So... Having recently finished my degree and feeling a looming sense of doom about my place in the real world - I have decided to take a journey.

I am taking this journey without ever leaving our national borders.

I must admit it was partially inspired by the "Where have you been?" post a while back. I feel that I am very well traveled but realized that I remember very little of many of the places that I have visited. This will hopefully change soon.

I am going to 26 of the most breathtaking national parks our country has to offer (continental US) during August, September, and October. I am doing so by car and tent, without any company for all but a few sections.

Approximate timetable is as follows

August 14 – Acadia National Park
August 18 – Appalachian Trail (Vermont + Mass)
August 20 – Finger Lakes / Niagara Falls
August 22 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
August 23 - Chicago
August 25 – Badlands National Park
August 27 – Grand Teton / Yellowstone National Park
September 3 – Glacier National Park
September 6 – Mt. Rainier National Park
September 9 – Olympic National Park
September 12 - Crater Lake National Park
September 14 – Redwood National Park
September 16 – Yosemite National Park
September 21 – Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
September 24 – Death Valley National Park
September 27 – Joshua Tree National Park
September 30 – Grand Canyon / Zion / Arches / Bryce Canyon National Park
October 5 – Rocky Mountain National Park
October 11 – Buffalo National River / Ozarks
October 13 – Gulf Islands National Seashore
October 16 – Everglades National Park
October 20 – Congaree National Park
October 22 – Great Smoky Mts National Park
ending in Shenandoah National Park where my parents have a home.

Why am I posting this here?

Given that the vast majority of the mileage on this trip will be done solo - I have decided on a few methods to keep myself sane and provide some enjoyment to others.

1)If you would like a postcard from any of the above destinations simply post here with an address and where you want the card from (Can also PM me for privacy reasons). I will be taking a high quality camera with me for the trip as well and will be uploading albums as I go if anyone wants pictures of anything specific. If it is doable without a guide I am probably capable of getting there.

2)Another piece of this trip is that I am very open to visiting any unique local attractions along the route, whether it be a restaurant or the worlds largest flea market. Ideas on places to go would be highly appreciated. In general I will not be going too far out of the way due to already daunting driving distances.

3)Specific recommendations on hikes/locations to view in the parks themselves would be wonderful as well. If you had a fantastic experience in one of these places I would love to try and replicate it. I will have a bike with me and necessary supplies to do just about anything.

I will post here with pictures and stuff as I go if that is something people are interested in. If not I will simply keep them to myself.

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Awesomeness. That's all I have to add.

Excellent list, should be a lot of fun.

Doesn't googlemaps or some site like that have a "follow me" trip thing that you can update and have it show your entire route, stops included?

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Larreth Wolfsong (long retired)
Lanys T'vyl, Everquest

Zinky, Lvl 60 Warlock
Thunderhorn, WoW

That's awesome. PM sent.

Awesome idea for a trip, sir. And yes, take pictures please =p It's always nice to see a fresh viewpoint/perspective on these landmarks other than what you'd find on Wikipedia or some of the other encyclopedic sites that would have images of these places.

Sounds like a lot of fun.

I'm heading out to Cali at the end of Sept. Would love to hear your thoughts on Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree when you're there.

I'd also follow any pictures closely. Sounds like a great trip.

Having recently driven a big chunk of it, I highly recommend the US-98 route across the FL Panhandle. I-10 is boring.

When you're getting ready to come down near Everglades, let me know.

One day, I'll take a trip like this.

Since you are traveling by car and largely camping, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a large amount of water with you in desert areas. At *least* five gallons at all times. And of course understand that at times you will be out of range of cell phones. You should have someone that you're checking in with (so that if you do not check in they can let people know there might be a problem and have someone looking for you ) and if you deviate at all from your schedule route, call and leave a voice mail to yourself and have that friend or relative you're checking in with know that you do that. Authorities can quickly get access to VM in emergencies to get that information.

And you might want to give yourself a little more time for Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce. It's pretty awesome.

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Yup, second that. In desert heat you won't feel like you're sweating but you'll be losing a lot of water. Just sitting around in White Sands I think I go through around 20-40oz of water an hour.

Also bring plenty of sun block and benedryl. In Death Valley you can feel the sun cooking you, and the pollen/dust is pretty thick.

It's gorgeous out there though. Especially right after it rains.

Having done this twice it left me with an huge desire to go back and do it again and again. So much to see in all these places and just barely scratched the surface.

August 14 – Acadia National Park
August 18 – Appalachian Trail (Vermont + Mass)
August 20 – Finger Lakes / Niagara Falls
August 22 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
August 23 - Chicago

Mt. Rushmore and Devils Tower

August 25 – Badlands National Park

Mammoth site in Hot Spring SD

August 27 – Grand Teton / Yellowstone National Park

So much to see so little time. Wierd to stand on what could cause the end of the world as we know it.

September 3 – Glacier National Park
September 6 – Mt. Rainier National Park

Watch the tidal rapids near Anacortes Island North of Seattle

September 9 – Olympic National Park
September 12 - Crater Lake National Park
September 14 – Redwood National Park

Take Howling Hills Road through Jedediah Smith State Park to see Stout Grove

September 16 – Yosemite National Park
September 21 – Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
September 24 – Death Valley National Park
September 27 – Joshua Tree National Park

Painted Desert Petrified Nation Forest you ar driving right by them dont skip them.

September 30 – Grand Canyon / Zion / Arches / Bryce Canyon National Park
October 5 – Rocky Mountain National Park
October 11 – Buffalo National River / Ozarks
October 13 – Gulf Islands National Seashore

St. George Island State Park probably the best beach in all of florida. With virtually no one around.

Manatee Springs or other springs for manatee sightings and the water is 72 deg year round and crystal clear.

October 16 – Everglades National Park
October 20 – Congaree National Park
October 22 – Great Smoky Mts National Park


Just a few should not miss spots off the top of my head.

Cool trip idea, this may extend it a bit but keep your eyes open for interesting tourist attractions as you drive down those highways, like Puebla ruins or interesting craters, worlds largest ball of string for example.

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

Have fun, Chuck.

Just to get this across, you need not worry about me. I am an overly careful person when it comes to planning and I have unlimited resources for this trip. With the amount of supplies I will have with me I could break down in the middle of the desert and be fine for a week. I have been taking adventures my entire life and feel confident I can tackle anything that comes up.

I would like to spend more time in all these places. I cannot add days to the Grand Canyon leg due to obligations in Kansas at the end of the first week of October. I also have to get done with time to finish the job interview process in DC before the first of the year.

I have been to nearly all these locations before. My father has been to every national park, I am merely following in his footsteps. I will be skipping things like the Petrified Forest that I have already seen before and clearly remember or are simply too crowded for my taste.

I assure you that I will have 5 gallons of water at minimum at all times, substantially more at most times. Cell phone coverage is a non-issue due to satellite phone. I also will have a GPS on me at all times that is linked into a computer (I have a paranoid family). As for checking in, an absurd amount of people will know where I am at all times. There will even be a schedule of which specific hikes I am on each day. Short of a complete car breakdown I should be set. I purchased a brand new Toyota Highlander just for this trip so even that shouldn't be an issue.

The specific suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially the Florida stuff as that is what I have researched the least.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts.

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After reading through my PMs...

There is no need to worry about postage costs. I will cover them and do so with a smile on my face.

As some people have asked for specific locations to be pictured - I will post those here so all may view.

rocky mountain is awesome... vast...

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If you are in the Ozarks you should check out Blanchard Springs Caverns National Park. It is an amazing living cave. There are three different cave trails you can take. I think the lowest trail might be closed when you are there, but the top two are great. The upper trail is the most colorful and the shortest. If you have never visited a living cave before I highly recommend doing the top trail.

Heh, I was going to suggest a Sat. phone but thought it might be a bit over the top, plus pricy. No idea what those things run.

When I go out into the 'wild' (non desert where there's water sources) and I need to pack light for hiking, I take:

-phone [even if it doesn't work, sometimes it can be tracked. Doesn't hurt to have]
-water decontamination pills [never used 'em, worth having if you have to drink stream water. I don't use them for spring source where the water is literally coming out of rock in the mountain]
-space blanket [Essentially looks like tin foil, can be used to signal and also is supposed to be pretty damn good in cold. Never used]
-pocket knife of high quality steel with a sharp tip and a jagged edge. It's basically an all purpose 3 inch-ish folding knife. I use this A LOT.
-compass [never used but hey, never know]
-high calorie 'energy bars', usually like 3. I usually pick some shit that will last a long time. I'm not looking to live off it, just enough to keep me going in case of injury or getting lost.
-rain pancho that's super duper folded up and light. Never used it but getting wet will fuck you up tremendously.

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Then in the desert I carry copious amounts of water, salt tablets (because too much sweat loss + water can cause serious fucking problems...gatorade is actually good here) and I never venture too far away from a car unless I'm on horseback. And I've never gone out solo on horseback.

A hiking stick is good too. A lot of serious hikers are using shit that looks kinda like a ski pole now, I guess the Swiss use it a lot. I just use a cheap fucking stick if I remember to bring it, and I pick up a stick if I don't. Sticks are good for poking things too.

A lot of the areas have well designated trails. I know that Bryce/Zion/GC which I did a few years back had a variety of trails from beginner to pretty much expert. They're not fucking kidding around though on the ratings. Some of the Bryce/Zion shit was exhausting due to inclines. I did not hike into the Grand Canyon. I also visited the north side of it, and camped and ATV'd there.

I did NOT like ATVing. I felt really frightened driving along trails where 2 inches to my left was a trip down jagged rock lane into sudden death gulley. I quit half way through the day and I'm only sorry I didn't quit sooner. My spouse however LOVED IT and could have done it for days. So YMMV, I think it's incredibly dangerous and stupid. I'd much rather do it by horse or mule at least they have some fucking sense.

Can't think of anything else...oh other than at the Grand Canyon eat at the nice lodge there, and get a dish with pine nuts in it. They're very yummy and they have some very nice Native American dishes there.

And enjoy the drives from place to place. Also take some time to be outdoors at night in the deep desert if you can, you can see the Milky Way and it's so dark if you're deep in, if it's a crescent moon you can't see your hand in front of your face, and the sky is just so gorgeous.

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Sounds fun,

I'd try to time it and catch the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota on your way through the Balands Park if you have never been there before, definitely some things you will only see once in a life time.

Also North Dakota Badlands > South Dakota, how can you pass up Theodore National Park and Medora !! I grew up about 500 yards across from the park borders....few interesting things to do out there. If you swing into Keystone/Mt. Rushmore stop at the taffy shop on main street and tell them Justin from Medora sent you...maybe get some extra taffy!! (I pulled taffy there and managed the store at nights a few summers)

Ozarks....gota stop at Toad Suck Pond just to say get a t-shirt and ponder why the hell anyone actually would want to go there ....

Enjoy the trip

Awesome trip Perp. No better time to do it.

Hit a winery in the Finger Lakes region (Bully Hill is a good one) and if you spend the night, do it in a rural B&B or in Ithaca. Cool town, and you might catch the Aug. 21 contra dance (http://www.tedcrane.com/TCCD/Schedule.htp) which is a fucking surreal experience. Bunch of crazy white ex-hippies stomping around to bluegrass straight out of depression-era Appalachia. Plus, you know, nothing turns on the hippy chicks like whirlin' around with some mysterious stranger (tu, Brute) on the dance floor.

Yellowstone: if you've been there before, steer clear of the tourist traps. Do some hiking or a backpacking overnight if you can -- so much beauty in that park, but 99% of the traffic just hits Old Faithful (which is obligatory once, and zzzzzzzz the second time).

There are so many amazing canyons and Anasazi ruins in the Four Corners region, and only a very small portion of them are in protected areas. Ask park rangers about interesting sites, and get your ass off the beaten path. You've got the truck for it! Read some Ed Abbey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Abbey) before you hit the Southwest. Desert Solitaire (written while he worked for a summer at Arches) or The Monkey Wrench Gang are good places to start.

If you find yourself in NM, try to camp for a night at Chaco Canyon. Check out the astronomical carvings and sculptures on Fajada Butte during the day, and spend the night under the stars. It will move you.

If you like Steinbeck you might also pick up Travels With Charlie (in Search of America) to get you in the trip-takin' mood.

Have fun!

Oh one other thing, pick up a small digital recorder that has lots of time on it. That way if you don't have time to journal, you can record your thoughts. It may help label pics later on.

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Are you driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Smokys up north? Because if you skip the Viaduct and Grandfather mountain you're screwing yourself. For that matter, stop in Boone on your way up and have a beer with me.

I was up on Grandfather this afternoon doing some work and on my way back down there was a doe and 2 spotted fawns standing in the road with some Floridiot in front of me filming away.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

I'm not sure how you're planning to get to Acadia. Most of the mapping services will tell you to take 95 to Bangor and then South to Acadia. However, if you want a much more interesting drive that will give a more authentic experience, I would hop onto 295 just south of Portland and take that to Route 1 in Brunswick, and follow 1 along the coastline until you see signs for Acadia.

For pure tourist cheese, you want to stop at Perry's Nut House in Belfast. For coolness, spend an hour walking around Fort Knox State Park in Bucksport. It was built (if my memory serves me well) after the War of 1812 to defend Bangor against potential British naval invasions.

I actually love taking Rt. 1 all the way from Kittery up to Bar Harbor, but that's a huge time commitment in the summer, given the tourist traffic on Rt 1 south of Portland. If you have a day at the beginning and some extra cash, I would suggest spending night 1 in Portland and wandering around Old Port, and then driving up to Acadia on Day 2.

The downtown / Old Port section is really amazing. The city was pretty much down on its luck economically in the early 90s, and most of the businesses had moved to the Maine Mall or closed. The Maine School of Art moved into some of the abandoned retail space and proved to be the catalyst of a revival. It's a very walkable area now, with lots of restaurants, shops, galleries, etc., and very few chain stores. Basically, an artsy small town on top of a lot of National Historic Registry type sites fused with a working port.

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Hope is the new black.

I am staying with friends in Kennebunkport before heading north. Hard to say no to a free lobster dinner

Most of the dates for the trip are hammered down now so I'll be updating the itinerary soon.

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You are not spending nearly enough time in the grand canyon, bryce, zion and arches. For one thing, each of them is half a days drive from the other, and for another, those 4 are just about at the top of the list as it is for sightseeing.

When in Zion, be sure to do either Angel's Landing or the Narrows hikes. They are both (especially the narrows) some of the most unique hikes on the planet. The narrows is world famous.



In Yosemite, you really should hike the Panorama / mist trail combination. It's an 8 hour hike across 3 waterfalls starting at Glacier point and going all the way down into the valley. It is the most spectacular hike I've ever done.





For the Grand Canyon, I would recommend the north side. For one, you're already going to be north if you're hitting Zion and the Utah parks, and it's FAR less crowded than the south side. The south side you'll actually hit a fair bit of traffic, both cars and people. and the north side is prettier anyway. If you have a truck with offroad capability, you should check out Tuweap if you really want to see something that is off the beaten path.

I'm extremely jealous even though I just got back from the Alps. hehe Have fun!

How rough is the terrain?

Not rough at all. My wife did it. We're both in good shape but not exactly athletes. No scrambling or danger whatsoever. It's mostly the fact that you're descending a total of about 3500 feet, so it's absolute hell on your knees when you're done. All descent, no climbing at all of any significance. Take the hiker shuttle from the valley up to Glacier point and hike down. You see everything from amazing views of Yosemite Falls from the high points, the valley, as well as walking over 3 spectacular waterfalls, plus huge trees (no sequoias on this trail, but if you're from the southeast like I am, even the non-redwoods are huge and impressive)/

Start of the trail:



Top of Vernal falls (if memory serves, it may have been Nevada). Notice the bridge. Very well done trail.



You can see the people on the far right as little specs. This is the second trail that you hike all the way down from the top of the falls (the last of 3). It's called the Mist trail for good reason. In June the falls were gushing water and we were soaking wet by the time we finished the hike.

Looks great. Not sure we'll be up for an 8 hour hike though. That's well outside the range of normal activity for us.

Every person should see Yellowstone and Yosemite. I'm lucky that the entrance to Yosemite is only about an hour away.

Update

Aug 13 - Kennebunkport, Maine
Aug 14 - Acadia
Aug 17 - App Trail (3 areas in Mass + VT)
Aug 21 - Niagara Falls
Aug 22 - Cuyahoga Valley
Aug 23 - Chicago
Aug 25 - Badlands
Aug 27 - Grand Teton
Aug 30 - Yellowstone
Sept 4 - Glacier
Sept 7 - Mt. Rainier
Sept 9 - Olympic
Sept 13 - Siuslaw National Forest
Sept 14 - Redwood
Sept 16 - Yosemite
Sept 23 - Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Sept 25 - Death Valley
Sept 27 - Joshua Tree
Sept 28 - Vegas
Sept 29 - Zion
Oct 2 - Bryce Canyon
Oct 4 - Arches
Oct 6 - Rocky Mountain
Oct 8 - Lawrence, KS

Everything is set for this. Still hammering out the details on the rest. I will have the specific activities updated soon.

Some stuff was moved around to give me more time in places I really want to be.

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Finishing in God's country.

On your way from Cuyahoga Valley to Chicago you'll pass right by my home town probably. Or at least be close. I haven't talked to your halfling abomination ass in forever.

Kind of funny.

You should like Cuyahoga Valley though. Nice place. I haven't been there since I was a kid though.

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There is no such thing as right or wrong; only pleasure and pain.

Are you doing day hikes in MA/VT or hiking the trail contiguously? If you're doing day hikes and you'll be driving down I-91 through Western MA, you have to stop at Bub's BBQ in Sunderland. It is the best BBQ I've had outside of the South and worth the side trip.

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Hope is the new black.

Bupas, you cut out the south completely?

No sir, not at all!

Just didn't have time to post everything.

I am in the process of moving and it is eating up all my time. I will have the rest of the dates posted soon. I will continue as previously planned - just don't have the concrete dates yet. The trip is actually going to be longer than first expected. I plan to drop by the caverns in the Ozarks, New Orleans, Gulf Coast, picking someone up in Jacksonville, Everglades, Congaree, Smoky Mts, still ending in the Shenandoah Valley.

The BBQ place sounds good but I doubt it will compare to KC BBQ, especially Oklahoma Joes (On Bourdain's list of 13 places to eat before you die )

I will be doing day hikes in MA/VT in order to cover the most land.

Specifics on which hikes I am doing will be coming soon.

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Ahh, will look forward to more info.

If you're hitting the Everglades, you should consider going to the Keys and snorkeling John Pennekamp state park. It's underwater! And the Keys would definitely be a unique experience on your list

Good point, Jox. Given the choice, I'd almost always choose a trip to the Keys over a day in the Everglades.

Biscayne National Park is also right around the corner and offers some beautiful sights if you want to explore the coast w/o making the trip down to the Keys.

We did just recently eat at Oklahoma Joe's in Overland Park. Was good Q (had the ribs). As a southerner I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have sweet tea to go with it, but the ribs were good.

krby, I took a Georgian to Topeka, KS on a business trip. He was so irked that he couldn't get sweet tea that he literally asked for a cup of steaming hot water, a fuckload of sugar and brewed the shit at the table. Was the funniest thing.

And - how can OK Joe's be better than Arthur Bryant's?

I never had Arthur Bryant's so I can't compare. IMO OK Joe's was not better than my favorite Q - Whole Hog BBQ of Little Rock.

Arthur Bryant's complete depends on what location you go to. The original location downtown in KC MO is like 600% better than the rest of them. It gets sketch at night though.

Oklahoma Joes is amazing because of a few select items - you need to know what to order and how to order it. The staff help make it an amazing experience because they keep note of people that come in and will greet regulars. The ribs are what make the menu in my opinion, and the fact that it is in a gas station. People often like the type of BBQ they grew up with though. I still enjoy VA/NC BBQ the most but few places have the knowledge and atmosphere of OJ's.

To quote Bourdain, "People may disagree on who has the best barbecue," he writes. "Here, the brisket (particularly the burnt ends), pulled pork, and ribs are all of a quality that meet the high standards even of Kansas City natives. It's the best barbecue in Kansas City, which makes it the best barbecue in the world."

PS, Topeka is a shithole filled with ignorant white trash so it surprises me that they wouldn't serve sweet tea. The good news is that at 500 calories per 16oz it will hopefully kill off the people drinking it over time. BBQ is bad enough for you by itself, sweet tea is just overkill.

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how dare you speak ill of sweet tea.

you, sir, are no gentleman.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

You fucker!

(and yeah it was the one downtown. it was kind of ghetto-ish, the neighborhood, that is)

edit: Topeka is a pig sty. I used to draw the architecture of Topeka Kansas on my whiteboard. It's real easy. Get a brown dry-erase, and draw a bunch of rectangles. That's Topeka. The only upside is that I could go through KC to get there, and if staying the night, go to Lawrence to hang out.

Thoughts on how to upload pictures so you guys can see them? Photobucket seems kinda weak for this sort of thing and I don't think I can allow everyone to see my facebook albums without opening up public access.

I started my pre-trip warm up today in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the AT. Did 18 miles or so. I now have all my gear and will be soon be ready to set off on the real deal.

Also, for anyone that is curious - the cameras I will be using are a Nikon D90 and a Nikon Coolpix S550. I know nothing about cameras really, just what the family had for me to borrow. The coolpix is obviously for the convenience factor of it fitting in the waist belt of my backpack.

Hopefully this thread will soon be flooded with pictures!

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Might as well drink syrup. I don't understand that shit at all. lol

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Curious to see if this works.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 090631c977

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What part of the blue ridge are you on?

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

Near my parents home in Nellysford.

nice pics

Near Orick, CA is a trail I highly recommend. The Trillium Falls Trail is newer and when I was there 2 years ago was not built up like the larger, more well-known trails and it was pretty empty. Only a 3ish mile hike but well worth the time (you'll need to watch out for Elk though and there is seriously almost no room to yield to them).

A really great restaurant up in Eureka is Restaurant 301 in The Carter House Inn. Their 5 course meal was amazing and we got the wine steward to choose a flight of wines for us from their extensive wine cellar. Pricey but again, well worth it.

I hope you have an incredible time.

Trip has started

I am on day 3.

Kennebunkport, Maine.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 582b7e0060

Mt. Desert Island, Maine
Acadia National Park
Day 1, Mt. Acadia area and assorted
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... c99b2c7386

Day 2, South Ridge Trail + North Ridge Trail of Mt. Cadillac
Assorted pics from driving around the coast
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 4db889b887

Have several postcards that are written out and will be sent when I manage to find a post office.

This trip is turning out to be more of a test than I ever could have imagined. I discounted how difficult basic tasks can be when you are alone. This would probably be horrible if I wasn't outgoing due to the sheer number of people I have met and had to explain myself to. When you are in a group everyone assumes things, but alone I am just the sketchy dude looking at maps.

It should be noted that I got to explore way more than I wanted to the first day due to forgetting my map and getting super lost when a trail was closed and I was too stubborn to backtrack. Anyway, hopefully the pictures are interesting. The GPS is fully charged now so I have no more worries of getting lost.

Maine is totally badass beyond what I had remembered. This area is seriously beyond words when you get away from the crowds. The weather has been pristine. I am completely overwhelmed.

I may get around to a more in depth writeup or a might not. I have to drive up the road to post because there is no cell phone service where I am camping. Go go iPhone tether!

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More pictures.

Mt. Greylock, Mass
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... c0f5cbc330

Buck Mountain, New York
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... e0eed670a1

Stratton Mountain, Vermont
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... f35ffdd12e

Niagara Falls, NY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d2e4bba17d

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Woot! I just got the first gorgeous post card! I can't wait to go through those pics!

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Forgot Acadia Day 3.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 0f4f921e1c

There is a problem with the card I was using for the last 2 days so no pics of the wild life preserves around the great lakes, but they will come eventually.

Cuyahoga Valley (Was on a bike the whole time so I didn't take that many pictures)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... da39fcf54c

If you messaged me about postcards and haven't gotten one yet you will be getting one soon. I had no idea how long it can take to write them all out and not repeat myself.

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Bupas if you see this, I just love getting the post cards and seeing the pics~ feel free to repeat yourself or just put a smiley face on the postcard. I've spent hours doing them on trips (spouse's family is in Australia and I love sending them postcards from cool places!) so I know they can be sometimes tedious.

Stay safe! Glad you're having such an amazing time! I'm more than a little jealous

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Chicago (Lake Forest area)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... f05342b62a

Badlands
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 1c152e66ed

Wind Cave
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 5b8ca805ef

Don't worry Tarot, you will get plenty more cards! I have one written out from the Badlands already but I am not sure when I will get to mail it.

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Great photos! I'm not sure which way you are heading up to Yosemite, but if you are going up the 41 though Oakhurst, try to make a stop at Bass Lake. There is a place called Ducey's there that has some good food. Also, the lake John Candy and Dan Akroyd filmed the movie The Great Outdoors is Bass Lake. And be careful up there. There have been some rock slides happening up there.

I will be heading to Yosemite via San Fran. I will likely just be going directly to my campsite due to the long drive that day (From Redwoods).

Drove today from the Badlands to Lake Jackson in the Tetons.

pictures here

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d7380cbd30

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Tetons

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d395ecb098

Walked a lot. Really tired. I'm not uploading more tomorrow and there won't be internet in Yellowstone. Will update more in a few days.

Yellowstone

first
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 3b00860b47

second
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 1faffe7d6c

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