Road Trip: Artist in Residence, Crater Lake National Park

It's been awhile since I posted, but I have great excuses.  I've been traveling as an Artist in Residence at our National Parks.  I spent late April on a road trip from Durango to Crater Lake, where I was the Resident Artist for three weeks in May.  I didn't take my travel trailer, because I was recovering from hip surgery and needed to keep it simple. As part of the residency, I was assigned housing near the Welcome Center, and the staff and rangers were helpful, welcoming and fun to "hang" with. There was no need for my camper, but next time I will spend a few months in the Northwest exploring with my Cherry Baby and Saturn.

Although it was May, the snow was still blocking some of the roads at Crater Lake

Road Trip to Crater Lake

• Durango to Sand Island Campground, Bluff, Utah
• Bluff to Wahweap Campground, Lake Powell
• Lake Powell to Zion National Park
• Zion to Death Valley National Park
• Death Valley to Eastern Sierra, Bishop
• Bishop to Topaz Lake
• Topaz to Klamath Falls
• Klamath Falls to Crater Lake National Park

Here's a link to my blog about the Artist Residency at Crater Lake. And another to share about the process of becoming an Artist in Residence.

Road Trip: Crater Lake to Idaho

What a fun trip it was to head north out of the National Park (where there are current forest fires burning) and to explore the Eastern side of Oregon and Idaho.  My favorite place in Idaho was at the Snake River at Three Island Crossing State Park, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Snake.  A friend flew up to Boise and met me and we rented a sweet cabin for a few nights.  I read about the campground on the Wheeling It! blog.

Three Island Crossing State Park

On the drive east I also enjoyed viewing some awesome murals near Malhuer Creek, along the Lewis and Clark Trail.  I can't remember the name of the town (help me here) but the murals were worth a side trip.

Great Basin National Park

After leaving Idaho we headed south to Nevada and the Great Basin National Park.  Wheeler Peak is the highest peak in Nevada and the Park was a complete surprise, from hot springs in the basin, to mid-altitude creekside lunch, to snow while photographing Wheeler Peak and the Glacier too.  Great Basin has one of my favorite welcome centers with terrific, well produced films about the Park.

I enjoyed a few hours of photography along a creek in the park.

And at the Wheeler Peak Trail, the snow was still built up on the side of the creek.  And the trail was snow-covered

Artist Residency: Acadia National Park

When I returned to Durango from this adventure, I packed, shipped and loaded gear for my flights to Maine to be the Artist in Residence at Acadia National Park for the month of June.  Click here for the blog post.

I'm home now, living in my travel trailer, visiting with friends, teaching, and getting ready for my upcoming fall adventures.  Here's a link to the blog about the Grand Canyon and the Escalante Canyons too.