One of Tom's favorite hikes in Washington is Galena Chain Lakes loop trail, with peak fall colors about early October, in Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington, USA. Although we were a bit late for the peak autumn leaf colors on October 19 in 2021, the hike was still gorgeous. Galena Chain Lakes loop is 7.3 miles with 1800 feet gain and loss, starting from Bagley Lakes Trailhead (Ski Area parking lot), best done counterclockwise for mountain photography. (When the road to Artist Point is open from July until the first snow in late September or early October, the circuit can be shortened to 6 miles starting from Heather Meadows Visitor Center.)

The Mammoth Site is a fascinating museum and active paleontological site in the town of Hot Springs, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. It's quite special, being the largest collection of in-situ mammoth remains in the world. Sheltered within the building is an ongoing excavation of a prehistoric sinkhole filled with the remains of Pleistocene animals and plants preserved by entrapment and burial about 140,000 years ago. Since mammoth bones were found here accidentally in 1974, the remains of 61 mammoths have been recovered (including 58 North American Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths as of 2021).

In the Eastern Sierra Nevada range of California, our family group undertook four day hikes plus an easy 4-day backpacking trip, driving round trip from Chico from 18 July to Aug 3 in 2020. - We hiked Leavitt Meadows Loop clockwise (8.9 miles with 1570 ft gain) in Hoover Wilderness, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Staying below 8000 feet elevation, this makes a good training hike. - The pandemic increased competition for campsites in Mammoth Lakes village and for backpacking trips throughout Inyo National Forest, so pre-booking was helpful. We enjoyed hiking from Lake George Trailhead to Crystal Lake (side trip) and Mammoth Crest for 7 miles with 2000 ft gain. - We hiked to Shadow Lake (7.5 miles, 1200 ft gain) in Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest. - Historic Benton Hot Springs is worth a visit to explore the rusting old cars. - We hiked to Piute Pass Trail via ponds and lakes (9.7 miles, 2200 ft gain) in John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, Mono County. - Our backpacking trip from Green Creek Trailhead to Summit Lake was 7.6 mi with 2360 ft gain, 310 ft descent, over a leisurely 3 days, then out on the fourth day. A day hike from our Green Lake campsite to West Lake was 3.9 mi with 1830 ft gain to 8896 ft elev. From Summit Lake, we day hiked east to Burro Pass with a view to Virginia Lakes (2180 ft gain over 4 miles round trip).

Image gallery from Nebraska USA. - Delightfully ironic Carhenge replicates England's Stonehenge using vintage American automobiles, near Alliance, in the High Plains region. - Chimney Rock National Historic Site displays concise prairie emigrant exhibits in view of the 325-foot natural landmark, near Bayard. - Fascinating fossils from Agate waterhole 20 million years ago include a full-sized skeleton diorama, at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, near Harrison. - The Strategic Air Command (SAC) & Aerospace Museum takes a sobering look at intimidating aircraft and weapons of the Cold War, in Ashland, Nebraska.

USA: Illinois: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

The scenic Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37, aka Dease Lake Highway or Stikine Highway) is the northwesternmost highway in BC.

Glenn Highway & Tok Cut-Off: Palmer Musk Ox Farm; Knik & Matanuska Glaciers; Mount Sanford; Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.