Battles, Bison and No Horizon

(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 15)

Our continuing wanderings brought us to eastern Montana. We walked along rolling, grass covered hills, and scanned nearby tree-lined valleys and a mountain range to the south. This was where one of the most famous battles in American history took place on June 25-26, 1876 – the Battle of Greasy Grass.

Gravestones in Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Greasy Grass

Greasy Grass is the Lakota name for the area along the Little Bighorn River where tall, dew-soaked grass grows in the river valleys. The grass leaves a slick, greasy-looking sheen on moccasins and horse bellies as people move through it.

Most people know the battle as the Battle of the Little Bighorn or Custer’s Last Stand. Native Americans remember the battle as a moment of unity and resistance against U.S. encroachment. It was a decisive victory for the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho over the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer.

Memorial marking the location of Custer’s Last Stand

We were at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument for the 150^th anniversary of the battle. A tall marble obelisk marks the hill where the last stand took place. Many of the 258 US soldiers killed in the battle were reinterred to a single grave nearby, while officer remains were moved to various cemeteries throughout the country. Custer is buried at West Point.

Individual grave markers are located throughout the monument

A bus took us along ridges where various parts of the battle were fought. White grave markers solemnly mark where soldiers were believed to have been killed. There are also a number of red granite markers where Native American warriors fell.

The “Peace Through Unity” memorial is a short distance from the battlefield obelisk. The memorial has the names of the Native Americans who died at the site, as well as native accounts of the battle. A symbolic “spirit gate” window faces the battlefield monument, welcoming the dead cavalrymen into the memorial.

Battle reenactors were camped in the valley along the Little Bighorn River

In a nearby valley there were dozens of teepees and other structures along the banks of the Little Bighorn River. Local Native Americans were staging a reenactment of the battle as hundreds of spectators watched from a grandstand.

Nogo Loco

In 2025 we passed mile after mile of empty railroad boxcars parked on rail sidings in remote southwest Texas near Big Bend NP. Use of containerized cargo trailers has lessened the demand for boxcars.

Hundreds of locomotives were parked along the highway

Outside of Gilette, WY we came upon a similar sight. We counted 237 BNSF railroad locomotives lining the tracks along the highway, extending for as far as we could see. The locomotives sit idle in the Donkey Creek Yard due to the declining demand for coal.

Black Hills Bound

Later that day we approached tall hills rising from the mostly flat Wyoming grasslands. These were the Black Hills that straddle the border between Wyoming and South Dakota.

This Park Rivals Yellowstone

We spent the next three days at Custer State Park, a South Dakota state park with wildlife that many feel rivals the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.

This antelope was walking alone on the road

On the park’s 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road we saw wild donkeys, antelope, prairie dogs and several sizeable groups of free-roaming bison. The herd ranges from 1300-1500 bison before management.

Custer State Park has several large prairie dog towns

We stopped for more than a half hour watching dozens of grazing bison. There were also lots of red dogs (calves)

The state park hosts an annual Buffalo Roundup in September, where the herd is reduced (sold) to around 975 bison to prevent overgrazing. The roundup combines wildlife management with a spectacular display of Western heritage, drawing thousands of spectators.

The chart above shows how bison are selected to be sold

#2 and #3

We visited two interesting caves in the Black Hills.

An elevator took us into Jewel Cave, named for the calcite crystals that cover many of its walls. The cave became a national monument in 1908, becoming the first national monument established for the protection and preservation of a cave.

Our ranger guide pointed out interesting formations during the Jewel Cave tour

Jewel Cave gets its name from abundant calcite crystals decorating the walls

Currently the second longest cave in the US, Jewel Cave has more than 220 miles of mapped passageways as of July 2025.

Lighted paths guided us through Wind Cave

The next day we explored Wind Cave, which became the sixth national park in the US in 1906. It has the distinction of being the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world.

Boxwork formations on the ceiling of Wind Cave

Wind Cave has unusual ceiling formations known as boxwork (above). Approximately 95 percent of the world’s discovered boxwork formations are found in Wind Cave.

The cave is one of the best known examples of a breathing cave. Air rushes in or out of a small cave entrance (about the diameter of a park ranger hat) depending if air pressure outside is higher or lower than the cave.

Air enters and exits Wind Cave via the small passage above. Flowing air can be felt during weather changes

Wind Cave plays an important role in the traditions and culture of the Lakota people. They consider the cave to be sacred as the site is where the Lakota first emerged from the underworld after the earth was created.

The cave is 168 miles long (as of 2025). It’s the third longest cave in the US – behind Jewel and Mammoth Caves. Although the two caves are just a few miles apart, a connection between them has not been discovered.

Next Week

We wrap up our 2026 Wild West Wander series with visits to faces carved in stone and a special birthday celebration.

Yellowstone – An Amazing Idea!

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(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 14)

Here at the junction of the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers on September 19, 1870, members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition gathered around a campfire the last evening of their historic exploration of the Yellowstone country and discussed the astounding natural wonders they had seen. There emerged an idea, expressed by Cornelius Hedges, that there should be no private ownership of these wonders but that the area should be preserved for public enjoyment. Others shared these views and on March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Act establishing Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park. In the century since, 1200 national parks and equivalent preserves have been established by more than 90 nations. (from a plaque in Yellowstone National Park)

Our wild west wandering continued.

We left Idaho with its nasty goatheads and headed toward Yellowstone National Park. Although Yellowstone was not in our original travel plans, several last-minute campground cancellations and our flexible truck camper allowed us to spend several days in America’s first national park.

2.4 Million Bricks

The unusual column on the horizon was used for copper smelting

Pat spotted a very unusual tall column jutting up in front of mountains west of Billings, Montana. The column was a 585-foot smokestack used by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company from 1919 – 1980. Nearly as tall one-and-one-half SpaceX Starships and taller than the Washington Monument, the stack contains more than 2.4 million bricks.

A closeup of the 585-foot brick smokestack

Standing in an ore bucket used for copper smelting near the Anaconda smokestack

Summer in Yellowstone = Crowds

That night, we camped just outside Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone. When we entered the park at 7 the next morning, there was a quarter mile line of cars and RVs waiting at the entrance gate. We learned an important lesson that we would relearn numerous times over the next three days – Yellowstone is unbelievably crowded during the summer months.

This was our sixth visit to Yellowstone. We never tire of the park’s mountains, valleys, rivers, geysers and thermal areas. Add to that abundant wildlife – bison, grizzly and black bears, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves and more. It is easy to understand why the park is a major bucket list destination for Americans and international travelers alike.

Whimsical map of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is huge – 63 miles north to south and 54 miles east to west. At 2.2 million acres, it’s larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. We knew we couldn’t see everything in three days, so we decided to visit several parts of the park that we were less familiar with along with some of the favorite places we’ve visited before.

Day 1 – Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs

Trails and boardwalks lead to dozens of hot springs, fumaroles and geysers in the Norris Geyser Basin

Hot springs and outflows are colored by bacteria

These colorful mineral hot springs are part of the Porcelain Basin area in Norris

Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest active geyser, reaching 300 feet!
Eruptions are unpredictable and infrequent – the last major eruption was on February 27, 2026.

In the northwest corner of Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs is a large area of travertine terraces that are continually changing

We hiked a short trail for another view of Mammoth Hot Springs

Day 2 – Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Fairy Falls

Hundreds of people gather for Old Faithful’s eruption (approximately) every hour

A short hike leads to an elevated view of the spring; the trail and viewpoint was crowded

Our first hike to Fairy Falls didn’t disappoint

Trees along the Fairy Falls Trail have regrown since the devastating Yellowstone fires in 1988; it is hard to pass through some areas of dense regrowth

Day 3 – Mud Geyser, Hayden Valley, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone Falls

Several bison were lounging around the thermal lakes in the Mud Volcano area

The Dragon’s Mouth Spring roared as it belched sulfurous clouds of steam

Iconic view of Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point – the viewing area was VERY crowded

We hiked down 600 feet to the brink of the 308-foot Lower Yellowstone Falls

Big horn sheep and eagles are often seen along this portion of the Yellowstone River

On our last morning, we drove through the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone. The bison must have been having a convention – from the highway we saw several herds, each with dozens of the majestic animals.

Bison dot the landscape in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley

Goats and a Grizzly

View of the Beartooth Highway as it zig-zags to the valley far below

We drove the Beartooth Highway on June 24 – most of the snow at the pass was gone

Snow almost covers the same sign when we drove in Beartooth Highway on June 3, 2018

That afternoon we descended the scenic Beartooth Highway toward Red Lodge, Montana, and came upon a large herd of mountain goats crossing the highway. Traffic stopped and drivers got out of their vehicles to watch the scruffy critters pass.

Stopping to see a goat herd cross the Beartooth Highway

We camped near Red Lodge at a National Forest campground and during breakfast the next morning, we were surprised when a grizzly bear walked directly behind our camper in search of its morning meal. It was good to be safely inside Pap and not part of the bear’s repast.

This grizzly bear passed by our campsite in search of breakfast

Next Week

Visits to Montana’s Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument for the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of the Greasy Grass and the Black Mountains in South Dakota.

Tales of the Goatheads

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(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 13)

Goatheads are big.

They’re spiky and hard.

They’re like sandspurs on steroids and easily puncture bike tires

Goatheads are an invasive species also known as puncturevine; Boise hosts an annual Goathead Fest that has quirky costumes and community goathead removal events

Before sharing the unfortunate ‘Tale of the Goatheads’, here is a quick travel update.

Missoula’s Endless Wave

We camped behind a business in downtown Missoula, MT, and the next morning we stopped at a city park on the Clark Fork River. The river bisects the small city, with the University of Montana (home of the Grizzlies) across the river from downtown. What caught our attention was on the river itself.

The swift-flowing river crosses a series of turbulent shoals, one of which swirls to create an endless wave three-to-five feet tall. From the park’s viewing area, we watched wetsuit clad surfers hastily paddle to the center of the river, stand and ride the wave. After dipping back and forth several minutes, each surfer floated downstream to give the next surfer a chance. Surfer friends (you know who you are), take note of this next time you are in Montana!

Lake Coeur d’Alene stretches nearly 25 miles north-to-south and is one to three miles wide

Hiking and Biking Coeur d’Alene

We drove westward through the Bitterroot Mountains and arrived at Coeur d’Alene, ID.

CDA, as it is called by locals, is a beautiful tourist town on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

An inviting park on the lake’s edge in CDA was crowded during our weekday visit. Nearby, we followed an interesting scenic walk around a large marina with an elevated pedestrian walkway over the entrance/exit to the marina. Adjacent to the park and marina, we hiked in Tubbs Hill Park, with its challenging trails around and to the top of the 400-foot hill. The view of the lake and distant hills from the top was beautiful.

A wood hull boat makes it way under the walkway at the Lake Coeur d’Alene marina

Spokane – Gateway to the Pacific Northwest

The Spokane River exits the lake and flows westward to (you guessed it) Spokane, WA. Spokane is the second largest city in the state, with more than a half million people living in the Spokane metro area – it was the largest city we visited in more than a month.

Falls on the Spokane River, with the US Pavilion, a concert venue built for Expo ’74, in the background

There are several scenic waterfalls on the river near downtown Spokane. We were surprised to learn that Spokane hosted the World’s Fair in 1974. There are several structures, fountains, outdoor artwork and even a garbage eating metal goat that are reminders of the fair.

Pat is dwarfed by an oversized Radio Flyer wagon

Pat feeds the garbage goat, a metal sculpture that ‘eats’ garbage through an internal vacuum

We visited Spokane’s Manito Park, a free botanical garden, and enjoyed the remarkable rose garden, Japanese garden, expansive Victorian garden, colorful perennial garden and several greenhouses.

Beautiful roses at Manito Park. Spokane’s Botanical Garden

The formal Victorian Garden will be beautiful when flowers are in full bloom later in the summer

Bike Trails and Sore…

About an hour south of CDA we bicycled a portion of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, a rail trail that follows the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Pausing to enjoy the view from the top of the bridge

We rode eight, mostly flat miles to Harrison for lunch and as we returned, we discovered that parts of our anatomy were rather sore from the long ride.

We were pretty sore by the end of the 16-mile ride

The lakeside ride was to prepare us for an epic rail-trial ride planned for the next day when we left CDA for Montana.

Trail of the Hiawatha

Completed in 1909, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific Railroad (aka Milwaukee Road) expanded westward through the rugged Bitterroot Mountains between Montana and Idaho. The Milwaukee Road offered intercontinental freight and passenger service, including the Olympian Hiawatha, a high-speed passenger train.

After much of the rail line was abandoned by 1980, portions were subsequentially converted to a rail trail, and in 1998, the 15-mile mostly downhill ‘Trail of the Hiawatha’ was opened.

Getting ready to ride through the 1.6-mile St. Paul Pass Tunnel on the Trail of the Hiawatha

The bike trail includes ten tunnels, including the 1.6-mile St Paul Pass Tunnel, and seven sky-high wooden trestles. At the end of the trail, a shuttle returns riders to the tunnel which they ride through to return to the start of the trail.

The Trail of Hiawatha is very popular – lots of riders stopped at one of the Bitterroot Mountain overlooks after the long tunnel

A LONG Tunnel and Amazing Vistas

As Pat and I started on the trail, we rode through the St Paul Pass Tunnel. Handlebar-mounted lights guided us through the very dark, cold and wet tunnel. In the middle of the 20-minute tunnel ride, we crossed the state line between Montana and Idaho. We also crossed from the Mountain to the Pacific time zones.

One of the trestles we would eventually cross is far below

We emerged from the tunnel to expansive views of the Bitterroot Mountains. Ahead were several long trestles we would eventually cross during our downhill journey.

Tale of the Goathead

After 10 miles or so, the Trail of the Hiawatha became the Tale of the Goathead.

My rear tire started losing air and eventually went flat. I tried to reinflate the tire but it quickly deflated. My tire was the victim of a goathead!

We weren’t sure of the time and feared we might miss the shuttle at the end of the trail, so Pat rode ahead to get help. I walked my bike along as quickly as possible.

Pat learned a truck would sweep the trail to pick up riders with bike problems. After walking nearly five miles, the rescue truck finally picked me up – just a quarter mile from the end!

We were shuttled back to the long tunnel, and after my tire was repaired, we rode back through the dark, cold and wet tunnel to the start of our journey.

In 2018, as we returned from Alaska, we BOTH suffered goathead-inflicted flats while riding a trail near Boise. We had to walk several miles back to the campground.

We eventually replaced our tires with knobby new tires, but they didn’t protect me eight years later.

Should we visit Idaho in the future, we’ll hike, not bike – to avoid a third Tale of the Goatheads!

Next Week

There are few RabbiTRAILS better than the mountains, rivers, thermal features and wildlife in Yellowstone.

Jagged Peaks – Like a Saw

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(2025 Wild West Wander Ep 12)

We left the painted hills and Chinese merchants in eastern Oregon, and continued on to Idaho. Although they grow a lot of potatoes in the Gem State, we didn’t see any as we drove across southwestern Idaho. We did see LOTS of onion fields, however.

We passed through one small town that had the distinctive odor of onion rings!

We turned north on Idaho route 21 after passing by Boise, Idaho’s capital, and endured more than 100 miles of twisting mountain roads before arriving at our destination – the Sawtooth Mountains. Midway, we camped at tiny Bad Bear Campground in the Boise National Forest and were happy we didn’t see any bears, good or bad.

Just Like a Saw

Our first view of the snow-covered Sawtooth Mountains didn’t disappoint. Rising more than 4000 feet above the surrounding valleys, it’s obvious how the range got its name. The peaks have multiple short, jagged edges, just like a saw. The tallest is 10,571-foot Thompson Peak (no relation to us) and there are 56 other peaks in the range higher than 10,000 feet.

Another view of the rugged Sawtooth Mountain Range

We camped near Stanley, a small town at the base of the range. Perhaps waking from a long winter season, the town was not very busy during our early June visit. Many businesses and services had just opened or were getting ready to open. We were told summer travelers would arrive in another week or two, and then things would be crazy busy.

Stanley holds several records for being the coldest place in Idaho and in the United States (between 1996-2015, Stanley led the nation recording the nation’s lowest temperature 522 times). The temps dipped to near freezing each night of our visit and we had to run our small heater to keep toasty warm. Days were mostly pleasant thankfully.

We didn’t see marmots at Yellow Belly Lake

At the base of the range, we hiked several trails that took us along the shoreline of crystal clear and cold alpine lakes. We ate sandwiches along the shore of Yellow Belly Lake, warily eyeing approaching rain clouds. The lake isn’t named for someone lacking courage or a sapsucker-type bird – it is named for yellow-bellied marmots found nearby.

Salmon > Snake > Columbia > Pacific

We followed the Salmon River near Stanley

The Salmon River flows from the base of the Sawtooth Range until it joins the Snake River 425 miles downstream. It’s the longest undammed river in the contiguous U.S. and popular for exciting rafting and floating, fishing and wildlife viewing. We were amazed that a small number of chinook and sockeye salmon return 1000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the river’s headwaters near Stanley to lay their eggs in the sandy shallows.

This fish weir is used to count salmon and other fish near the headwaters of the Salmon River

Hot Springs and Gold Fever

Bathers (not us) enjoy hot springs that flow downhill into pools along the Salmon River

Leaving Stanley, our route followed the river through deep canyons, past several hot springs and small towns before reaching Salmon.

The Yankee Fork Dredge left miles of tailings (discarded rocks and soil) as it recovered gold from the creek bed

We stopped to tour the massive, well-preserved Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, a self-powered dredge that operated from 1940-1952. The 112-foot-long machine, complete with 71 buckets, several booms, various pulleys and cables, large generators and rock tumblers, chewed up 5 1/2 miles of the Yankee Branch of the Salmon, recovering over $1.2 million of gold during its operation. We were reminded of similar (but much larger) gold dredges in Chicken, Alaska and Dawson City, Yukon.

No Return Wilderness?

A truck hauls rafts as rafters continue down the Salmon River

North of Salmon, the river turns west through the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the second deepest canyon in the United States with sections more than a mile deep. We camped next to the river and drove the 29-mile dirt road to the launching point for whitewater rafting trips into the wilderness portion of the river. Trucks hauling raft trailers and vans carrying rafters raised clouds of dust as they passed us. In the quieter areas we saw deer, bald eagles and a few bighorn sheep.

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is popular for multi-day flat trips

At the confluence of the Salmon and Middle Fork rivers, we took a photo for a group of weary rafters who were finishing a weeklong trip on the Middle Fork. The leader of the group reciprocated and took a photo of Pat and me.

We enjoyed Stanley, the Salmon River and views of the Sawtooth Range. Some say the mountains are as spectacular as Wyoming’s Grand Teton Range.

Our take – not quite, but close!

Critters

We saw a variety of critters during our Sawtooth Mountain visit: a bald eagle and ospreys on cliffs along the Salmon River, a collar-wearing juvenile big horn sheep along the highway, a shy badger across a field, an 18-inch snake in parking lot and a green Sinclair dinosaur ready for a ride!

Next Week

Coeur d’Alene and the Trail of the Goatheads

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LITTLE ROCKS 2: Mountain Chills, Colored Hills and Train Ride Thrills

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(2025 Wild West Wander Ep 11)

We escaped the cold and rain at Lake Tahoe into an area of Northern California with widespread evidence of volcanic activity. There were flows of jagged lava rocks, cinder cones of various sizes and shapes, and several massive snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park has all four types of volcanoes found in the world – shield, plug dome, cinder cone and composite. Lassen Peak is a plug dome volcano and is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascades. It erupted between 1914 and 1917, sending ash hundreds of miles. A series of photos taken during the eruption is on display at the park’s visitor center. They are hauntingly reminiscent of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state.

Pat didn’t care for the rotten egg smell at Lassen’s Sulfur Works

Lassen has lingering evidence of ongoing geothermal unrest. We stopped to see (and smell) the boiling mud pots and smelly steam vents at Sulfur Works. The area was a sulfur mine and tourist attraction before being acquired by the National Park Service in 1952.

We hoped to hike to Bumpass Hell, a 16-acre hydrothermal area in the park that features springs, mud pots and steam vents similar to Yellowstone. The area is named for Kendall Bumpass, an early settler who lost his leg after stepping through the thin crust of a boiling mud pot.

The Bumpass Hell thermal area was closed because of deep snow

Unfortunately, the area was closed because of deep snow on the access trail. The trail was also closed when we first visited Lassen in September 2018 due to construction. Perhaps we’ll succeed on a third visit in the future!

Deep snow at the Lassen Peak Parking Area

We were amazed with the amount of snow still remaining on 10,457-foot Lassen Peak and the ice on several lakes at the base of the volcano. Dozens of people at the Lassen Peak Parking Area were skiing across the flats and hiking steep snow-covered trails.

Young trees emerge from the burned forest at Lassen

Elsewhere in Lassen, we hiked to areas devastated by the Dixie Fire in 2021. More than 73,000 acres were burned within the park. Flowering plants, berry bushes and tiny trees are evidence that the recovery will take many years.

No Worms in these Dark Tubes

Nearly to Oregon, we visited Lava Beds National Monument.

Eruptions of Medicine Lake Volcano between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago formed the more than 900 lava tube caves found in the park. The tubes were formed when streams of hot, flowing lava started to cool. The hot center of the tube continued to flow as the outside cooled and hardened. Once the lava drained out, a pipe-shaped cave remained.

A park ranger led us through one of the lava caves

The park offers tours of more than two dozen tubes – some are easily to access with relatively smooth floors, and others are very challenging requiring rock scrambling and navigating tight passages.

Entering a lava tube – we carried lights and wore helmets

We wore our bike helmets and carried bright LED lights as we explored several of the caves. The first cave was lighted with a very smooth floor. The other caves required flashlights – one was more than a half mile long with different entry and exit points, and another had ice and animal bones at the bottom of a long series of stairs.

We admired the rugged tube walls on our first lava tube hike – the tube was lighted with display signs

One of the shorter caves was inscribed with Indian symbols

We left Lava Beds NM and when we crossed into Oregon, Mount Shasta was very prominent to the southwest. The snow-covered 14,179-feet high volcano is further evidence of the volcanic activity in the region. During the last 10,000 years Mt Shasta has erupted an average of every 800 years, and because of its location and eruption history, it is closely monitored as a very-high threat volcano.

California’s Mount Shasta, southernmost volcano in the Cascades

We drove through creepy swarms of midges (dark area above) that were emerging from Tule Lake near Lava Beds NM

Train Mountain

We took a free train tour on the world’s longest miniature railroad nestled in the scenic mountains of Southern Oregon. Train Mountain has more than 34 miles of 7.5-inch gauge miniature railway track that runs across 2200 acres.

We rode through the trees on miniature train cars

We sat low to the ground with our legs stretched out on seats atop a small rail car. Our battery-operated locomotive hummed to life and pulled us into a both playful and strangely immersive world!

All Aboard! Dave invited us to have a seat on the train so the tour could begin

Dave, our tour guide and train driver, taught us several signals so we could safely get underway. We went past a variety of buildings and other static displays, across trestles, under bridges and through a long tunnel. He even blew the train’s horn appropriately at each road crossing (two long, one short, one long)!

We passed a number of buildings on our tour

Miniature train enthusiasts bring their 1.5” (1/8 scale) and 2.5” (1/5 scale) locomotives and other train cars to run on the facility’s tracks, and every three years more than 1000 participants gather at the location, some from as far away as Germany and Australia!

This Town Welcomes Data Centers

We continued north through Bend and Redmond, and then turned east. As we descended a long hill near Prineville we could see more than a dozen HUGE buildings. We learned that the buildings are Meta (Facebook) and Apple data centers. Unlike many communities that reject such data centers, Prineville welcomes them and has been transformed from a declining mill town to a hyper-modern computer processing hub.

One of the data centers in Prineville, OR

Devine Artwork

Further east we detoured to see the Painted Hills. Named for delicate layers of reds, yellows, golds and blacks in the soil, the hills are an amazing mural of God’s creation.

We hiked along a ridge for this view of the Painted Hills

Quite a Drug Store

In John Day, OR we visited the Kam Wah Chung Museum, an Oregon state park and National Historic Landmark location that houses the largest intact collection of Chinese medicine and formulas in the world.

The Kam Wah Chung Co building has been carefully restored

The museum is a unique time capsule with more than 100,000 well-preserved artifacts.

Tools of the trade used by Ing “Doc” Hay to practice herbal medicine

Built in 1865 as a trading post, the general store and herbal medicine shop was home in 1888 to two Chinese immigrants, Ing “Doc” Hay and businessman Lung On. For over 60 years the building was a social, medical, and religious center for Chinese laborers that worked in the region.

General store items including a Quaker Oats container in the upper right

Next Week

Stanley, ID, the magnificent Sawtooth Mountains and wild Salmon River.

LITTLE ROCKS 1: Tufas, Tahoe and Little Yellowstone

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(2025 Wild West Wander Ep 10)

How do you plan your travels?

When we plan RabbiTRAILS, we look for special destinations to serve as our travel anchor points. We call those our BIG ROCKS.

For the Wild West Wander series, BIG ROCKS have included Big Bend, Death Valley, Sequoia and Kings Canyon and Yosemite.

Our next BIG ROCK is Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and the Salmon River.

We fill in the gaps between the BIG ROCKS with LITTLE ROCKS.

LITTLE ROCKS are interesting stops and destinations that make our travels more meaningful and fun.

A few of the LITTLE ROCKS in our current series include the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge and home of Tabasco Sauce in Louisiana, Rockhound State Park and Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico, Cave Creek and Chiricahua and Lake Havasu in Arizona. There are lots of other LITTLE ROCKS, of course.

This and next week’s episodes will be about our LITTLE ROCK destinations between Yosemite and Idaho.

Lake Crowley

We crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains via Yosemite’s Tioga Pass and descended to the eastern side of California. Alabama Hills (see Wild West Wander Ep 7) is located a couple hours south and Lake Tahoe is a similar distance to the north.

We camped at a Bureau of Land Management campground that overlooks Crowley Lake. The lake and other water resources in the area supply water to Los Angeles, nearly 300 miles to the south.

There are a number of lakes located at the base of the Sierras including Mammoth Lakes (also a ski area) and June Lake. Both are popular tourist destinations.

Posing with Smokey while visiting Mammoth Lakes

A Crack in the Earth

Near Mammoth Lakes we hiked the short Earthquake Fault Trail. The fault, actually a fissure that cuts through volcanic rock, is 10-20 feet wide, up to 60 feet deep and several hundred yards long. It is believed to have been created around 550-650 years ago when there was a lot of volcanic activity in the area.

Examining Earthquake Fault Near Mammoth Lakes

The bottom of the fissure stays cool through the summer and was used Native Americans to store food.

The trail follows both sides of the fissure and then crosses via steep steps to the bottom and up the other side. Thank goodness we weren’t swallowed up!

Not Quite Yellowstone

Not far away we visited Hot Creek Geologic Site, an area some call California’s Little Yellowstone.

We hiked along Mammoth Creek to see the thermal areas

Mammoth Creek, a cold stream fed by snow melt in the Mammoth Lakes area, flows into Hot Creek Gorge where it comes in contact with hot springs and other thermal features, producing aqua pools, bubbling mud pots and clouds of steam. There are even random geysers from time to time, but we didn’t see any in action during our visit.

Mammoth Creek and aqua pools from the top of Hot Creek Gorge

Although Hot Creek is not quite Yellowstone, it is an interesting place to visit none-the-less.

Mono Lake Tufas

We stopped at Mono Lake, a 70-square mile salt lake several miles to the north. The lake, four times as salty as ocean water, has no outlets, similar to Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

On the lake’s southern shore, we walked among tufas. picturesque limestone spires and columns formed when calcium-laden spring water mixes with alkaline lake water. The resulting calcium carbonate is deposited around the mouth of the spring. Over time a tufa tower gradually forms under the surface of the water.

Some of the tufa formations are away from the edge of the lake

The level of Mono Lake has dropped in recent years exposing many of these other-worldly formations. The fragile tufas stop growing once exposed and are subject to erosion.

We also saw lots of birds during our visit. Mono Lake is a stopover for millions of migratory birds who feast on the brine shrimp and alkali flies in the lake.

Tufas with Sierra Nevada Mountain backdrop

Ospreys and other birds build nests in the tufa formations

We Abandon Lake Tahoe

A hasty visit to Lake Tahoe is this week’s final LITTLE ROCK.

The lake, about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, straddles California and Nevada. Tahoe’s deep blue waters are the second deepest in the U.S. Only Crater Lake in Oregon is deeper.

The deep blue water and distant mountains at Lake Tahoe

From our campground near Tahoe City on the lake’s west side, we drove clockwise on the 72-mile drive around the lake. We enjoyed views of the magnificent lake and distant snowcapped mountains.

This brave guy was parasailing in 40 MPH winds on Lake Tahoe

Unfortunately, it was VERY windy and cold, and by the time we neared Emerald Bay, a popular must-see area near our starting point, it started to snow. We returned to our camp cold and wet!

It was snowing on the western side of the lake near our campground

The weather forecast was for freezing temps and more snow.

So, we did what most typical RVers from Florida would do – we left the next morning for someplace warmer north of Sacramento!

Next Week

More LITTLE ROCKS. Our RabbiTRAILS include volcanoes, painted hills, model trains and more!

One Word Describes Yosemite

Featured

(2025 Wild West Wander Ep 9)

Yosemite’s natural beauty can be found in things big and small, from towering granite cliffs and giant sequoias to diminutive wildflowers.

The words above are from the National Park Service visitor handout. They capture the essence of Yosemite, a special place like none other. Multiple WOW moments left us with an appreciation of God’s magnificent creation, of the natural forces that shape the landscape and of the foresight of those who preserved Yosemite for us and future generations.

The WOW Moments Took Some Getting There

Our son, Phil, joined us for a couple days.

We drove a half hour from where we were staying in nearby Groveland to the park entrance and another 20 minutes or so to the Yosemite Valley. The valley is seven miles long and a mile wide, surrounded by 3000-foot walls and high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan.

We hiked to see a nice reflection of Mt Watkins on Mirror Lake

Tall Falls

Our son, Phil, poses with us near the base of Yosemite Falls

Our first WOW moment came as we approached Yosemite Falls. The falls three-tiered plunge of 2425 feet are the tallest waterfall in North America. As we posed for a photo in front of the lower falls, I recollected our 2001 family visit to Yosemite and Phil’s scramble up the rocks at the base of the falls for a memorable photo. Times change and you can’t scramble up the rocks anymore, but the falls are still breathtaking.

Phil at the base of Yosemite Falls in 2001

Brave Climbers on El Capitan

Further along, we stood near the base of El Capitan and watched climbers ascend the 3000-foot-high granite monolith. The world-famous location is frequented by big wall climbers who choose from dozens of routes up the rock face. Although most climbers use aids like steel anchors and ropes for their ascent, a few have free climbed El Capitan, an amazing feat of skill, endurance and bravery.

Climbers on El Capitan could hardly be seen

Pat zoomed on these brave climbers making their way up the rock face

A Safer Climb to Vernal Falls

The Mist Trail leads to Vernal and Nevada Falls

That afternoon we hiked a steep trail to the Vernal Falls Footbridge. Phil and I continued up the Mist Trail and after climbing hundreds of steep granite steps we came to a vantage point near the base of 317-foot Vernal Falls. The view was amazing – a great payoff on the trail that we would rate five-out-of-five boots.

Phil and I stopped for a photo in front of Vernal Falls

The trail continued to Nevada Falls, nearly twice as high as Vernal Falls. Phil and I had already ascended more than 700 feet and the trail ahead was wet and slippery, so we decided to carefully make our way back down the wet granite steps and steep trail back to the parking lot.

Family portrait with Yosemite Falls in the background

A View Like None Other

The next morning, we skipped the valley and instead drove the steep, winding road to Glacier Point. We had another WOW moment as we viewed the broad landscape of snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains, several waterfalls including Vernal and Nevada falls, and Yosemite Valley 3000 feet below. We could also see ant-sized climbers on Half Dome, another well-known granite monolith across the valley.

Spectacular view from Glacier Point: Half Dome, the Sierras, and Vernal/Nevada Falls

The line of ***ants*** above are climbers ascending Half Dome!

Phil, Liz and I viewed Half Dome at sunset from Glacier Point in 2001

Near Glacier Point red ***snow plants*** sprouted in the shaded areas – these unusual wildflowers lack chlorophyll and feed on underground fungi instead

More Big Trees

From Glacier Point, we continued to Mariposa Sequoia Grove where we hiked a short trail to see the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree, two of Yosemite’s famed sequoias. The Grizzly Giant is 210-feet tall with a circumference of 92 feet. It’s the 25^th largest tree in the world. The massive tree is between 1900-2400 years old – the oldest tree in the grove.

Grizzly Giant, a sequoia in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove

A short distance away, we walked through the Tunnel Tree. An auto-sized hole was carved at the base of the tree in 1895 and it functioned as a drive-thru attraction until 1932. The hole is definitely too narrow for our truck!

Percy wouldn’t fit through Yosemite’s Tunnel Tree

We also visited Hetch Hetchy Valley, a remote area in Yosemite where a reservoir stores San Francisco’s drinking water; there is a waterfall at the far side of the lake

A Final WOW Moment

As we returned to Groveland, we had our final WOW moment when we emerged from the nearly mile-long Wawona Tunnel. We stopped to experience one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley that showcases El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock and Bridalveil Fall.

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View Overlook

Our visit to Yosemite came to a close as we passed through the high country of Yosemite. We stopped at Olmstead Point to get another view of Half Dome and then crossed the eastern Sierras via Tioga Pass. At 9945 feet, Tioga is the highest mountain pass in California. Although some years the road doesn’t open until June due to deep snow, we were glad it opened earlier in May and that most of the snow was gone.

The backside of Half Dome from Olmstead Point

Planning to Visit Yosemite?

Yosemite’s amazing splendor makes it a VERY popular destination.

No campsites were available in the park when we tried to reserve in March and the park was somewhat crowded during our visit in mid-May. Summer crowds often result in long waits to enter the park and to visit the various places mentioned in this episode.

We recommend parking as quickly as possible after entering the valley and using free bus transportation provided by the park service to get to the various valley destinations.

Better yet, visiting earlier in the spring or later in the fall may also help, although some services may be closed for the season.

Next Two Weeks

Cold weather catches up with us in northern California as we follow several interesting RabbiTRAILS on the way to the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. It will take two episodes to share our wanderings.

Amazing Trees and Views that Please

Featured

(2025 Wild West Wander Ep 8)

Smiles as we enter Sequoia National Park

As the California Condor flies, it is about 30 miles from Alabama Hills to Sequoia National Park. Percy and Pap (and other land vehicles) can’t fly unfortunately and must detour nearly 275 miles around the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Thus began our five-day visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Limited Choices and Hot Camping

When making our camping reservations back in January, we learned all but two of the campgrounds in the parks are closed until late May or later in the summer. Sierra Nevada winters are long and the campgrounds are snowed in until late spring some years.

At Potwisha Campground near Sequoia, summer had already arrived. It was 90+ degrees on our first two days so we ate dinner outside. Fortunately, it cooled once the sun set and sleeping was comfortable. Temps moderated on our third day and remained pleasant for the reminder of our visit.

Getting There Was NOT Half of the Fun

Sequoia is known, of course, for its groves of magnificent sequoia trees. Potwisha has an elevation of 2100 feet and the sequoia groves are at about 6000 feet. Connecting the two is a tortuous 16-mile road that is very steep with dozens of very sharp turns and numerous switchbacks. The drive takes nearly an hour.

We left Pap at the campground for our first two days. When we left for Kings Canyon on the third day via the same route, we had to stop midway to let our truck’s transmission cool.

Enough of driving challenges – on to the BIG trees!

Biggest of the Big

Our first hike in Sequoia NP was a half mile downhill walk to the General Sherman Tree.

A few other Sequoias are bigger around. Some are taller. Others are older. But no other tree in the world has more wood in its trunk than the General Sherman Tree. The tree is estimated to have a volume of 52,500 cubic feet – enough wood to build 200 medium-sized homes!

Our children, Liz and Phil, at the base of the General Sherman Tree in 2001

We stood back to take in the whole tree and admired the nearly football field height (275 feet) of the tree.

The tree is estimated to be 2200 years old. Like other mature Sequoias, the top is dead and the tree doesn’t get taller. Instead, each year the trunk grows wider. The girth of this massive tree at ground level is 103 feet!

We waited in line closer to the tree for a photo. A six-foot-tall human looking up at the General Sherman tree is like a mouse looking up at a six-foot human – an interesting perspective indeed.

Perspective of 5-foot, 4-inch Pat beneath a tall sequoia tree

Like photos of redwoods or skyscrapers, those of General Sherman and other sequoias don’t give a good sense of the size of the trees.

More Big Trees

The Congress Trail continues more than a mile beyond the Sherman Tree as it passes by dozens of sequoias. We ate lunch while viewing two groups of the trees, labeled appropriately as the House and the Senate. This is a must-do five-out-of-five boot hike.

An immense sequoia cross section at the end of the trail tells a story: the tree was about 2210 years old and experienced at least 80 different fires hot enough to leave a scar. Mature sequoias live quite well despite large fire scars. Thick, fibrous bark on the trees provides insulation and holds little sap or pitch that is flammable.

Sequoia tree bark is several inches thick and protects the tree from fire

Saving the Sequoias

Sequoia NP was formed in 1890 to protect Sequoia Trees from the imminent threat of logging. In more recent years, development in the groves was also deemed to be a threat. At the grove near Round Meadow, a restaurant, campground, dozens of cabins, utilities, roads crowded the sequoias. The park service began removing these in the 1990s and the last building was removed in 1999. Today there is no sign of the past development in the grove.

No signs of development in the Round Meadow grove

We’re standing in the footprint of **Ed by Ne**d, two intertwined sequoias whose combined base was 34 feet long and 25 feet wide, big enough for a swimming pool

Moro Rock – Above It All

On our second day we climbed 350 steps to the top of Moro Rock. Handrails and resting places made the climb easier and the view from the top of the 6725-foot granite dome was amazing. To the east were the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. To the west, the California coastal range seen on clear days was not visible due to haze.

This is another must-do five-out-of-five boot trail at Sequoia NP.

View of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the top of Moro Rock

It was very windy at the top of Moro Rock – I held onto my hat!

Nada Means NADA!

Leaving Moro Rock, we passed by Tunnel Log.

When a sequoia fell across the road in 1937, a CCC worker suggested cutting a tunnel through the 275-foot long, 21-foot-high tree. The result was a cutout 17 feet wide and 8 feet tall, big enough to drive a car through.

Percy perhaps?

Recalling our experience driving through a rail tunnel in Kentucky during our travels in 2025, I listened to Pat’s NADA this time and took the bypass around the tunnel instead.

You can’t drive on the Auto Log unless you use CHATGPT

We also passed by the Auto Log tree. Many vehicles have been photographed on the unusual and unique driveway on the top of a sequoia that fell in 1917.

Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon NP adjoins Sequoia NP and we drove 30 miles west where we camped near the Grant Grove.

The General Grant Tree is the star of the grove. Second largest in the world by volume, the 268-foot-tall tree is the widest known sequoia with a diameter of 40 feet and circumference of 107 feet, more than General Sherman Tree.

Deep Canyon Drive to Road’s End

We drove the 29-mile road through King’s Canyon to Road’s End, the starting point of numerous wilderness hiking trails into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We had spectacular views of the glacier-carved canyon that is over a mile deep, rivaling the Grand Canyon in depth.

Next Week

Our son, Phil, joins us for a visit to Yosemite National Park.

Worms and Wonder in Alabama Hills

(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 7)

From Death Valley California highway 190 rises nearly 5000 feet as it winds westward across several mountain ranges toward Lone Pine, CA. The 80-mile drive can be perilous during summer’s intense heat. Signs recommend that drivers turn off their AC to reduce the chance of overheating.

At just over 11,000 pounds, Percy and Pap are a heavy combination. Overheating (especially the transmission) is a real concern. We drove the route in the morning when temps were in the 70s and were thankful to make the trip with no issues.

Alabama Hills

Our destination was Alabama Hills, a scenic area of rounded rocks and eroded hills nestled at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lone Pine, CA. We bypassed several developed campgrounds nearby and boondocked for three nights in the midst of the hills instead.

Our campsite was surrounded by rugged rock formations

We enjoyed this view while sitting outside

Each morning, sunlight started at the tops of the Sierra Nevada mountains, worked its way down to the hills and finally to our campsite. Sunsets were the reverse – shadows engulfed us, then moved eastward until just the tops of the Inyo Mountains to the east reflected the golden sunset.

This footlong **chuckwalla** was on the rocks behind our campsite. These lizards are herbivores, feeding on desert flowers, leaves and fruits

400+ Movies

The rugged beauty of the Alabama Hills has attracted Hollywood movie makers for more than 100 years. More than 400 movies and dozens of television shows have been filmed in and around the hills.

Pat in front of the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, CA

The Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine is a great place to learn about the films made in the area.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto were one of the exhibits

Many of the movies made in the area were westerns. Tom Mix, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, William Boyd and others starred in the movies that featured characters like Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger. The movie and TV show list includes classics like Gunga Din, How the West Was Won and Bonanza.

Nothing is more western than Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Roy’s first starring feature was filmed in Alabama Hills in 1938

Portions of science fiction and action movies were made in the area. The list includes two Star Trek movies, a Transformers movie, Man of Steel, Iron Man and Godzilla.

Scenes in Gladiator, Django Unchained, two Tarzan movies and even Gone in 60 Seconds were also shot in the hills!

Several of the large cameras used to film movies can be found in the museum

What’s with the Worms?

One movie filmed in the hills, however, stands out.

In the movie, giant worms up to 30 feet long hunt by detecting seismic vibrations in the ground. They devour people, cars and more in the isolated desert settlement of Perfection, Nevada. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward take on the creepy creatures in the 1990 cult classic Tremors.

Lots of interesting Tremors memorabilia was on display

(BTW, did you know there are eight movies in the Tremors series?)

Sets and Relics?

You might think with all the movie-making there would be sets and relics throughout the hills.

We drove Movie Flat Road, a bumpy dirt road that winds several miles through the hills. We searched for movie locations using a map that shows where several movies were filmed.

The landscape was nearly pristine, with no signs of moviemaking.

One of the few moviemaking relics we found was an anchor shaft from a bridge in the movie Gunga Din

We did find one small set of relics – two metal shafts anchored in rock and several concrete pads used for a bridge in the 1939 movie Gunga Din.

Mobius Arch

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees this national scenic area.

We hiked several interesting trails, including a short one that leads to the area’s most famous natural feature – the Mobius Arch. You get a perfect view of Mount Whitney in the distance by looking through the arch’s natural viewfinder.

Beneath the Mobius Arch with 14,504-foot Mt Whitney in the background

Next Week

We circle the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find the world’s largest trees and a deep canyon.

Hottest, Driest, Lowest

Featured

(2026 Wild West Wander Ep 6)

At more than 3.3 million acres, Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous US, larger than Yellowstone, Big Bend and Everglades national parks. Our three-day visit to the park gave us ample time to see various historic and geologic exhibits, visit better known areas like Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells, and hike several trails.

How Death Valley Got Its Name

In 1849-1850, a group bound for the California gold fields became lost as they crossed the valley. They feared they would perish in the harsh, unforgiving environment When they finally left the valley crossing mountains to the west, one of the pioneers said ‘goodbye, Death Valley.’ The name stuck!

Death Valley is an area of remarkable extremes.

Lowest

At 282 feet BELOW sea level, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin is North America’s lowest point.

Salt flat panorama taken at Badwater Basin

Zoom in on the red circle above – the SEA LEVEL sign is a long way up the mountain

We walked on the eye-numbing white salt flat that extends several miles to the Panamint Mountains to the west. Death Valley salt flats cover nearly 200 square miles.

Hottest

Death Valley is known for its extreme temperatures.

In 1913, temperatures reached a staggering 134°F – the hottest on earth and still the record.

In 2024, temperatures were over 120°F on 37 days and there were nine consecutive days where they did not get below 100°F.

Hot temps were forecast from May 8-12, the week after our visit

We were fortunate – the highs approached 100°F on two days of our visit and 85°F during our last day. Highs for the week after our visit were forecast to be between 106°F and 114°F!

Driest

Death Valley is also very dry, with an annual average rainfall of 2.15 inches.

When it does rain, the results can be devastating. In 2023, parts of the valley had 2.2 inches of rain IN ONE DAY causing flooding and road damage throughout the park.

The effects of water were very evident during a couple of our early morning hikes.

Mosaic Canyon

Elsewhere on the trail one can see and touch the colorful rock mosaic

We hiked two miles up Mosaic Canyon passing through eroded canyon narrows with polished marble walls and colorful mosaics of conglomerated rocks,

We met three women from California and when we told them about our travels and RabbiTRAILS blog, they asked to take a photo with us. We felt like celebrities.

Posing with friends met on the Mosaic Trail – we were RabbiTRAILS celebrities

We left the ladies as they discussed whether they would scramble up a 15-foot rockfall to continue the trail, and began our return to the start of the trail.

Mosaic Canyon is a mostly easy four-out-of-five boot trail. Start early in the day and bring lots of water.

Dante’s View

As the day got hotter, we drove to Dante’s View, where Badwater Basin was visible 5700 feet below. The view was amazing and it was nearly 20 degrees cooler!

Death Valley salt flats cover more than 200 square miles

Red Cathedral Scramble

We scrambled through narrow passages to get to the Red Cathedral

We started early the next morning to hike up Golden Canyon to the Red Cathedral. To reach the base of famous red colored amphitheater, we had to squeeze between, crawl over and duck under a number of large boulders.

The 3.3-mile trail was beautiful, challenging and fun – a Death Valley must-do hike that we would rate five-out-of-five boots!

Harmony Borax Works

Death Valley is associated with images of 20-mule-teams transporting massive wagons of borax across the valley, primarily due to long running radio and television series that featured true stories of the American old west.

At the historic site of Harmony Borax Works, processing equipment and a double borax wagon are displayed. When in full operation, 40 men produced three tons of borax daily. More than 20 million pounds of ore were transported 165 miles to a railhead in Mojave, CA, a ten-day trip across the barren and hostile wilderness. Processing at the location ended in 1888, after only five years.

Borax is a multi-purpose cleaner used in laundry detergent and a number of industrial processes.

Salt Creek

Salt Creek bubbles up and flows across the valley floor not far from the Harmony location. A half mile boardwalk follows the stream where the saline water starts its flow and eventually disappears as it soaks into the desert floor.

Pupfish like this one only live in Salt Creek. To survive, they must stay close to the creek’s source because the creek shrinks during the hot summer

The stars of the walk are pupfish. Thousands of the one-to-two-inch-long fish dart in and out of underwater vegetation. The endangered fish have adapted to live in the creek, which has a salt concentration several times that of sea water.