Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
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Follow along with me, Jan, aka BeeKeeper, as I travel around finding the best Cherry Pickin' spots. I'm proud to be a Cherry Picker :) I love Disneyland hikes, minus the people. I tend to adventure off season in the popular places. I'm happy to follow the path less traveled. And that folks is what you'll find on my blog.
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2h ago
There are only two official trails along the highway on the east side of the park, the Canyon Overlook and East Rim Trails. Off-trail wandering is encouraged with the multiple pullovers and parking areas. Knowing that 95% of visitors to National Parks stay within 1/4 mile of the road, it was an easy decision to ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
3d ago
Early bird gets the worm or more like parking in Zion. Silly me overslept then spent time in the coffee shop before starting the drive. Google quickly told me about the traffic delays but I pushed on, testing my patience and fortitude. I had several places marked for possible exploration but the joke was on ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1w ago
I spent a day waiting out storms; afterward needing to find trails and roads that wouldn’t be too muddy. I was camped near La Verkin and found a wonderful coffee shop where I could enjoy good eats and drinks. Although the area is in the process of growth it felt much more welcoming than those ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1w ago
Zion Canyon is spectacular, there’s no doubt. Zion National Park is the third most visited park behind only Great Smoky Mountains and Grand Canyon. As visitation has grown so has the infrastructure of nearby communities that support such a grand national park. To me, it feels more like Disneyland than the areas I prefer to ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2w ago
Joan and I are usually able to share some time during her spring break vacation. Last year we hiked some miles on the Arizona Trail and we’d hoped to complete another section in 2024. However, Mother Nature had other ideas gifting Arizona a March Miracle, in the form of snow. From a logistics and weather ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2w ago
It was spring jaunting season and with a date in southwest Utah, I needed to first cross California and Nevada. I was dancing with a storm, trying to stay one step ahead. Pyramid Lake When I reached Susanville I noticed a route on my Google map bypassing the business of the Reno/Sparks area. Since I ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
With Crater Lake National Park and my time as a Volunteer Ranger in the rearview mirror, it was time to find spring. Far NorCal experienced a wet winter and with more clouds and cooler temperatures, spring was a bit more delayed than some years. I was happy to get out on the warmer days and ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
While sorting through my photos taken during the 9.5 weeks I spent this winter living at Crater Lake National Park, I found a few worthy of highlighting. Finding viewpoints for a variety of images was my personal challenge, especially for optimal sunrise, sunset and full moon photography. That was one of the benefits of spending ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
This was my first volunteer gig with the National Park Service, and also my first time spending extended time living in snow. I didn’t know what to expect, relying mostly on the position posting, conversations with the volunteer supervisor and a previous volunteer. Hopefully this post will help future volunteers, or those considering this unique ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2M ago
With an average of 500″ of snowfall annually, this is indeed one of the snowiest places in the lower 48. My fortress. By mid February the walls hid most of the balcony. When I arrived on December 14th, there was 24″ of snow on the ground at the Visitor Center which is about 600′ below ..read more