Balabanova All Over

Monthly Archives: March 2025

[Bar Harbor, Maine, Sep 21, 2024] After visiting with Martha in Portland, it was time to make the 3-hour drive to Bar Harbor. The fastest route goes north to Bangor before veering east. Martha recommended we take the upper part of the coastal route instead. So we put Belfast, ME in our GPS and headed out. it was only 15 minutes longer this way. We had no idea what to expect along… Read More

[Portland, Maine, Sep 20, 2024] A work trip to Atlanta, GA had me eyeing national parks in the vicinity. I had to choose between New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia and Acadia National Park in Maine. I decided to go with Acadia. I would be returning to Atlanta in April 2025 and I figured I can do New River Gorge then. I took a red-eye flight from Portland, Oregon to… Read More

[Great Basin National Park, Sep 1, 2024] When I originally looked at hikes in Great Basin National Park, I set my sights on the Wheeler Peak Summit Trail. At 8.5 miles and less than 3,000 ft of elevation gain, it was totally doable for my hiking abilities. The only problem? The trail begins at over 10,000 ft of elevation! Most people start feeling the effects of high altitude at 4,000 – 5,000… Read More

[Great Basin National Park, Aug 31, 2024] I woke up early and drove the 4 hours from Salt Lake City to Great Basin National park. I gained an hour as I crossed from Utah to Arizona, which gave me more time in the day despite the long drive. I was at the visitor center in Baker, NV, around 9:30 am. I got my first views of the South Snake Range and Wheeler… Read More

[Portland, OR –> Salt Lake City, UT, Aug 30, 2024] Great Basin National Park is one of the least visited and most underrated of the 63 managed by the NPS. The park preserves about 120 square miles of the Great Basin, the largest area of contiguous contained watersheds. All the water within the Great Basin, and all the rivers and streams, do not have an outlet to the ocean. Think of it… Read More