Traveling America's Great Rocky Mountain Parks

After a long blogging hiatus, we're back for more.  The truth is we have still had many a great adventure since we last posted in spring of 2015.  Some of those, like our trip to Florida or perennial visit to Taiwan.  This year we decided to head out West again and visit 3 of America's great Rocky Mountain National Park's...Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier.  In addition we took a quick side bar onto the Great Plains and along the Mighty Missouri to Fort Benton Montana, home at various times to three generations of Towners.

 
2017 Rocky Mountain National Parks Slideshow (10 mins)

 2017 Rocky Mountain National Parks Slideshow (20 mins)


We began our trip by flying into Jackson Hole WY, waving at the rich and famous, and traveling over Teton Pass to Victor, Idaho  where we made our base.  The Tetons are a narrow but spectacular range  fronted by the Snake River and even in July capped with snow.      We visited numerous scenic overlooks (Schwarber's Landing, Mormon Row, and Jackosn Lake), and did some good hiking  along the Cascade Canyon Trail and Hermitage Point/Heron Pond Trail  On the Idaho side, we also had a fun night out in Driggs at the Old Spud Drive-In Movie Theater

Teton Range from Mormon Row

Cascade Canyon

 

Schwarber's Landing

From Victor we made our way up the backside of the Teton range to Island Park Idaho, 40 minutes from the West entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Over three days we drove and hiked all over this vast and very diverse park.  Yellowstone is an amazing park, lush valleys, thermal areas, tall peaks, peaceful streams, stunning canyons with raging rivers.  if you don't like where you are travel 20 minutes and you get something different.  There were crowds to be sure but a little planning helped avoid a lot of them.

Elk

Tatanka

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs

Old Faithful

Tower Falls

Grand Prismatic Spring

Hayden Valley

Well if the glory of Yellowstone was not enough we were in store for more.  From Yellowstone we drove 6 hours north  to Glacier national park.  We overnighted in Browning MT on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, staying one night in a tipi .  The next day we drove to Glacier and the famed Going to the Sun Road with an amazing view at every turn and finished up the day with a long hike on the McDonald Creek Trail. If Glacier is nothing it is massive.   The next day we went rafting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River before heading off across the Great Plains...wheat as far as you can see on either side...to Fort Benton.

Going to the Sun Road

Rafting the Flathead River

McDonald Creek Trail

Waves of Grain

Our trip wrapped up in Ft. Benton where my Dad spent time as a boy, and was the home of his father Vice Adm George Towner and  his father Wellington S. Towner. It was great to give the kids a chance to see the vastness of the Great Plains  so different from our home and tie it in to our family history.  All in all another great trip and more memories for a lifetime

The Mighty Mo

Downtown Ft. Benton

Towners of Yore

Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon NPs: NOT So Dark Desert Highways

Southwest Trip Slideshow MP4

This year spring break... with some frequent flyer miles left over from 3 years of trans-Pacific flying in hand... we decided to see a bit of America for a change and head toward the great Southwest.     We flew first to Las Vegas where even on an overnight the gang was (thankfully) underwhelmed by a stroll through a casino to get to our room.  "This place smells like smoke"  "I am definitely NOT a Las Vegas person!" were the refrains.

So next day we quickly hopped in the car and got out of dodge and headed to our first stop Zion Mountain Ranch, a collection of comfy cabins between Zion and Bryce National Parks in southern Utah.  To get to the cabins you have to drive through Zion Canyon and we hit it just right with the late afternoon sun lighting up the multi-colored canyon walls

After a good night's sleep we visited Bryce Canyon National Park...a small canyon of weather worn rocks called hoodoos.    We hiked through the canyon covering about only 3.5 miles, but at 7700 ft of altitude and with some pretty vertical portions it was a good test for us all!

After that hike we scooted down the road to the giant sand dunes of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  This was the highlight of the trip for the kids who climbed and tumbled in the surprisingly cool sands as Dad and Mom cranked out pictures and relaxed.

What start to our tour!!  The next morning we got up early drove back through Zion to the town of Springdale where we kitted up for some river tracing up the Virgin River, and in particular the narrow canyon called the "the Narrows."  The whole process was a bit of a drag as it took 30 minutes to get everyone equipped, another twenty to shuttle into the park, and another 40 to shuttle to the start of the hike.    In April you need waterproof gear as the water is only 43 degrees, but I was surprised by how many brave souls ventured up stream in wet sneakers and shorts!!!  The canyon was spectacular...similar in many ways to Taroko Gorge in Taiwan. (See our Hualien adventure.)  The water was shallow but fast flowing and the rocks were bigger than I imagined.  We struggled with the current and rocks for about 90 minutes upstream and about 45 down...We were pretty whipped after it all.

We could easily have spent many more days in this lovely area,, but we had a 1030 AM appointment the next morning in Page Arizona for a trip to Antelope Canyon, which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation and can only be visited with a guide.  This spectacular slot canyon was creates by flash floods and is often only a body wide.   Streams of light shine in from above creating amazing effects.  It was real tough  to get the spectacular pictures we sought , but Hsiu's Iphone 6 plus and the expert wisdom of our Navajo guide Nelson delivered the goods. 

   After this wonderful side trip we continued on our way to the Grand Canyon  and a solar powered cabin we rented about 20 minutes from the South Rim Entrance.  Located on a ranch we really got the off the grid feeling we were seeking with Pronghorn and a few cows roaming the area.    During this part of the trip we visited  the Grand Canyon and the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff.  We stopped in Williams for some Historic Route 66 nostalgia and even went horseback riding in the Kaibab National Forest

After three days we got back in the car...sadly... and headed back to Vegas .  During the 4 hour drive we saw some amazing desert scenery and the Hoover Dam

All in all another amazing trip.  Take a look at our slide show for really amazing shots !!!

Christmas in New York

Christmas in Borneo......check
Christmas in New Zealand....check
Christmas in New York...  Gotta do that

As the Christmas season got into high gear we took a spin up to NYC for a first ever trip for Natalie and Aileen to the Big Apple.

We jammed a lot into three days...including lots of food of all varieties

Here some highlights...Christmas in New York



After along drive we treated ourselves to some Italian classics...  Cannoli's  with a Cappuccino (or Hot Chocolate) at Cafe Roma on Mulberry Street

Savored some street art 

 Hit a show at the Shubert

 Saw the Chysler building light up..

 Went to Times Square...

 Visited Central Park

...FAO Schwartz and the piano from BIG

 Strolled with the crowds along 5th avenue to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree

Of course,  we saw the Statue of Liberty

 With a skyline view included...

 

Natalie saw Voldemort at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Along with Serat

Van Gogh

 and Renoir

We'll go again someday.  So much to do and see..and eat.  It is mysterious, like a sphinx!!