Places I've Been... By State

Olympic National Park's centerpiece is Mount Olympus, home of the Thunderbird. Its peak is an honest 8000 feet (well almost), and by honest I mean the base of Mt. Olympus is at sea level. Even better, the Western edge of the park is the Pacific Ocean, so there are true rain forests which gets more than 12 feet of rain per year.

With postcard worthy scenery that can be found anywhere in the park, it belongs in my must visit park list.

Mount Rainier National Park probably would have been much more majestic had it not been hidden by clouds while I was there. I mean, it was nice the day before, but not on the day I could visit the park.

As a matter of fact, I saw the volcano only once, when entering a rest area in Washington on I-94. But never again the entire trip...

Mount St. Helens NVM is a US Forestry Site, and proof that the earth is still angry in this part of the world. All you need to see is the trees which still litter the land, all facing away from the volcano.

We got there as the visitors center was closing, having spent some time at the lookouts along the way. Had we known, we could have gone to the visitors center first, then the view points, but no...

If you like lighthouses, Cape Disappointment State Park has two of 'em. The original lighthouse on Cape Disappointment, and it's replacement, the North Head Lighthouse.

It's also the overlook that the Corp of Discovery camped at, hoping to flag down a passing ship. Lewis and Clark didn't name it, but they were disappointed. An interpretive center overlooks the lighthouse. I also have an image of the sign where Station Camp was located on the Pacific Coast.

In 2006, I was doing a Lewis and Clark thing, and you can't do Lewis and Clark without seeing the Columbia River Gorge. It's an impressive river, the only river route through the Cascades.

I encountered the river twice, once in Washington where I-90 crosses the Columbia, and the other was following the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to I-82 where I-84 turns to the Southwest as the river turns to the North.

The Whitman Mission on (or at least near) the Oregon trail was another one of those places that I had read and heard about, but didn't come alive until you wandered the area where hundreds of pioneers passed 200 years ago...

The mission is gone, but the wagon ruts are still there...

The Wisconsin Dells is an area on the Wisconsin River. Named after that part of the River is the city Wisconsin Dells, a tourist town on the order of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN or Branson, MO. Since it is in the snow belt, they have a very high number of indoor water parks and seasonal attractions.

I also took a trip up to House on the Rock near Spring Green, a unique house that had interiors too dark to photograph. :)

Yellowstone National Park tops my list of favorite parks. It doesn't matter if you want waterfalls, lakes, geysers, hot springs, river canyons, glacial valleys, mountain scenery, abundant wildlife, or interesting roads to drive, Yellowstone has all if it.

Its world famous icons, such as Old Faithful, the Lower Falls and Mammoth Hot Springs, all point to a very angry Earth below the surface, a super volcano which has the potential to wipe out much of America. So enjoy the park while you can!

The Beartooth Scenic Highway is one of those magnificent mountain drives, this one crossing the Beartooth Mountains. It's a spectacular way to leave (or enter) Yellowstone from the East.

I do list it as one of my must do drives.

The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway is the other scenic route you can take out of the Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance. While not as spectacular as the Beartooth Highway, it's very scenic once you reach the mountains, and it puts you closer toward the Black Hills should you be going there on the way home.

If you can only drive one, I'd recommend the Beartooth Highway, but Chief Joseph has its moments...

Bighorn Canyon NRA spans both Wyoming and Montana, but I've unfortunately only seen the park as a throughway from Yellowstone to I-90.

Thus, I only have pictures through the NRA (and the Bighorn National Forest) along US-14A. (I was told at one time US-14A was the more scenic route.)

Grand Teton National Park got the short shrift the first two times I was there. It was just a transit between someplace else and Yellowstone.

That changed in 2006 when I spent three days in the park, and it impressed enough to make me give it equal time with Yellowstone if I ever get back there...

There are two types of rooms at Jackson Lake Lodge, a regular room and a scenic view room. Yes, the scenic view room is worth the extra cost, but either room is desirable if you want sunset and sunrise photos, since it's a distance from any other lodging.

This link will take you to the Grand Teton National Park page.

US-89 is a remarkable road that follows some of the most scenic areas of the West from Canada to Arizona, and along the way passes through (or comes within a few miles of) over a half dozen major Western Parks. Glacier to Yellowstone to Grand Teton, Bryce, Zion, Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon.

I've actually frequented this road quite a bit, but in a disjointed, non-continuous fashion.

Devils Tower National Monument is a very cool place, even if it doesn't have an airfield on the other side for a close encounter. Located about 90 minutes West of the Black Hills, it is a cross between a Native American sacred religious site and geologic wonder.

Just don't visit during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, unless you're there to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.