California-Oregon NPs-Pinnacles, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake-0426-2726
I had a lot of factors to consider when I planned this trip. One of them was timing. I expected to be covering a wide area, with a climate ranging from southern California’s Pacific coast and the deserts of Joshua Tree and Death Valley to the potentially still snow-bound mountainous northern California and southern Oregon parks, that is, if I wanted to avoid the expected summer crowds. I had gotten as good as I could reasonably expect by coming in mid- to late-April and had high hopes that the warm weather would continue with Pinnacles, but I would soon hit the cooler end of the situation with Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake national parks. Each park had a high likelihood that at least one section would be closed due to snow. Plus, as part of my need to pack lightly for the trip, I was traveling with only a jean…
California-Oregon NPs-Return to Yosemite-0425-2626
When I visited Yosemite National Park for the first time in 2014, I was on day 14 of what had then been my longest driving tour, from Iowa to Fargo to Seattle to San Francisco back to Iowa. One of my favorite pictures was taken during that trip while I stood as close as I am ever likely to come to Half Dome. I arrived in the park around 8 a.m. Even though the date was April 25th, I was surprised that the line to enter the park wasn’t longer than it was. I had a reservation to take a scenic train tour on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad that afternoon. This gave me about three hours to drive into the park and drive back to the railroad station. This time, I opted to start with the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Most visitors had to park their cars…