Now that you got a camper, You gotta see this!

[cpaharley2008]

I'm glad some members can get out in their Escapes.........enjoying the pictures, I remain house bound. We had hopes to doing the Grand Circle in Utah, maybe next year.

[UncleTim]

It's worth noting that almost everyone wore masks on the trails and practiced adequate social distancing. Not so much in their own camps.

Covid is with us here but enough sensibilities are showing up in every day life now that we were able to do this without any close contact.

We tried to be on our best behavior and it seems so did everyone else.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Ross, Yes, full: (caveat) we found out that all the on-line reservable ones are taken, but there are firstcome-firstserve sites that turn up each day. We stayed the first night at Lone Pine CG at the edge of the valley floor, but it was 105° in Lone Pine during the day, and 98° at our campsite at 7:00 pm. Turns out the camp host is an old friend of my fishing buddy, and next morning he told us that we might find some sites up the mt. We were able to leave the trailers in place, and then drive up the mountain to Whitney Portal, just in time to see the rangers updating the site reserved signs.

Good report; is the camp host you mention Don? If so he has been there for several seasons now and is great.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Good report; is the camp host you mention Don? If so he has been there for several seasons now and is great.

Yup, it's Don. He is great! Turns out that my fishing buddy had a fuel pump failure years ago on his ancient Chevy Blazer (which is his current tow vehicle), and Don was the one who came to his aid, somewhere off the beaten path in that area. They talked about the gyrations they went through to solve the problem and get the Chevy running again.

[UncleTim]

At the beginning of August I was able to take Zen out for a four day reconnaissance trip. My goal was to photograph the Snowy Range and the stunning lake district at the base of this sub range.

The Snowys are located 30 minutes West of Laramie, WY. on hwy 130. This is a sub range of the Medicine Bow mountains which extends down to Cameron pass in Colorado. You can drive thru this sub range in 30 minutes. It is very small.

What is lacks in size, it more than makes up in beauty. I would rate the beauty of this range as a 10/10. I know of only a few other places I feel this way about and they are mostly national parks.

There are only three campgrounds, one four wheel drive road and a small dispersed area for camping. That is where I camped. I think it is the best choice for distancing. I did not get close to anyone the whole time I was there, for more than a minute or two. Sugarloaf campground is the highest N.F. campground in the state. I did not really like the official camps. There are other campgrounds locate a short distance away too.

I suggest going for the day hiking alone. You can walk to a handful of lakes in an afternoon, each one prettier than the last one. The mountain faces are sheer quartzite and highly prized as ornamental landscape rock. The area was chiseled by glaciers and many polished surfaces are observed.

Fishing looks to be very good. I did not try it.

The Snowy's are high! Medicine Bow Peak comes in at 12,014 feet high. My camp was above 10,300 feet and these lake shots are above that. Much of the hiking borders on tundra which is delicate. The road does not open until July. Campgrounds opened this year on July 14th. This is a highly unusual and sensitive area.

Would I go there just for the area? Well I did. But it is probably more useful as a nice staging area for going deeper into the mountains, or coming out.

The area is full of history and the options for travel are diverse and wonderful. Red Feathers and Poudre canyon are close, not to mention the Rawah Wilderness and the Park range. Just South of Camaron pass three mountain ranges collide in R.M.N.P..

Highly suggested, watch out for crowds.

[Vermilye]

While I love the Southwest, here are a couple of places worth visiting in the East.

My favorite state park - Ricketts Glen in PA

The Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park, WV.

[UncleTim]

Beautiful!

[sherminator]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

The Snowy's are high! Medicine Bow Peak comes in at 12,014 feet high. My camp was above 10,300 feet and these lake shots are above that. Much of the hiking borders on tundra which is delicate. The road does not open until July. Campgrounds opened this year on July 14th. This is a highly unusual and sensitive area.

Beautiful pictures! I love seeing pictures of the Rockies. The granite immediately catches my eye because of how different it looks from the basalt of my native Cascade mountains. And the heights! The highest road in Oregon stops just short of 10,000ft, and you have to go looking to find many above 5,000ft. Timberline in the Cascades is around 6,000ft, and snow also often blocks our higher areas until mid-summer.

I am looking forward to being able to take longer trips in a couple of years so I can go and spend some time in the many beautiful areas outside the PNW.

[MyronL]

Great pictures Uncle Tim ( must get to the Snowies) and Jan. I am so ready to hit the dusty trail again...even if it's winter.

[jadams]

I really enjoyed this thread and everyone's stunning photography! Nice to see all the trailers also. Thank you.

[nepaweb]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

While I love the Southwest, here are a couple of places worth visiting in the East.

My favorite state park - Ricketts Glen in PA

Ricketts Glen is my favorite state park as well. Been visiting there for well over 50 years.
I'm impressed that someone so well traveled as you would still consider it your favorite.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

The Snowys are located 30 minutes West of Laramie, WY. on hwy 130. This is a sub range of the Medicine Bow mountains which extends down to Cameron pass in Colorado. You can drive thru this sub range in 30 minutes. It is very small.

What is lacks in size, it more than makes up in beauty. I would rate the beauty of this range as a 10/10. I know of only a few other places I feel this way about and they are mostly national parks.

Thanks for suffering and 'taking the hit' so we all could see the place. Looks like it was an awful ordeal for you to be there. What a lovely area!

[UncleTim]

The things I do for others.

[UncleTim]

Alright, let’s do another one. This time we are going to do a travel route. From time to time there have been discussions on Midwestern states for destination travel. I want to make a serious case for Michigan. Michigan is in my top five states! Having four of the Great Lakes in your state puts you in pretty rare company. This trip could easily become part of a much larger trip that could extend hundreds of miles and around Lake Superior and Thunder Bay. All of it, sensational. This could easily be the big trip of the year.

My very favorite is the West coast of Michigan, located on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. That is hard to say. Anything from Traverse Bay down to South Haven is my favorite. Stunning in every sense! The beach towns are small, friendly and clean. They are everywhere too!

Here is a portion of a route that offers first class scenery, lots of peace and quiet, small hamlets and wilderness that will knock your socks off in a way only Michigan can.

You can start either of two ways. Canadians are way too smart to come here now.

1. Come in from Wisconsin. This is a great way as Wisconsin is VERY similar to Michigan.
2. Come up from Indiana or Ohio. I used to live on the border with Indiana in a little town called Mishawaka.
Coming up from Indiana / Chicago, make your way up to Mackinaw Bridge at the very tip of the Lower Peninsula. We usually take a week to do this and stay on the shoreline of Lake Michigan (eating and drinking up the coast). There are lots of parks and campgrounds and we are actually going to do this next Summer. I hope!

Cross Mackinaw Bridge and enter another world. The bridge is about four miles long and a long way above the lakes. You can see sunrise and sunset here. There is so much to see and everywhere the fishing and boating is off the charts great!

1. First stop is Kitch-iti-kipi Springs in Palms Brook State Park. The springs come right out of the ground pumped up from Lake Michigan and Superior thru pure, clean sand and gravels. They come up here as giant springs between great lakes.
You cannot fish for these trout, however you can closer to the lake. The Great Lakes are full of big fish. Some of the trout in these pictures are over three feet long. And the trout and salmon all come up the rivers to spawn. It is common to see 36” trout clear the water at dams as they wait to go upstream. I have seen some of the rivers like the Little Manastee with salmon runs that were bank to bank full. The local saying is that you can “walk across their backs”. Michigan has fish! Big Salmon!

Keep in mind this is just a simple spring. It is an amazing one, but you would not drive here from very far away to see this. However if you were going to Pictured Rocks, this is a delightful stop. I love every minute in the Upper Peninsula. Always.

So you watch some big fish and you get back in your rig and go deep into the wilds! Really deep! The next destination is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. As the bird flies, it is about 63 miles. Pencil in a few hours for driving time. The roads are mostly flat and heavily forested. Pines and White Birch. Lots of diversity. Michigan is in the great northern hardwood forests. They go right thru this area with oak, maple, beech, hickory, and understory trees like red bud and dogwoods. Fall colors are some of the best in the country.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park is very deep in the pine forest and you can smell the pines every step of the way. You are very close to Canada here and this is very special, very deep. The Tahquamenon River flows thru the state park on its way to Tahquamenon Bay in Lake Superior. Tahquamenon Bay is just off of Whitefish Point and Whitefish Bay of the famed Edmond Fitzgerald. There is deep tradition present in this area. All of the Great Lakes are incredible to explore.

On it’s way to Lake Superior, the river drops suddenly a few times to create wonderful, river wide falls, Tahquamenon Falls. The fishing regulations are all for Northern Pike and Muskies. These are among the biggest of the freshwater predators and they are here in big numbers.

Here is one shot of the falls. The water is tea stained from all the tannins in the pine forest. This is a very clean and shady place. And there are a multitude of camping opportunities. The hiking is very nice long the river trails. The crowds are somewhere else. There are not here!

The camping should be quiet with lots of natural features everywhere you look. The state park has a campground. There are trails, ponds, lakes, rivers and small quaint towns that are fun to explore. Some are along the big lakes, which are special. These forests dominate the experience, so do the lakes. This place is way off the beaten path.

Okay, now on to the Big Show. Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. This area is world class and worth the trip all by itself. It is on the shorelines of Lake Superior and absolutely spectacular. The best way to see the formations is to take a boat ride out of Munising. It’s a full day affair. I love that little town and they serve up great whitefish at the bar!

We hiked in from the trailheads in the park. We drove up after lunch in Munising. Great beer! Michigan is a beer drinkers state. They got small breweries everywhere.

The hike was about 9 miles, round trip and the beaches are the undiscovered treasure. The rock formations are the main show, but the beaches are so good, you will think you found a giant secret. You did. Michigan rocks. This is Mosquito Beach. My wife spent hours along the beach looking for rocks. She has a huge collection.

This is just a little taste of what is in this area. The whole place is out of this world. And above Marquette (which I adore) is a whole new area called Copper Harbor and a story in itself. Michigan has more coastline than the rest of the country combined. Much of it is sand, forests, rocky shores and solitude! The waters are a pure blue!

And we haven’t even talked about the Lower Peninsula or Mackinac Island (a dreamy trip). A veritable playground! I urge you to consider Michigan, the great lakes are pure magic and Michigan is in the heart of it. I hope you like fudge, cause all the little towns make it! Perch and whitefish dinners are available all along the coast. Michigan is in the breadbasket and the fruit and corn are exceptional. This wonderful sense is not limited to Michigan either. It extends all the way past Bruce Peninsula in Ontario Canada to Duluth Minnesota and Thunder Bay Canada. Pick a place and go. Just remember the state bird is the mosquito!


p.s. Do these girls look like they know how to have fun?

[Hancock]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

There are tons of icons among the West and other parts of North America, I want to share some of my favorites and hopefully inspire others to share their favorite places.


I will lead with Oxbow Bend In Grand Teton N.P., just off Moran Junction. It hits your right in the face when you round the bend.

Do not miss this one!

Plenty of camping near by with or without hook ups

We once lived in Jackson, WY, and spent many days and nights in Yellowstone and the Tetons. Best skiing in the US. It got a bit crazy in the summer with all of the tourists, but we still loved it. Worst thing I ever did was move away. We still go back to visit when we can.

[Mike G]

Michigan really isn’t as great as you make it sound. It’s actually rather drab and boring. You see, I like to go there nearly every summer, and if you keep telling people how fabulous Michigan is, it’s just going to get crowded, and I want it all to myself. So take it from me, Michigan is not the place to go.

Whatever you do, don’t tell them about dune buggy rides at Silver Lake SP, or enjoying an island with no motor vehicles (Mackinaw), or the Tunnel of Trees drive that ends at Cross Village where there’s a picturesque Polish restaurant, Legs Inn. Try not to mention the Henry Ford Museum or Greenfield Village. Avoid any talk of the numerous rivers where canoe and tube rentals cater to those who want to meander down the river for 2 or more hours. Or the tremendous number of cool lighthouses along the shores. Really, just try not to say that M word!

[UncleTim]

Right Right! I get it.

If I hear that "Picturesque Polish Restaurant" one more time, I'm going to order the double perch dinner, not just the sandwich!


Honestly! The place is great! Really!

[Iowa Dave]

I like the state of Michigan. I Have vacationed in Michigan numerous times since 1978. They have a great state. The only thing they don’t have is a football team that can beat those Nuts to the South..
Iowa ( three members of our family graduated from Ohio State) Dave
Go Buckeyes

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I like the state of Michigan. I Have vacationed in Michigan numerous times since 1978. They have a great state. The only thing they don’t have is a football team that can beat those Nuts to the South..
Iowa ( three members of our family graduated from Ohio State) Dave
Go Buckeyes

Exactly how many middle names did your Mother bless you with?


Go Purdue!

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Tim
Well my continued study of my ancestry via my brother in Fort Collins continues to expand our history. I truly have but one middle name but literary license prevails.

Growing up 25 miles from the University of Iowa. As kids, we learned all the chants. Notably “P.U Purdue”. I’m not that much into sports but have been to about half of the big ten stadiums for games.

I was proud of my Alma Mater, Iowa State last night when they beat Oklahoma. After losing at home to them for the last 60 year, 24 straight times it felt like a nice rain at the end of a drought.
Iowa Dave