Posted on March 21, 2023, 10:20 pm, by QT Luong, under
Recollections.
Today marks the official start of the spring, while the weekend saw the re-opening of Yosemite National Park. The park had been closed since February 25, the second longest closure in memory – floods in 1997 closed the park for over two months. The closure of this winter was caused by unusually deep snow. On […]
Posted on January 16, 2020, 11:37 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Many of the large national monuments I have written about during the last two years have one thing in common: they are quite undeveloped. By contrast, although it was proclaimed in 2013, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument near Taos, New Mexico, already sports facilities close to those found at a national park: visitor centers, […]
Posted on March 7, 2019, 9:04 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Indiana Dunes National Park ranks a respectable 13th of all the 61 national parks by number of visits (averaged over the decade 2008-2017). Most of those visits last a few hours: to be precise, according to NPS statistics, an average of 3h 15 min – the 8th shortest. Those hours are in general spent at […]
Posted on February 28, 2019, 12:47 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Congress redesignated Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as Indiana Dunes National Park, our 61st, on Friday, February 15. I was initially hoping the reach the park before sunset on Monday, but Chicago International Airport and the park are located on opposite sides of Chicago, and I had landed just in time for rush hour. The Shore […]
Posted on February 26, 2017, 9:40 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
In mid to late Feburary, Horsetail Fall on El Capitan is backlit by the setting sun, creating the unique natural phenomenon known as the “natural firefall”. Nowadays, the Yosemite firefall is widely known to the public, and even makes media headlines each year. The National Park Service has to close the inner lanes of the […]
Posted on February 4, 2016, 12:00 pm, by QT Luong, under
Recollections.
After I finished school in France, I wanted to spend a couple years in the U.S. At that time, I was an avid mountaineer and climber. I didn’t know much about the geography of the country, but one of the few places I kept hearing about from other climbers was Yosemite – because of its […]
Posted on June 29, 2012, 9:34 pm, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
For last winter’s trip to Alaska where I drove the Dalton Highway and photographed the Aurora Borealis, I didn’t pack light. I flew with two carry-on bags and two pieces of checked in luggage. In this post, I’ll discuss some of my equipment choices for that trip. Clothing I had a large assortment of hats […]
Posted on June 21, 2012, 12:10 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
There are several hot springs around Fairbanks. They were discovered around the turn of the 19th century by miners seeking an escape from the cold. The most easily accessed is Chena Hot Springs, which is the terminus of its own highway (Chena Hot Springs Rd), 46 miles East of Fairbanks. All water around Fairbanks is […]
Posted on May 17, 2012, 12:28 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Winter lasts more than half of the year in Fairbanks. The snowpack is established by October and remains until May. From November to March, all the water is frozen solid. Besides the fact that the month of March is the most favorable for photographing the Aurora in Alaska, another reason to visit Fairbanks at this […]
Posted on May 11, 2012, 12:15 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
The Dalton Highway has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is one of the northernmost roads, crossing well into the Arctic, and reaching the highest road point in Alaska that is maintained throughout the year, Atigun Pass. Then there is the extreme remoteness. Along its 414 miles […]
