Tag: National Park
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Hawaii, Part 5 (Big Island: Lava)
The “Big Island” remains the most volcanically active of the chain, perched directly above the Hawaiian hotspot. Magma continues to bulge from the depths of the earth, ever increasing the size of this young island. Unfortunately we didn’t observe a lava flow in person because the volcanoes took a little break during our visit. However,…
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Hawaii, Part 4 (Big Island: Kona)
Maui was all about fun in the sun, and now now we transitioned to a more active phase of our adventure as we moved to the “Big Island” of Hawaii. The entire state is called Hawaii of course, and so is it’s largest island. But more importantly it was the island’s other designation, the County…
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Hawaii, Part 3 (Maui: Haleakala)
Eventually I tired of beach life and I wandered into interior Maui, a place they call Upcountry. The elevation rises slowly but steadily at the base of Haleakala, a massive shield volcano dominating the larger eastern portion of the island. Beaches give way to farmland and the climate starts to moderate as the road climbs.…
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Skyline Drive – North District
Skyline Drive hugs the crest of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles (169 kilometres), down the length of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve traveled every section of it, in whole or in part several times, as recently as 2022. So it felt like I rejoined an old friend as we undertook a day-trip from our…
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Borderland, Part 3 (Point Pelee)
Canada’s Point Pelee National Park became one of my priority destinations ages ago. Now, finally, after all these years I could visit it in person. I was not about to miss my opportunity. It’s not difficult to get there, but for me at least it involved the added complication of an international border. Luckily, now…
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Inland Northwest, Day 6 (County-Centric)
We were now between race days again, with two races down and one more to go. So we could do pretty much whatever we wanted now and I decided to focus on some county counting. It was all virgin territory to me and I intended to cover as much of it as I could during…
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Inland Northwest, Day 2 (Walla Walla to Pendleton)
We awoke in Walla Walla at the beginning of our first full day. We couldn’t check-in at our accommodations in Pendleton, Oregon until mid-afternoon and the drive would only take about an hour. So we needed to find something we could do locally and we got another chance to explore Walla Walla in a little…
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Dayton, Ohio Part 1 (The Wright Stuff)
When people have asked, I’ve told them with a straight face that we didn’t go to Daytona for Spring Break, no, we went to Dayton. As in Ohio. As in probably the least likely Spring Break destination in the United States. We managed to avoid warm weather, sandy beaches, and southern hospitality for… a bunch…
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Noosa National Park
Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia (1997) We drove 160 km north of Brisbane to Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast. This town served as a gateway to the spectacular Noosa National Park with its rugged shoreline and abundant native Australian wildlife (map). Hastings Street provided access to the popular Headlands section of the park. We found…
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New River Gorge
Fayette County, West Virginia, USA (late 1990’s / early 2000’s) The momentous New River starts its journey in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, a part of the Appalachian chain, as it gently winds its northerly way through forests, valleys and fields. It continues its rural journey into Virginia and occasionally past towns like Galax and…