Well where do we start??? An ambitious undertaking was the general consensus of opinion, but one that Wayne especially thought was achievable, thanks to previous US roadtrip experience. And with only one exception, we got there. Olympic National Park near Seattle WA, was the one that we didn't quite get to, due to the enormous size of the park (at least an 8 hour round trip) and the fact that a dirty great big airline company tour took precedence. But at the other side of the coin, we managed to add in Cedar Breaks National Monument on the way to Bryce.....not quite a national park yet, but one that will surely find it's place among the grand old members of the NPS in the future.
We were asked by fellow travellers on the road as to what was our favourite park? To put 14 in order of favourite to least favourite is a hard ask, but one that we've never been shy of having a crack at. So here goes.....
Wayne's List
1. Glacier National Park Montana. Simply the most stunning visual feast for your senses that you will find in an awfully long time. It's a hell of a drive to get there, but well worth every minute of some fairly monotonous driving conditiond up through Wyoming and Montana. Give yourselves a minimum of 3 days to do it justice. The Going-to-the Sun road is a highlight especially with roadworks along the length (51 miles) of it. Ensure that you go from east to West as you drive through, so you end up clinging to the rock face rather than the edge of a 1000 foot drop off!
2. Crater Lake NP, Oregon. Bugger all to do here. A 45 minute drive down one side of a dirty great big lake in the middle of a volcanic crater is pretty much it. But the majesty of the lake can't be underestimated. Great colour and a bad photo can't be taken. Highly recommended.
3. Grand Canyon NP, Arizona. An old favourite and probably the park mst people associate with the uS. Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of the canyon itself. It really is overwhelming. Roadworks and park "improvements" going full bore in the height of tourist season leaves me still to be convinced is the greatest timing of all time, but when Obama remains determined to spend borrowed money on "stimulus", who am I to argue?
4. Bryce Canyon NP, Utah. The colours of this wonderland of hoodoos and spires and arches never get old, on this my (WS) 4th trip to Bryce. Add in as much wildlife as we saw in any park on the trip and Bryce really is a feast for the senses.
5. Canyonlands NP, Utah. This really is a fairly unknown park in a lot of respects. More people visit Arches NP just 30 mile up the road, but in your humble correspondents opinion, they are doing themselves a great disservice. 4 seperate sections of the park, of which some are only accessible via foot lead to a vast array of choices. The needles section is crap....a waste of time, but the drive into said section is something else!! The Island in the Sky section is really a standout. Some massive canyons and vast plateaus really give you something to behold. A must see.
6. Zion NP Utah. Never been a favourite of mine, but is always spectacular. Driving along the valley floor looking up at the walls of the canyon gives a completely different perspective to most other parks. Add in a super efficient Shuttle service through the park and it is a thoroughly entertaining and somewhat awesome experience.
7. Yosemite NP California. One of the first NP's in the states and one of the favourites especially when the falls are running. A fairly big park with massive granite peaks and troughs and a favourite with rock climbers the world over ( No rock climbing here though-Ed). A spectacular park easily accessed from San Francisco. Do it!
8. Yellowstone NP Wyoming. The first park in the system and close to the biggest in the lower 48. A myriad of geysers, waterfalls, bubbling pots of mud, fiery gasses, and (usually) a large selection of wildlife. Due an eruption every 600,000 years, Yellowstone is 60.000 years overdue. You do the math....
9. Grand Tetons NP Wyoming. Located at the southern gateway to Yellowstone, The Tetons is a simple drive along a mountain range reaching up some 12,000 odd feet. Nothing much to do, but for photography nuts, some great opportunities to combine lots of elements in the one shot. Picturesque or what?!?!
10. Arches NP Utah. Super popular but has always been a bit ho-hum to WS. Spread out over a large area, the few arches that are visible without an exhausting hike in bloody hot temps (how is that sunburn going Trev?), are so full of people who seem to pop their ugly mugs up at the most inopportune moments, that taking decent photos without photoshopping the crap out of snooty nose kids suffering heatstroke, is impossible. Don't be afraid to give it a miss.
11. Mt Rainier NP Washington State. Bah humbug. A couple of nice waterfalls, and plenty of snow on the mountain itself are the highlights. The rest.....pretty average. A nice housing development through the park would improve it no end.....kidding....kind of.
12. North Cascades NP Washington State. Really coming to the "cream" now folks. A waste of space. Mow down all the pine trees to provide building timber for the entire country for the next 50 years and then bitumise the rest. Enough said.
13. Lassen Volcanic NP California. One of the few parks where all the "attractions" can't be seen from the roadside drive i.e. you need to hike your ass off into far flung places to view lava beds and volcanic "stuff". A small thermo nuclear device would work wonders.
14. Grand Staircase Escalante NP Utah. The newest NP and one has to ask why did they bother. Completely unsealed, only accessible via 4 wheel drive (which it seems like every second man in the US possesses), and a complete waste of 50,000 valuable acres that would make a fine waste treatment facility. Easily the low point of the trip.
Trev's list
1. Glacier
2. Yosemite
3. Yellowstone
4. Zion
5. Bryce
6. Crater Lake
7. Grand Canyon
8. Canyonlands
9. Arches
10. Grand Tetons
11. Mt Rainier
12. Lassen Volcanic
13. North Cascades
14. GSE
As you can see, different people have different perspectives of different parks. All are going to appeal to different interests. All we can suggest is seeing it for yourself. You wont be disappointed.
Fuel prices are as varying here as back home. The cheapest price we came across was right here in Bullhead City at $260 per gallon. The most expensive was $4.50 per gallon in Walker CA....needless to say they didnt get our business. The most that we actually paid was $3.60 pretty much right through California.
Good company is essential to the enjoyment and Trevor was very fortunate to have Wayne as his travelling companion.....:-). Seriously, Wayne enjoyed Trev's company immensely and the banter and abuse heaped out at passing cyclists who were hellbent on a lonely passing in the middle of a 50degree desert, was a sight to behold.....and hear. Trev's amazement at the size of the SUV's was a source of continual amusement as Trev's realisation that he could park his Hilux in the back tray of most SUV's finally dawned on him.
Thoroughly enjoyable 14 days which has led to a return to our loved ones and excitement at heading to Florida and retirement central for 10 days at Disneys Animal Kingdom Lodge with Mick and the crew.
Next post from Florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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