The Alaska Zoo

Anchorage, AK

November 25, 2016

In late November, it's almost always dark in the final frontier state making it difficult to tell the time of day when outside. Our visit to The Alaska Zoo was in the evening, from 8 until 10pm to enjoy the start of the Holiday Lights season. It was just a few degrees below zero with a constant, but slight wind blowing which edged the wind chill factor to -12F.

In addition to the holiday light display, The Alaska Zoo is home to one of the state's most famous native residents which happens to also be Laurel's long time favorite animal- the polar bear. Finding the polar bear exhibit in the dark with falling snow at an unknown zoo was more difficult than we would have ever imagined. We wandered around through the natural setting of the zoo for nearly 30 minutes before we finally found the polar bear exhibit.

We were more excited than the bear who we found fast asleep. The sleeping bear didn't disappoint either girl as they withstood the freezing nighttime air to quietly observe the sleeping giant. Close to 10 minutes passed and neither girl would budge from their observing positions. We were the only ones watching the polar bear sleep. I tried to tell them that the bear would probably sleep until the morning, but we stayed a few more minutes anyway. Just as we they were ready to leave, the polar bear raised his head and looked right at us for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone and wasn't able to snap a quality picture. The lights were nice as was the complimentary hot chocolate (which we found shortly after our visit with the polar bear), but the polar bear was by far the highlight of our evening visit to The Alaska Zoo.

Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge

Explore All 50

Reader Profile: The Kain Family—Ain’t no Challenge Great Enough!

“Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you babe”-that line from that famous song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of this amazing family and all they’ve accomplished to get to their goal of hiking a trail in all 50 states which they are set to complete very shortly.

The Kain family has faced some remarkable challenges. Daughter Kellisa was born a micropreemie at 25 weeks and was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Kellisa has endured 12 brain surgeries, has epilepsy and cerebral palsy but that hasn’t stopped her and her family from their quest to not only visit but hike a trail in all 50 states. The Kain family believes in living life without limits and they are an absolute inspiration. Check out my interview with Chris Kain, Kellisa’s dad …     

Full interview can be read here.

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families on foot

families on foot

Urban Hikes to Backyard Treks and National Park Adventures

Jennifer Pharr Davis and Brew Davis

It didn't seem right to sit back in a chair to read this book, so I found a comfortable rock to read my new favorite book, "families on foot" by Jennifer Pharr Davis and Brew Davis. Kellisa and I have met Jennifer a couple of times over the years from Trail Days in Damascus, VA to a presentation at REI in Jacksonville, FL. Someday we hope to share a trail together.

I didn't hesitate to submit a story with a few pictures when the call went out for submissions. I decided to share the story of Kellisa's first hike on wheels. We were thrilled that Kellisa's story was chosen for the book and honored to discuss some of Kellisa's challenges and medical history to be included in Chapter 9: Health Conditions and Special Concerns. Both Lisa and Cousin Matt (hiking partner on several trails with Kellisa spanning several states) received photo credits as an added bonus.

Jennifer and Brew definitely succeed in providing the blueprint and motivation to get families up and more importantly, out. I especially appreciate that they recognize the need for all children to experience life on the trail. Too often society overlooks the disabled population and I'm beyond proud that Kellisa can represent her "peeps" in this book.

Since I'm probably slightly biased, I will just say, go ahead and buy the book here. 

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Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

February 2017

Dark Embrace

February Moons - 2017

2.11.17

What started out as a casual occurrence in late 2016 has developed into an almost obsession by the second month of 2017. In the beginning, if I happened to see the moon rising behind our house, I would grab the camera and snap a few disappointing pictures. Then one evening, I discovered my camera, a Nikon COOLPIX P530 with 42X Optical Zoom ED VR and 16.1 Megapixels, has a "Moon" setting. After a little trial and error playing with this new found feature, I started taking really clear pictures of the moon.

None of the pictures from this first collection have been edited or photo-shopped in any way, except for an occasional "CROP".  I mentioned this hobby is growing close to an obsession because I find myself watching the evening weather for cloud cover and consulting Moon Rise and Location  in the Night Sky databases. I then wait for the minute the moon appears from the east with my camera ready to snap pictures. For every one picture selected for this post, I have 25 pictures of varying quality not suitable for sharing.

Observations from California Roads

Near Orland, CA

February 2017

Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge

Rio Vista Unit

February 2017

Chris and Laurel Miles Hiked: 2.0

It's hard to believe, but this whole area was flooded with several feet of river water a week before our visit. We found the trail to be a little muddy, but not too bad for our little hike. 

We observed a few birds, although the lighting never really lined up for good photography. The highlight of this trail would be the coyote that darted out of the leafless forest on our right less than 25 feet in front of us. It disappeared into the dense underbrush to our left without making a sound and before we had any chance of taking its picture. We stood still and silent for a few minutes scanning the area, but the coyote was traveling alone. Like most trails in our area, the trailhead had a sign warning about mountain lion sightings and how to stay safe. I used the opportunity to discuss the dangers and precautions with Laurel before we started our hike while gently reminding her along the path as well. I always have mixed feelings, I'd love to spot a mountain lion in the wild, but I'm always relieved when we don't. One question that never gets an answer, did a mountain lion observe us on the trail?

Disney on Ice

Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, CA

February 18, 2017

Yosemite National Park - Part V (January 2017)

All Laurel wanted to do was go sledding in the snow and we were unable to find a suitable spot on Saturday, so that was our main goal for our last day in the park.

For us, we got an early start and were out of the room by 11am. After a short drive, we were at the crowded parking area with the man selling snow chains. We got lucky and didn't have to wait long for a spot to open up. I was very tempted to pay another $40 to have the chains installed, but I knew I had to learn myself. I decided to give it a try. Even though it took far longer than the three minutes it took the professional, I was able to get them on without too much cursing. 

We found the roads to be in a similar condition as the previous day, mostly ice surrounded by high snow drifts. There seemed to be a lot more vehicles on the park roads. Maybe word had gotten out that the roads were open and the waterfalls had very high flow rates. Between the ice and traffic, the pace was frustratingly slow, especially around the more scenic spots.