2024 was a year of amazing events and glittering reflections! So much happened this year, from a total solar eclipse to a once-every-two-centuries cicada emergence to a surprise summer festival completely dedicated to Bigfoot! As my quests draw nearer to their conclusion, without a single trace of George in sight, I’ve got to start taking time to appreciate the adventures between, like in May when I gave a presentation on California’s historical landmark program at Nerd Nite LA!
Making the most means not rushing for quantity this year, with only 18 national parks visited compared to last year’s 28. I can feel myself slowing down a little too. Back in September, I cut my arm pretty badly and spent some time at the vet getting it fixed. I still finished the year strong, though, as you’ll see from my 10 Best Photos of 2024!
1. Start of Year, End of Trail!
I kicked things off by visiting South Dakota… in January! Though there was snow on the ground, and I was able to reconnect with my friend, Señor Castorieti, it was a balmy 50˚F in the heart of Badlands National Park, super bizarre for a Midwest midwinter! This sign, precariously posed atop a cliff and overlooking the thinnest January snow of the Badlands, makes me wonder if we’re approaching the end of the line for winter as we know it!
2. Barton Springs Bash!
I returned to Austin, Texas in early April for a glimpse of the eclipse that wasn’t, and even though a cloudy sky meant no clear views, I was gobsmacked by the views I got the day before at Austin’s hidden jewel downtown, Barton Springs! I visited this spring-fed municipal pool with my friends, the Penguins, and even though I didn’t spot any of the springs’ unique, endangered salamanders, it was the most amazing blend of natural beauty backed by the city skyline, plus a heap of fun once I got my flamingo tube out!
3. Making Contact in California!
I’ve covered a lot of Southern California’s main attractions, but one that’s been stuck in my backlog for ages—until now—has been the Integratron way out in Landers! Built to communicate with aliens, now a popular destination for sound baths, it’s a really remarkable place in a very remote part of the Mojave Desert, and I sure was glad the stars aligned for me this year, letting me see it!
4. Make Some Noise!
I attended Cicadamaggedon over Memorial Day weekend! It marked the first time since 1803 that Broods XIX and XIII of the periodic cicadas emerged from the ground in unison, and the last time they’ll be seen together until 2245! To witness the spectacle, I traveled from St. Louis to Springfield, getting totally immersed in the noisy bugs, and what an amazing experience it was, once my ears stopped ringing! This photo gives the slightest sense of what was to come!
5. A Side Quest Capitally Complete!
On June 20th, I visited Augusta, Maine, concluding a major side quest in my adventures! As of now, I’ve been to all 50 US states and all 50 US state capitol buildings! On that day, Maine was sweltering under an unusual heat dome, so I didn’t get much of a chance to savor the milestone, but looking back on all the capitol buildings I’ve seen, my favorite was Pennsylvania’s, my least favorite was Alaska’s, and the most unusual was definitely Hawaii’s!
6. Making My Mark in the Big Woods!
In July, I returned to Bigfoot Country in Humboldt County, and the trip was loaded with surprises! While the hairy giant didn’t make any direct appearances, the trip came with a rowdy Bigfoot Daze festival and a visit to the very site on Bluff Creek where the famous Patterson-Gimlin film was shot in 1967, giving us the defining image of Bigfoot! After hiking down a trail loaded with berries and mosquitoes, I got to sign my name in the visitor registry on top of a huge foot made of stones where Patty the Bigfoot was rumored to have walked!
7. A Superior View of Split Rock!
I like to try artsy photos when I can, and what better place could there be for those than the north shore of Lake Superior? It’s truly breathtaking, a nonstop leapfrog of state parks, waterfalls, and lakeside lighthouses, like Minnesota’s most famous, the Split Rock Lighthouse! I was lucky to catch it toward sunset, crowd-free, and reflected in a tide pool made all the wilder for being on a lake rather than the ocean!
8. A Grand Trek along the Grand Portage!
The namesake trail of Grand Portage National Monument was the longest I’d ever hiked in a national park! At 8.5 miles out and 8.5 miles back, the ranger told me I should start at the halfway point, and focus on the “more scenic” half. Did I heed their advice? Certainly not, but after traipsing four miles through woodlands and swamp, making use of beaver engineering to ford a flooded creek, I did get to the midway sign, and yes, I learned it was the more scenic half! Beset by mosquitoes and deer flies, soaked by the rain, and super sore in the feet, I wasn’t feeling luxurious by the end, but I sure felt accomplished!
9. Calm over Okanagan!
As a huge fan of all things cryptozoology, I’d been waiting for the chance to visit Lake Okanagan, and that chance arrived this August! On a calm, cloudy day, I rented a kayak in Peachland and paddled out onto the glassy lake in search of the mythical lake monster, Ogopogo! For better or worse, I didn’t see any monsters on the two-mile paddle to Rattlesnake Island, but I did have an absolutely lovely time cruising these storied waters on a Canadian summer’s day!
10. Red, Blue, Rainbow Valley!
I spent a week motoring around the Canadian Rockies with my good friends, and one of their most striking features is the brilliant blue of their lakes. Nowhere was this clearer than at the Peyto Lake overlook in Banff National Park, spanned by a rainbow on what was a very misty morning! This landscape is changing rapidly because of visitation, a summer of raging wildfires, and the ever-shrinking glaciers, which will bring an end to the glacial flour that makes this water so amazingly blue. I’d say we’re lucky to have the time we get in every place we visit!
This year was full of far-flung adventures, but they’re about to fling even farther. I’m down to my last twenty national parks, which are going to include the remote north of Alaska and the distant isles of Guam, American Samoa, and other U.S. Territories. Along the way, I’m carrying the question of what shall I do at the end? Find new adventures? Write a book? Maybe I’ll find George; maybe I won’t. Tomorrow’s a mystery, but that’s what makes it exciting. I hope your 2025 is a great adventure, and I’ll see you soon!
Happy New Year!
