Travel, Read, Conserve

In response to Trump’s proclamations to reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by 2 million acres on 12/4/17.  Throughout my childhood, my parents wouldn't take me on "normal" family vacations. As my friends were going to New York, LA, and Vegas, we'd go to Arches, Denali, and Yellowstone. Growing up in Seattle, I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by nature, from the Olympics and coast to the West, and the Cascades and Palouse to the East. Nature was all around me, so I never understood why my parents continued to take me on trips where we'd just go to more natural attractions. At the time, I couldn't have been more furious at my parents mostly because they were "robbing me" of the glitz and glamor that most cities tend to provide. Most importantly, it felt like it was harder for me to connect with many of my friends after a school break. I found it very difficult to describe the unique panora...

The Mountain was out! - It being early fall, and having heard about the elusiveness of Mt McKinley, we did not start out the Denali Park bus ride to Wonder Lake with any hopes of catching a glimpse of the mountain. But about half an hour into the bus ride, after crossing the savage river we saw a white patch on the left horizon turning a beautiful pink. We started becoming optimistic, and our bus driver confirmed what we are seeing was the sunrise on Mt Mckinley! As the bus went on, more parts of the mountain started shaping up, and by the time we were at the stony hill overlook, it was all out in full glory! It stayed with us all the way to Wonder Lake and a couple of hours on the ride back. It was incredible in its size and beauty. I had read somewhere, seeing the Denali actually alters the soul a little, and I feel that is true in every sense. Fall colors - Seeing the glorious fall colors in the sub-alpine tundra was a reason we planned the trip in early September. And we...