The Extra Mile

With Labor Day upon us, I know I’m not the only one saying “where did the summer go?”  Personally, a significant portion of my summer was spent making preparations for my daughter’s wedding, but regardless what YOUR reason was for letting the summer slip by, be assured it’s not too late to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! 

August 25, 2010 is a day that has been anticipated at Yellowstone National Park for many years.  The state-of-the-art Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful was dedicated today, the culmination of fundraising efforts begun in 2000.

Research is confirming that spending time in nature is essential for children.  Children who directly experience the natural world are healthier in every  way – intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically.  Their outdoor experiences shape how they interact with the natural world as adults.  Will a child want to help save an eagle if she has never seen a robin?  If a child has not put his feet in a stream, will he care if it is protected? 

I love living in Western Colorado where you can head off in any direction and find yourself in a variety of environments. Each place is unique and individually stunning in its own right. (Being prepared for just about anything is a packing mantra of mine!)

Yellowstone National Park, the first National Park, is also one of the most visited National Parks in the United States, with over 3.3 million visitors in 2009.  And since it is summer, there is inevitable construction.   

If you are planning on traveling to Zion National Park this summer (and if so, you’re one of almost 3 million people who choose this destination each year!), expect to see some construction in the park.  What are those jokes about construction – Winter, Spring, and construction?  Never mind.  It’s true, but very necessary in this case.  

For those of you traveling this summer, here are some tips that are not generally common knowledge to most people:

I just saw this quote today and it seemed quite appropriate for our blog.  Dr. Wayne Dyer said, "It's never crowded along the extra mile".  We hope that with our posts to this blog, you can get a chance to find out how we can help you get to that "extra mile". 

At Tracks and Trails, one of our most highly recommended tours of Yellowstone National Park is the Private Yellowstone Tour, offered by Yellowstone Alpen Guides.  In fact we include the Private Tour with all of our vacation packages that visit Yellowstone.  Why? It's because year after year, we have received rave reviews about this private, customized and unique opportunity to see parts of the park that are off the beaten path.  Each tour is customized to each traveler’s desires and may include wildlife watching, hiking, photography, or swimming in a thermally-heated river – the choice is yours!   Their knowledgeable guides work hard to make sure their clients see and understand the many wonders of the world’s first national park. 

Although Flaming Gorge Reservoir is a well-known fishing spot, the recreational possibilities do not stop there.   Its clear waters, lush forests, diverse trails and campgrounds draw nature lovers and sportsmen alike.

Flaming Gorge straddles the Wyoming and Utah border, and the lake stretches for 91 miles with 375 miles of shoreline.   Flaming Gorge Lake is enclosed by brightly colored canyon walls surrounded by the forested hills of Ashley National Forest.   Petroglyphs are visible on many of the rock walls, and suggest that the Fremont Indians hunted game here.  Wildlife still abounds - osprey nests are easily spotted on the rocky pinnacles, and bald eagles are often seen overhead.   Antelope frequent the Lucerne area, and the campground (Antelope Flat) is aptly named.

With many of the more popular destinations getting booked up for this summer, we think that Crater Lake National Park is a hidden gem.  Crater Lake is located in Southern Oregon on the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range, 100 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.  It lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when the 12,000 foot Mount Mazama collapsed following a large eruption 7,700 years ago.  Local Native Americans have kept alive a legend, telling of two Chiefs in battle that ended with the destruction of Mt. Mazama.  The Klamaths still revere the clear, pure lake that is now admired by visitors all over the world. 

For nearly all of our clients that start their trip in Salt Lake City and are heading north to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks, the first night is almost always at Bear Lake.  Straddling the Utah and Idaho border, Bear Lake is a great place to get familiar with your RV as well as camping in the West.

My first visit to Mesa Verde National Park was a last-minute weekend getaway; not a carefully-researched, thoughtfully planned-out destination.  At the time, I did not realize that a one-day visit would not allow sufficient time to see both the Chapin and Weatherill Mesas, or that I would be drawn by its mystery and want to explore more archaeological sites as a result of that brief visit.  On my next (more extensive) trip, not only Weatherill Mesa, but other archaeological sites in the area beckon to me – Hovenweep, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Canyon de Chelle, and the list goes on. 

We absolutely love it when our clients have a great time on their Tracks & Trails vacation.  As we have said in the past, many of our clients have used the Internet to document their trip and have used many different ways to show friends and family how things are going on their trip. 

A little too chilly where you are?  Too cold for too long?  How about just tired of putting on and taking off all those layers?  Ready for a break from winter?  Even Florida is cold right now.  Check it out - Phoenix and Tucson are right around 70 degrees for highs - so is San Diego.  Wanna go?

In light of the Dec. 25 incident on a U.S.-bound flight, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is mandating that every individual flying into the United States from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening effective Jan. 4.

While the photo of the Christmas Tree Cluster at the right is not the traditional image for a Christmas tree, we at Tracks & Trails hope that it's just as beautiful as your tree at home.  We sincerely wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. 

At this time of year we have a few clients that are trying to create a truly unique present for their families.  There are many great itineraries to choose from on our re-launched website.  The new Trip Finder helps you find the trip you are looking for by choosing a destination, trip length, time of year and travel mode.  And we have included much more destination information to help you decide where you want to go.

Good morning everyone!  Here in Grand Junction, Colorado, we have been dumped on!  I just shoveled 9" of snow off my driveway and the roads are a mess.  The big winter storm you've been hearing about has closed schools, created power outages and made many roads one-way with problems with street lights to make things worse.  So we are declaring a SNOW DAY and will not be in the office.

So, Black Friday is here and gone.  Cyber Monday has had its moment in the sun, too.  And while it appears that folks are spending less this holiday season, more are out there looking for bargains and deals.  So where does Tracks & Trails fit in to that?

It's great to see when our clients use the power of technology to document what a great time they've had on their Tracks & Trails driving adventure.  Many use personal blogs, Flickr, Picasa or other sites to create personal journals of their trips.  Some even include video.  From time to time, we'll be posting client experiences here in our blog in order to give you an idea of what you can expect while on the road. 

Welcome to our new website!!!  We've been working feverishly over the summer and fall to bring you an updated and upgraded website that we hope you find useful in planning your next western driving adventure!

First, I have to apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. We've been extremely busy (still!) through August along with a few staff members that have been on vacation. We also are in the process of creating a new, more fully featured and fabulous website. We are hoping for a launch of the new site at the end of September. That being said, we have a ton of work between now and then creating new content and testing the functionality of the new site.

We just received a survey from one of our clients that talked about what we were able to do for them while they were on the road.

The Duff family was on a custom trip that took them through the Black Hills, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. When Mrs. Duff experienced severe symptoms of altitude sickness, we were able to help out with a rearranged route on the fly. Mr. Duff's comments in the survey said it all

First off, sorry we haven't been posting regularly the past couple of weeks. Besides being crazy busy, I have been on vacation for a chunk of that time and haven't been connected for blogging.

With the summer season about half over, our clients are starting to send in evaluation forms that cover all aspects of their vacation, especially our quality of service. We learn so much from these surveys, including both the good and the bad of what happened on our clients' vacations. We take all the feedback we receive and pile it back into our systems and processes for creating the best possible vacations for our clients.

We love it when our clients share their family vacation experiences with us through photos, blogs, video and survey responses. The Brot family just completed their second Tracks & Trails driving adventure -- this time to the Grand Canyon area. Ilene Brot posted her family's photos at Shutterfly and invited us to share them with the rest of the Tracks & Trails community. (Thanks, Ilene!) Just click the title above. And while you're there, be sure to have a peek at pictures from their 2008 trip to Yellowstone, too.