Author Archives: Jim
The Vagaries of RV Travel
Not every RV day plays out like the ads. Yesterday, September 10, about 20 hours ago, I found “American RV Park” in Talent, Oregon on I-5 listed in “Passport America”. Three calls, no answers. So I decided to just show … Continue reading
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park was next. Don’t miss it. But don’t stay long either. Drive to the Visitor’s Center at the rim and park. Hang a left and follow the trail north along the rim. You are on the Pacific … Continue reading
Labor Day Weekend
On Thursday, September 2nd, I started to contemplate the approaching Labor Day weekend. I had three thoughts. One: the parks and trails everywhere would be crowded, so I had not only to abandon solitude on the trail, I would have … Continue reading
Rainier National Park
Referring to Schaefer’s “Best Day Hikes” book again, I decided to head for Mt. Rainier National Park. From Chinook Pass I could hike north on the Pacific Crest Trail for formidable slopes of wildflowers (her hike #11) and then hike … Continue reading
Pacific Crest Trail
Some people prefer a hike on the beach, others the dark green foliage of the AT, some the juniper of New Mexico, some the quiet giants of Douglas fir, some Florida’s Big Cypress savannah in winter. And on and on. … Continue reading
My thoughts about the CDT
The first two people I met on the Continental Divide Trail were a German man and his wife in southern New Mexico in April. They had flown from Germany to El Paso the day before. Three days later in central … Continue reading
Glacier National Park (Last Blog on the CDT)
I arrived at Glacier National Park in mid-afternoon, the fourth of July, and looked up the Back Country Office. This office issues permits to sleep at remote campsites within the park. For weeks I had had two ideas in my … Continue reading
Tetons, Beaver Dam and Birds
Here is the grandest scene I know of in the U.S. Park System. Walk in the entrance of the Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons and mount the long flight of steps in front of you to the main lobby. … Continue reading
South Pass History and Brooks Lake Scenery
I have friends who ski outside Steamboat Springs. I had never been there, but it’s on the way to Buffalo Pass in the Zirkel Mountains. An attractive town, neat and prosperous, it is also welcoming. It’s out in the middle … Continue reading
Hiking the Green Mountain Trail
From the unforgettable Maroon Bells Wilderness, I dropped down to Denver to take the staff of Big City Mountaineers to lunch and then went west of I-70 to Golden to see Teresa Martinez with the Continental Divide Trail Alliance. She … Continue reading