The Birmingham Zoo

 The Birmingham Zoo

December 2012

Egypt enjoying the "mingos"

Egypt's eyes had tears from the cold wind while riding the train. At one point, Egypt looked at me and explained the tears as: "daddy, my face isn't working right".

Egypt taking a picture of a baby orangutan:

Egypt made three new friends while riding the train. They were visiting the zoo on a high school field trip. I let Egypt walk with them to see the monkeys and elephants. While in the monkey house, the girl's teacher caught up with them and they introduced Egypt as their new friend from the train. The teacher got very concerned thinking the girls had let Egypt wander away from her parents. I was standing about 10 feet away at the time. The girls quickly pointed to me and explained that I was Egypt's father. The teacher sighed with great relief.

Egypt posing by a bug for Kellisa (Egypt thought Kellisa would want to put this picture in her room):

ZOOS

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Britton Hill

 Florida's Highpoint Revisited

June 2019

Britton Hill - November 2004

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Algoma Central Railway and Agawa Canyon Park

Ontario, Canada

July 2008

We attended an outdoor adventure tradeshow in Chicago in 1998, just a few months before Lisa became pregnant with Kellisa. I grabbed a brochure for the Algoma Central Railway in Ontario. The historic train left Sault Ste. Marie and headed through the Northwoods with a lunch stopover at Agawa Canyon Park.  I knew we would go someday and it took 10 years for the dream to come true. 

The train ride was absolutely beautiful as passengers gazed out the windows for 114 miles as we traveled deep into the wilderness. After a few hours, we arrived at Agawa Canyon where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and wonderfully accessible trails to explore the park's cascading waterfalls, vertical canyon walls, and dense forests. Our time was too short and soon we were boarding the train for the return trip to Sault Ste. Marie. 

The train had a crew who assisted Kellisa on and off and treated her with respect. They explained the process and were patient as Kellisa enjoyed the lift up and down from the train. Almost 15 years later and this is still an all time top adventure and we hope to return with Egypt someday. 

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The Soo Locks

Ontario, Canada

July 2008

The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes:

A boat tour through the locks:

 The Soo Locks

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Gros Cap Conservation Area

Ontario, Canada

October 2012

Gros Cap is just Northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. We missed the peak autumn color by a couple of weeks. It was late in the afternoon and it was cold and rainy, so we stayed in the car to enjoy what remained of the day and fall colors.

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Gros Cap Conservation Area

Ontario, Canada

July 2008

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Fort Creek Conservation Area

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

October 2012

It was Egypt's idea to go for a hike because she wanted to see a bear in the wild. As you can watch in the videos below, Egypt is better than a bear bell to keep bears away. We found Fort Creek Conservation Area by chance and were pleasantly surprised to find a nice paved trail through the hilly forest.

Highpoints

State highpointing is the activity of reaching the highest natural point in a given state. The ascents range from easy drive-ups like Delaware (where you literally drive to within a few feet of the highpoint) to Denali in Alaska which requires high altitude mountaineering equipment and experience. Less than 400 people have completed all 50 United States highpoints, with approximately 10 new climbers joining the exclusive club each year.

Kellisa has completed 22 state highpoints and I'm confident that I can safely get her to the top of an additional 7 and if everything lines up perfectly, there are 4 highpoints in the west that may be reachable with the right planning and mobility chair. I believe 33 is the  upper limit of state summits for someone in a wheelchair with major assistance. 

I suppose you could hire a helicopter or a large team of climbers to carry someone in a wheelchair to the summit, but that does not interest us due to the danger and the idea of being dependent on many others.

We will be happy if Kellisa can reach 29 and overjoyed if we can get her to the top of 33 states. Stay tuned!

Click on the state below for trip reports and more pictures:

Timms Hill, Wisconsin

Alabama - Cheaha Mountain (August 2009)

Delaware - Ebright Azimuth (December 2009)

Florida- Britton Hill (November 2004)                    

Georgia - Brasstown Bald (May 2004)

Indiana - Hoosier Hill (May 2006)

Kentucky - Black Mountain (June 2006) 

Maryland - Backbone Mountain (July 2010)

Massachusetts - Mount Greylock (June 2009)

Michigan - Mount Arvon (September 2011)

Mississippi - Woodall Mountain (August 2009)

Missouri - Taum Sauk Mountain (July 2013)

New Hampshire - Mount Washington (June 2009)

New Jersey - High Point (December 2009)

North Carolina - Mount Mitchell (June 2006)

Ohio - Campbell Hill (May 2006)

Oklahoma - Black Mesa (April 2008)

Pennsylvania - Mount Davis (July 2010)

Rhode Island - Jerimoth Hill (June 2009)

                                           (May 2014)

                                           (October 2019)

South Carolina - Sassafras Mountain (June 2011)

Tennessee - Clingmans Dome (August 2007)

West Virginia - Spruce Knob (July 2010)

Wisconsin - Timms Hill (September 2011)

* Washignton DC - Fort Reno (July 2010)

Apex to Zenith #96 (Spring 2012)

Highpointers Club

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Kellisa's 62nd Airport Visited

 

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge