Glacier National Park, Montana

I've never seen water as clear as the water flowing down Avalanche creek at Glacier National Park. The water there and at Avalanche lake has this incredible blue color caused by glacial silt. Walking through the Cedar trail was truly amazing.



Grand Teton & Yellowstone

On my way to Yellowstone National Park I visited Jackson, WY, a neat little town south of the Teton mountain range. They have excellent bar restaurants. I highly recommend the Cowboy Bar and the Silver Dollar Bar. I then hiked around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I was lucky the weather was sunny and warm enough for a hike in the mountains, opposite of what it was like when I got to Yellowstone. Nevertheless, I camped three nights in Yellowstone and enjoyed every minute of it. I would've stayed longer but like I said, the weather forecast was not favorable. The weather was so unpredictable it snowed and cleared up about three times in a given day.

Wolves are very hard to spot here, you either have to be really lucky or very persistent. The best time to spot them this time of the year is early morning or evenings. I woke up very early two mornings and went over to Lamar Valley, where I scouted for them for hours, along with other eager enthusiasts equipped with scopes and tracking devices (not legal in the park). The only glimpse I got was of a black wolf for about 4 seconds before he went over the hill.

Yellowstone is an enormous park, impossible to grasp in just one visit. There are hundreds of geysers and springs scattered all around the park. I was lucky enough to see most of the ones located in the Old Faithful area. I hiked the south and north rims of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including the lower and upper falls. Mammoth Hot Springs have dried up tremendously through the years. The Lake Village offers the best views of Yellowstone Lake and the surrounding areas are great for spotting grizzly and black bears.

Yellowstone is absolutely incredible. This is one park you most definitely need to visit. And when you do, allow yourself plenty of time to explore. And even then, you will have only scratched the surface of what this amazing park has to offer.

Colorado......*sigh*

Oh Colorado, what an amazing state. Colorado was one of my most anticipated states to visit. I had many positive expectations, and all of them were met. I planned to stay here for a full week and that's exactly what I did. I toured Denver, Colorado Springs and Idaho Springs. Some of the highlights were El Dorado Canyon, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Mount Evans.



Nebraska to Colorado

Many people I encountered along the way told me that the drive through Nebraska on Highway 80 would be really dull, boring and LONG. They were right:

Iowa

I ate some really tasty pork chops in Iowa. I'm told they're known for their corn and pork. I learned that there are 99 counties in the state and that Des Moines, the city in which I stayed, is the third insurance capital of the world.

The State Capitol in Des Moines is among the most beautiful capitols in the country. One striking feature is the central towering dome, which is constructed of iron and brick and covered with 23 carat gold. They even give free tours of the Capitol Monday through Saturday.

 On my way to Omaha I saw many wind farms along the highway. I later learned that Iowa is a leading U.S. state in wind power generation with 18.8% of the state's electricity generation coming from wind last year.

The Windy City

Chicago has that big city feel to it, with all the big city amenities, without the overwhelming crowds. It is very clean, with many public parks, bike paths and walkways. The riverwalk was one of my favorites.

Yes, it can be a bit expensive to live downtown, but nothing compared to NYC. Transportation is well developed, with buses, trains, subways and airports all nearby. There are lots of free public attractions, parks and recreational areas. One that stood out for me was the outdoor concert venue Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago organizes a marathon to raise funds for charitable causes. Please help my friend Des achieve his 2012 goal by making a tax deductible donation: www.ric.org/campbell

There are lots of fun things to see and experience in Chicago and I highly recommend you visit it!

Doing it the Detroit Way

Detroit is one of the wildest cities I've visited so far. It's such a unique place with an uncommon story behind it. Granted, people outside of Detroit have different views of it, a lot of them negative. But once you go there and experience the place for yourself and meet the people who live there you learn that this city has many positive things to offer.

Despite the statistics and the negative image, I believe this city has a lot of potential and could be a place to call home. You just need to have an open mind and look at the situation from a different perspective.