All three of us thought it was the best peanut butter we ever tasted. After stirring in the separated oil the texture was a mixture of smooth and crunchy. The crunchy pieces of crushed peanuts were in a peanut butter that was much more liquidy than the stabilized store bought variety. The flavor had just the right amount of sweetness and peanut flavor. Alex does not normally like crunchy style peanut butter but absolutely loved this.
I have always felt that the journey is as important as the destination, with this in mind I decided that I would drive to Alaska from my home in New England via the Trans Canada and Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway begins with mile 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
Summit Lake (Stone Mountain) Provincial Campground was a pleasant change from the mosquitos at lower elevation. It was very cold I made good use of the caribou skin I purchased at the Trappers Den. I had the campground all to myself.
Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is America’s first national park and one of its crown jewels. This park has so much to see and do you could spend a week here every year and still find something new each time. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with its waterfalls, Old Faithful and the bubbling mud pots and other geo-thermal features. In addition to the physical attractions Yellowstone is a prime location for viewing wildlife. Because of its national park protective status the animals are not hunted and are not nervous around people or traffic. Wolves, bears (both black and grizzly), and any number of ungulates are easily seen.
Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano which means the fiery molten core of the earth lies dangerously close to the surface. This results in numerous geo-thermal features throughout the park,
I have traveled from Maine to Alaska and found no place better for viewing wildlife then Yellowstone. Believe it or not one of the most dangerous animals in the park are the bison,
Badlands National Park in Interior, South Dakota protects 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.
The Badlands Wilderness protects 64,144 acres of the park as a designated wilderness area, and is one site where the black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered mammals in the world, was reintroduced to the wild. Native Americans used this area for hunting grounds and for religious practices including the famous “Ghost Dance”.
The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals, the park is home to a famous herd of 1500 free roaming bison. Elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars, and feral burros also inhabit the park. The park is famous for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. Along with the adjacent Wind Cave National Park this area is a superb example of a preserved prairie ecosystem. The needles highway in the park offers wonderful views through the rock pinnacles. Beware some of the tunnels are extremely narrow and do not offer much clearance.
Wildlife is a top attraction, the best time for a game drive is either at dawn or dusk. Feral donkeys are very friendly and will come right up to your car windows.
The pronghorns are easily seen but hard to get close to. My nephew Roger and I tried to track them through the hills but this is as close as we got. Notice how there is a lookout and as soon as you get too close they head for the hills. If you want good pictures bring a telephoto lens.
