After a short day yesterday, the girls are planning on twelve hours of driving through Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City. Not much to see in Nevada on the first half of the day, except for a few oddities. Gracie gets a frisbee lunch break in Elko, while the girls get to stretch their legs. Gracie finds a stuffed traveling companion to keep her company the rest of the way. ...

Today we’re up and over Carter Pass to the north side of the Brooks Range. There are so many beautiful colors and flowers in the tundra. The going definitely gets tougher as we head along sheep trails through the scree. Spring Creek cuts a stunning canyon on this side of the mountains.

Charlotte and Monica have fully loaded and decorated the car for the long drive to Bootjack. The Ritchey is riding on the back, while my road bike (her name is Sweetness) enjoys the luxurious interior. Time to load the dog and hit the road. First stop is the Jelly Belly factory near Sacramento. I know they’ve bought at least a few bags of belly flops. After checking in at the hotel in Truckee, it’s off to Lake Tahoe for a run around the Tahoe Rim Trail. Plenty of people lined up for the big fireworks display, but the girls are a bit too tired, and there’s another long day ahead tomorrow. ...

It’s been really hot, but we have to stay covered to avoid being eaten alive. The hiking is pretty easy as we make our way north to Carter Pass and the Continental Divide. I love hiking on tundra.

After a very nice night in Wiseman recovering from our travel, it’s back to Coldfoot to catch our flight with Dirk over at Coyote Air. He’s got a beautiful pair of Beaver planes, along with a very cool pair of geese. It’s a stunning flight north to our destination in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. There’s nothing like getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere with nobody around for hundreds of miles. See you again in a week many miles from here. ...

Matt and I were planning on heading to Alaska for a week of backpacking in the Gates of the Arctic along with our friend Brendan. Once we got there, a few discussions with locals and rangers made us change our minds and head to the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge instead. It’s still the Brooks Range, but it should be even more isolated with less brush and tussocks to negotiate. First we’ve got to head north from Fairbanks via the Dalton Highway. It’s quite an adventure in itself stretching over 400 miles to the northern coast of Alaska. We make a stop at the official Arctic Circle marker before continuing north. ...

I’ve always wanted to head up to Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton, so when I got an email from the RPI alumni group about a private tour, I signed Charlotte, Monica, and I up right away. It’s an incredibly long and windy road to the summit at 4,209 feet. I’ve always wanted to ride my bike to the top, but now I’m not so sure. Thank you James Lick for a great legacy. ...

Today is a very big day for Nick as he graduates from Scotts Valley High School and moves on to the next big things in his life. Grandma Phoebe is here visiting from Pennsylvania for the big occasion. Seems like a good excuse for some family photos. The family is all here while Nick and his friends are all on display. There’s a great procession of speakers today, all giving great advice to all the students as they move on to their next big things. Antares Yee and Johnny Jih shared the valedictorian recognition. They get the award from me for the best speech, as they shared the tale of their close friendship and plan to share this recognition from the very start of their high school years. Very cool. ...

We’re heading out early this morning to get in a little hiking and sightseeing before we drive home later this afternnon. We really enjoyed staying at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge, and look forward to bringing the rest of the family on a future trip. Yesterday was all about Kings Canyon, but today we’re headed for Sequoia National Park. We’re headed up Moro Rock before the afternoon storms head this way. ...

Yesterday we got to Kings Canyon too late for any hiking, but this morning we’re heading out to Cedar Grove and the hike up to Mist Falls. Now this is one big descent down into the canyon. With a few very pretty little flowers along the way. The Kings River is really rolling like crazy. We don’t stop at Boyden Cave, but we do make a quick stop at Grizzly Falls. ...