Bears!

As we headed north towards Canada, Christopher and I stopped for a couple nights at Glacier National Park in Montana. It was rainy and cold, but we had a decent time and took a nice walk up a hill to see trees and stuff. And we saw two bears! They were big brown bears, and they pretty much sauntered right by us on the trail where we were walking. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a photo because we were kind of terrified and stunned. But here’s a photo to help you imagine what they looked like.

And it’s at this point in our journey where we officially enter “Bear Country,” so every time we do anything from now on, you can assume that we’re doing it while clapping our hands, talking loudly and singing bear songs, which is what the guides tell you to do in order to keep bears from attacking and/or eating you. In retrospect, I think that this is all a big hoax invented by some bored park rangers to keep themselves entertained. There’s nothing more humorous than a bunch of tourists wearing bells, clapping and singing while they hike through the woods. Even the grizzlies find it funny. And delicious.

How Grand!

There’s this place in Arizona that most people don’t visit because it’s tucked away and off the beaten path. It’s called the Grand Canyon, and even though it doesn’t get very much press, it’s a really cool place and I highly recommend visiting it if you’re looking for something new and unusual to do in the South West.

The two of us spent a couple of nights camping out at the bottom of the Canyon, about a mile down from the rim. The hike down took us only a few hours, and despite a bit of soreness in our leg joints it was a relatively painless descent into the bowels of the earth. The Colorado river (which looks like a trickle in photos but is really a massive body of water) was a pleasant and refreshing reward at the bottom of the canyon – it was a toasty 80 degrees down there – and there was even a little beach where we lounged and watched the sunset.

For two nights we camped out under the stars, spending the day in between on a long but flat hike and hanging out at a waterfall. And we saw a rattlesnake, which was awesome and scary. So it was generally a good time in the Grand Canyon.

And then we had to climb back out.

Many a Campground

I just want to give a quick shout-out to the state and national parks systems, and their fabulous campgrounds. After staying at a (big) handful of these places, Christopher and I have gotten really good at backing the car into small parking spaces, constructing our tent on the least bumpy ground we can find, setting up the camp stove, lighting a camp fire, and settling in for the night. It’s a pretty cushy life once you get into the groove of it, and some campgrounds offer certain amenities that make it downright deluxe. More than once have I caught myself exclaiming, “ooh – they have hot showers here!”

Most importantly, public campgrounds tend to be located in or near expansive and beautiful natural environments, and they always cost less than a motel. Here are some of the nice ones we’ve been to lately…

Balmorea State Park, TX

Jack Black! In the Desert!

The first truly ridiculous thing we saw out west was White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The link will explain the science behind its formation better than I will, but you have to understand how strange a place it is. You’re driving through one kind of desert – the standard southwestern scrubland we became very well acquainted with – when suddenly you come across another, completely different kind of desert – a la the Sahara.

The name says it all really. There is white sand. And lots of it.

Smoky Mountain Wonderland

I’ve wanted to visit the Smoky Mountains ever since I saw an interview with Dolly Parton on TV a couple of years ago. She was talking about her upbringing near the mountains and mentioned how they are the most beautiful place on earth, and I couldn’t help but take her word for it.

And Dolly was right. These mountains, named for the early morning haze that settles between their spiked peaks, are stunningly beautiful. They’re covered with giant rhododendron bushes (which were not yet in bloom) that put their measly northeastern kin to shame, and you can’t walk 100 yards without running into a rushing spring-fed creek full of picturesque boulders and sparkling water fairies that hand out lollipops to passersby.

Virginia