Time for another train stop! Maybe it’s the fact that my family has a railroad history (Dad, uncles and grandfather all worked for Southern Pacific Railroad) or maybe it’s that one of my favorite assignments with California State Parks was as the District Superintendent for Capital District where I...
Presidents & Parks – Great Basin National Park
Great Basin is probably one of the least known national parks, partly as it was created recently, in 1986, prior to which only the caverns were officially recognized, as the Lehman Caves National Monument (established in 1922), and partly as the area is far from any other famous landmark,...
Prescott History – & A Railroad Connection
Frequently I find, as I travel the country, connections to people and places from my life. After my last blog post I heard from Kim Baker (a former co-worker and friend) about another such connection. Thomas Seaman Bullock built Prescott’s first railroad, The Prescott and Central Arizona Railroad in...
At Home in Prescott – Paddle, Hike & Bike
Prescott, AZ – this is one of those places that will certainly go on my list of future places to call home – or at minimum places I want to go back to soon. At the urging of friends Pat and Linda who live in Prescott I changed my...
Volcanos & Beer Around Flagstaff
The National Park Service isn’t the only branch of Federal Government that protects awesome places. Near Flagstaff there are two really cool sites managed by the Forest Service that are not only interesting but tell stories of a volcanic past. “All Nature’s wildness tells the same story: the shocks...
Colorful Tree Fossils – Petrified Forest NP
Although a couple hours drive from Cottonwood it was time to visit Petrified Forest National Park and check another NP off my growing list. After meeting up with some knowledgeable Arizona friends in Holbrook we ventured off to spend the day exploring the park. Petrified Forest was set aside...
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)...
Organ Pipe Cactus NM – Desert bloom & border wall
About 2.5 hours from Tucson, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument isn’t terribly easy to get to but definitely worth the drive. March and April are great months to be here as all around you the desert is blooming. “The earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson In 1937 President...
“Science Rules” in Tucson
When my son Matt was growing up he just loved Disney’s Bill Nye the Science Guy shows. We had nearly every episode taped on VHS (remember those?) and he would watch them over and over again frequently quoting the Science Guy in everyday conversations. So in the words of...
Saguaro National Park & Chiricahua National Monument
When most folks think of “wilderness” the vision that comes to mind involves mountains and trees but in Arizona these wilderness areas seem much more stark, and often more amazing. Saguaro National Park and Chiricahua National Monument are both within driving distance of my base here in Tucson. “I...