The Silent "I"

Exit the Highway to White Sands National Monument

One of my favorite places in our travels across the US has been the White Sands National Monument, near Alamogordo, New Mexico.  This summer, our friends at Toyota have partnered with the Audobon Society to encourage everyone to exit the highway and visit beautiful, off-the-beaten-path places like White Sands.

The White Sands National Monument rises up out of the scrubby brown New Mexico desert like a far off  dream.  You might think you're seeing the purest, whitest snow imaginable, but get closer, and you realize that it's a hot, dry white powder covering the landscape for as far as the eye can see, rimmed by mountains on the horizon line. The fine, white dust covering the landscape looks like a million tiny hands clapped chalk-laden erasers to form undulating dunes of glistening white fairy dust.

 

When my husband suggested we go there on our trip to Texas in December, we had been driving through the California, Arizona, and New Mexico desert for several days.  My initial thought was, "another sand dune. Big whoop."

 

Annular Eclipse: May 20, 2012

 

Eclipse Watchers in Redding, California

 We traveled up to Redding, California last weekend to pursue one of our favorite family activities: viewing a solar eclipse.  This time, we didn't need a fancy cruise ship or a trip to the Sahara Desert or even an airplane to get to the site.  We just drove our trusty, dusty Lexus RX300 about four hours north.  

An Annular Eclipse is one in which the moon covers most, but not all, of the sun.  What's left is known as the "Ring of Fire".  You don't get the same twilight effect or the diamond ring of a total eclipse, but it is still a pretty spectacular sight.  The moon moves slowly over the sun, leaving only a golden ring shining through.  The center line of this particular annular eclipse ran through Oregon, Northern California, Nevada, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. It's a once-in-every-forty-years sight at any given location, so it was worth the drive north to see it in all its glory.  The last annular we viewed was in Costa Rica when Alex was 18 months old.  

We headed out on our 2012 eclipse adventure on Saturday, May 19, after a rushed packing job that left us without sunscreen, lawn chairs, or hats.  As much as we travel, you'd think we wouldn't forget essentials, but it happens to the best of us. We made do with what we had, which included a golf umbrella in the car, and even a grocery bag that Frank fashioned into a hat so his head wouldn't roast.  Thankfully, I found an emergency supply of sunscreen in my purse.

Sundial Bridge

We met up with some local friends who are also eclipse buffs the night before for dinner.  We weren't quite sure where the best viewing spots would be, so we debated the various spots that were recommended by the local astronomy club as good bets.  We decided to play it by ear, waiting to see what the weather would be prior to making a decision. 

On Sunday, we woke up to cerulean skies and little cloud cover.  The news reported that it would be hot, so we thought that being near water would be a good bet.  We spent the morning touring Redding, which is a lovely little town with view of Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta off in the distance, surrounded by lakes made from the hydro-electric dam nearby.  The Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River is something of an architectural marvel, with a tall spire swooping above the river like a tall-masted ship flowing in the wind.  We walked across the glass-tiled bridge and enjoyed the views of the river and hundreds of tiny birds swooping over and under the bridge.

Saguaro National Park: Beauty Takes on Many Forms

When planning our December roadtrip, a stop at the Saguaro National Park was an absolute must-see for my husband Frank.  Frank loves cacti of all shapes and varieties. He has kept a cactus collection for more than twenty years through moves from California to Texas and back, with only a few casualties along the way.  He loves cactus so much that Alex and I teased him throughout the trip by pointing at every wilted, dried out cactus we encountered and saying, "Hey, Dad, look! A cactus! Don't you want to take a picture of it?"

We thought it was hilarious. Frank just rolled his eyes, and endured.

 

Meet Me in St Louis: The Gateway Arch

On our roadtrip at the end of December, we had a brief stop in St. Louis, Missouri,  and got to see  see the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch.  I have been to the arch once before, but never to the top of the Arch.  You can ride a tram  in the little egg shaped compartments that roll on a fully encased track to the viewing area at the top.  I still haven't ridden to the top.

The trip on the tram takes about an hour and a half.  We were in a rush to get to Ohio to see my dad in the hospital, so we didn't have time to ride up.  Alex sat in the display car at the visitors center under the Arch, which contained an interesting mixture of a gift shop, a display on westward expansion, and an old-timey mercantile store.

It was freezing the day we were there, with a cold, gusty wind blowing all around, and the chance of snow mounting every second we stayed in St. Louis.  The main attraction for us in going into the underground visitor's center was the fact that it was warm in there. We three California weather wimps were not prepared for exactly how cold it would be.

Like many of our national monuments, the Gateway Arch is guarded by metal detectors and somewhat hostile security guards who take their jobs very seriously.  The young woman ahead of me in line had a small vial of pepper spray in her purse, which they made a huge deal about, as though she had a bomb strapped to her belt to go along with the keychain full of pepper spray.  She told them to keep it, but they insisted on interrogating her about the reason she decided to COME TO A NATIONAL MONUMENT fully ARMED when there were KIDS AROUND.  I felt sorry for her, since she clearly didn't even know she had it in the bottom of her purse.  The guards seemed to be enjoying making the woman squirm, while most people just filed on in without as much as a sideward glance from them. 

So, a word to the wise: check your purse for unruly keychains before entering national monuments.  For some reason, this reminded me of a trip I took with my girlfriends when I was still single and oh-so-carefree.  My friends and I were on a roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest, when we were stopped at the Canadian border for a routine customs check.  The very earnest customs official asked my friend who was driving if we were "carrying any protection."  She looked at him and said, "Protection? You mean like condoms? Never leave home without them."

The guard turned the color of a mai tai and said, "Uh, no, ma'am...I mean...firearms."

She replied, "No, no firearms. Do we need some?"

He waved us through, and we high-fived each other all the way to Vancouver.  This was, of course, before 9/11.  Now, customs officials are way more serious and we would likely be strip-searched for remarks like that.

Anyway, the Gateway Arch is somewhat of an architectural marvel, and a must-see for any visit to St. Louis.  Maybe next time, I'll actually take that ride to the top.  I've always wanted to ride in a metal egg.

You can purchase tickets for a ride to the top of the Arch, including parking tickets, at The Gateway Arch Riverfront website.

 

 

The Grand Canyon: A Walk in the Clouds

After our Best Day Ever in the Mojave National Preserve and historic Route 66, we to Arizona.  We entered the Grand Canyon National Park with high hopes for more gorgeous vistas.  We arrived in the afternoon, and as we entered the park, we noticed a light dusting of snow on the ground and the trees covered in mist.  It was actually quite beautiful and like some kind of Christmas card with snow-dusted pines and elk standing in the forest. 

As we went up higher, visibility got considerably worse.  We stopped at one of the numerous visitor's center, to check out the view, and could see exactly nothing.  It was as though the entire Grand Canyon had been filled in by a giant serving of cream-of-mushroom soup.  The wind outside whipped through the canyon and chilled us all to the bone.

We checked into the Miswak Lodge and headed to the El Tovar Hotel Dining Room for dinner.  We had a wonderful dinner, but even though we were seated near a window that allegedly overlooked the Canyon, we couldn't see a thing.  It got dark soon enough, which was a blessing, since looking out at the fog was getting depressing.

On top of that, I had a disturbing phone call from my brother before we lost cell and internet service.  My dad had taken a nasty fall off a ladder and broken his back and collar bone.  I wanted to rush home, but my brother informed me that there was nothing we could do, so it was best to just carry on with our trip.  For the next day or so, we had no internet access and limited phone service, so I couldn't do much besides worry.

The following morning, we checked out of the Miswak Lodge and visited Hopi House.  I normally go nuts for Native American pottery, jewelry and knicknacks, but I really was not in the mood to shop, so we decided to try another viewpoint, but no luck.  If anything, the fog was worse, only now the snow had melted and left a layer of mud everywhere.

We decided to cut our touring short, and headed toward the park exit.  Frank suddenly shouted, "WHOA! WHOA!" and Alex and I thought he was having some kind of seizure or something.

"What was it? Mountain lion? Elk? Mountain lion eating an elk?" I inquired.

"No! I thought I saw the canyon!" he replied.

All I could see were trees, but I did notice that the fog on the road had cleared.

"I think we're below the cloud now," Frank remarked. 

We drove about a hundred yards to a scenic overlook, and after blinking a few times, we saw it: The Grand Canyon.  Alex and I clapped and shouted.  Frank pulled over and we got out to take a few pictures.  We didn't know how long this parting of the clouds would last, so we snapped quickly and asked someone to take a photo of the three of us.  We were afraid the fog would encroach at any second and we would be out of luck.

The further we descended, the clearer the air got.  We pulled into the Watchtower viewpoint, and got a pretty spectacular view of the canyon and the river below.  We could look up and see the cloud above, right where we had come from.

The Watchtower is an aptly-named , tall, round, brick building that looks like a lighthouse without a light. It reminded me of a rook from some Cowboys vs. Indians chess set. You can walk up to the top, and one of the rangers told us you could walk up 80 steps to the top. Frank decided to pass on this little adventure, but Alex and I hiked up to the top. 

There are actually four levels up, and each level is painted with what looks like Native American petroglyphs or early graffiti.  There are some scratched-up windows of varying heights and sizes to view the canyon all around the walls of the circular ediface.

When I finally huffed and puffed my way up to the top of the tower, I caught up with Alex, who was dancing around like he was at Rockettes try-outs or had to go to the bathroom really, really badly.  "Look, mom! TA-DA! The Grand Canyon! From high up!" 

He was so excited, he was vibrating. He insisted that I take a picture, so I did.  I have to admit, despite the scratches on the window pane, the view was pretty spectacular.  I think when I was a kid I had a paint-by-numbers set of the Grand Canyon, so the colors and the shapes were familiar to me. No photo or painting could ever capture the intense beauty of the place, and words fail me. You'll just have to go and see it for yourself, hopefully on a sunny day.

Photos: Copyright Glennia Campbell 2010, All Rights Reserved.

 

 

5 Fun Things to Do with Kids In & Around Anchorage

Planning a family vacation to Alaska? Be sure to stop in Anchorage, where fun activities for the whole family abound.  We spent a week in Anchorage in June, and these were some of the highlights of our trip.

1. Tour the Solar System. Downtown Anchorage offers you a unique opportunity to tour our entire solar system through the Lightspeed Planet Walking Tour.  Find the sun at the corner of 5th and G streets, where a map guides you through town to the various planets in the solar system.  The walking tour is designed to take you from the sun to each planet at a leisurely pace, approximating the speed of light. If you make it to Pluto, the entire trip would take over five hours.  Good thing Pluto is no longer a planet.

2. Visit the Native Heritage Center. The Native Heritage Center is a great place to learn about the history and culture of Alaska's indigenous people.  It boasts a well-curated museum of artifacts and a living-history tour of different styles of dwellings and lodges used by the five cultural groups represented in Alaska.  Kids can roam around and touch whale bones, totems, and tools used by Alaska natives in daily life.  Knowledgeable guides are on-hand to give you a feel for the story-telling traditions and village life.  Open in summer months only.

3. Explore the Anchorage Museum Imaginarium. We loved visiting the Anchorage Museum, particularly the Imaginarium's hands-on exhibits science and technology.  The Imaginarium contains several rooms of hands-on science exhibits for tots to teens to explore and learn.

4. Take a goofy photo at the Captain Cook Statue. Located at the end of 3rd Avenue in downtown Anchorage, Resolution Park boasts a statue of famed explorer Captain James Cook, whose travels took him from England to Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, and points around the globe. Captain Cook met with a tragic end in Hawaii, where he ended up on the wrong end of a pointy spear.  He may or may not have ended up the main course at a luau, along with the poi and poke salad.  At any rate, his voyage to Cook Inslet, near Anchorage, was a much less eventful journey.

5. Take a Glacier Cruise.  Drive about an hour outside Anchorage, and hop on a day cruise of the famous glaciers of Chugach National Park.  We liked the 26 Glaciers Cruise, which included a comfortable, roomy catamaran, lunch, and prime viewing spots for wildlife, glaciers, and gorgeous scenery.  It was an unforgettable tour for the entire family.

If you happen to be in Alaska from August 26-September 6, 2010, be sure to drive to Palmer to check out the Alaska State Fair.  We visited the State Fair in 1996, before our son was born, but it still holds a special place in my heart.  There, you can feast on fair food, hear live concerts, and check out some of the worlds largest vegetables.  Alaska's growing season may be short, but with nearly 24-hour daylight in mid-summer, cabbages can grow to the size of a Volkswagen.  Who among us can resist a ginormous squash?

Chugach National Forest: Ice, Ice, Baby

 On our final day in Alaska, we had the opportunity to take the 26 Glaciers Cruise out of Whittier.  This was a special excursion for the people attending Frank's EIPBN Conference, and there were some special buses chartered for the attendees to drive them down to Whittier.  We opted for the van, so for the second day in a row, we headed down to Whittier from Anchorage.  This time, there was a line of traffic waiting to go through the Whittier Tunnel, so the experience was quite different than being the sole car through the day, as we were on our fishing trip.

It was pouring rain in Whittier, and it didn't look good for our glacier viewing extravaganza. Nonetheless, we boarded the double-decker catamaran Klondike Express with high hopes of seeing some cool glaciers in action on our trip.  Since Frank was in charge of booking the tour, he scored the best seats in the house on the top floor in the front of the boat for our various family members. 

Denali National Park: Where the Wild Things Are

It seemed as though it took days for us to finally arrive at Denali National Park from Anchorage, even though our excursions through Wasilla and Talkeetna only lasted a couple of hours.  It's about a 6 hour drive from Anchorage to Denali, but if you stop to stare at scenic beauty and have snacks in cute towns every few miles, it takes quite a bit longer. 

At any rate, we made it to the Denali Bluffs Hotel by 10:00 pm. Due to the far north setting, the sun was nowhere near setting, so we felt like we were right on time. Or maybe it was 8:00 pm. Or 1:00 am. Who the heck knows in this part of the world.  We met up with Grandma Chris when we arrived, and she instructed us that the bus through the park was leaving at 6 am, so we'd better get to bed.  Her traveling companions, her sister Ruth and brother-in-law Ralph, had already retired for the night.

The next morning or later that night, or whatever, we got up and boarded a converted school bus run by Tundra Wilderness Tours, to take a ride through Denali National Park. We were on the hunt for the Big Five in wildlife in the park:  Moose, Bears, Wolves, Dall Sheep, and Caribou.  By "hunt", I don't mean actually hunting them to kill them, just to take their photos and try not to bother them as much as is humanly possible for a busload of tourists armed with cameras. 

Our bus was half-filled with people staying in our hotel, who were all instructed to sit on the left side of the bus.  We picked up the right half at another hotel down the road.  I think about 75% of the bus were very chipper Australians. We were a little bleary-eyed, but the Australians seemed very excited. It seems like everywhere we have traveled in the world, we've met groups of Australians who are raring to go at any time, any place.