Hayden
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vulturesong.bsky.social
Hayden
@vulturesong.bsky.social
Inactive account. Reserving username.
Perfection 👌 I could look at this every day
March 6, 2025 at 7:08 AM
I stopped in Seattle for two nights (good food and museums, etc.) before driving through North Cascades National Park on my way to Glacier NP. I was using an app called Clime to keep an eye on the wildfires and wind currents. It was too cold to camp at this point so I’d be hoteling from now on.
February 15, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Mt. Rainier was nothing short of magical. This was mid-October and fall colors were in full swing. Nearby wildfires gave the whole place a wild, misty look even in the afternoon. I actually got a bit lost and ended up hiking across five or so different trails, which gave me some incredible shots.
February 14, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Next was Mt. Rainier National Park. I booked 2 nights in the Fern Cabin at HappyTails so I could have a full day of hiking. In the morning, Fern herself stopped by, walked in like she owned the place (she does) and watched me cook breakfast. We played fetch for a couple hours until hike time!
February 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
I stopped to eat lunch at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The volcano erupted in 1980, considered the most destructive in U.S. history. The eruption rose 15 miles into the sky, dropped ash on 11 states, and destroyed 230 square miles of land.
February 14, 2025 at 1:08 AM
As a side note, the gift shop at the Portland Japanese Garden is fantastic. I picked up the most beautiful scarf there and a copy of the book “Japanese Death Poems,” which I’d read later in Atlanta and Key West. That book profoundly changed and influenced my life and I can’t recommend it enough.
February 14, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I spent two nights in Portland and checked out the International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden where their famous Lace Leaf Maple tree is.

I’ve used a photo of that tree as a desktop wallpaper for years — I didn’t even know it was there before I was standing in front of it!
February 14, 2025 at 12:55 AM
In between Crater Lake and Portland, Oregon is the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene. Healthiest birds I’ve ever seen at an aviary! Nice coats and many of them active and in good spirits when I was there.
February 14, 2025 at 12:42 AM
I headed to visit Crater Lake National Park in Oregon the next day. My jaw dropped when I finally drove up high enough to see the lake. You can drive around the whole crater fairly quickly. Only the Cleetwood Cove Trail leads to the shoreline down below. Sunset made the crater a ring of fire!
February 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I packed up camp two days early, flipped off the security cameras as I left, and got a hotel room in Crescent City with a jacuzzi tub and the fluffiest towels I’d ever felt. Walked across the street and got the best New England clam chowder I’ve ever had (and I’m from Connecticut) to salvage my day.
February 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I will not be posting photos of the Redwood National Parks because I easily could have died there. I believe the campgrounds and forests are being egregiously mismanaged by ecofascist scumbags who are killing the forest and have deliberately designed trails and maps to trap and hurt certain people.
February 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
One more photo from my hike around Lassen's Manzanita Lake...
February 12, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Lassen Volcanic National Park was next as I headed north. The Dixie Fire had ripped through the area just over a year before I visited, burning almost a million acres as the largest single fire in California's history. This was a great park to drive through, lots of gorgeous vistas with pull-outs.
February 12, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Within 24 hours I traveled from -280ft elevation in Death Valley to +6,500ft in Yosemite. I rode my bike to the Upper Falls trailhead with as much water as I could carry and made it to the top! The waterfalls were "out of season" but the view was incredible. It was hard picking only 4 photos!
February 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I stayed one night in Death Valley, at the Ranch to keep my food and butane cool. Hiked in 105°F but you can drive to Zabriske Point and Artists Palette.

There were road closures due to flash floods and no cell service. If I hadn’t filled up with $8/gal gas I’d have run out before the next station!
February 9, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Well, I can’t just skip over Las Vegas. You don’t need to drink or gamble to have a good time there. I checked out the Pinball Hall of Fame and Atomic Testing Museum. MEOW WOLF’s Omega Mart was worth the trip alone. Treated myself to the best seat in the house for Cirque du Soleil’s KÀ (phenomenal)!
February 9, 2025 at 7:10 PM
At the Grand Canyon, you look out over the landscape — at Zion, you descend into the belly of the canyon. I had a riverside spot at Watchman Campground. The Narrows were closed so for two of my days I biked up to the Lodge to hike the trails. Some of my best photos I took with one hand while biking!
February 8, 2025 at 8:33 PM
In my Maps view of North America, everywhere with a star is a place I’ve been. There’s almost 800 of them. 500 more places I tagged with “Want to Go.” There’s so much out there, so much to see, and the most beautiful landscapes on Earth.

So, from the Grand Canyon… to Zion!
February 8, 2025 at 8:20 PM
I’ll try not to get sidetracked here but the truth is I did a LOT in four months. I was moving so fast, there were days I’d wake up in a hotel room and not remember what state I was in. At some point I kept a running list with emojis to remind myself what I’d done.
February 8, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Nothing short of cinematic, can’t wait to see where you go with these!
February 8, 2025 at 8:04 PM