MY 50-STATE STRATEGY

A wild buffalo I came across while exploring Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The next day I saw herds upon herds of buffalo.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as seen from atop Teton Pass (elev. 8,431 feet) near the Idaho-Wyoming border

Your correspondent down inside a lava cave at Craters of the Moon NP in Idaho. Strangest place, by far, that I ever camped at.



Crater Lake NP in Oregon. Honestly the bluest water ever, and in the top of volcanic crater! Park was mostly snowed in (no camping!), but the sights were extraordinary. There's a short video,a panoramic viewing, above the photo



Paul Bunyan and his ox, Blue, tower over customers at a theme park just north of Redwoods NP on the northwestern California coast. Isn't there an auto commercial currently on TV which uses this particular pair as props?



A couple check out the massive volcanic field at Lassen Volcanic NP in north-central California. This place was mostly shuttered by snow, but I made camp at a parking lot about a mile and a half high up in the mountains. Once upon a time, this area was a volcano, 11,000 feet tall and 11-1/2 half miles wide. Then ba-boom!

Here's a video bouncing around the rodeo stadium in Reno. I lucked out and hit town the week the PBRC, the real guys were in town. This was a lot of fun, a big-league sporting event with a knowledgeable crowd that's really into it. Cowboy hats and boots were part of the uniform here and a lot of folks were strutting their stuff. There was a carnival surrounding the stadium which I enjoyed afterward. Before attending I finally got to In-&-Out Burger, a fast food joint I'd been warned repeatedly not to miss. It was great, big portions, great quality, cooked perfectly along with an absolute bucket of Pepsi. Busy day, I also bought a new camera and had my front brakes worked on. I could smell 'em burning coming down the steep 9,000 foot mountains outside Yosemite. Quite a ride, beautiful scenery, yet expensive.

A rodeo clown and a raging bull face off at the Reno Rodeo. 8,000 folks under the lights in Nevada. They take their rodeo very serious out here.

Your correspndent between the Twin Bridges, two Giant Sequoias in Yosemite NP in California.

Turning a corner for the long march eastward...Covering alot of ground with these photos, from the fabulous Yosemite in eastern California to wonderous Yellowstone in northwest Wyoming with a many, many great spots in between. Alas the change in direction tells me I'm homeward bound.