As I started my trek north with a plan on crossing the Canadian border around mid May it was time to visit a few State Parks along the route. Not surprising that the further north I travel the colder and wetter the weather gets (go figure!). I try not...
Friends, Fence & Sunsets around Tucson
To wrap up my blog posts about Tucson I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two of my favorite things about the area. The first is spending time with a good friend. I have mentioned Annette in previous posts, we first met a year ago (wow time flies)...
Hiking & Biking in and around Sedona
A week and a half is not enough time to do even a small fraction of things around Sedona. Each time I come back to this area I am reminded of my love for this wonderful red rock country. “No matter where in the world I’m coming back from,...
Lost Dutchman – Treasure found around Phoenix
Well there I was, spending the last partial week camping with Mom & Dad at Lost Dutchman, an Arizona State Park near Phoenix. Say what you want about Phoenix but there is plenty of cool things to do in the area. Just east of Phoenix is the Superstition Mountain...
Back in Arizona – The Quartzite Experience
As I crossed the border into Arizona I had to reflect the last time I traveled this road. It was on return from my three-week stint as the Chief of Operations for Arizona State Parks. It seemed like a great idea to take this new opportunity after retiring from...
Palm Springs – A Desert Playground
A week in Palm Springs wasn’t nearly enough time to experience this desert playground. With more than 350 days of sunshine and under 5 inches of annual rainfall Palm Springs has been a tourist destination since 1909. Since the 1920s, Palm Springs has been Hollywood’s desert playground for celebrities...
Grand Canyon National Park – Musing the future
Time to check another National Park off the list. I have been to the Grand Canyon a number of times but it seems that each time is different. With just a couple of nights here I was lucky enough to catch up with an old friend of the family...
Lake Powell & Rainbow Bridge National Monument
While visiting Antelope Canyon camping at Lake Powell was a must do. Part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area the Lake Powell Wahweap Campground is operated by a National Parks concessionaire. The views from the campsite were awesome with sunrises and sunsets creating beautiful colors on the rocks surrounding...
Zion National Park – Loved by millions
285 square miles and over 4 million visitors this year. Zion is certainly one of the “diamonds” of the National Park system. Before I write about my awesome hikes in Zion I wanted to muse a bit about the very real idea of “loving a park to death”. This...
Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument – Cool Place!
In 1996 Grand-Staircase Escalante, established by Presidential Proclamation, became the first National Monument to be administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It is huge – spanning nearly 1.9 million acres and according to the proclamation its “vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scenic and historic...