Friday's weather was much improved with mostly sunny skies on the drive from Rocky Knob Cabins to Peaks of Otter Lodge, a distance of about 90 miles. Before heading north, we stopped for breakfast at Mabry Mill, where Kay went through a combination pancake platter consisting of one sweet potato pancake, one buckwheat pancake, and one corn meal pancake, before waddling back to the car. I demonstrated restraint by consuming two biscuits topped with black cherry preserves.

For more than a few folks, staying in a cabin during a visit to one of the West's national parks is a highlight of their visit. For those who land a reservation in one of the cabins in Zion National Park, their stay will be a bit like stepping into the past thanks to recent renovations.

If you haven't already made plans to visit a national park this summer, consider doing so in July, which has been designated Park and Recreation Month by Congress.

The cables are finally going up the shoulder of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.