The Cape May Zoo is definitely something special. Ok, sure, it has some of the same animals you’d find in almost any other zoo. But what other zoo – besides the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. – has over 500…

Cape May Zoo: Free – and a Good One, Too!

Book Review: John Fielder’s Best of Colorado
I originally wrote this review of the book “John Fielder’s Best of Colorado” for the now-debunked E-pinions website, so if it’s a little different style than what I usually publish, you’ll know why. Pros: Great information for the…

Ptarmigan Ridge – So Many Exclamation Points!
“Ptarmigan Ridge or bust.” That’s what he told me one beautiful morning a few days before we planned to leave on a trip. I stared at him in disbelief. Usually a quiet, easy-going guy (particularly when it comes to which…

The Chapin / Chiquita / Ypsilon Loop: 3 Summits, 8 Miles!
Ever since I read about the Mount Chapin, Mount Chiquita, Ypsilon Mountain loop trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2006, I’ve wanted to hike it. I had it all planned, too: We’d go in September, before the snow fell,…

Tubing the Delaware – So Fun!
A few weeks ago, I did something I’ve always wanted to do. Something I read about most of my childhood, heard about how fun it was, even planned at one point, but never did it. Until now. I tubed the…

Games We Play on the Road
What do you do when you’re driving clear across the country to a vacation destination? How do you fill those long hours in the car without either going stir crazy or hating every moment of the ride? We often read,…

Hiking Up Green Mountain in Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Ok, so Green Mountain in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park may not be the most spectacular trail in the state – or even in the park – but it does have some good points. First, it’s one of…

Biking the Genesee Valley Greenway
This summer we’ve been doing daytrips closer to home. That’s not to say we won’t be taking a longer trip, as well, but it’s been a lot of fun to travel in our own neighborhood. One highlight was definitely biking…

10 Best (and worst) Day Hikes in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
I think I can safely say that Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of my favorite parks ever. There’s such a diversity of scenery (i.e., of different kinds of rock formations, badlands, etc.) and most parts aren’t extremely well-visited, so…

Queens Garden Trail & Navajo Loop: So Many Hoodoos!
There are many short trails in Bryce Canyon, and so many with wonderful views. Even if you’ve hiked the trails before, they’re worth doing again. I can’t count the number of times we’ve hiked the Queen’s Garden Trail, but it…