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White Angelica If you're a hiker, how do you choose your hikes?  What makes for a good hike that you would be willing to repeat?  It could be proximity to your house, stunning views, unique topography, access to a lake or river for fishing.  Some factors may discourage you - significant elevation gain, high popularity of the trail, long distances. On July 21, 2017, we were swayed to select Stanton Lake due to distance (only 4 miles out and back), access to fishing, and the location (but more about that later).  #1 Son would be accompanying us, and the 'boys' were hankering to do some fishing together.  So off we went. Fireweed The trail climbs steadily, but it's not too strenuous, and within a mile and a bit we reached the foot of the lake.  Along the way, we were teased by partial glimpses of Great Northern Mountain.  The rushing sound of the creek leaving the lake could be heard on this section of the trail. Once at the lakeshore, the trail flattened...

I am misty-eyed at the moment.  It's those darn posts of mine that I just re-read.  It seemed like a good idea.  After all, I am about to wrap up the epic saga of the UK tour we enjoyed giving to my sister and her husband during the summer of 2017.  Surely, a look in the rearview mirror would get me in the right frame of mind for this final chapter?  What it got me was deep into the Kleenex box.   Derwent Water viewed from Cat Bells trail My adoration for northeast England is acute, and spending an hour gazing at sublime photos and reviewing narrative was a tad emotional. Newlands Valley from Cat Bells What did I see?  Countryside patched with ancient drystone walls.  Ruined abbeys slumbering peacefully in lush valleys.  Rivers and waterfalls that pursue their courses as they have through the millennia.  The glory of formal gardens, that existed only in the imagination of the designer hundreds of years of ago.  Historic churches, si...

What does summer in America evoke for you?  Perhaps family vacations.  Perhaps warm, lazy days with nothing better to do than dip your toes in the kiddie paddling pool.  Most certainly the Fourth of July and fireworks. In Chapter Four of my ongoing summer series (see Chapter One , Two and Three ), we celebrate several treasured American summer past-times. ONE: Visiting a National Park.  On July 2, we cruised the iconic Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park with my in-laws.  As many of you know from previous posts, most of this road is closed over the winter due to deep snow.  This year, the road opened to vehicles on June 23.  So, in early July, snow is still abundant above 6,000 feet, and you brace yourself for the brisk temperatures. Meadow at Logan Pass - glacier lilies emerging The 'snow line' is very marked on the mountains in the distance; cars snake along the Going to the Sun Road on the right slope None of it was enough to discourage ...