gshc2020.com

We knew from the start that we wouldn't be able to see everything in any of the parks, and we were fine with that. When else were we going to fly to Montana or Wyoming?

We wanted our trip to include a mix of national parks, state parks, urban exploration, and open roads.

When we went to Yosemite National Park last October, we wished we could have stayed forever, but we had no regrets about spending one night there, so we assumed the same would be fine this time around.

Seeing four of the most stunning national parks in one week — Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, and Mount Rainier — was hard to put into words.

However, I felt overwhelmed by how much there was to see and knew I would likely have to return to get the full experience.

We didn't have enough time to explore each place

We spent the most time in Grand Teton National Park, staying two nights in Jackson, Wyoming, at a motel. We spent plenty of time at Jenny Lake, went horseback riding with the mountains in the background, and viewed Grand Teton's snowy peak for hours.

When it came time to go to Yellowstone, though, we calculated we could spend only five hours there, since we had to drive another hour north to Livingston, Montana, to reach our hotel.

As soon as we arrived, we headed straight for Thumb Geyser. It was less crowded than but not as stunning as Old Faithful, which we rushed to 15 minutes later. Then, we bolted to Grand Prismatic Spring.

By then, we were hungry and knew we had to find an open restaurant on the Montana side of the park, so we drove out and stopped for a few pictures along the border.

I was so enamored by Grand Teton that I definitely did not give Yellowstone enough of my enthusiasm and time.

For the next two days, we drove through Montana's major cities, stopping in Bozeman, Helena, Butte, Missoula, and Kalispell en route to Glacier National Park.

Given our tight schedule and an added delay from getting lunch at a restaurant with very slow service, Glacier somehow felt more rushed.

We had time for about an hour of kayaking on Lake McDonald before heading up Going-to-the-Sun Road to Avalanche Lake, where the road had closed due to ice. I left wishing I could have done much more in what many consider America's prettiest national park.

Though we only spent about three hours in Mount Rainier, I was more satisfied with what we saw. The mountain was stunning from every angle, and I didn't feel the longer hikes would have been as fulfilling as staring at Mount Rainier's reflection on the lake.

As the trip progressed, all of the nature seemed to blend together

Every park had its unique beauty, and the mind-bending geysers of Yellowstone complemented the tranquil, deer-filled trails of Glacier.

By the time we got to Mount Rainier, though, I had felt natured-out. We had seen so many waterfalls, valleys, mountains, and wildlife that I almost felt numb to the views at the latter two parks.

On one occasion, we passed by an overlook that I was convinced we had seen before, only to realize it was an entirely different viewpoint.

Aside from the major distinguishing sites, many of the trails and roads in the latter parks felt like repeats of those in the earlier ones we visited, which I'm confident would not have been the case if I had visited them on separate trips.

I know I missed much of the nuance in each park; every moose or bison I saw on the side of the road was just "another bison."

Since our schedule was so tight, we were stuck with whatever weather we got

Given that we only had a few hours in each park except Grand Teton, we had to deal with whatever the weather turned out to be.

We were lucky overall, with mostly clear skies, though we got stuck in a storm at Grand Teton that prevented us from doing more ambitious hikes.

The mountains disappeared behind heavy clouds, and visibility was low. This was also the case in part at Mount Rainier, where clouds blocked most of the mountain at a few viewpoints.

Of course, if we had stayed longer at any of these parks during a rainy week, the outcome could have been worse. Still, our tight schedule left too little of a cushion for adverse weather.

I have no regrets, but I wouldn't do this trip again

After a few weeks of reflection, I have no regrets about how we planned this trip. Every park visit worked out, the road trip was smooth, and everywhere we went was beautiful.

My friends and I paid only $80 combined to get into the parks because we had America the Beautiful annual passes that covered parking, plus entrance and standard-amenity fees. It felt like a great deal, and we can still use our passes until they expire to visit other parks and federal recreational lands around the US.

As much as I wish we'd spent more time at each stop, the reality is we all have limited vacation days, travel budgets, and so much else we want to see in the world.

We probably wouldn't have been able to see all four of these parks in the next few years if we had broken the trip into two or three parts.

Still, I likely would have been able to enjoy the national parks more if I divided the trip into Grand Teton and Yellowstone, then a separate trip doing Glacier, Mount Rainier, and Olympic National Park outside Seattle.

To get the full experience of most of these places, though, I do feel I need to plan some return trips.

Read next

Noah Sheidlower

You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Noah Sheidlower is a senior economy reporter with Business Insider. He covers retirement, aging, age tech, and employment trends.Noah reported a months-long series called 80 Over 80 about what working at 80 and older looks like. The 300-interview series includes over a dozen features and chronicles the lives of people like an 81-year-old Home Depot worker battling heart failure, a 93-year-old woman searching for a job, and an 85-year-old bus driver who died at work. The series has been recognized by the National Headliner Awards, New York Press Club Awards, and Deadline Club Awards.In 2024, Noah led a 17-story retirement series on the regrets older Americans have about their lives. He has also reported on how Americans have navigated unemployment, what compels Americans to move, and how mass deportations could impact the economy. He has appeared on SiriusXM Business Radio, Vox, and CBS News to discuss his reporting.Noah received his Bachelor's in Sociology and English from Columbia University. Noah has covered the restaurant industry, transportation, retail, and markets for CNBC, NBC News, CNN, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Contact: [email protected] or 516-304-1352.Popular articlesSome of America's oldest workers hold jobs while battling major health issues81 and working to surviveThey died 'doing what they loved': The stories of workers in their 80s who died on the jobThey're in their 80s, still working, and living paycheck to paycheckWhat work looks like in your 80s for half a million AmericansWhat an extra $500 to $1,000 a month did for 8 familiesA medical crisis derailed their retirement plans. Here's what they wish they'd done differently.

• Road Trip
• Yellowstone
• Travel
• More

Experts and analysts have previously said the slowdown in BHP’s decarbonisation progress put Australia’s broader climate targets at risk and exposed significant flaws in a key climate policy, the safeguard mechanism.

Former BHP chief economist Dr Huw McKay, now a visiting fellow at Australian National University’s Crawford school of public policy, told the Guardian that stronger climate policy was needed to drive urgent action.

McKay, who left the company in 2024, said he agreed with the distinguished economist and emeritus professor Ross Garnaut, that voluntary commitments from companies on decarbonisation were unstable and strong government policy was needed.

“That’s absolutely right,” he said. “The preferred policy is, of course, a carbon price that is calibrated to move the needle on hard-to-abate emissions.

“Inserting a carbon-price obligation like that into the investment process at major resources companies would lead to swifter action.”

McKay will this month speak at an ANU seminar on “Heavy industry decarbonisation: insights from the BHP leaks”. The description of the event says he will speak about how “corporate goals and targets are set, the role of broader investment and capital allocation processes, and the influence of policy, financial, and operational environments on decision-making”.

BHP has set itself a target of cutting emissions to 30% below 2020 levels by 2030, which it has alr

Bowen defends current regime

The climate change, Chris Bowen, has defended the current “safeguard mechanism”, which requires about 200 big industrial emitting sites – including several BHP facilities – to cut emissions intensity year-on-year, either onsite or by buying contentious carbon offsets.

Bowen said the safeguard mechanism did not rely on voluntary commitments. He said it mandated each large facility covered to cut emissions each year and to reach net zero by 2050.

Government data released earlier this year said total onsite emissions covered by the scheme were down 2.3% this year.

“We won’t be imposing a carbon tax,” Bowen said.

The leaked BHP documents revealed how the company had repeatedly balked at making major investments in decarbonisation initiatives, despite publicly describing climate change as an “existential” risk to the world and internally acknowledging that urgent emissions reductions efforts effectively underpinned its “licence to operate”.

The company’s first inland Pilbara decarbonisation project – a 50MW solar farm and 20MW battery at its Jimblebar mine – was shelved after being approved and funded by the board. Another 500MW system of solar, wind and battery was significantly delayed. The company has continued to acquire 62 polluting diesel haulage trucks, despite pledges to electrify its highly polluting fleet as early as 2027-2028.

In the weeks after the revelations, BHP engaged in a concerted public relations push to promote a trial of two battery-electric trucks in the Pilbara. An event held by the company, along with Rio Tinto and Caterpillar, was attended by the press and the Western Australian premier, Roger Cook. An invitation to journalists said that “flights and transport to site are included”, although WA government officials were not provided with transportation by BHP.

The event was held at its Jimblebar mine site. Critics say BHP was simply re-launching a previous announcement about the trial of battery-electric haul trucks.

In a statement, a BHP spokesperson said trials were needed because technology was not advanced enough to scale 240-ton battery-electric haul trucks to an operational fleet.

“To support the acceleration of this technology, BHP is partnering with equipment producers to run trials of battery-electric equipment including two 240-ton battery electric haul trucks being trialled on a BHP site in the Pilbara, and four battery-electric locomotives which we plan to commence trialling in coming months,” the spokesperson said.

“BHP continues to focus on delivering our operational emissions reduction target and long-term net zero goal, including support to accelerate and de-risk the required technology, noting that announced commitments by some companies to acquire new equipment in the future does not mean such equipment currently exists.” %!s()

One member of the huntsman family, the brown huntsman Heteropoda jugulans, was clocked as the quickest of more than 250 spider species analysed by a team of scientists in the UK and Germany.

Reaching a peak speed of 3.59 metres per second (13km/h or 8mph), the humble and hairy-legged huntsman appears to be faster than the current world record-holder, the Moroccan flic-flac spider and its comparatively pedestrian 1.7 m/s (they don’t so much run, as tumble down hill to reach that speed).

The scientists collected 162 different spider species – mostly from around London and the German city of Greifswald, but also from North America, southern Europe and Australia – and then measured their running speeds using cameras and gridded paper as the running track. The research has been submitted to a scientific journal.

They also added to their analysis other studies that had measured spider speed and, crucially, that included research supervised by Dr Christofer Clemente, an evolutionary biomechanist at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Clemente’s research was originally published in 2021 and aimed to understand the unique way that spiders get about.

But rather than go searching for what he thought would be the quickest spiders, Clemente said he just grabbed the ones that were the easiest to get.

“These were just spiders I found in the back yard,” Clemente said. “I could just go out with my head torch and see them on the grass.

“I am interested in how different animals of different sizes move and whether muscle might limit the speed at which animals can run,” he said.

“Spiders don’t move using just muscle – they use a combination of muscles to retract their limbs and hydraulic pressure to push them outwards.

“That’s a completely different way of powering locomotion to other animals.”

The brown huntsman only lives along Australia’s east coast and is a common sight in homes in south-east Queensland.

They are about the size of a hand, and while they are venomous, they very rarely bite humans and when they do, the effects are mild.

While the 3.59 m/s was the peak speed recorded by the huntsman, Clemente said this was only reached for a fraction of a second. The huntsman’s average sustained speed was closer to 2 m/s.

“That’s still really fast,” he said.

When it comes to running in the animal kingdom, he said generally there appeared to be a “sweet spot” between having legs and muscles that were long but “not so big that you have to support this huge mass”.

His hunch was that huntsmans “might be close to the sweet spot” for the best spider body type for speed.

“They’re not too big and not too small, but we haven’t done the science on that yet,” he said.

Dr Jonas Wolff, of the University of Greifswald in Germany and one of the lead authors of the new research, said it was the broadest comparative study of running speed in spiders ever conducted.

Running speed can determine how spiders interact with the environment, how far they disperse and “which ecological niche they occupy”.

One key finding was that “it was not the largest species that ran the fastest” and that spiders that caught their prey in webs were not necessarily slower than hunters like the huntsman.

“Instead, the data indicates there is a threshold in body mass, after which running speed drops due to mechanical constraints in muscle physiology and the spider’s body plan.”

So is the brown huntsman the fastest spider in the world?

“I would not rule out there are faster huntsman species than this one out there, which have not been tested yet,” he said. %!s()

There is limited evidence on lived experiences of prenatal child protection amid growing international concern about the consistently high number of infants being removed from their families.

"Being pregnant can be a vulnerable time for women, and many are experiencing complex challenges including trauma, family violence, poverty, substance abuse, mental health concerns, and housing insecurity," Wren said. "They feel a sense of being judged, surveilled and mistrust, causing many to avoid services for fear their child will be removed.

"Their feelings of mistrust are driven by unclear plans and broken promises, as child protection can often focus on deficits and not women's strengths, recovery and parenting potential. Unfortunately, a mother's experience with trauma and domestic violence frequently goes unaddressed."

The study identified missed opportunities for early intervention and support during pregnancy that could improve outcomes for the mother and her baby.

Co-author Professor Silke Meyer from Griffith's Center for Mental Health said, "It is important we see more trauma-informed, culturally responsive and relationship-based approaches that prioritize both child safety and maternal well-being. We need to break the cycle of disadvantage and reduce the rate of infant removal."

More information

Rebecca Wren et al, Women's experiences of child protection involvement during pregnancy: A scoping review, Children and Youth Services Review (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109068

Who's behind this story?

Lisa Lock

BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Pregnant women may avoid child protection out of fear and mistrust (2026, July 9) retrieved 13 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pregnant-women-child-mistrust.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. %!s()

I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips.

This is my go-to, healthier version of classic zucchini bread.

The loaf bakes up wonderfully moist with a tender crumb and lightly spiced flavor. You can enjoy it plain, add chopped nuts for crunch (love walnuts in this), fold in dried cranberries or fresh blueberries for a burst of fruit, or stir in chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.

You can also bake this batter as Greek yogurt zucchini muffins. However you make it, you’ll love how simple, versatile, and reliably delicious it is. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up summer zucchini.

One reader, Ashley, commented: “These are excellent! Made the muffins last night and they’re already almost all gone. I peeled the zucchini before I grated it and it’s the first time my vegetable-hesitant preschooler has eaten zucchini bread (and he asked for thirds). ★★★★★“

And another reader, Val, commented: “Best healthier zucchini bread I’ve made yet. ★★★★★“

Why You’ll Love This Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread

• Naturally sweetened with honey—no refined sugar (coarse sugar on top is optional!)
• Wonderfully moist from Greek yogurt, avocado oil, and zucchini
• Made with simple, wholesome ingredients
• Easy to customize with nuts, berries, or chocolate chips
• Lightly flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and fresh orange zest
• No mixer required
• Can be baked as a loaf or muffins
• Freezes beautifully

5 Key Ingredients You Need & Why

1. Greek Yogurt: I typically use plain 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt. It adds moisture, richness, and a wonderfully soft texture without making the bread heavy.
2. Honey: Honey is my preferred sweetener here because it complements the zucchini and warm spices so well. It also helps keep the bread moist for days. If you’d like to use pure maple syrup instead, many readers have reported excellent results.
3. Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to choice, but melted coconut oil, melted butter, or olive oil all work well in this recipe. You could also use canola or vegetable oil instead.
4. Zucchini: No need to peel it first, though you certainly can. Simply grate the zucchini and lightly blot away excess moisture if it seems particularly wet. I always use this box grater for prepping zucchini.
5. Orange Zest: This is optional, but I never skip it. A little orange zest brightens all the flavors and pairs beautifully with the honey, cinnamon, and zucchini. I know you’ll love it.

Today’s zucchini bread comes together quickly with just 2 mixing bowls. Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients together in another. For the smoothest batter, I recommend starting with room-temperature ingredients, which combine much more easily. If you’re interested, I have an entire page discussing the importance of room temperature ingredients in baking!

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and orange zest. If you’re adding any add-ins, fold them in with the zucchini and zest. The batter will be fairly thick, and that’s exactly what you want.

Feel free to sprinkle the batter lightly with coarse sugar, such as Sugar In The Raw, before baking.

For best results, bake the bread in an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan. Look for a pan labeled “1-lb loaf pan.” This size loaf pan helps the bread bake up taller with a beautiful domed top and a soft, moist center. If using a 9×5-inch pan, the loaf will be shorter and take less time in the oven.

Whether you make it as a loaf or muffins, this is a wonderful recipe to keep on hand throughout zucchini season!

If you have more zucchini to use up, try my zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, or zucchini biscuits next. And for even more inspiration, browse my collection of favorite zucchini recipes, including both sweet and savory options.

Print

Description

This Greek yogurt zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up summer zucchini. Naturally sweetened with honey, made with wholesome ingredients, and packed with moisture from Greek yogurt, it’s soft, flavorful, and easy to make with just a couple bowls and no mixer required. Bake it as a loaf or turn the batter into muffins.

• 1/3 cup (76g/80ml) avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil*
• 1/2 cup (180g/120ml) honey*
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature*
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (130g) shredded zucchini (see note)*
• optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest (so good!)
• optional: 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts, (115g) raisins/dried cranberries, or (135g) chocolate chips
• optional: coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, honey, egg, yogurt, and vanilla together until combined.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Avoid overmixing. The batter is thick. Fold in the zucchini, orange zest, and add-ins (if using).
4. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar, if desired, before baking.
5. Bake the bread for 50–55 minutes, tenting loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. After that, remove the bread from the pan and let it finish cooling directly on the rack.
7. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: Bread freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Box Grater | 8.5 x 9.5-inch Loaf Pan (1-lb loaf pan)| Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Citrus Zester | Coarse Sugar | Cooling Rack
3. Muffins: Prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 13-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 10-12 muffins.
4. Oil: You can use avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil. You could also use vegetable oil or canola oil, or even melted butter. I typically use avocado oil.
5. Honey: Instead of honey, you can use pure maple syrup (not “breakfast syrup”) or agave syrup.
6. Yogurt: I use plain 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt. Vanilla or honey flavors would work wonderfully here!
7. Zucchini: If your zucchini is extra wet, blot it a bit before adding to the batter.

Nutrition