morning it was almost overwhelming the options I had open to me. Unlike most of my vacation trips I did not commit to any reservations or tours in advance so everyday will be like a blank canvas. What to put on each one???

After tea and a cinnamon roll I headed to the car to drive to the Cog Railway however I am easily side-tracked and today was no different. Before I got to the exit for Mount Washington I saw an exit for the Kancamagus Highway. You guessed it. I decided to get off there and follow that route. I wasn’t sure where  it came out. I thought somewhere near Conway or Bretton Woods but since the day was all mine it really didn’t make any difference where it stopped.

The lower end wasn’t much. It was like a main street through what I think was Lincoln, NH but it wasn’t long before it began to climb.

I made a brief stop at the ranger station on the Pemigewasset River. This is the Lincoln Woods Trailhead.

I looked around a little but didn’t take the time to really hike. I wasn’t prepared but I did have to explore the  Pemigewasset Suspension Bridge where several of the trails start.

The bridge is pretty cool. You can feel it sway in the wind or when other hikers are crossing it. Since it looks very sturdy it’s a funny feeling.

 The water in the river was low but even so there were fishermen trying to tease out a trout or two.

The Ranger told me that there is a fee to park at each trailhead or you can get a day pass if you’re going to go to several different ones. Since it’s the National Forest my annual pass covered my parking. I just had to be sure to leave it on the dashboard so the rangers could see it when the made their rounds.

The last time I was on the Kancamagus it was on the back of a motorcycle and it was clear that the allure of this road to bikers was still there. At one of the scenic overlooks where the parking lot looked over one of the hairpin curves, I set up shop with the camera to try to catch a cycle coming around that curve. It didn’t take long.

Leaving that stop the road began to climb in earnest. The thermometer was hovering right around 100 even here in the mountains. Seriously HOT! That’s when I spotted the bicycles. Who would be out riding up a mountain in this heat! I had a case of water in the car. When I came to a small pull off I stopped to get more pictures and the first of the riders slowly peddled past.

I held out a warm but wet bottle of water. It earned me a smile but a shake of the head. The same with the ones following. Ok, at least I made the offer.

We leapfrogged a bit as I would drive by them then stop for pictures and they would pass me. Then I would pass them again and so on. Finally I reached the top of the Kancamagus Pass, elevation 2855. At least it would be downhill for those cyclists from this point on.

The next scenic overlook had a shelter and a large parking lot. As I pulled in I spotted the cyclists  again. They were gathered in the shelter having lunch. When they saw me they called me over and insisted on having a picture taken with me. As you can see, everyone was in good spirits.

 They said most people think they are nuts. But I just think it’s amazing. What dedication it took to get in good enough shape to make it up these mountains! And in this heat on top of it!

I left my new friends taking a well-earned break in the shade and headed back out to finish the downhill side of the Kancamagus.

I had forgotten about the waterfall I’d read about until I saw a sign for the Sabbaday Falls picnic area. It’s a National Forest site so I plopped my pass on the dashboard and locked up. I took just the camera, leaving the backpack in the car so the walk would be cooler. I now think that was a mistake. Without the backpack I didn’t have anyplace for a water bottle. Since the trail was only .5 miles I didn’t think I’d miss the water.

That was not true! I was sweating almost before I got up the first incline.

The trail was mostly uphill. It wasn’t long before I was drenched in sweat even though the trail is mostly shaded. I stopped a few times to get pictures before I reached the falls.

It was nice and cool near the waterfall. There were stone steps carved out of the rocks beside the falls that led up to a bridge that crossed the stream next to the falls. I had a blast taking pictures there. So much so I forgot how hot and thirsty I was. 🙂

Soon enough it was time to move on and return to the car. It was past lunch time too, even though I wasn’t feeling hungry I wasn’t sure how far it would be to the end and a restaurant or store.

When you start the Kancamagus a sign  says “no gas for 32 miles.” I wasn’t sure how far along I was. I wish I’d brought a cooler and packed a lunch. That would have been fun.

Back at the car I downed a whole bottle of water then it was time to head out. I didn’t stop at many more scenic pull outs due to the time but on the lower end I began to see cars lining the sides of the road. As I peered through the trees I could see another river and there were all the people…loads of them…all splashing and swimming and enjoying the cool river water. What a great way to beat the heat.

I was beginning to see signs of civilization and a sign said I was entering Conway, NH. Time to find someplace to eat.

So I’ll leave you right here where I’ll join you again after lunch.

Canoeing down the Potomac

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My friend and co-worker, Jay, went on a terrific  vacation in April. It’s his annual “male -bonding” canoe trip with some of his buddies.  This year was a little different because he was about to become a dad so there was some debate as to whether he should go or not. Finally after getting the doctor and his significant other to sign off on the trip, he headed off to rough it for a week.

From the beginning we planned to share his experience with everyone right here on Aroundustyroads but life and a stork intervened. Before I had time to sit down with Jay and get his stories he became a proud First- Time Papa to a bouncing baby boy.

“AJ”  or Jay’s mini-me, of course took center stage and rightly so. The birth of a child is a wonderful event and eclipses anything else that may have come before even more so when it’s the first. I’m happy to report that the whole family is doing well; Mom, little AJ and Papa Jay.

The consequence of the happy arrival was, however, that writing Jay’s vacation story slipped to the back burner. It’s now been almost 2 months since little AJ came into this world and Jay is settling into his role as Dad. He’s now ready to share his Virginia/West Virginia odyssey and raft trip. So without more ado, Heeeere’s Jay!

DR: So Jay, tell me about this rafting trip you took. As I understand it this is an annual trip. Is it always the same guys?

Jay: Before we get started I just want to mention that we’re not on rafts. We use canoes. It’s the same group of guys but not everyone can make it every year. We’ve been going on these man trips for 11 years. The most that have gone was 12 , the fewest, 4. This trip there was 8 of us. Most of us served together in the military or are friends of one of us.

DR: How long is the trip?

Jay: The trip lasts 4 days. We all met up on Thursday night in PawPaw West Virginia. The canoes are arranged for through an outfitter, 2 men to a canoe so this year we had 4 canoes. We put into the river Friday morning. We float along spending about 6 hours a day on the river. We usually try to camp on the islands in the river so as not to disturb the wildlife. This year because of the height of the water we camped on the Maryland side of the river. We’re very careful to take out any trash. We believe in packing everything out. Leave only footprints. 🙂

Whenever you tell people  you’re going canoeing on the Potomac they think of Washington D.C. but the Potomac is a long river. It winds through the Shenandoah Valley. It travels through a state park and is part of the National Parks system. It’s pretty rugged and remote. We take guns with us for protection from animals. There’s black bear and coyotes and one trip we even saw a mountain lion. I think they call them catamount in that area.

The wildlife is a big part of the trip. On the trip 2 years ago we saw two deer swim the river and climb a bank that was more cliff than bank. I ‘d estimate the incline was 80 degrees! That’s how steep it was and they climbed it! When they jumped into the river they practically landed in our canoe. We had to back paddle in a hurry. We’ve seen hawks and bald eagles too.

We make a stop at Little Orleans to pick up supplies. You may have heard of it.  It’s located on the Maryland side of the river and it’s home to a  motorcycle  rally. That annual rally is called the “Sturgis of the East”. Any way we pick up our supplies and have a quick burger then it’s back on the river. We’ve been coming  here for so many years that they always remember us.

DR: Speaking of supplies, what do you guys eat while your on your trip? Do you use camp stoves or do you use a campfire?

Jay. We eat pretty good. We cook over the campfire but we don’t skimp on supplies. We have steaks or chicken. We make instant mashed potatoes. This year one of the wives sent a pasta dish along. We put that in a pot over the fire to heat it up. We aren’t angels though. It is a “man-trip” so we have beer and maybe a shot or two but we don’t drink on the river. We keep our heads about us. Mostly we use the shots to toast special events in our lives. This year a lot of it was toasting “Jay Dawg” and his new “little pup”. 🙂

Over time we’ve accumulated more gear. When we first started out we had a tent and sleeping bags. Now we have cots and so on. After all, we’re getting older…or the ground is getting harder.

Over the years we’ve canoed the upper Potomac and the lower and some of the tributaries. We’ve made the trip anytime from the first weekend in April to as late as the 3rd weekend in May so we’ve seen the river in snow, rain, flood stage and drought. We’ve been hot and we’ve been cold but no matter what it’s been a great experience.

Just before we reach Hancock, West Virginia there’s a short stretch of rapids. I’d say they are probably around a class 3 depending on how high the river is. Then we reach Hancock and that’s where we pull out. The end of the line.

DR: How do you get back to your vehicles in Pawpaw?

Jay: The outfitter we hired meets us, packs up the canoes and brings us back.

DR: In the pictures you showed me you were in a tunnel. What was that all about?

Jay: That’s a tunnel over  the old canal. It actually runs under a mountain. It’s the Chesapeake & Ohio canal sometimes known as the “Grand Old Ditch”. We’d seen that tunnel every year but we had never explored it. This year we decided to walk it when we all got together on Thursday night. The tunnel is 3118 feet and we walked the whole thing that night.

The canal itself runs for around 184 miles starting in the Washington D.C. area. George Washington was a big advocate of using waterways to connect the eastern seaboard. John Quincy Adams presided over the ground breaking ceremony on July 4, 1828!

DR: Wow that’s really historic.

Jay: There’s a lot of history in the area. It seems it’s played a big part in the country’s history from colonial times through the Civil War and now it preserves some beautiful, un-touched wilderness.

DR: I can see why you make it an annual event. It sounds like something that would be hard to miss.

Jay: I try not to miss it. Once the little guy is big enough to go, I’ll take him along too.

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DR: Jay, I want to thank you for sharing your story with us and your great pictures. It makes me want to go on a trip like that. It’s been years since I’ve gone camping or canoeing. Good times!