I had always heard of the orchards at Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park. Established by the Mormon pioneers in the 1880s, the settlers created a network of irrigation channels to allow not only crops to grow, but also orchards…
Sunrise at the Angel Peak Campground
Angel Peak Campground, south of Farmington, New Mexico, is probably one of the nicer free campgrounds I’ve stayed at. It’s in the middle of nowhere – pretty much literally – so I usually stay at it when I’m visiting Nowhere,…
17 Arches Across the West (you probably haven’t heard of)
There’s something about the gracious span of an arch that takes our breath away. The gravity-defying feat is eye-catching at worst, and enthralling at best. Many people know about famous arches and natural bridges, like Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch…
Pictures from Honeoye Lake, October 2018
A couple weeks ago, we rented a cottage on Honeoye Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in central New York State (it’s pronounced Honey-oye). The sun rarely came out all week (despite the changing leaf colors), but we made up…
Driving (Part of) the Whitmore Trail
I read about a 2 mile trail – round trip – to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The pictures were epic. The trail didn’t even look that steep. The only thing standing between me and the trail was a…
Echo Bay Swimming Beach – Desert Swimming Hole!
On a recent trip, my group wanted to go swimming. I couldn’t blame them; we had been camping and driving in 100F+ heat for several days, and we were all very hot and very sweaty. It promised to get even…
Early Morning at St. George’s Red Hills Desert Garden
A few years ago, waiting for the alternator in our van to be replaced, we hiked up to a little park in St. George, Utah, called Pioneer Park. It sounds sort of small-town-ish, not that exciting. However, it’s absolutely epic,…
Lassen Swimming Hole in Butte Lake!
Have you ever wanted to swim in a lava flow? Not in the lava, I mean, but in water among the remains of the hardened lava rock? It’s a big thing in Hawaii to swim or at least walk…
Spatter Cone Fascination at the Fleener Chimneys
Where to go if you want a picnic supper in Lava Beds National Monument? While there are a few picnic areas in the park (namely, near the visitor center), there are a few tables in a more natural setting near…
Beautiful Swimming Hole at Lake Siskiyou
I’m sitting here at my computer desk, and on the wall is one of those analog calendars; the kind with a picture on top and the days of the month in big squares so you can write all your appointments…