fallingwater is a house designed by american architect frank lloyd wright in 1935 in rural southwestern pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.  the home was built partly over a waterfall on bear run in the mill run section of stewart township.  in november 1934, wright visited bear run and asked for asurvey of the area around the waterfall.  one was prepared by fayette engineering company of uniontown, pennsylvania, including all the site’s boulders, trees and topography, and forwarded to wright in march 1935.  it took nine months for his ideas to crystallize into a design, quickly sketched up in time for a visit by kaufmann, the home’s owner, to taliesin in september 1935.  it was then that kaufmann first became aware that wright intended to build the home above the falls, rather than below them to afford a view of the cascades as he had expected. we visited the house en route to the wedding of some of jessica’s relatives in pittsburgh.  while in pittsburgh, we walked around town and took some photos of the interesting buildings.  we also went to the warhol museum, which contains 17 galleries, 900 paintings, close to 2,000 works on paper, over 1,000 published unique prints, 77 sculptures, 4,000 photographs, and over 4,350 warhol films and videotaped works.  we also drove up mt. washington for some great views of downtown pittsburgh.

in september of 2011, we visited our families in washington and decided to go on a few long hikes.  in mt. rainier national park, we went on a hike at sunrise.   at an elevation of 6,400 feet, sunrise is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle at mount rainier national park.  in summer, mountain meadows abound with wildflowers.  we had a clear day, with breathtaking views of mount rainier, emmons glacier, and many other volcanoes in the cascade range.  from sunrise, we went on a hike to skyscraper pass. the route climbs away from the sunrise parking area to the eye-opening sourdough ridgeline, revealing vistas of the lush white river valley below.  we headed west on the sourdough trail and weaved through wildflower-dotted meadows toward frozen lake.  at a five-way intersection, we picked up the wonderland trail and trekked through more meadows that preceded the steep climb to skyscraper pass.  at the top of the pass, we enjoyed dazzling vistas of moraine peak and mystic lake to the west.  we also went on a hike to spray park.  on this hike, open meadows of heather and alpine blossoms were interspersed among rocky moraines.  this hike also provided great views of the mt. rainier.

on our september visit, we also went on an overnight trip to north cascades national park. jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls, and over 300 glaciers adorn the north cascades national park complex. most of the park is inaccessible by car, but those areas that are worth the visit.  we went on a hike to cascade pass.  the views are amazing before you even hit the trail.  to the south, the fierce face of johannesburg mountain peers down at you as you lace up, periodically shedding shards of ice to the valley floor from its hanging glaciers.  the trail starts by switchbacking some thirty times on a forested rib to propel you high above the avalanche-debris-littered valley floor.  after climbing 1400 feet in the first 2 miles or so, the grade eases, making a long traverse toward the pass, breezing by meadows, talus, and the occasional lingering snowfield en route.   at 3.7 miles reach the heather parklands of cascade Pass (elev. 5400 ft), a perfectly fine place to call it a day.  we saw some plump marmots, pica and even a mountain goat.  in addition to the hike, we drove around the washington pass and ross lake national recreation areas around highway 20.

our 24 day, 6,200 mile journey  started with a drive from alexandria to portland.  after a brief visit in portland, we headed to acadia national park where we walked along the carriage trails, went to the top of cadillac mountain and drove along the rugged coastline.  after acadia, we entered new brunswick and spent a few nights at fundy national park where  we witnessed the world’s greatest tides and marveled at the hopewell rocks.  from there, our journey continued to prince edward island where we camped near the beach on the gulf of st. lawrence at the prince edward island provincial park.  on the island we mostly drove around and made a stop at charlottetown, the tiny capital.  after pei, we visited halifax, went to the citadel national historic site and enjoyed our time in the largest city we would see for several weeks.  from halifax, we went to cape breton highlands national park, which is located on northern cape breton island in the province of nova scotia and feature spectacular ocean and mountain views.  before catching the ferry at north sydney to newfoundland, we strolled around the louisbourg national historic site in a terrible rain storm.  after an overnight ferry to port aux basques, we drove around the southwestern portion of newfoundland en route to gros morne national park.  the park is an area of great natural beauty with a rich variety of scenery, wildlife, and recreational activities.  we went on numerous small hikes, a boat tours through the towering cliffs of a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers, and saw moose and whale.  from gros morne, we drove to st. barbe and caught the ferry to labrador.  in labrador, we drove  along the coastline to red bay, which is a fishing village and former site of several basque whaling stations.  we camped at the pinware river provincial park.  after catching a ferry back to newfoundland, we headed to a bed and breakfast near l’anse aux meadows, which contains the first norwegian community settled in north america.  we also saw a ton of icebergs there!  continuing a journey, we went to twillingate, a town of 2,448 people found at the mouth of the exploits river where it flows into notre dame bay.  the islands provide an excellent sheltered harbour and easy access to the rich fishing grounds nearby.  after twillingate, we went to terra nova national park.  terra nova national park is a place where long fingers of the north atlantic ocean touch the island boreal forest of eastern newfoundland.  rocky headlands provide shelter from the awesome power of the open ocean. the landscape of the park varies from the rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs and ponds of the inland.  from there, we drove to st. john’s via trinity and the bonavista peninsula.  the harbour at trinity was first used by fishing ships around the 16th century.  the town currently contains a number of buildings recognized as registered heritage structures by the province.  bonavista was a gem.   though we went to see the lighthouse and a puffin colony, we immediately heard the sound of whale’s blowing.  at dungeon provincial park, we watched the humpbacks breaching to feed.  we were not at all dismayed with a late arrival time to st. john’s.  while in st. john’s we visited signal hill, which is an old military installation that overlooks the city.  while in the area, we went to cape spear and the avalon peninsula.  cape spear is the eastern most point in north america. before catching the ferry back to nova scotia, we were amazed by the birds at cape st. mary’s newfoundland ecological reserve that contained countless murres, gannets, and guillemots, among other birds.  after seeing the bird sanctuary, we boarded the massive marine atlantic ferry and enjoyed our private room for the 14.5 hour crossing.  we arrived early in the morning and drove to kouchibouguac national park, which features a fascinating mosaic of bogs, salt marshes, tidal rivers, sparkling freshwater systems, sheltered lagoons, abandoned fields and tall forests which characterizes the maritime plain natural region.  our trip concludes with stops in quebec city and montreal.  in quebec city, we went to the old town and ate some great french food.  in montreal,  we went to the museum of contemporary art and drove to the top of mount royal for some spectacular views.  on our last day, we drove back to alexandria via vermont.

zion national park amazed us.  we stayed at the zion lodge and went on numerous hikes in the park. the park is located in southwestern utah.  zion canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, is cut through the reddish and tan-colored navajo sandstone by the north fork of the virgin river.  the lowest elevation is 3,666 ft at coalpits wash and the highest elevation is 8,726 ft at horse ranch mountain.  located at the junction of the colorado plateau, great basin, and mojave desert regions, the park’s unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity.  numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 reptiles inhabit the park’s four life zones: desert, riparian,woodland, and coniferous forest.   zion national park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers,slot canyons, and natural arches.  the geology of the zion and kolob canyons area includes 9 formations that together represent 150 million years of mostly mesozoic-aged sedimentation.  at various periods in that time warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments covered the area.  uplift associated with the creation of the colorado plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet starting 13 million years ago.

after the big national parks in utah, we decided to visit the the grand staircase-escalante national monument and kodachome state park.  grand staircase-escalante national monument contains 1.9 million acres of land in southern utah. the monument is a geologic sampler, with a huge variety of formations, features, and world-class paleontological sites.  the grand staircase is a geological formation spanning eons of time and is a territory of multicolored cliffs, plateaus, mesas, buttes, pinnacles, and canyons.  the land rises in broad, tilted terraces which form the grand staircase. from the south the terraces step up in great technicolor cliffs: vermilion, white, gray, and pink.  the monument is full of slot canyons, and it also contains some impressive arches.  kodachrome state park is best known for the 67 towering sand pipes that dominate the desert landscape.  this colorful park has a well-deserved reputation as a photographer’s paradise.  the multi-colored monoliths nestled beneath brilliant blue skies inspired the national geographic society photographers to nickname the area kodachrome flat during a 1948 photography expedition.  although the park was initially named chimney rock state park in 1962, the kodak corporation later gave permission to use the name of its popular brand of film, and the park was officially renamed kodachrome basin state park.  at both grand staircase-escalante and at kodachrome, we hiked around and marveled at the wonder colors and shapes that geology has produced.

we arrived at capital reef national park on a chilly day with powerful, biting winds.  luckily, we were staying in a hotel rather than camping!  capitol reef encompasses the waterpocket fold, a warp in the earth’s crust that is 65 million years old.  in this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an s-shape.  this warp, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the rocky mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils.  the park is filled with brilliantly coloredsandstone cliffs, gleaming white domes, and contrasting layers of stone and earth.  the area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of navajo sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the united states capitol building, that run from the fremont river to pleasant creek on the water pocket fold.  the fold forms a north-to-south barrier that even today has barely been breached by roads

we arrived at bryce canyon and were surprised with the amount of remaining snow and the cold temperatures.   we experienced some great views the day we arrived and were happy that we had a warm cabin to retreat to.  the next morning we work up very early to see the sun rise over the hoodoos.  bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks.  the red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views.  the major feature of the park is bryce canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheatercreated by erosion along the eastern side of the paunsaugunt plateau.  bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby zion national park.  the rim at bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet.

we drove from los angeles to las vegas on a somewhat less travelled route through the mojave desert.  the mojave desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern california and smaller parts of central california, southern nevada, southwestern utah and northwestern arizona.  named after the mohave tribe of native americans, it displays typical basin and range topography.  the desert is believed to support between 1,750 and 2,000 species of plants, but it receives less than 13 in of rain a year.  the elevation of the mojave desert is generally between 2,000 and 5,000 feet.   at certain elevations, joshua trees grow in the desert.  in the mojave, we drove off the main highway for some interesting desert views and walked around a bit in the sand.

los angeles is an interesting place.  while there, we went to the museum of contemporary art (moca), the la county museum of art, and the page museum at the la brea tar pits.  tar pits are cool.  the la brea tar pits are a cluster of tar pits that have seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. the tar is often covered with water.  over many centuries, animals that came to drink the water fell in, sank in the tar, and were preserved as bones.  among the prehistoric species associated with the tar pits are mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bears, ground sloths, and the state fossil of california, the saber-toothed cat, smilodon fatalis. only one human has ever been found, a partial skeleton of a woman dated to approximately 10,000 calendar years.  apart from the museums, we walked along the beach, drove around the city and visited both little tokyo and marukai marketplace, one of the best japanese grocery stores outside of japan.  little tokyo is one of only three official japantowns in the united states.  we also drove along route 1 to see some outstanding views of the coast.  we also seemed to have spent a lot of time driving all over la.  though we had an interesting time, we were happy to move on to the deserts to the east.

close to the california mainland, yet worlds apart, channel islands national park encompasses five islands (anacapa, santa cruz, santa rosa, san miguel, and santa barbara) and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources.  isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal southern california as it once was.  we visited santa cruz island, which is located about 20 miles from the mainland coast.  at over 96 square miles in size, the island is the largest of the channel islands it is also the most diverse with plant communities from marshes and grasslands to chaparral and pine forests.  we strolled about the island, sometimes in heavy rain, but had a blast.   santa cruz island has a very interesting fox story.  if you are interested, check out nature.org’s summary here:

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/california/explore/saving-the-santa-cruz-island-fox.xml

prior to our 24 day july journey to canada, we wanted to break in our hiking shoes.   what better place than the shenandoah national park, we thought.   we assumed that the temperatures would be slightly cooler than the blistering temperatures in nova.   we were incorrect!  we did, however, go on a hike in the park and and tested out our new hiking shoes.   shenandoah national park encompasses part of the blue ridge mountains.  the national park is long and narrow, with the broad shenandoah river and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the virginia piedmont on the east. although likely the most prominent feature of the park is the scenic skyline drive, almost 40% of the land area 79,579 acres has been designated as wilderness and is protected as part of the national wilderness preservation system.  the east coast does not have many national parks, but the shenandoah national park was worth the visit.

paradise is part of mt. rainier national park and is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows.  when james longmire’s daughter-in-law, martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, “oh, what a paradise!”  as you can see from the photographs, paradise is also the prime winter-use area in the park, receiving on average 680 inches of snow per year.  winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and tubing.  we took a trip up to walk around, to breathe the clean air, and to take some photographs.

while visiting nyc, we went to the cloisters, which is a museum located in fort tryon park.  the building, which is a branch of the metropolitan museum of art, was reconstructed in the 1930s from the architectural elements of several european medieval abbeys.  it is used to exhibit art and architecture from medieval europe.  the cloisters, which is near the northern tip of manhattan island on a hill overlooking the hudson river, incorporates parts from five french cloistered abbeys.   buildings at saint-michel-de-cuxa, saint-guilhem-le-désert, bonnefont-en-comminges, trie-en-bigorre, and froville were all disassembled brick-by-brick before being shipped to new york.  between 1934 and 1938, the features were reassembled in fort tryon park.  the area around the cloisters was landscaped with gardens planted according to horticultural information obtained from medieval manuscripts and artifacts, and the structure includes multiple medieval-style cloistered herb gardens.

the final state in our return road trip from seattle took us through west virginia.   we drove through just before sunset and tried to get a a few good photos in.  for those of you that have not seen the fall colors in west virginia, they are amazing.  you can see yellows, reds, browns, purples and multi-colored leaves.  the scientific reason for the beautiful fall foliage is a process called photoperiodism.  as the sun moves further south, the hours of daylight shorten and the temperatures fall.   this causes leaves to cease production of chlorophyll, the chemical that colors leaves green.  as the chlorophyll disappears, the underlying colors of the leaves are unmasked.  the next strongest pigment becomes dominant giving the leaves a “new”color.

while passing through new mexico, we passed by cotton fields and the white sands desert.  the desert is located in tularosa basin.  tts white sands are not composed of quartz, unlike most desert sands, but of gypsum and calcium sulfate.  unlike other desert sands, it is cool to the touch, due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun’s rays.  at 1185 meters above sea level, there are approximately 442 total square kilometers of dune fields and is known to be the world’s largest surface deposit of gypsum.  gypsum is one of the most common mineral compounds found on earth but is rarely seen on the surface, as it dissolves easily in water.  the origin of this desert dates back to around 100 million years ago, during which it was covered by a shallow sea.  as its waters gradually receded, saltwater lakes were left behind, which eventually evaporated in the sun.  in addition to the salt, gypsum was also laid down in thick deposits on the old seabed.  the white sands was pretty neat to see, even if only in passing.