Sage’s Random Road Trip Thoughts #2

Cuyahoga
You may be wondering why Doug didn’t say much about the final park we stopped at on our trip, Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. It’s because there really isn’t anything to say about it without being unkind. I’m perplexed as to why it was named a National Park as it’s nothing more than a patch of woods surrounded by a quaint village; if anything it should just be a State Park. Shenandoah National Park, which itself isn’t anything special puts this place to shame. Perhaps it’s a bit unfair that we stopped at Cuyahoga after visiting some of the most beautiful spots in America but it was still disappointing.

Hiking Attire, Part 2
I saw a few more inappropriate hiking outfits since the last blog but the two most noteworthy were some interesting footwear choices. One was during the hike to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. The trail was under snow for the entire 1.5 one-way trip to the lake. I saw a woman struggling up the trail wearing Teva sandals without socks. My own feet were chilly under wool socks and hiking boots; I can’t imagine how uncomfortable she was. The second shocking footwear choice was the woman who was wearing flip-flops (and also a mini skirt and sleeveless shirt) on the trip up to the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park. She knew she was going to walk on a GLACIER and she still decided flip-flops would be the perfect shoes. Good work!

Rating the Parks
I’m still working on my park rankings. However, as a preview I will share my top five U.S. parks visited in this trip (for the first time) in no particular order: Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Glacier, and Mesa Verde. Check back soon to see how I rank all the parks I’ve visited.

Life List Update
I was able to cross off three things from my life list during this trip – I saw a grizzly bear in the wild (four, actually!), I walked on a glacier, and I quit my job and traveled for over a month (it was originally supposed to be 3 months but I think it still counts). I also got a bit closer to my goal of visiting all 57 U.S. National Parks by adding 11 more to the list. My total is now up to 20.

Wildlife Viewing, Part 2
In my last blog, I was hoping to spot a mountain goat in Glacier and we were able to see a whole family of these fascinating creatures. We also saw a couple more bears, and plenty of bison in North and South Dakota. I was pleasantly surprised with the good luck we had seeing so much unusual wildlife. The only disappointment was not seeing wolves but I wasn’t really expecting to see any as they’re so reclusive.

Weather
We were incredibly lucky with the weather during the entire trip. It rained occasionally at night but it only rained one day during the trip and that was a travel day so we didn’t mind much.

Gateway Towns
One of the fun aspects of the National Parks is the gateway towns. There’s a wide spectrum of variety when it comes to these towns. Some are tacky yet fun like Gatlinburg, Tennessee (Great Smoky Mountains), some are understated and picturesque like Springdale, Utah (Zion), and some need improvement like Front Royal, Virginia (Shenandoah). The top five gateway towns we encountered on our trip are as follows, in reverse order:

Banff, Alberta – Banff National Park
Not in the U.S. but makes the top five because it’s got so much to offer – beautiful scenery, great souvenir shopping, and friendly people. This is the only gateway town actually inside the border of a National Park which I actually didn’t like. I prefer my National Parks kept pristine with civilization kept outside the borders.

Medora, North Dakota – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Set up like a Wild West town with plenty of cute shops and restaurants.

Jackson, Wyoming – Grand Teton National Park
Loses points for being a bit too big and crowded but it has a lot to offer – restaurants, shopping, hotels, and wildlife all with amazing mountain views.

Estes Park, Colorado – Rocky Mountain National Park
Has it all – great restaurants, shopping, wildlife, and scenery all without being pretentious or overcrowded.

Moab, Utah – Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
Bonus points for being within minutes of two parks. The most laid back gateway town, filled with outdoor enthusiasts and offering unsurpassed opportunities for mountain biking, white water rafting, hiking, and backpacking.