We enjoyed the rushing waters of Bridalveil Fall (it really is singular- both in letters and as a view!).  Walking up a short path in the May-June time period, you can find it hard to keep your footing, there is so much rushing water – and that it is a challenge to keep from getting a camera wet.  We wore waterproof jackets, but expect to get wet if you go that time of year.

Lower and Upper Yosemite Fall are both visible from many vantage points and, since they are accessible from the main shuttle bus route (free) that travels around the Visitor Center area, you might have a lot of company.  They are still worth seeing.

Another popular view, but also dangerous if you get too close, is the Mist Trail, which leads to the Vernal Fall and other hiking trails.  Vernal Fall’s trail is accessed by taking the bus to the Nature Center at Happy Isles, then go over a small bridge and follow the trail.  Early on, the trail is level, but later it becomes very steep.  We were told in one travel book that the trail was easy – no way!  By the top of the ascent before even reaching the bridge that overlooks Vernal Fall, most people are red-faced and puffing.  We asked a Park Ranger how difficult they consider that trail.  His response – “strenuous!”

So take travel books’ assessments of trail difficulty with a grain of salt.

By late in the year, the falls have a lot less water and are a lot less spectacular to view.  But go and enjoy the view if you can – nature surpasses herself in Yosemite!

So, take a peek at the site and look at the second image near the top.  When you do, you’ll see an almost other-worldly location where the rocks have encircled a watery, breathtakingly beautiful lake.  If you look really carefully, you’ll even see a mountain with snow on it off in the distance.

Where is it?

The shot is of Granite Dells, just north of Prescott, Arizona at Watson Lake.  It’s a park, a picnic place and a fabulous place to hike.  There is a small entrance fee, but just sharing the view is worth it!

Take a look at our previous blog on this site that tells you more.  http://traveltipsandadventures.com/?p=1687

Enjoy!  We certainly have and we’ve been back several times.

I promised to identify the images at the top of our new website.

Image number 1 is:  ta – dah  – drum roll -

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

A monolith that juts 235 feet high above the long stretch of beach in Cannon Beach, Oregon, Haystack Rock seems to follow you in any direction wherever you are on the beach.  Birds and other creatures – especially humans – find it almost magnetic, but it is a protected site.  See our longer blog for more information – http://traveltipsandadventures.com/?p=1134

Return next week and we’ll identify our #2 image.

We hope you’ll visit our Hiking for the Couch Potato website – and maybe even consider buying a book!  Especially for those of you who know someone who really needs to get off the couch and get some activity in their life.

Have a great week, everyone!

Horses and the Wild West are still very much part of Old Scottsdale

Get your cowboy on

Visit Old Town Scottsdale and you almost feel like you should be purchasing a cowboy hat and boots.  The theme is horses and the Wild West.  Native American shops also show some really gorgeous craft items from pottery to jewelry.

Even the street signs are western in Old Town

Next door to Old Town you’ll see 5^th Avenue Shops.  The streets remind you of Boca and Palm Beach with many small, unique shops and eateries that pride themselves on having the right vibes to attract the crowds of Scottsdale.

Fifth Avenue Shops

More shops in Fifth Avenue

Nearby, you’ll also find the several blocks of the Scottsdale Arts District, with galleries waiting to tout the newest artiste.

Hop in your vehicle and head up the road

Travel up Scottsdale Road and your “shop ‘til you drop adventure” really begins. Scottsdale’s Fashion Square is the location for Nordstrom’s, Anthropologie, an array of other stores, both on the street and inside the mall.

Marquis for Scottsdale Fashion Square

If you’ve never been in an Anthropologie, it is a very unusual store that features clothing, but also has dishes, cookbooks and other eclectic gadgets.  The floors are rough wood and some of the displays are hard to describe, so I won’t.  I didn’t dare take a photo, because I got the distinct feeling that it wouldn’t have been appreciated!  The owner/buyer, I read in an article, travels the world to find the items for the stores and he does snag some of the most unusual finds.

A courtyard at The Borgata

An arcade at The Borgata

Next up, several miles up the street, stop at The Borgata.  Fountains splashing and a courtyard that makes you want to explore all the nooks and crannies leads you to probably my favorite shop of the day: Two Plates Full.  A gift shop, Two Plates Full has a colorful array of gift items.  And, color is the operative word here!  Such a profusion of colorful gadgets, doodads and gift items is a joy!  My special favorites were the funny mugs equating the months of the year with Jewish food, like a Chinese calendar (the Year of the Ram, etc.) but with bagels, knishes, and the like! Hilarious! Cards, fused glass, woven items, pottery, you name it!  I had to restrain myself or I would have bought out the place.  Terri, the owner has a real eye for the special and irresistible.  Twoplatesfull.com

Two Plates Full - a great gift shop

(The above was an unpaid endorsement – I just viscerally loved that shop!)

Come back next week and we’ll finish our short shopping tour of Scottsdale.

A difficult, winding road, State Route 87, from the Phoenix area is a challenge – definitely not for the faint of heart.  North of Payson by just a few miles and still on 87, a turn-off leads to another winding access road.  Wiggling every which way, when you finally arrive at the bottom, the park is spread out below, but the natural bridge is not immediately noticeable.

Pay your entry fee ($5 per person) and head to a parking lot.  There are several trails and viewpoints to visit so you can see the travertine (according to Wikipedia a “sedimentary rock, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from solution in ground and surface waters”) bridge, which has a waterfall dripping down.

A picturesque grotto with waterfall awaits the intrepid

Waterfall Trail

We were out for a day of hiking, too, so we decided to test two of the trails.  The park’s brochure says, “strenuous” to describe the trails, and they are.  The Waterfall Trail, while short, has angled, narrow steps that are partly wood, partly metal mesh and partly rock.  Water flows over some of the walkway and it is definitely not for anyone with a disability.  While only 300 feet long, the trail is a challenge!  At the bottom is a narrow area with a cave-like grotto surrounded by vines and foliage with a small falls.  You must take turns to see the very end of the trail, since it is narrow.

Stairway at Waterfall Trail - most were not this wide

Viewpoints 3 & 4

We stopped briefly to look at the natural bridge from these perspectives and were rewarded with a rainbow emanating from the falls.

Natural Bridge from Viewpoint 4 with rainbow

Gowan Trail

Again, the brochure warns that the trail is strenuous. Do people pay attention?  NO!  We saw people with flip flops and other footwear ill-suited to the twists, turns and narrow stairs.

The trail continues – up, down, and around – for nearly a ½ mile and arrives at an observation deck from which people can venture into the bridge.

Tonto Natural Bridge from a distance

Not for the faint of heart or for persons who are not surefooted – I had hiking boots on and still slid and fell just as I was almost back to the deck.  The rock is highly polished by the constant spray and EXTREMELY slippery.  There are pools of water nestled in the rock areas and it is not a good place to navigate even with the best of shoes.  A park guide said that even with just socks on, he didn’t think it was an easy experience.

We did enjoy the view – and I now share photos of them with you. (And see the short video by clicking below.)

View through Tonto Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge

Picnic time

We headed to a picnic table that had shade and enjoyed a picnic lunch we brought.  (The gift shop where you can pay for admission also has a small shop with some food items, but not an extensive selection.)

In general…

One able-bodied male in his late 20s indicated he wished he had our hiking poles.  There were some elderly people looking exhausted and huffing and puffing.  Let me repeat – do not attempt this series of hikes without water, proper shoes (and, even then, it isn’t easy to navigate at the actual natural bridge), and, perhaps, a hiking pole.

Note: Only portable toilets are available in the parking lots.  Bring hand sanitizer.  You should bring your own drinking supplies – and a lot.  The altitude (if you’re not used to it) and the climbing up and down the steps are demanding, so you need water.

We did enjoy the experience, but I wish I had not ventured on the slippery rocks.

Next week… The oldest schoolhouse still in existence in Arizona and some craft-y people.

Hyatt Place

We checked into the Hyatt Place Boise on North Milwaukee Street not too far from the highway, our first experience at a Hyatt Place.  We were impressed!

The friendly staff was smiling and efficient.  If we hadn’t had so many questions as first-timers, we could actually have used the automated check in.  However, our host was eager to show us around in the lobby.  Everything is easy to access.

The décor is sleek and inviting.  We really liked the room, too.  Technology is very much accounted for- you can use the free wireless Internet connections or dock your iPod. The bed is in an alcove-like arrangement so there is a feeling of a suite.  The “living room” has a fabulous couch that wraps around with an ottoman.  In the “office area” a desk with connections faces away from a small fridge with a wet sink and a coffee maker. http://boisetownesquaremall.place.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/place/index.jsp

Great space!

Boise Farmers Market

If you’ve been reading the blogs, you know that we wouldn’t miss a Farmers’ Market.  Boise’s Farmers Market is certainly worth seeing!  Such fun – and four blocks worth of scrumptious fresh produce, hand made items and entertainment in downtown Boise every Saturday, from 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.

Boise Farmers Market

A fun way to spend a Saturday

The atmosphere is entertaining and everyone seems to be in a festive mood.

Entertainers at Boise Downtown Farmers Market

Fresh cheese, delicious brittle pine nut candy, and some hand-carved wooden items were some of the great items we purchased.  If we had lived there, we would have chosen fresh eggs, meats, flowers and – well, it would be hard to hold us back!

Boise Farmers Market has almost everything everyone would ever want to eat - cheese, eggs, meats, fresh produce, candy - and crafts

Then, we decided on a fun café/pub-like restaurant, the Brick Oven Bistro, at 801 Main Street.  After review of an enormous menu of soups, salads, main dishes with so many choices I had trouble choosing, I had some terrific food.  The portions were enormous and the staff was competent, efficient and friendly.  I spilled my soup as I sat down and a staffer was so nice about cleaning up my messy spot at the table. Reasonable prices, great food, fun atmosphere – we recommend Brick Oven Bistro! http://www.brickovenbistro.com/

Come back next week when we take a jaunt to a penitentiary where they cultivate flowers!

Leaving Jackson Hole after we whisked through (it is was very early and nothing was open, not even the visitors center), we headed north to Grand Teton National Park.  Before you arrive at the toll booth, a side trip to Craig Thomas Discovery Center puts the natural wonders of the area in perspective.  The land seems open and vast, a series of mountains with wildlife tucked away.  Friendly Park’s Rangers are happy to explain what there is to do and see, but the exhibits themselves are worth a few minutes to understand the forces and creatures (human and otherwise) that have created this area. The architecture of the Discovery Center is gorgeous and on a grand scale, befitting the land of which it represents.

Once on the road again, we paid our toll ($25 for a week pass that also gave us access to Yellowstone National Park) and saw deer just a few miles up the road.  It is telling that the sign said, “Elk, moose and buffalo crossing next 20 miles.”

A short side trip to Jenny Lake

We decided to take a little respite from driving and visit Jenny Lake.  The views were breathtaking and the area had very few people.  This was in late May, but the area was still chilly and we wore warm clothing.  (A pleasant change from the temperatures in our home state of Arizona where temperatures were soaring to the 100-degree mark.)

We walked along the lake, watched the boat (rides are available, but there is a fee and we didn’t want to spend the time or money) leave a wake in the water and enjoyed the stillness.  There were few people about, so we could really appreciate the scenery.

We’ll let our photos tell the story of our visit to Jenny Lake.

A camping store and a few amenities are available at Jenny Lake, but they are near the parking lot, not on the lake’s shore.  Fortunately.

When at the store area, you become aware of the fact that bears can be frequent visitors. The garbage cans have a special opening that would prevent bears from getting to the refuse.

Lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge

We grabbed lunch at the semi-rustic Jackson Lake Lodge in the restaurant.  The tab for two came to around $20 for our hamburger meal.  Most memorable was the very friendly wait person who took our order.  It seems that people are really eager to work at these locations as a “working vacation.”  The views are spectacular from the Lodge, but the prices to stay are spectacular, too. We saw rates of up to $300 a day for the rooms, which are fairly modest park lodging. (No television, no radio, no A/C – not that it would be that necessary, no wireless access in the room, but it is in the lodge.)

Jackson Lake Lodge Lobby

View from Jackson Lake Lodge

Leaving Grand Tetons

Eager to get to Yellowstone, we headed north.  There is some road construction, which can make the road only one lane so that cars take turns in each direction.  This can slow things down. We were lucky and didn’t have to wait for the ½ hour delay that the posted sign warned about.

We still saw a lot of snow clinging to mountainsides.

We have been so eager to share the most dramatic visits first, so now we’ll head back to civilization and visit Idaho for a few weeks.  Urban, but great!

Come back next time and we’ll visit Boise, Idaho.

Actually, there are two different falls that visitors can get fairly close to.  And we do mean close! – The sound of the water rushing is almost deafening at one location!

After you have visited the other locations we’ve told you about, it is definitely worth a ride to the Canyon Village area, which is in the vicinity of the Canyons and the falls (Upper and Lower).

The walks at each location are fairly short and you might have to jostle for position in some locations to get a good photo, but do take the time to see the falls!Canyon Falls Visitor Education Center

We stopped first at the Visitor Education Center to get our bearings and use the facilities.  The Park Ranger are very patient, despite the fact that they’ve probably heard the same questions dozens of times within the last hour.

At several locations, you can see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which has colorful cliffs that plunge 1,000 ft.

Colorful cliffs of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

To the falls -

Next, we headed to see the Upper Falls (109 ft. high, the materials informed us) from the special viewpoint.  We could hear and see the falls – right near us and, if the viewing platform and fence were not there, the falls would have washed us away at the bend the river.  Majestic and amazing!

Then, we headed to South Rim Drive and stopped at Artist Point, which attracted a greater number of tourists.  The view was from more of a distance of the Lower Falls (308 ft.) than we had seen for the Upper Falls.

Regrouping, we traveled back to the North Rim Drive, which is a one-way road from the south, for another vantage point for the Lower Falls.  We stopped at both Lookout Point and Grand View, which are not very far apart.  The different perspective from each location is a great way to view them.   At Lookout Point, the chemicals in the water provided a streak of color at the edge of the falls that doesn’t seem to belong, but is certainly a variation in nature.

Nature is certainly nothing to discount.  We enjoyed the views, and were glad of the vantage points that allowed us to see so much.  According to the Park’s literature, the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone plunges 1,000 feet.”  The volcanic activity that is at work in other parts of the Park is also at work here and created the colorful canyons we saw.

We hope you are able to visit Yellowstone, but enjoy our views!

Next week… We’ll backtrack and tell you about Grand Teton National Park, south of Yellowstone.

The next day, we weren’t disappointed. In a concentrated area at the Lower Geyser Basin, are some amazing, bubbling, perking evidence of very hot activity under the earth’s surface. The bubbling is in the Fountain Paint Pots and the nearby steaming is a series of geysers that are quite impressive.

A boardwalk takes you around the area and, as long as you stay on the boardwalk – which they require – you can see the activity and avoid the dangerous hot gases.

The first sight we saw was Silex Spring – a colorful pool with flowing water– but very lethal.  Hot steam and hydrogen sulfide are not especially great to inhale.

We walked around the Fountain Paint Pots, seeing something that could be out of MacBeth – “double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.”  And, there was certainly a lot of bubbling going on.  Even though we were early in the season, we still were able to see some really active clay-like deposits that, according to the Parks Department’s pamphlet, were used by the Crow Indian tribe to paint their tepees.

RECIPE – For the Mudpots of Fountain Paint Pots

As we continued our walk on the boardwalk, we came to an area that had a half dozen geysers in varying states of activity.  It was a bit hard to tell which one was which, but the photo here – we believe is Morning Geyser, which put on a spectacular show.  Notice the yellowish deposits in the geyser not erupting in front.  The deposits, while colorful, are other evidence of the many chemicals the erupting earth bring s to the surface.

Geysers erupting in Fountain Paint Pot areas

Almost nearing the juncture of the boardwalk path with the entrance walkway, there are some “Lodgepole pines” that have become mired in the earth’s eruptions. It is a stark reminder of how destructive, yet beautful the earth can be.

The entire walk around the Fountain Paint Pots Trail and the geysers in the vicinity can easily be seen in less than an hour.  It is great to stay longer and watch the changes.

Next week: We’ll travel to Yellowstone’s Falls  – the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  We’ll explore from several vantage points.

While we waited for Old Faithful to perform, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn, an old dowager of a National Park’s hotel.  The fascinating thing about the Inn is that it was built from stones, wood and other materials that were primarily brought from within a 5-mile radius, according to a tour guide we heard in the massive five-story lobby.  The lobby has large, rustic logs that have been burnished by time.  Nearby stairways are mini-sculptural wood pieces that look like antlers.  The lobby’s giant fireplace is also most impressive.

The main part of the hotel, built in 1904, has a dining room, also massive.  There are newer wings as well.  If you decide you’d like to stay in the Inn, plan to book ‘way far ahead!  The rates, unless you are willing to do without an in-room bathroom ($96), range from that low to a $500 price tag for a suite.  There are no modern amenities – no phones, TVs, air conditioning and Internet hook-ups, etc.  You are meant to get your entertainment from nature while at Yellowstone and, if you look around, you won’t be disappointed.

There are two other hotel properties nearby, but since we were afraid we’d miss Old Faithful’s performance, we didn’t stop to see them.

http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/

On to Points North

Heading north from Old Faithful, we passed the Upper Geyser Basin and were briefly sad that we had missed seeing the buffalo we’d seen on the way into the Old Faithful area.  We needn’t have worried about missing the buffalo because after a few minutes we encountered a whole herd of them stopping traffic when we landed in Lower Geyser Basin.

Enormous (about 3,000 lbs.) and shaggy from molting their winter coats, the buffalo (or bison) munched their way around the fields, but some, without any seeming reason, decided to saunter across the road.

STOP!! Traffic stopped in both directions.  It was that or potentially go head to head with the beasts.  They absolutely did not care about the vehicles lining the road and began a road crossing, one by one, as if following some silent cue.  They came very close to our car.  So, we stayed put and watched.  For about ½ hour we watched.  It was quite entertaining.

At one point, we even saw babies – calves – nursing from the momma bison in the middle of the road.  They are big!

We didn’t feel inclined to rush, as we’d come to see wildlife, and this certainly qualified as wildlife.  We’ve since spoken with other people who never saw buffalo, but we saw them in abundance, both on our first day in the Park and the following day.

What we didn’t see were bear.  Everyone warns about bear and how dangerous they are.  We saw none of them.

We did see other creatures, including birds, deer and a bald eagle’s protected nest. You weren’t allowed to stop and we got a picture of the nest, but the picture, from our moving car with one chance to get the shot and an army of cars pushing behind, has only the nest, not the bird’s head peeking above the rim of the nest.)

Mammoth Hot Springs and the Elk

On our second day at Yellowstone, we decided to contend with a half hour stoppage between the locations called Madison and Norris.  Construction on a new bridge is slowing things and they only allow one lane to travel at a time, while the other direction sits and waits.

When we finally reached Mammoth Hot Springs, we stopped to see phenomenal things that the earth is doing.  In essence, the earth is perking, with colorful displays cascading down platform-like areas and pools of colorful residues formed that sweep living things in their wake.

There are boardwalks that take you around to see the pools and the terraces that show the relentless bubbling and flowing that have created an other-worldly environment.

Once we’d seen the Terraces, we headed to the Mammoth Springs Hotel, where we enjoyed a visit with the extremely tame elk (we counted at least 10 drifting around on the grassy areas), totally unconcerned about humans, as they munched on the grass and totally ignored us.

There is a small museum in addition to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, a very attractive-looking place.  Interestingly, the Hotel’s dining area is separate from the hotel.  We figure that was to prevent possible fires from spreading as easily.

With most of the Park to drive through before dark and two falls to see from various vantage points, we did not stop to explore the hotel.  Room rates range from $87 for a room without bath to suites at $439. Again, forget the technological amenities.

http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/mammoth-hot-springs-hotel-cabins-95.html

(Both of the hotels above do not stay open year round.)

Come back next week for Yellowstone’s Canyon and falls and more…