It’s been quite a year. Terminal disease (my immediate family), not terminal but the same disease (me), plus medical procedures galore, funerals, and a breakup. Despite all that, there’ve been many great things, too. Like my camping trip in Grand Canyon, which almost didn’t happen because I’m a giant dork.
Tag Archives: Hiking
It’s Big, It’s Beautiful, and I Almost Missed It
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Arizona, Camping, Mishaps, National Parks
Grand Canyon Teaser
I’ve been so busy (and now I’m on the road again) that I haven’t had time to process any of my Grand Canyon photos, but I didn’t want to leave you for too long without at least a bit of Canyon goodness.
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Arizona, National Parks
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
New Mexico has many beautiful, well-preserved Puebloan ruins, but maybe none are more beloved than Chaco Canyon National Park. And after my first visit there a few weeks ago, I can see why.
Posted in Travel
Also tagged National Parks, New Mexico, Ruins
The Happiest Dog Around
This week’s 365 project theme of “dark” isn’t going as well as I’d hoped, due to a whole lot of snow (white) and cloudy nights with no stars.
Posted in Home in Taos
Also tagged Animals, Nature, Sam
Hawaiian Highs
Maui is one of those strange places that’s both unbelievably beautiful yet feels like a regular town where people live and work. I’d rented a car – a tiny white clown car I’m pretty sure was run on hamster power – and driving from the airport to my hotel I found myself muttering, over and over again, Wow. Wow. Wow. Almost everywhere you looked was […]
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Hawaii, National Parks, Restaurants
Beauty Trumps Mishap at Chiricahua
Nothing extraordinary happened on this last trip to Southern Arizona. I didn’t get lost or run out of gas or make a spectacle of myself in restaurants or get stung by rage-filled insects. (For more of this kind of fun see the “mishaps” tag on the right.) I also didn’t meet any interesting people, and by interesting, I mean crazy. And by didn’t meet, I […]
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Arizona, National Parks
No British Rock Gods Anywhere, But a Good Stop Regardless
On this last scampabout I saw four Arizona national parks – the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Chiricahua (I’ll write about that one soon – it’s gorgeous), and Ft. Bowie. I’m sorry to tell you that Ft. Bowie is not, in fact, a monument to David Bowie, but is actually where the Chiricahua Apaches fought the U.S. military in the late 1800s and were (surprise!) defeated.
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Cemeteries, History, National Parks
Palo Duro Canyon, Texas: Where I Did Not Earn My Hiking Badge
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second largest canyon in the U.S. (Second to, you know, that other canyon you may have heard of.) It sits about 15 miles south of Amarillo, and is a beautiful spot for camping, hiking, and biking ($22/night for a 30-amp site – look at me, knowing what that is! – plus $5/day access fee).