Portland and Crater Lake National Park, OR

We spent a day in Portland that started with brunch at a restaurant called Tasty n Sons, which, at 10am on a weekday, was still very busy.  We had enough time for two touristy activities in the city.  First, we visited Powell’s City of Books, which is a branch of a local bookstore chain that claims to be the biggest independent new and used bookstore in the world.  The store itself is certainly the largest bookstore I’ve ever been in, with entire rooms for each genre.

Later, we walked to the Lan Su Chinese gardens, located next to Portland’s Chinatown, which is a scary, Chinese-less incarnation of Chinatown.  In the place of restaurants and smelly fish markets, there were boarded up buildings and, instead of tourists, there were hobos.

The gardens, however, were really very nice.

 

We drove out to Crater Lake the next day to see the bluest freshwater either of us had ever seen.  The lake was formed when a volcano erupted and collapsed in on itself almost 8000 years ago, forming a basin that collected rainwater and snow melt.

We took the boat out to Crater Lake’s island and hiked to the top of the cinder cone volcano that formed a little after the initial, violent eruption.

On a side note: dear god, there are a lot of hornets in this part of the country.  We eat practically every meal outside and always have the unwelcome company of at least one buzzing, stinging guest.  Lester’s record is now five dead hornets during one meal.

Seattle and Olympic National Park, WT

On our way to Seattle, we had the unfortunate timing to reach a blasting site five minutes after the road was closed, forcing all traffic to a complete stop for the next hour.  It was about dinner time and we now knew that we would be setting up camp in the dark, so we decided to make the best of the situation and cooked dinner on the side of the highway.

When we eventually reached camp later that night, we discovered that it was very small and situated so close to the airport that that you could make out the fine details on the airplanes as they landed and took off.  The showers were coin operated and vacillated wildly between hot and cold without ever settling in the middle.  The pit toilets were something that is best not described, but left to the imagination.

We went to Pike's Place in the morning, which I did not enjoy much more than the painful shower I'd had earlier in the day.  Lester, being more tolerant of crowds, had fun watching people toss around fish while I followed along behind him, letting him part the waves of people too busy taking pictures with their iPhones to watch where they're walking.

The Chihuly Glass and Garden did not have this problem, as people appeared to be more conscious of the fact that they were in a museum full of very breakable art.  As we toured the museum, Lester and I realized that we'd actually seen work from this artist before when we were in Venice five years ago for coursework for WPI.  He'd had large, abstract chandeliers hanging around the palazzos and open spaces in Murano, where he'd studied decades ago.

The next morning, we took the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to reach Olympic National Park.  We have now officially traveled by land, sea, and air on this trip.

We drove to the Pacific ocean and Mora beach in Olympic, which is as far westward as we are going to reach on this road trip.

After getting a backcountry permit form the park rangers, we hiked out two miles along the beach to spend the night camping in the sand near Hole-in-the-Wall.  The park is very strict about enforcing the use of bear cans (plastic, bear-proof food containers), although the ranger said that this was less for the bears and more for the raccoons.  He warned us not to turn our backs on an unclosed bear can or a raccoon would seize the opportunity and "tackle" it for the chance to steal food from us.

At the start of our hike, the fog that had settled along the beach was so thick and the sun was so bright behind it that the sky and waves appeared like a solid white mass.  On the other side, the driftwood, many of which were really whole trees wider than my arm-span, lay strewn together to form a low wall of sun-bleached, white wood.  Since the beach was made of small, shiny, black pebbles, the whole hike felt like we were walking on the shores of a monochromatic, alien world.

When the sun eventually burned through the fog as we ate dinner on an especially large piece of driftwood, we were finally able to see the ocean and the huge, towering rocks just off of the coast.

We shucked oysters for dinner and rinsed the dishes in the ocean.

Our view of the beach was just as beautiful at night as it was during sunset.

The next morning, at low tide, we explored the tide pools, trying not to step on too many of the tiny baby snails that covered the rocks.  Afterwards, we packed out our soaked and sandy belongings and headed inland to the Hoh rainforest, but not before driving through Forks, WT (we had to as it is on the only highway).  If you are not familiar with the writings of Stephanie Meyer, you should know that this is the setting for the Twilight series.  The sign below is an example of what you can now find in Forks.

The rainforest was not as rainy or damp as we expected it to be, but we did enjoy the Hall of Mosses and several other nature walks.

We've just left Portland, Oregon, so that post should be coming soon.

Glacier National Park, MT

When Lester and I were still in the planning stages of this road trip, we discussed whether or not we should bother going to Glacier.  We wanted to see the glaciers before they all melted forever, but it is pretty far north and out of the way of the direct route between Yellowstone and Seattle.  I cannot emphasize enough how glad we are that we made it a stop on our trip.

Glacier has the best views and the best hikes we’ve seen so far; not just on the trip, but in all of our time in the outdoors.  It beats the views at Yellowstone, the Smokies, the Adirondacks, the White and Green Mountains, and most likely will win out over the Grand Canyon and Yosemite as well.

We only spent two and half days in Glacier, but the park really deserves at least a week.  The backcountry camping is supposed to be especially nice, despite the fact that Glacier has the highest density of bears in the lower 48 (and the most bear attacks).  Since we didn’t have time for backpacking, we spent our time on two separate day-hikes.  The first and one of the most recommended hikes in the country is the Highline trail.  This 12 mile route climbs up in to the mountains, providing amazing panoramas that make it apparent why this region is sometimes called the Alps of North America.  There was even a chalet at one peak where you could stay the night or just buy some Gatorade and Skittles.

The second day we hiked out to the Grinnell Glacier.  We did not take the boat that circumvents the first two miles of the trail, which at $25 a person is really not worth it since those are the only two miles that aren’t uphill.

The glacier is situated near the peak of a mountain, where it melts in to a freezing cold glacial lake that drains in to a large waterfall.  The water is literally ice-cold as it has big chunks of glacier floating in it.  A few crazy people jumped in to the lake; I soaked my feet for a second and Lester poked a finger in.

(one of the lakes at the base of the mountains 

that is fed by the runoff of the melting glaciers)

You can only reach the glacier by crossing the runoff from the lake, well away from the waterfall’s edge.  There are some wobbly rocks that span the flowing water and, with some waterproof shoes and good balance, you can make it to the other side.

Lester instructed me that I had to include the picture of the grizzly bear that we saw (the only bear we’ve seen so far on the trip).  This picture was taken from about 400 yards away, which is the distance I like my bears at.

We are now on our way to Seattle and Olympic National Park.

Li Family Reunion, Santa Cruz, CA

(from left: first cousin Peter, Lester and I, mom Ya Ying, sister Amanda, 

dad DK, aunt Janet, first cousin Brenda, uncle DQ)

For those of you who aren’t members of Lester’s family, the Li family reunion will require a little explanation.  It is almost like the Olympics of family reunions in that they are held not on an annual basis, the location always changes, and they last an unusually long time.

The Li family reunion occurs every three years and is held on either the east or west coast of the US, alternating with each reunion.  This year’s reunion was held in Santa Cruz, California on the University of California campus.  We stayed in dorm rooms and ate out of the school cafeteria.  Since Lester and I met in a college dorm, it felt a little like we had come full circle to be spending part of our honeymoon in one.  Yes, we had to sleep in separate beds.

I met the 90 or so people who call Lester family (apparently there are more, who I am likely to meet three years from now).  Most of the family is connected through Lester’s grandfather’s siblings, however there are some parts of the family whose common ancestor goes a generation or two further back.  There was a very helpful slideshow presentation to clarify how everyone was related.

Lester's grandfather (SZ) is at the bottom-right.

Unfortunately, Lester and I were not the only people to get married this summer; three other couples in the Li family also tied the knot.  This was a perfect opportunity for a little public humiliation in the form of the Newlywed Game, held on stage in front of the entire family.  Lester and I won, although there was no prize except the lingering embarrassment of having to answer personal questions about your relationship in front of 90 people.

At one point during the game, I was asked what Lester’s most annoying habit was and I answered, “his relentless planning.”  This was a mistake because they had not yet decided who should organize the next reunion.  Lester was asked the following day.

After the reunion officially ended, we drove a little further down the coast and spent the afternoon around the Monterrey/Carmel area, which is a really beautiful place to wander around and get lunch.

We flew back to Montana yesterday and we’re currently on our way north to Glacier National Park.

Yellowstone (days 5 through 10)

We left Yellowstone three days ago, which is just enough time for everything to start blurring together.  Therefore, the contents of this blog post will be presented in no particular order.

Sometime between the last post and the end of our time in Yellowstone, we went to see a petrified tree.  Lester misread the label on the map as Petrified Trees.  He was a little disappointed to learn that there was only one tree at the end of our hike and it was fenced in so that you couldn't get close to it.  I took a picture to commemorate this disappointment.

As a consolation, Lester did see his first moose.

We also saw several other mammals, including elk, yellow-bellied marmots, river otters, and one really fat chipmunk with no apparent fear of people.

(not a chipmunk)

The bison were great at first; they'd walk right by your car without even looking at you.  They make this loud bleating/retching noise that requires that their tongues stick straight out of their mouths and wobble.  It's both impressive and a little gross.

Despite this, we soon came to dread the bison.  They have no respect for traffic laws and will wander slowly down the road in the wrong direction for as long as they can get away with it.  Eventually a park ranger in a truck will arrive and swerve at them, waving an orange vest and slapping the sides of the vehicle with the flat of his hand.  This apparently frightening display of dominance is enough to send the bison shuffling off of the road, at least for a little while.

No one uses their car horns; I'm not sure if this is out or respect for the natural wonder before us or fear that the bison will see this as some sort of challenge and accept.

At some point, we climbed Mount Washburn (elevation 10,243 ft above sea level).  There is a fire watch tower at the peak, which is one of three watch towers that are actively staffed in Yellowstone.  A fourth one is used only when the fire danger level is high.

While there are a number of hot springs in Yellowstone, most of them are far too hot for swimming.  However, there is a part of the park where water from the Boiling River hot springs empties in to the Gardner River.  This mixture of the hot and cold waters makes it mostly comfortable for bathing, once you get used to the random pockets of scalding or freezing water that will briefly envelop you.  In the picture below, the hot springs water is running over the side of the bank into the Gardner River.

There was also a brief outing on Lake Yellowstone.  Lester rowed us around for a while; it was nice and really uneventful so I have nothing else to add besides this picture.

We wrapped up Yellowstone with a three day backpacking trip in the Black Canyon region.  Despite the amazing views and the chance to see river otters, the Black Canyon is not popular this time of year.  One park ranger said that it's because of the steep descent in the beginning of the trail, but that's not the whole truth.  When we went to reserve our campsites and told the back country ranger where we'd be staying, her first response was "It's hot there."

She was not lying.

There is this portion of the day in which Yellowstone becomes an oven.  It's as though Yellowstone has a different sun than the rest of the country and this sun is hotter and angrier and completely without mercy.  Between noon and three, you do not want to be out walking around under it's vicious heat and you especially don't want to be out hiking up and down mountains with a 25 or 40 pound backpack strapped to your back.

I included the following picture not because I think it's especially flattering, but because this picture is how it feels to hike the Black Canyon during an afternoon in August.

Despite the heat, it is a very beautiful part of Yellowstone, thankfully with lots of cool, refreshing water (and adorable river otters).

Also, a lesson learned: Hitchhiking is not illegal or discouraged in Yellowstone and it is often necessary to get from one trailhead to another.  We were assured by a really sun-burnt, experienced Yellowstone hiker that it is really easy to hitch a ride and that he'd never had to wait more than two cars to be picked up.  This was not the case.  Lester and I waited through four or five waves of cars before we gave up.  Many drivers went out of their way to put as much distance as possible between us and them.  I guess in case we tried to jump on their car when it was moving or something.

This meant that before we started our hike, Lester had to run eight miles from where we left our car at the end trailhead to where we actually started.  The upside to this was that it slowed Lester down enough that we were able to hike at the same pace.

Yellowstone is an amazing national park.  It is huge and beautiful and wonderfully diverse.  We both hope that we'll be back before too long.

Yellowstone (days 1, 2, 3, and 4)

Yellowstone is huge.  It is the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, which is all academic until you actually have to drive through it.  The time from when we entered the park through the East Entrance until we reached the first visitor center was an hour and a half.  From where we're camping to the nearest shower is half an hour's drive, the nearest cell service is an hour away, and the distance to the attractions range from right next door to a nearly three hour long drive.

We've chosen a campsite that is as near to the center of the park as possible, which puts us in a reasonable range of most of Yellowstone's offerings.  The campsite borders a meadow with a creek winding through it; it looks especially nice when the sun sets during dinner.

If you haven't reserved a campsite in advance, finding an opening at one of Yellowstone's 10 campgrounds can be a a true test of your determination.  The campgrounds run by the National Park Service are first come, first serve and fill up quickly in the morning.  To get a spot at one of the more popular campgrounds, such as Norris, you need to be there by 8am to cruise the campsites, looking for anyone who appears to be packing up, which can also look a lot like someone just getting ready for the day.

You ask them, hopefully not looking too desperate, if they're leaving.  If they are, which they usually aren't, you plop a camp chair down to establish squatter's rights until you can fill out the self-reservation form by the bulletin board.

Much of the time at the park is spent driving between the campsite and different points of interest, although the drive itself is almost always very scenic and well worth the extra trouble and fuel.  You often see wildlife by the side of the road or, in the case of one Bison, wandering down the middle of it.  You know there's an animal up ahead by the number of cars backed up along the road, trying to park off to the side.  This is so predictable that many people will pull off and park long before they can be certain what they're stopping for.  This bison was kind enough to graze off of the side of a parking area so that traffic didn't back up on the road.

Besides Bison, we've seen numerous hot springs and geysers.  Below is a picture of the Grand Prismatic Springs.  Not only is the water mulit-colored, but the sulfurous steam that rises from the pools is also lightly tinged red or blue.

There are many tourists here at Yellowstone, both native and foreign born.  In particular, it seems to be a popular vacation destination for Chinese families.  Lester translates for me sometimes.  The popular complaints amongst the Chinese children are:

"Mom, you've taken enough pictures.  No more pictures."

"This hike is too hard.  I don't want to go on anymore."

"I'm too hot."

Yesterday, we hiked out to Shoshone Lake, which is only accessible by walking or canoeing.  We found a grizzly bear paw print by the lake shore, although we haven't actually seen any bears yet.  Lester has the bear mace ready just in case.

On the way back from the lake, we managed to catch the eruption of the Lonestar Geyser, which goes off every 3 hours.

Today, we hiked part of the trail around the Grand Canyon (of Yellowstone) and managed to find some 3G coverage up on a hillside, enabling this blog post.

The nights in Yellowstone are cold and dark, dark enough that you can see the Milky Way Galaxy spanning the night sky.  The temperatures dip below freezing somewhere around two or three in the morning, but quickly climb to 85F during the day.

 We'll be in Yellowstone until the 14th.