My kind of town, Chicago is

We waited decades for one of our companies to send us to the Windy City for some conference, but it never seemed to work out.  So in May 2010 Mary and I decided to finally spend a long weekend in Chicago on our own dime for my 50th birthday.  No regrets.  Chicago is a must-see for anyone who loves museums or architecture.  Or a walkable big city.  For 3 days we strolled down Michigan Avenue until our feet were throbbing.

We wanted an older hotel so we chose The Allerton Hotel on The Magnificent Mile.  Smallish hotel room, but it suited us fine.

The hotel was perfectly located to see most of the famous Chicago sights.  But our time was limited and we only walked South each day.  Therefore we did not go North and see Wrigley Field or the Lincoln Park Zoo (very unlike me to pass up a zoo) or the Chicago History Museum.

The first day we took an architectural boat tour of the city.  It doesn't matter which tour company you choose.  All of the tours cost the same and they're all 90 minutes long and it is something you have to experience.  The camera cannot really capture the grandiose buildings, but I do have to include this one shot for any Wilco fans who like the cover of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"

That is the Marina City complex, designed in 1959 by Bertrand Goldberg and constructed 1961-1968.

The other days were spent going down to see The Art Institute of Chicago and The Field Museum.  You can click the links if you want to go through the buildings.  I must post one photo since I have always wanted to pose with Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found:

One pleasant surprise along Michigan Avenue was Millennium Park, which has The Bean.  The public sculpture is named Cloud Gate, but everyone calls it The Bean and these shots show why it has become a tourist destination since its dedication in 2006.

We were fortunate that the weather was spectacular on the first weekend in May.  Bad weather would preclude the boat tours on the river, but you could still take public transportation to the museums (and maybe do a dinner cruise out on the lake).  Luckily we had clear blue skies and enjoyed these sights as we walked South with Lake Michigan on our left:

I have not mentioned food in this post because that was the one thing that was not memorable about the Windy City.  Perhaps it was bad luck, but the two fine restaurants where we ate did not impress us.  Chicago hot dogs are still hot dogs (just don't put ketchup on them).  Lastly, we are on Team John Stewart when it comes to NYC Pizza > Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

PIZZA vs. Tomato Soup in a bread bowl indeed!

Yellowstone is best experienced with children

Sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas":
5 ... Boiling ... Springs!
4 Stupid People,
3 Howling Coyotes,
2 Mountain Bears,
and a lone Wolf eating something big!

Those were some of the lyrics the youngsters in our car came up with as we drove around the first National Park in the USA.  Just like old time circuses and Disney's parks, Yellowstone is best experienced with kids.  Nearly 20 years ago we headed out with our children, one of their grandmothers, our best friend and her daughter to see Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park.  All crammed into a rented minivan we picked up in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City is a perfect airport for visiting Yellowstone.  You are only 5 hours away and you have a couple of scenic ways to get to Northern Wyoming.  On the way up we took I-15 North and stopped in Pocatello, Idaho because we wanted to see the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  We returned via smaller roads, driving by Bear Lake and the town of Logan, Utah.

Craters of the Moon is an interesting experience if you want to walk through lava flows without going all the way to Hawai'i or Iceland.  Since we booked our hotel in the town of West Yellowstone it was a decent way to start our nature trip.

Pro Tip: if you live on the East Coast and are traveling to Western National Parks, stay on East Coast time!  That is your superpower.  While the kids weren't very happy about getting tossed into the back of the minivan at 6:30 AM, that allowed us to be one of the first people in the park every morning.  Before 8 AM, on our first day, we believe we saw one of the wolves that had been recently reintroduced into Yellowstone.  The large canine, larger than the coyotes that we saw a few days later, spent over 10 minutes chewing apart something the size of a marmot or a woodchuck.

The only day we slept in and did not get to Park's entrance until 9:30 AM we spent almost an hour in stand-still traffic just inside Yellowstone because of a large Bison jam.  Sure, it's neat to take a picture like this one out of your car window, but not when you don't move an inch in 45 minutes.

The bountiful wildlife in Yellowstone is enough to keep children entertained as they try to be the first one to spy the next bison or elk in the largest national park of the lower 48 states.  The Lamar Valley in Northeastern Yellowstone is the recommended spot for wildlife viewing and we also had great luck driving South to Yellowstone Lake from Canyon Village.  Towards Lake Hospital.  The friendly hospital where our son received quite a few stitches near his eye after he fell while balancing himself on a dead log.

We knew the kids would enjoy seeing the megafauna in the park, including a couple of bears we encountered when driving through the mountain pass.  They also got to see three coyotes howling at each other as they worked their way through a herd of bison.  The children were also delighted by the boiling mudspots and hot springs in the park.  The geysers in the Old Faithful area were OK with them.  But the best eruptions they saw were in the less well known Norris Geyser Basin.

This cannot be stressed enough: Yellowstone is a dangerous place.  It is not Disney World.  When I was not driving I read a macabre book purchased in one of the gift shops: "Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park".  Many of the accident involved boiling yourself in a hot spring or getting too close to a bison.  Which is why we turned around on this particular walkway:

After reading some of the less gruesome stories in the Death book to the kids they began looking for tourist doing stupid things, like a woman taking a sip of the water at the Grand Prismatic Spring or someone standing too close to the edge at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  Yes, Yellowstone is so immense it has it's own Grand Canyon, with a spectacular waterfall.

To this day the kids still talk about this Yellowstone trip.  With us, with their friends, and among themselves.  And it's always the Yellowstone trip.  The not-so-humble Grand Teton National Park never gets mentioned.  I supposed that is because the magnificent scenery cannot compare to all of the wildlife and geothermal activity in the  neighboring park right above it.

Having visited both parks in a small RV a decade before this trip, we can confirm that it is much better to experience the natural beauty of Yellowstone through the eyes of a child (or three).  Besides, only when traveling with kids would a minivan headed to back to Salt Lake City keep singing over and over:

5 ... Boiling ... Springs!
4 Stupid People,
3 Howling Coyotes,
2 Mountain Bears,
and a lone Wolf eating something big!

Banff and the Icefields Parkway: O, Canada!

For an early 10th Wedding Anniversary trip we spent one week in Western Alberta.  Partly to avoid the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, but also because we knew that, as hikers, Banff was a must-do destination.  The unexpected bonus was the majesty of everything we experienced north of Banff: Lake Louise, The Valley of the Ten Peaks, and the Icefields Parkway.

We flew directly from Atlanta to Calgary.  Landing in that Southern part of Alberta reminded us of the 2 years we spent living in Oklahoma City -- everything is mighty flat.  We immediately got into the rental vehicle and headed towards Banff, Canada's first national park, which is 80 miles (129 km) west of Calgary.  The horizon did not stay flat for very long.

Our destination was a bed and breakfast in the city of Banff.  The best thing about this type of lodging is the breakfast part.  It allows one to stick to the "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper" motto and we always snagged a couple of fruits on the way out for our princely lunches.  If you are going to spend most of your time hiking in the Canadian Rockies then there is little point in spending money for luxury accommodations.  If you are flat-lander then exhaustion ensures most of your time in your room will be spent with your eyes closed.

The first hike was to Stanley Glacier, which is in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia.  Great first hike to let us know that (a) we are out-of-shape, (b) we are going to need moleskin for our blisters, and (c) everyone from all over the planet says "Hello" on the trail, not "Hi" like Americans would exclaim.  Actually, it was more like "Hullo!", with a warm friendly smile and often with a toddler on their shoulders.

BTW, this trip was before affordable digital cameras.  All pictures in this post have been scanned from our photo album.  For millennials: albums are an obsolete artifact where people would take physical prints of 35mm film and store them under plastic covers, in binders you would buy at Walgreens or Kmart.  Yes, the same noun "album" as LP's.  Boomers weren't always imaginative.

Scanning old photos sometimes leads to "interesting" results.  Take this shot from Lake Louise:  it looks like we are photoshopped in front of a 2-D background.  An incredible background.  Even if you are not a hiker, it is worth a trip to Western Alberta just to see Lake Louise.  Check it out on the Internet.  One Website that list "Best Things To Do in Banff" only has Hiking as #7.

So this hiking mecca has an abundance of other things to see and do.  Imagine boating in The Valley of the Ten Peaks with this backdrop:

The day after admiring that scenery we went on the longest hike of our vacation.  We returned to Lake Louise and started our hike through Larch Valley, with constant views of the Valley of Ten Peaks, and Eiffel Lake as our final destination.  Only two photos below and one recommendation: just do it.  Preferably when you're young and strong.

The following day we headed north on the Icefields Parkway towards the town of Jasper.  The drive was one constant "Wow!" The Icefields Parkway is one of the most scenic highways on our planet and we cannot praise it enough to anyone who loves glaciers. Below are a couple of pictures from the many stops off the Parkway: Crow's Foot Glacier and Peyto Lake.  We are left with only 2 of 3 talons on Crow's Foot, the 3rd one broke off a long time ago.  The photo of Peyto Lake did not capture the deep blue color of the water, but it is a strong light blue like the sky in the photos above (caused by the glacial runoff known as moraine).

Not the longest hike we attempted, but the highest elevation change, was our trek up to Parkers Ridge.  This allowed us to gawk at the Columbia Icefield, the largest in the Rocky Mountains, behind us. 

However, you don't need to huff-and-puff and climb to get close to a glacier in these parts.  Here is a shot of Mary with our car only a short distance away in a parking lot off the Parkway.

The Icefields Parkway ends at Jasper, but shortly before that town is a fabulous hike in the Edith Cavell Meadows in Jasper National Park that afford this view of Angel Glacier: 

I know these are 1996 photos, scanned from behind the plastic in an old photo album, but by now you have to appreciate the beauty and splendor that is the Canadian Rockies.  We leave you with the most amazing hike of our trip, Wilcox Pass.  Off the Icefields Parkway.  360 degree views of North American splendor.  O, Canada!

Hiking in Western North Carolina, featuring Chimney Rock

Hiking in the Southern part of the Appalachians has always been one of my favorite pastimes.  We will trek up and down the wooded hills of North Georgia and Western North Carolina until our knees give out.  These hikes do not feature the majesty found in the Western National Parks.  No glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs, slot canyons, or crater lakes.  No mega-fauna either, but it's nice to know the most you have to fear in these Eastern woods is a black bear or a wild pig.

The Southern Appalachians just feel more ... peaceful.  There's something about this picture, which could be anywhere within 250 miles of the Smokies, that says tranquility.

That's all it takes: a barely audible creek or an interesting rock formation is enough to get us to lace up our boots, grab the backpack and water bottles, and head out into the forest.

Mind you, there are plenty of interesting sights in the North Carolina mountains.  Check out these two shots from Craggy Gardens, which is 5,500 feet up, off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The  haunting wind-blown vegetation looks straight out of the old Magic Kingdom's "Snow White Adventures" ride (and underrated C-ticket, but I digress).

Our hiking pastime is even better when you know you are one of the first people to enjoy a new trail.  While driving to Asheville, NC from Lake Lure in 2014 we noticed the opening of a new hiking option, the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Trailhead.  If you want a little bit of everything (cabin ruins, rock formations, views of the gorge, small waterfalls) with some moderate elevation, then we recommend this trail off Alt-74 near Gerton, NC.  Avoid a similarly-named trail near Black Mountain, NC that has *no* parking.

Also opening in 2014 was the Buffalo Creek Park trail, next to the Rumbling Bald resort in Lake Lure (I know, I know, it should be Bison Creek).  Good moderate-to-strenuous hike without many views if the trees have leaves.  We have done this 3 mile hike in August with only one small bottle of water and arrived at the car drenched and grumpy.  You know those Snickers commercials about not being oneself when hungry (hangry?).  Well, you're also not yourself when you're dehydrated.  Don't be that hiker.  We recently did the trail again in mid-October, with plenty of water, and it was much more enjoyable.  Word of warning: the trail is shared between hikers and mountain-bikers, FSM bless them.  Make sure you go the proper way on your day.  Oh, and some of parts of the "trail" look more like a motorbike track, as shown:

Our favorite place to hike in Western North Carolina has become Chimney Rock State Park.  Yes, it's a busy and popular destination.  Yes, it costs money to get in (which is why we have an Annual Pass).  But you can't beat Chimney Rock for spectacular views of the Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure.  Here's the view of the rock from street-level (actually from the Hickory Nut Brewery).

You have to drive up the hillside to get into the Park, and with only one or two rangers handling admissions you could be stuck waiting in your car for a while if you arrive significantly after 9 AM.  There are two parking areas and the small upper area fills up quickly.  Get the hint you should visit early in the day?  From the upper parking area you can take a fairly level 25 minute hike to their 400 foot waterfall.

However, the star of the park is the namesake rock, and in order to fully experience it you must climb nearly 500 stairs to the top.  If you don't feel up to that "Stairmaster from Hades" experience, you can go only a third of the way to Vista Rock, which still has impressive views.  There are more than 500 stairs since you can go up to Chimney Rock one of two ways: go by Vista Rock (recommended) or decide you want to go by the Grotto and the Subway, for a more "natural" experience for a small part of the journey.  Very small.  Very dusty.  Very cramped.  This cramped:

Both routes eventually connect and offer you a chance to take a small side quest to Pulpit Rock.  This photo is taken from there:  

If you keep climbing you will eventually reach your goal (but still nowhere near the top of the valley).  Don't let the desolate photo fool you, usually there are dozens of folks enjoying the view from Chimney Rock.

We're going to keep climbing higher.  Another 350+ more steps to Exclamation point so we can look down on Chimney Rock.

Nice view, eh?  From here we could continue for another mile on the newly-opened Skyline trail, which takes one to the top of the waterfall shown earlier.  But I was getting tired so I'll leave the Skyline trail for another day.  Maybe when they fix the elevator in the park that allows folks to skip the stairs.  Since I don't want the park rangers to carry me out in one of these:

2017-10-14 update:  Yikes!  We jinxed Chimney Rock!  On their site they are now stating 

Park Closed Until Further Notice Due to Collapsed Retaining Wall

2018-07-01 update:  The Parking lot had been fixed and you could drive up as late as May 2018.  But heavy rains ruined the lot again and now, even though the Park *is* open, everyone must take the shuttle bus up to where you can begin hiking.  The good news is THE elevator to Chimney Rock is working again.  That can you save you about 500 steps.  We cheated and used it so we could then hike the 1.5 mile Skyline Trail.  Here is the payoff at the end -- the top of the Chimney Rock waterfall: