June – July. We are day-hiking several Croatian National Parks on our journey. Strange and exotic names beckon: Ucka, Velebit, Paklenica, Plitvice, Krka, Mljet, and Kravica. How do we rate them? Read on and see!
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July 15, Day 43: Silver Falls should be a National Park. Jean and I assess every hike in terms of it’s “payoff” – the reward for the effort. Typically, this is a great view or wildlife. This park has a ten-fold payoff: ten stunning waterfalls in a single eight-mile loop hike! Three of the falls are over 100 feet tall, with the highest at 178 feet. The trail cuts behind the falls in four places, with sunshine and rainbows before you as you rest in the cool of the rock alcoves. A huge payoff!
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July 20, Day 49: Yesterday, we watched the sunrise at Rainier; today, we set out to hike Skyline Loop Trail. Snow still covered much of the mountainside, even in late July. Where it had retreated, bright green grass and wildflowers of every hue displayed their brief glory.
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June 22, Day 21: We found hidden life in Death Valley. Yes, that picture is #nofilter, unretouched. While the temperature in the valley was well over 100F, Darwin Falls was a cool, willow-shaded oasis teeming with red dragonflies, lizards, and chirping birds.
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June 18, Day 17: We ventured Cottonwood Canyon Road, a 47-mile backroad through the Grand Escalante National Monument from near Zion to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We left our yurt near Zion National Park and headed east on US Highway 89 for a couple of hours to a non-descript exit. We turned north, and the pavement ended.
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September 5, Day 94: One of our favorite parts of Michigan is Chapel Rock in Painted Rocks National Shoreline. The Chapel Rock / Mosquito Beach hike along the Lake Superior shoreline was one of our favorites of the entire trip. At 13 miles, it was long, so we started at 7am. Already, there were a dozen cars parked at the trailhead lot.
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