Place: Salt Lake City, UT
Weather: Generally sunny, 68/96F
Route: From Yosemite 615 miles ENE on CA-120 E, US-6 E, US-93 N, I-80 E.
Population: 200,567 (2019)
Nickname: Crossroads of the West
Places to visit: Natural History Museum of Utah, Red Butte Garden, Temple Square, Clark Planetarium, Church History Museum.
Images:
Red Butte Garden (from visitsaltlake.com)
Place: Yosemite National Park
Weather: Sunny, 56/88F
Route: From San Francisco 191 miles west on I-580 E, I-205 E, CA-120 E.
Significance: The biggest draw for Yosemite is the incredibly photogenic granite valley that was carved out by glaciers. There are also giant sequoias, bears, deer, amphibians, reptiles etc. It's one of my favorite parks I've visited.
Websites: UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Park Service.
Images:
Half dome (from beautifulworld.com)
Place: San Francisco, CA
Weather: Some clouds in the morning, mainly sunny afternoon, 56/70F
Route: From Redwood National Park 312 miles SSE on US-101 S.
Population: 881, 549 (2019)
Nicknames: Fog City, Golden Gate City.
Places to visit: Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park, Exploratorium, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Images:
Golden Gate Park (from baycityguide.com)
Place: Redwood National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Weather: Generally sunny, 56/74F
Route: From Portland 370 miles SSW on I-5 S, US-199 S, US-101 S.
Significance: Named and known for the tallest trees on the planet (some are 300 feet tall) - this park is located on the Pacific coast. Some of these trees have been alive for close to 2,000 years. One interesting thing about these trees is that they don't grow right on the coast. They need the protection from wind and salt spray - protected by the more diminutive Douglas fir. Animals include the Roosevelt Elk, Sea Lions, coastal birds, fish etc.
Websites: UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Park Service.
Images:
The coast (from audubon.org)
Place: Portland, OR
Weather: Sunny, 56/85F
Route: From Wallowa Lake 334 miles West on OR-82 W, I-84 W.
Population: 654,741 (2019)
Nickname: Rose City
Places to visit: International Rose Test Garden, Portland Art Museum, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Images:
International Rose Test Garden (from portland.gov)
Place: Wallowa Lake, OR
Weather: Sunny, 51/79F
Route: From Boise 244 miles NW on I-84 W, OR-82 E.
Significance: The story of Old Chief Joseph (1785-1871) of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce is one of the more sad in the interminably sad story of Native peoples in the Americas post Columbus. At the time of Lewis and Clark, the Nez Perce lived in parts of the current states of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Joseph, known as Tuekakas by his people, was one of the first chiefs to convert to Christianity - which is why he had a Christian name. He also advocated for his people to be peaceful with the government of the United States. He helped to form the agreement for an almost 7 million acre reservation in 1855. In 1863 gold was found in parts of the reservation and the U.S. government took back 90% of this land without even a discussion. Joseph felt betrayed - he gave up Christianity and realized that the U.S. government could never be trusted.
Joseph died in 1871, but things would only get worse for his people. In 1877, his son would be forced to march his people over a thousand miles with the U.S. Army on their trail. The Elder Joseph's skull was dug up by white people and supposedly was on view at a dentist's office in Idaho. In 1926 the rest of his skeleton was moved to the most sacred place for him - Wallowa Lake. His burial site is managed by the National Park Service and can be visited today.
Website: National Park Service
Image:
Place: Boise, ID
Weather: Sunny, 61/97F
Route: From Idaho Falls 280 miles west on I-15 S, I-84 W.
Population: 228,959 (2019)
Nickname: The City of Trees
Places to visit: World Center for Birds of Prey, Old Idaho Penitentiary, Idaho Botanical Garden, Idaho State Museum, Basque Museum & Cultural Center.
Images:
Downtown (from curbed.com)
Foothills outside Boise (from buildidaho.com)
