#FindYourPark Coming Down / December 3, 2015 by a zugunruhe

For my last blog about the trip, here are the last nine national parks I visited.

I can't stress enough how incredible our American national parks are. I don't have the words to describe how it felt to take the short hike to Hidden Lake at Glacier and try to make sense of the unreal Bearhat Mountain or to stand a foot away from elk cows against the setting of a hot spring at dusk on an overcast day while the male was rounding up the rest of his harem in Yellowstone.

Utah's Mighty Five surprised me in every way possible. Traveling that state from east to west and witnessing the landscape changed is something I will always recommend to any one in the area.

Glacier

yellowstone

Rocky mountain

arches

CAnyonlands

Capital Reef

Bryce Canyon

Zion

Grand Canyon - North Rim

Phase Five (9/11 - 9/28) / November 24, 2015 by a zugunruhe

This last phase was the home stretch. I entered back in to the United States on 9/11 to call my grandmother for her birthday and swerve through incredible national parks on my way back to El Paso.

In this time I was able to meet Gary Greff, the mastermind behind the Enchanted Highway, hung with Byron Seeley, the man behind Monk King Bird Pottery in Jeffers City, Wyoming, and spent a full day aimlessly wandering the Vegas strip taking pictures.

Montana

Lewistown

Regent

North Dakota

Baker

BIllings

Bozeman

Jeffers City

Wyoming

Cheyenne

Denver

Las vegas

Road to Roden Crater

#FindYourPark: Canadian Edition! / November 13, 2015 by a zugunruhe

Not to be left out of the #FindYourPark series are the two prominent national parks along the Canadian Rockies, Jasper and Banff.

I preferred Jasper to Banff for a number of reasons. Not only did Jasper offer more unique formations and hikes (as Banff is mainly lakes), but the towns of Jasper and Banff are worlds apart. Jasper gives off a slower, more easy going vibe while Banff screamed of hyper tourism. Possible reason is that Banff is much closer to a metropolitan area (Calgary) and is more easily accessible.

Regardless, the Icefield Parkway that the parks share is gorgeous and is worth a few drives if you're ever in the area.

Jasper

Banff

Phase Four (8/29 - 9/11) / November 12, 2015 by a zugunruhe

After reaching the furthest north I would drive on the Dalton, now it was time to wrap up my time in Alaska and make my way back through Canada. I drug my feet and extended my Alaskan trip a few days by driving back to Anchorage before barreling down the AlCan toward America.

After leaving The Dalton and Fairbanks area, I was once again reunited with the warmth of the sun as soon as I started making my way toward Valdez. Since a good portion of The Dalton was in the Arctic Circle and "fall" had come early to the mid-interior of the state, I rarely saw temperatures above 35 degrees for over a week. Valdez offered clear skies and a scorching 68 degrees.

Fairbanks

North Pole

Chena Hot Springs

Chicken

Mt. Drum

HIGHWAY 4

Valdez

Highway 1

Anchorage

Alaska State Fair, Palmer

Beaver Creek

Destruction Bay

Whitehorse

Alberta

Phase Three (8/10-8/27) / November 2, 2015 by a zugunruhe

Phase three began by picking up Miranda in Seattle and driving to Alaska. It ended in Fairbanks, just before heading up the Dalton highway.

This time was filled with the incredible sights and people of Alaska. Miranda and I discovered quickly the "big state, small city" mentality that drives the attitudes here. Many parts in Alaska, as well as the state itself, are fairly isolated. This causes the necessity of strong social connections as well as a DIY ethic. As one would need to be able to survive on their own the best they could while understanding that you never know who you're going to need to help you out next. It's a strong individualistic and social culture that keeps itself in check.