I could think of no better way to feature the scope of my trip to the California and Oregon national parks than to use the GPS map generated by Piwigo of the photos I uploaded to the app. All of those photos are accessible at https://singin1.click/piwigo/index.php?/category/10.
I try to learn from each trip, the things that go really well–sometimes despite me, I admit–and the things that don’t go well. Some of this is to set into writing for my own recollection, and some is for those of you who share in my adventures. Let’s get the not-so-good stuff done first.
On One Hand,…
I had purchased the Amtrak USA Rail Pass, honestly, to save money using a mode of transportation I usually enjoy using. I used my pass for the Washington to Chicago and the entire Portland to Washington trips (see the blue-marked routes on the map to the right). I learned, however, that using the service is, indeed, sometimes “you get what you pay for.” One has to ask for assistance that is regularly available with more expensive ticket options. This initially involved ticket purchasing online without any instruction that I needed to contact Amtrak by phone to ask for accessible seating. In addition to the stated restrictions related to using the pass, Amtrak limits the number of seats it makes available to USA Rail Pass holders, including those of us who need accessible seating. If those seats are sold, one has to come up with an alternate plan. Third, the dining and cafe cars are at least four cars away from the coach car where Rail Pass ticket holders sit, so those of us with accessibility needs must rely on the attendants who provide assistance during the trip. If their priorities do not include assisting travelers with accessibility needs, then a passenger can find themselves waiting well past mealtime for grudging help. Let me add, though, that my experience did include excellent customer service at points using the Rail Pass.
I mentioned in my previous post how much I appreciated the service I got from my car rental from Enterprise Rent-a-Car. However, the idea of renting for a trip like this is unlikely to happen again unless I am doing so as part of a different activity. Over the years, for my national park trips, I have gathered equipment and other materials that stay in my car, the Silver Bullet (SB), full-time. I only have to worry about replacing items as needed. For this trip, I had to either purchase duplicative items–and pay through the nose to ship them back East–or do without items, such as my print atlas, during this trip. If I had benefited by saving time, money, or energy, then it potentially would have been worth it. However, none of this was the case. Yes, I could fly and then rent, but I have come to hate the process involved in flying and would much rather drive.
Both of these concerns could have gone very differently if I hadn’t been dealing with my circumstances in their many manifestations, and I didn’t know how my experience would go until I tried it. Each traveler must assess their own situation and find the best ways to address it.
On the Other Hand,…
I am so thankful that the Lord has continued to give me the ability to travel and to appreciate the wonderful things, especially the national parks, that exist in the United States.
The timing was about as good as I could hope, considering the rapidly increasing cost of gasoline. Also, I was able to schedule the trip beginning in mid-April to avoid the anticipated heavy attendance as school closes for the summer and Memorial Day weekend approaches.
I was able to add six new national parks (Channel Islands, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Pinnacles, Lassen Volcanic, and Crater Lake) in California and Oregon to those I have visited, plus I was able to revisit and further explore Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite during my trip. (BTW, technically, I should probably include revisiting Glacier in Montana, since I was actually in the park.)
The quote I captioned within the selfie taken during my visit to Death Valley says it so well for me: “How cool is it that the same God, who created mountains, oceans, and galaxies, looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too?” I didn’t find the author of the quote, but I’m sharing it here because it speaks to my feelings about these experiences so well.
Below is a listing of the 63 national parks. Those that I have visited are in bold with links to both the NPS site page and my post(s) about the visit:
Below are my updated tracker of the 43 parks I’ve visited and the map of the route I actually drove for the trip:
Then, the updates to the United States map I keep in my office with black pins for parks I haven’t visited were replaced in California and Oregon with red pins I use to indicate visited parks. Also, I used silver pins for stops during this trip, so parks with multiple visits will also have multiple pins in different colors depending on when they were visited.
Going Forward…
I still have plans in place to visit the national parks in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada this fall. If I can do this, I would have all of the national parks in the contiguous United States except Acadia in Maine. One plus in the plan is that gas prices tend to be lower in that region of the country, certainly lower than in California. Also, I selected this timing based on the greater likelihood that temperatures in the region would be more comfortable for me while the number of other visitors would be lower.
Two 2027 conferences might influence the nature of the trip, even to the point of turning it into two trips. One conference, scheduled for Denver, Colorado, next spring, would give me the chance to develop a second trip focused on Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and other Northwestern states before the heavier tourist traffic occurs, yet be warm enough for me to enjoy the outdoor sites. I could then focus the first trip on Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona for fall 2026, when the weather and traffic conditions would again be more favorable. The second conference is in California, but whether I go is uncertain at present.
In the meantime, the country is approaching its 250th birthday, and the DMV will be a major center for activity. I hope to attend where I can and will post my activities as they come. I have already had additional trips related to my research on concert spirituals that I need to post about soon.
