Scenic Drive - Beartooth Highway

The Beartooth Highway is the section of U.S. Route 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City, Montana. We accessed this scenic drive exiting the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Because of it's high altitudes and unpredictable weather, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer and the pass is also known for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. Because of heavy snowfall at the top, Beartooth Pass is usually open each year only from mid May through mid October, weather conditions permitting. The Beartooth Pass is at an elevation of 10,947 feet.

Much of the highway is above the tree line and it traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks along the Montana-Wyoming border. Because it is such a picturesque drive, my advice would be to stop as many times as possible and take in the spectacular scenery. CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt called this highway "the most beautiful drive in America."

Enterprising Entrepreneur - June Lake, CA

   We ran across this "breakfast spot" in June Lake, CA as we were traveling through the Eastern Sierras. The guys were friendly and the breakfast burrito was tasty. My recommendation: buy the burrito, then head down to the Gull Lake Marina for a table with an absolutely gorgeous view.

Grand Teton National Park

In my opinion, Grand Teton National Park is a misunderstood place. I think most people drive right by, heading for Yellowstone and never stopping to explore. We gave ourselves two days to check out the park while staying in Jackson. As it turned out, two days was not sufficient to really enjoy this place.
It's an easy drive up Highway 89, turning at the Moose Park Entrance. We arrived at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center which is a nice place to get information about the park.

Once we began hiking at Jenny Lake, it became obvious that there is much to do here. A boat shuttle (below) will take you to the other side of the lake where you can relax and return on the boat, or you can hike back around the lake in either direction. There are many more hiking trails than I expected. There are also paved bike trails in the park. (Click on photos for larger view)

Jenny Lake is a beautiful place to hike, picnic, photograph, or just plain relax. I would definitely recommend driving the "Loop" near North Jenny Lake Junction. Other points of interest would be the Signal Mountain Lodge and boat dock, Colter Bay, the Jackson Lake Lodge, and the many scenic stops along the way.

Below is a picture of my dad (1971) standing on the boat dock at Colter Bay, on Jackson Lake. I remember him saying, at that time, this was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

The next photo is me, almost 40 years later to the month, standing very near the spot my dad was. I would have to agree with my dad... pretty spectacular scenery.

For more photos, please visit my website.

Jackson, Wyoming

This is the second journal entry from our trip to Yellowstone National Park. We entered the town of Jackson, Wyoming at about 5 p.m. on our second night of travel. I would suggest you make reservations if you are planning to stay here. There aren't many towns near Jackson, and it is a very popular destination. The town lays just south of Grand Teton National Park so it becomes a basecamp for many. Fortunately, we found a spot at The Virginian RV Resort. The Virginian was a nice place to stay as it was pretty centrally located in town. It is an urban-type campground, so if you are looking for a more traditional camping experience, you would probably want to try a campground outside of town. Below is  the view of the Snow King Ski Resort as seen from downtown Jackson.

Jackson is a very clean and tourist friendly town. There are many themed stores, restaurants of all types, and even cowboy exhibitions in the streets. When we were there, we witnessed a good old-fashioned shootout.

The picture below was taken at Town Square, a beautiful park located in the center of Jackson.

I would definitely recommend stopping at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center just north of Jackson and south of Grand Teton National Park. It is very much worth a visit.

"Cruising Down Memory Lane: Olympic National Park"

Olympic National Park, Rain Forest, Circa 1966:

The trailer is a rental, and I'm not sure of the make. The name "Playmate" is displayed on the back. Anyone have any idea regarding the company name or model? The tow vehicle was our family vehicle; Pontiac, Tempest, station wagon (aquamarine).

Afton, Wyoming

This is the first of many posts that will chronicle our trip to Yellowstone National Park. Along the way, we ran across many interesting "sidetrips" and "photostops." You can see all the photos of our whole trip when you visit my photography website. Driving through Wyoming, we passed through a town called Afton. As you drive into town the World's Largest Elkhorn Arch comes quickly into view.

The town isn't very large, and it being Sunday late afternoon, not much was open or happenning.
















Afton is located on US 89 south of Jackson. The arch gives the traveler a good reason to stop, stretch a little, and take some photos.

On a personal note, seeing the "Afton Arch" was revisiting a special time in my life. It was the Summer of 1971 and my brother had just graduated from high school. My father thought it would be great to take a trip across the United States together. So we piled into my Dad's customized Dodge Tradesman 200 "camper" van and we saw many wonderful places including Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., and many more. I remember my Dad seeing the arch, in Afton, and stopping to take pictures. We read about how it was put together and it seemed pretty cool at the time. Well, all of these years later, of course that memory is more than cool... it is GOLD. I no longer have my Dad around to recollect that day, but I do have the photo... thanks, Dad.

Rincon Parkway, Ventura, CA

If you're looking for beachfront camping, this might just be the spot! It's called Rincon Parkway and the views are hard to beat. Talk about a room with a view!

Did I mention the railroad tracks across the street? Honestly, it was not bad.

Ocean view from the bedroom... beautiful hillsides from the dinette.

This is actually a county park campground just south of Rincon Parkway.