Travel Journal

Our Kenai Fjords National Park boat tour got off to a rough and rainy start, but it ended with sunshine and all of Alaskan fjord’s quintessential sightings.

The unpaved Denali Highway definitely deserves your consideration if you’re driving to or from Denali. Make a trip of it – camp, hike, fish, and sightsee.

A summary of the 72-mile High Sierra Trail through Sequoia National Park – how to get permits, what to bring, and what to expect while backpacking the HST.

I packed up camp and hiked back up to the trailhead, dropped my pack off at the car, and started hiking the neighboring Tall Trees Grove trail. Isolated and beautiful, but why didn’t I see the whole thing? Cause I had my next move on my mind too much.

What a day loaded up with beautiful scenery. I packed up my campsite at Gold Bluffs Beach and made the short walk to Fern Canyon. I spent quite a while photographing Fern Canyon before hiking up the James Irvine Trail. Then I hiked down to Redwood Creek and found a great campsite for tonight.

Today started by waking up in a remote rest stop and ended in a tent on a beautiful beach at Redwood National Park. The in-between was spent driving through the Avenue of the Giants and backpacking the Miner’s Ridge Trail through massive, ancient redwood trees. Photography tips included!

It took five days but I think the right side of my brain is finally starting to warm up nicely.  I’m finally starting to see …

Some major landslides have forced rather long detours along the Pacific Coast Highway, but they provide for a nice change of scenery. Camping at Limekiln State Park provides both some great opportunities for beach time and hiking through redwoods to a waterfall and historic lime kilns.

Still warming up the creative side of my brain and getting reacquainted with my camera. I spent the day driving up and down the coast checking out the diverse nature along the bluffs and beaches near San Simeon.

Seeing the most of Pinnacles National Park by hiking a loop combining Old Pinnacles Trail and High Peaks Trail. Some cave exploration opportunities, awesome views, and watching the rare California Condor.