Vancouver Departure

We are in Vancouver to begin a month long adventure. We are taking a Viking Cruise ship up the inside passage to make multiple stops in Alaska and then on to Japan. This sounds like a strange combination, but these ships work an area for a season and then move. This process of “repositioning” means multiple days on the open sea. We have done this type of trip once before and while some think the consecutive days at sea is a waste, we enjoy the calm and these trips end up being less expensive.

We have been to Alaska multiple times before and have explored the area in very different ways. Our first trip we drove and pulled a pop up trailer over the ALCAN highway. It was a very interesting way to explore back in the day as the distance is great and part of the road was gravel at that time. Lots of broken windshields and headlights. We did not have that problem, but the propane line under our trailer was punctured in multiple locations and that was the end of that way of cooking.

We made two trips by driving to the west coast (Bellingham, Washington, and Port Rupert, CA. This a ferry trip so your vehicle is in the bottom of the boat and we slept on the floor of the community room as a way to save money. This was a great way too see the Inside Passage and we expect the views on this trip will be similar. I wish I would have saved more of my photos from these trips.

The other trip was by plane up and the Canadian railroad on the way back to Winnepeg. Kim (youngest daughter) and Jim were working on a whale watching boat out of Ketchikan for a few months after college and this is where I captured so many black bear photos.

Vancuever was clear today which I guess runs counter to the stereotype. The photo opportunities walking the deck were great. 

Yellowstone

 We have visited Yellowstone a least a couple of times that I can remember. The last time we were with our kids and it turned out not to be an enjoyable experience. We drove around and around and never did find a parking place and then left in disgust. This trip we happened to see signs for Yellowstone on the way back and decided, what the heck, we were not looking to stay so why not drive through with our Senior Pass and see what we could see. We made no attempt to see Old Faithful, but we saw plenty of interesting things. 

We saw plenty of buffalo. I was quite excited when I spotted the first one off in the distance, but eventually we saw many more close to our car. Too close to play naive tourist and get out for a closer look. 

We spotted plenty of instances of the geothermal activity. Geysers in the distance, but powerful steam vents up close. I remembered the bubbling mud pots from my first visit and I kept searching for something similar to what I remembered. I was able to find a few tame versions.

This is what I now wonder about the MAGA era. What will be the experience in our National Parks when we reach the busy season? The experiences of these great attractions has always been under population pressure, but what will the opportunities look like now. Everyone cannot make the trip with the freedom of we old folks. 

Black Hills

 The last couple of days exploring some beautiful scenery and wildlife require that I include a comment about cuts to the National Park System. If you camp or like exploring the beautiful recreation areas the U.S. has to offer, you know how popular these resources are and how heavily used. Already strained by an interested public, the Parks not face cuts in personnel and resources. No matter how you look at this Republican decision, even economically, you understand this cut is foolish.

The Black Hills is another nearby resource we have not thoroughly explored. Folks visit the Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore attractions far more frequently than the parks and forests. We spent most of a day driving through Black Hills National Forest and The Needles. Sylvan Lake is one of the scenic mountain/lake settings I have viewed. 

 

South Dakota One

 We are on our way to Salt Lake Cindy and Olive's high school graduation. We have plenty of time so we asked ChatGPT for plans for a 3-day trip - stops, side trips, lodging, etc. The results were great with stops in Rapid City and Casper. We have been through this route many times, but often the way to somewhere else and  we did not take in the local sights.

Mitchell

Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is decorated with corn kernels of different colors (see images). It must take a lot of careful work to create giant murals. The Palace is never as large as I expect, but it does contain an arena suitable for athletic events and farm animal judging. Traveling this time of year is great because the tourist season has yet to start,

South Dakota Badlands

We lived in North Dakota and visited the North Dakota Badlands several times. The Badlands (North and South Dakota) are known for the unusual land formation which resulted from layers of deposits that were then eroded away. The Badlands are also home to wildlife. We saw buffalo at a distance and mule deer up close.

Aloha

 

So ends another winter spent in Kauai. I am glad to be back in Minnesota and getting my plants started for the garden. In a week or so, I will likely miss Kauai.

I have to admit that the present political and financial crisis has me worried. If the present downturn continues, will we be able to continue spending our winters in this way? I am trying to be positive, but nothing at this point seems under my control.