Author: DKRedHouse

After a record number of steps and flights of stairs logged in this unique historical city, we needed a little extra down time to get ready for our flight back to the U.S. on Friday!

Travelling: Covid-19

Covid-19 has upended life as we all knew it for over a year now. And though we are thankful for our ability to travel once again, preventative measures are both understandable and welcome.

We have one major requirement to take care of before we fly – a COVID-19 test. COVID measures here in Portugal have been very reasonable (masks indoors and, when social distancing is not possible, outdoors as well…reduced capacity in retail environments, etc). We had to get a PCR or rapid antigen test (within 72 and 48 hours of flying, respectively) in order to get here, and to check into our hotel. That was all pretty easy since Walgreens provides those tests, and everyone involved spoke American English.

We have the same requirement for a PCR or rapid antigen test for the return flight. So, like most Americans, we consulted the interwebs. We found the requirements pretty easily on the US State Department and the Airline websites. But finding WHERE to get tests was a whole other adventure. One State Department information site indicated that the tests were readily available at the many pharmacies in Portugal. Let me just say, there are MANY, MANY pharmacies here. I’m pretty sure that if you could put the right spin on a ball (to avoid corners) you could hit two or three pharmacies from the one in which you’re standing.

But the pharmacy websites we looked at didn’t provide much assistance (in English, at any rate). Kevin attempted on several occasions to get information directly from the pharmacy we could see from our hotel room; however, actually making contact with a store representative seemed challenging – either the store was closed or there were too many customers in the store (We later discovered the limit was two people at a time). Kevin made contact on Tuesday, and we attended the walk-in clinic Wednesday. Fortunately, we both received negative tests – Yay! Always happy to fail that particular test!!

Aside from that requirement, we are taking time to recuperate from all of the travelling we have done while we have been here. We really like the pedestrian lifestyle (and we dream of a life without an automobile). But our full day of travel back to the U.S. ‘begins’ with a cab ride at 5:30am Friday (Porto time) and ‘ends’ with an arrival at Chicago O’Hare at 8:00pm on Friday (Central Time…which is 1:30am Saturday in Porto). This itinerary comes with a delightful 8-hour layover in Lisbon, so we want to be energized before we head out.

Enjoying Our Last Few Days…

As our time here in Portugal winds down, we took some time to just stroll around the city and enjoy the scenery a few more times. We will be back, so there is no need to jam-pack our schedule. Every time we go for a walk, we see something new…or maybe just some of the same things from a different angle. In any case, Porto is absolutely beautiful and we enjoy taking it all in without worrying about time.

As we’ve been blogging, we realized that we had drafted several posts while we visited Kathleen and Mo last summer. So we will attempt to get those completed and posted during our downtime. Luckily we have access to the pics….

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the photo galleries (below) from our last few days in Porto. Bom dia!!

Azulejos (Portuguese Tiles)

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Food, Glorious Food…..!

The food was SO GOOD! If we had not walked so much….it would have been ugly for our waistlines!

Street/Building Art

We are really drawn (get it?!?) to all of the graffiti and other building “art” we see when we travel. Porto has some of the best we’ve seen!

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Buildings and Architectural Details

Donna really couldn’t help herself…the buildings here are just so, so amazing! All the photos in this gallery were taken within several blocks of our hotel.

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Kevin and Donna….Around Porto

….because we need more photos for the digital photo frame…??

Shopping…Nature…Beasts…Miscellaneous

You know…the stuff that just catches your eye!

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We decided to finish our Three in One deal with Yellow Bus Tours by taking the Historic Porto route. Our plan of attack started with breakfast. We were pretty worn out from all out travel yesterday, so we skipped breakfast at the hotel. Instead, we found some nice take away sandwiches and coffees at a restaurant near the Praça da Liberdade. Armed with breakfast, be boarded the bus!

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Once again, we saw many of the buildings and parks and squares of this very old city. Regardless of how many times we have seen the sights, there is always something new. Despite having been around the city several times, we still picked up interesting tidbits. For instance, the original city charter dates back to 461 according to the tour guide. Also, the Portuguese spoken by the people of Porto is slightly different than the rest of the country and there are some words that are specific to Porto. For instance, a beer (cerveja) in Porto is called a finol. It specifically refers to a small glass of beer, but the word is a Porto word. This tour also took us across the Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia and gave us a few new sights.

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When we finished the tour, Donna suggested we find some Port to sample. Even though Port takes its name from the city of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia is the city that produces the most Port. We opted to trek back uphill from the Praça da Liberdade in order to cross the top level of the Ponte Luis I. The top level typically has less foot traffic and one can dodge the train traffic more easily than the auto traffic on the lower level.

Once into Gaia, we opted to ride the Teleférico de Gaia cable car down to the wine/vending/riverside area of Gaia. When we bought the tickets, we received coupons for one free glass of port at Quevedo. An omen… sign from above? – perhaps. We just thought it was pretty neat! And it was very nice of them to help us decide where we would taste our port – there are SOOOO many tasting rooms! We followed the map (also assisted by Google Maps) and found ourselves at Quevedo. At some point we would like to tour a port facility, but since (barring disaster) we will be back in Porto in the near future…we are saving that experience for later.

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Before we knew it, we each had four glasses of port and one very generous Portuguese cheese tray. Port wine comes in four flavors, white, rosé, red and tawny. Port wine making begins by processing the grapes in the same fashion as wine. Early in the fermentation process, clear distilled liquor is added to the wine to stop the fermentation. The result is a stronger and very distinct tasting wine. The white, rose and red ports are bottled and served. They are younger and capture the flavor of the fruits. Tawny port is aged in barrels, which sacrifices the fruity flavor for more flavor complexity. Our favorite is definitely the tawny. The hosts at Quevedo were kind enough to provide us a sample of their 10-year tawny after we’d finished our tasting. And we were kind enough to buy a bottle from them – yum!

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The cheese board cannot go unmentioned. We received three cheese samples, one cow milk cheese aged with paprika, one goat milk, and one cow and goat milk. Though they were all good, the mixed cheese was amazing! Additionally, we received a fig jam, which was just heavenly! All were delicious. As we figuratively stumbled out into the street… we decided that a second ride on the cable car was preferable to climbing the (at least) six stairs back up to our hotel. This would have also been a good time to grab the funicular, but the cable cars were closer. So up we went, once again taking in the amazing sights of the Douro River Valley! And finally in our room back to the hotel, we took a small (port assisted?) nap.

Yesterday’s bus tour was so nice, we decided to enjoy Porto’s public/tourist transportation again! But not before breakfast in the hotel. Our complimentary breakfast in the hotel basement has been a standard affair. How can you pass up a free breakfast, especially when accompanied by an orange juicing machine and a coffee machine that quickly dispenses your choice of eight different coffee options? Yes, please!!! (We might need one of these at home….).

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 Our Yellow Bus Tour package consisted of unlimited access to two bus tour routes, two days of tram access and one ride on the funicular. What a deal! We planned an early start to take full advantage of our tour package. There is an Army saying that the first casualty is the plan. Our plan became a casualty when Kevin actually purchased JUST the bus tours…. ugh! A quick trip back to the hotel room and voila – we were back on track, if slightly delayed. Of course, with the ‘tight’ time schedule that we don’t have (because we’re on vacation) it was no big deal and we adjusted easily.

We walked down to the yellow bus kiosk in Praça da Liberdade to collect our tickets. The woman working the kiosk was very helpful, providing us with maps and showing us an easy way to take advantage of the package we purchased. And it fit in nicely with our original plan. So we were off to grab the tram line 1, which had a stop right across the street. When we found the stop, we checked the time and had about twenty minutes until the tram arrived. So we trouped up the street and back. Then we waited another half hour. Just as we were about to give up, we saw the tram come around the corner. And when we saw a delivery driver with his hazard lights flashing parked right in front of the tram, we quickly grasped the reason for the delay. As the tram uses the street, cars that park on or near the tracks can really interfere with an otherwise smooth operation. Finally, we were on the tram.  

The trams began service in 1872 with the “American Cars”. The cars remind us of other trams we have seen in the States. Currently, there are three lines available to cart one’s tuchus up and down the hills of the historic region of Porto (line 22 and 18) and along the Douro river (line 1). We opted for Lines 1 and 22. The cars really attest to the craftsmanship put into them. The mix of intricate metal and woodwork combine with the period electric technology have a way of transporting you back in time as well as throughout the city.  

On the tram, we passed many of the same sights we’ve seen (including our hotel, the Legendary Porto Hotel) near Praça Batalha. Line 22 circuit takes about twenty minutes to complete and terminates adjacent to the upper end of the funicular. So we jumped on and took it down to the Douro. We probably should have taken the funicular up the mountain… but hey, stairs are stairs and a ride is a ride!

Once we got down to the river, we walked along the Douro until we found the line 1 Tram. Line 1 carried us along the Douro out toward the ocean. It also passed within inches of dining tourists, parked cars, and people along the way. But the driver deftly avoided accident and delivered us to the end of the line. With the tram being as busy as it was, we decided to take the opportunity to walk around before making the return trip.

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As we started walking, we immediately found a park, Jardim do Passeio Alegre. As we walked through the park, we thought we saw a roundabout that we visited on our bus tour and decided to head that way. It turns out that the Jardim do Passeio Alegre is at the mouth of the Douro. And we were at the Atlantic Ocean. A fog was moving in, but we walked out to the Farolins da Barra do Douro, which is a seawall with a lighthouse at the end. We found many opportunities for photos… and we took them. On our trek back from the lighthouse, we decided to go stick our toes in the Atlantic. Just in case you are curious – yes, it was cold! The temperature didn’t seem to stop the locals, though. And I’m confident it would be refreshing if the fog weren’t providing a nice shade. After dipping our toes, we decided to head back. We caught the tram back and tried to get some photos of the riverside.

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After our return tram trip, we headed for the Majestic Café on Rua Santa Catarina to get dinner. Per our  bus tour commentary yesterday, the Majestic Café opened in 1921 and is decorated in Art Nouveau. When we arrived, the outside tables were full and there was a line in the street. We pondered for a moment returning later but decided to wait. Within five minutes we were seated. Yay!

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After a few minutes of figuring out how to access their online menu without the convenience of internet access on our phones, we were able to order. Donna decided on Magret de Pato Perfumado c/ vinho do Porto Tawny Majestic 10 Anos (duck with port sauce). And Kevin had the Filetes de Robalinho Grelhados (bass). We asked our waitress, Rita, to recommend wine to accompany our meals. And then, the most amazing meal (and that’s saying something considering the quality of all the food here) we’ve had since our arrival. From the first taste of bread with tuna tartare, to the last bite of the Rabanada Majestic dessert (Majestic French Toast), our reaction was, “OH… MY… GOD!” (usually followed by, “I KNOW, RIGHT?”). Mad props to Rita! She made the dining experience for us – and she even snuck in a free glass of 10 year Majestic Tawny Porto for us to enjoy along with the Rabanada.

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After dinner, the choice was to fall victim to the ensuing food coma, or walk it off a little. So we made our way up the shopping district (after all what’s a few more steps?). And when we got to the end, we looked up the street, and decided to head for the greenery a few blocks away, continuing the ascent! In very short order, we found ourselves sitting on a bench in the Jardim do Marques de Pombal in an area of Porto known as Bonfim. After a brief rest, we trekked back to the hotel. As we came within a block, Donna mentioned she was at more than 22,000 steps for the day. But we had been all over and experienced some wonderful Porto experiences. A fabulous day indeed!

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Upon recommendation of one of our trusted travelers (thanks, Kathleen), we decided to check out Livraria Lello. The book store was established in 1906 and inspired the Hogwarts library in the Harry Potter books. You can check our their website at: https://www.livrarialello.pt/.

Visitors can enter the bookstore without procuring tickets in advance if they have plenty of time available. When we first tried to visit the store, probably a hundred folks were waiting in the queue. The line doubled back leading Kevin to quip, “the queue has a u in it!’ Our decision to buy the tickets was worth it! We even went the extra step to buy the priority tickets which also gave us a discount on a book. We decided on The Lusiads by Luis de Camoes, originally published in 1572. It is the great epic of Portugal. The purchase allowed us to move right into the store.

Once inside, it became quite clear why the stop is so popular and inspiring. Levraria Lello has two floors. The shelves along the walls are intricately crafted and decorated with ornate designs and sculptures of classical writers. There is a track system in the floor that allows a cart to move stacks of books between the back of the store and the front door. Today, at the end of the track is the Harry Potter Section, complete with a sorting hat.

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But the first thing that captures your eye is the staircase. The single stairs split into two midway up and then curve around around to allow you to exit at the top on either side of the store. And when you get to the second story, you immediately notice the stained glass ceiling. The effect is stunning.

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There are several pieces scattered throughout the store, including an old typewriter, and one of the cash registers that the store used. And of course there are books. Lots of books, in different languages, genres, and size and shape. If you are a reader, and you are in Porto, I would have to say, this store is a MUST SEE, and it is well worth the price of admission.

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After a quick bite for brunch right next door to Livraria Lello, we headed for our bus tour of the Porto Castles. We have not take guided tours before, but decided to give Yellow Bus Tours a shot. The tour took about an hour and conveyed us through part of the historic and modern districts and out to the beach. We learned about some of the historical buildings as well as some of the history of the city and its people. From the Ingreja de Santo Ildefonso constructed in 1739 to the Casa de Musica constucted in 2005, the architecture of the city is amazing. And as we rode through the fishing district, the aroma of fresh grilling fish wafted onto the bus, luring us to the many restaurants for a fine meal.

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The bus stopped at many attractions along the way and runs every hour (in case one wants to hop off the bus for a closer look). We will be taking another tour tomorrow of the historic district and we will also check out the street car and the funicular. But that will be tomorrow. We recommend Yellow Bus Tours as a starter for your venture in Porto. You can find more information at https://www.yellowbustours.com/pt/porto .

To finish off our day, we headed down to the hotel lobby for a glass of 20-year tawny port and then strolled through the nighttime down Rue de Santa Catarina.

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We continued to explore the region today by crossing the Ponte Infante bridge and checking out the neighboring city of Gaia. When we reached the other side of the bridge, we made our way down to the riverside via a road/path.

As we descended, we took in the sights and sounds of Porto and Gaia. There was a chapel (the Capela do Senhor de Além) on the descent and some nearby ruins, including an old fountain. We did not fill our canteens, though as the sign clearly stated the water was unsafe to drink. There seems to be quite a graffiti movement and we greatly enjoyed much of it.

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The Ponte Luis I was much busier on the lower level. The vehicular traffic really forced the foot traffic to the narrow sidewalks on each side of the road. And the sidewalks were crowded with people, including young people jumping into the river from the bridge. We decided not to join the youth, but instead to find some food.

Trouping down to the Porto side river banks, we came to the Café do Cais, and settled in for a meal. The food was exceptional and a nice breeze complimented the sunny weather for a wonderful dining experience. We thought a nice walk after dinner with the option of a gelada sounded great, so we headed uphill in the general direction of Porto.

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On our walk, the narrow streets and tall buildings occasionally broke into a park or a square with a fountain or a pool. We eventually lost track of our directions and our quick walk which began around 5:00pm ended around 8:30 or so, when we found our way back to our hotel. Hallelujah for Google Maps!!!

Continuing our Port exploration in the hotel bar was a great capper to the day. We tried Porto branco, which is chilled. It was smooth, fruity and satisfying. The young gentleman at the bar (who was also the front desk guy for the night…busy dude!) was exceptionally friendly and we had a wonderful chat about Port and the city of Portugal. However, after two each, we decided a third might make for a rough morning. So we bought a bottle of wine and retired. Looking forward to more exploration!

Over the rough winter (thanks to many things, including the Coronavirus Pandemic), Donna and I had plenty of time to figure out how we would spend our retirement. We decided we loved our motor home tour of the states so much that we should go international! With MUCH research (okay, maybe an hour, tops!) we settled on checking out Portugal, first. Our daughter Kathleen had visited the area and recommended we visit. After day 1, our verdict? Thank you, Kathleen!
Donna and I flew from Chicago to Porto, Portugal via Lisbon on TAP Air Portugal, which was pretty neat. We took off from Chicago O’Hare at 4:00pm and flew ‘overnight’. We scheduled a three and half hour layover in Lisbon, which worked out well. When we arrived in Lisbon at 5:30am, we moseyed to customs. There was a line already, and there were only four customs agents working the checkpoint. After standing the the queue for an hour and a half, other agents filled the booths, and we were through by 7:15am. We had enough time to consume a cup of coffee (uma xicara do café) and make our way to the flight to Porto.
The connecting flight was a regional prop plane; an experience neither of us had had in quite some time. At around 10h30, we finally arrived in Porto. And our transport arrived on time to get us to our hotel – the Legendary Porto Hotel. As I write this, I am currently sitting with my feet out on the balcony overlooking a busy city square, complete with water fountain and a cool statue. The weather is lovely!
After a brief nap, we ventured down to the Douro River. We walked across the Ponte Luis I, an incredible bridge. We checked out Jardim do Moro, which is a hilltop park near the Ponte Luis I. There were people lazing on the grass soaking up the sun and basking in the beautiful weather.
We returned to the hotel side of the bridge and made our way down many (many) steps to the banks of the Douro. There were cafés and shops and venders all along the river. And there were plenty of people. We made our way back up all those steps and back to the hotel.
After dinner at a place right across the square, we grabbed a couple glasses of Tawny Port at the hotel bar. After quite a long day, we retired to our room and collapsed for a great night’s sleep. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Douro River Panoramic View

When it was time to head home, we decided to stop by one last sight – the Grand Canyon. Kevin saw this National Park when he was young, and Donna had never been. The park was pretty packed, but we were able to find parking, and our way to the south rim of the canyon.

To say that the canyon was enormous is a bit of an understatement. We walked a few miles along the rim, and found several places to take in the unique scenery of the canyon. There was a museum display along the path that provided examples of different rocks and the time when that particular rock formed. It was quite interesting.

The stop was well worth it, and as always, we could have spent more time, and even descended into the canyon. But with Coronavirus starting to loom closer, we decided we should probably head home.

Our final destination for our grand tour was Las Vegas, NV. We have visited this great vacation location numerous times since Erika and Jeff introduced us in 2006. But we’ve never stayed in an RV there, so here’s to new adventures!

We stayed at the KOA at Sam’s Town. The park was fine. The close proximity to Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall made a daily walk to visit our favorite slots and tables a must! My favorite machine was one of the Wonder Woman machines. In addition to looking at old pics and video from the classic 1970’s TV show, starring Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman paid me the most in jackpot winnings! Of course I dutifully lost all the winnings and ended ‘down’ for the trip.

If Sam’s Town leaves you wanting more Vegas, you can catch the shuttle from the hotel to the strip or to down town. The shuttle schedule was published in our campsite documentation, and the shuttle was free to and from.

We decided to go for a run one morning on the Flamingo Arroyo Trail that took us down by the canal. The trail has great potential, and it was marked as a Neon to Nature Trail. Aside from getting our exercise, we were saddened by the homeless we jogged past.

Donna flew to Florida for a few days for a business trip, so Kevin suffered through a few days solo in Vegas (poor guy!). Not to worry, he did have his favorite Wonder Woman slot machine for company…

As we were getting ready to leave, Erika told us that she, Jeff and Brooks were coming through Vegas, so we stayed a couple extra days. Kevin went to the UFC championship fights with Jeff and Brooks, and later we all played blackjack. It was super fun to visit.

We also made a day trip up to Mesquite, NV to play bingo with Mary and Bob. Donna even won $200! We had a great time visiting friends and family in Vegas!

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Alas, all things come to a close, and after Vegas, it was time to head home – by way of the Grand Canyon.

After braving the cold in Huntington, we were looking forward to the 80F and sunshine every day in Hurricane, promised by Lyle. Well, it rained all day and was cold! Okay, it wasn’t too bad after that one day of rain.

We spent time with Mary and Lyle (Bob), Donna’s sister and brother in law. Visiting was fun, and Kevin got to return a favor by helping Bob install a range hood. This doesn’t come close to covering all the assistance Bob provided over the last two years building our house… We also played many rounds of golf (the card game, since Bob was still recovering from surgery), and just enjoyed hanging out.

We took one day to travel to nearby Mesquite, NV to play Bingo. Bob was the big winner of the day, which will surprise very few who know him. Mequite was nice, and the Virgin River Casino looked like a fun place to stay and gamble.

Hurricane is in Southwest Utah, very close to Zion National Park which we visited and you can read about in another blog. We stayed at the Sand Hollow State Park, which was lovely. Sand Hollow is on the site of a reservoir creating a great spot for fishing, sunning on the red rocks, or cruising the surrounding dunes and desert on a ATV/UTV – or on foot, as we did. There was a curfew for those staying at the park because of the concern of invasive mollusks coming into the reservoir on boats. So we had to finish out visit every day by about 8:30 to be back in the park by 9:00 so they didn’t lock us out. But the park was clean, the camping spots were ample, and the park was beautiful.

We took a day to visit Zion National Park. Donna and I hiked three trails at the Park, The Upper Emerald Pool trail, The Riverside Walk Trail and the Canyon Overlook Trail. Each trail was brimming with spectacular scenes. On more than one occasion, we grabbed the camera to snap a picture, only to look through the viewfinder and realize there was no way to truly capture the experience. The colors, expanse, depth and magnificence just escapes the frame’s edge, and honestly, description. But we tried.

The Emerald Pools trail begins with a steep stair case, and continued to climb over the next half-mile to a pool fed by a misting fall from the mountain above. The pool was surrounded by mountain, and large boulders, and is only apparent from close proximity. It’s hidden nature adds to the quality of the experience and the aura surrounding the pool. As we descended, we took a trail that led to another pool fed from the pool above. This pool opened to the draw of the mountain, and you could see the valley below. There was quite a cliff at the edge, and we heeded the warnings to not get too close. The trail presented many views of the river valley below.

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We drove out to the Riverside Walk trail head and hiked up the Virgin River. As we progressed the cliffs on either side diverged. This natural occurrence from the years of erosion was breathtaking. There were many places along the paved trail to step off and get right down on the river. There were a ton of photographers (apparently there was a workshop going on) trying to capture the essence of nature in this wonderful place.

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The final trail for the day was the Canyon View Trail. We had to drive out top the trail head which involved a tunnel through the mountain that was completed in 1930. The tunnel had several windows carved out of the mountain. These windows provided the only light to the tunnel and also great views as you passed. This trail caused the most trepidation of the day. Donna was a good sport and posed for a couple pictures by the most uncomfortable of places on the trail. (Editorial comment (from Donna): Kevin is being far too kind. This trail scared the crap out of me!!! ).

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We visited on a Monday, which Mary advised would be good because we were off-season, and we would miss the weekend crowd. Of all the National Parks and Recreation Areas visited on this trip to date, this was the most crowded. We would recommend visiting off season. The trails are quite narrow, and passing other hikers could present a challenge if the trails were more populated than we experienced. And finding a parking place was a significant challenge. All in all, this park was amazing.