El Malpais National Monument – La Ventana Natural Arch

El Malpais National Monument - Zoomed view

Made it to Grants, New Mexico and stopped for fuel. Didn’t have anything planned in this area so I took a survey of the map and found an interesting feature relatively nearby. Headed south on NM-117 into El Mapais National Monument / National Conservation Area and checked out the La Ventana Natural Arch, the second … Read more

Devil’s Gulch

Devil's Gulch - Rocky parts of the trail require some creativity to find a path

Just down the road from Split Rock park is another local park called Devil’s Gulch. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but the attraction here is a large gulch (or ravine), a waterfall perhaps, and some Wild West history if you believe the stories. Not shown in this post is a small visitor … Read more

Split Rock Park

Split Rock Park - Wide angle view of the area near the dam

Today seems like “do everything interesting in Garretson, South Dakota” day but it wasn’t really by plan. As it often happens, I was freestyle cruising Google Maps and came across a couple parks not far away from camp. So I headed just a couple miles down the road and first stopped at Split Rock Park. … Read more

Palisades State Park

Palisades State Park - Views of Split Rock Creek looking downstream from the cliffs above

My first out-of-state camping stop on this journey was at Palisades State Park in Garretson, South Dakota. I arrived well after dark and mostly just went to sleep, but the next morning I did some quick exploring. There are a couple trails here the run along the Split Rock Creek. I considered hiking them but … Read more

Tyler Forks Dells Falls

Tyler Forks Dells Falls - Long Exposure

My main destination for today was a spot called Tyler Forks Dells Falls, a series of rapids, falls, and cliffs. I visited back inĀ 2019 but couldn’t find the trail, and couldn’t pull them up online as I had no reception. Today I had maps, cell service, warm temperatures, and nothing but time to explore. I … Read more

Roaring Creek Falls

Roaring Creek Falls in Black River Falls, Wisconsin

Back in 2019 I visited Lost Falls. After returning home and looking at online maps, there was a Google review on Roaring Creek saying there are more falls 1/4 mile upstream in the same area (review now disappeared, strange). So today I returned in search of these other unknown falls that seem to be well-traveled … Read more

Kayaking at Mirror Lake State Park

Kayaking at Mirror Lake State Park

While in The Dells area I checked out a couple waterfall spots but many of the water sources feeding smaller falls are dried up right now. Rather than waste my whole day, I headed to Mirror Lake State Park and got my kayak on the water. Main goal was to test out a new PFD … Read more

Devil’s Punchbowl

Devil's Punchbowl - Large Waterfall

Dunn County has several great waterfalls and today we are visiting the amazing falls within the Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Preserve. This area is managed by the Landmark Conservancy (which the Western Wisconsin Land Trust was integrated into) and is open to the public. A dedication plaque found at the parking area labeling this Devil’s Punchbowl … Read more

Red Cedar Waterfall

Red Cedar Waterfall - Direct View

It’s now the 2nd weekend in June. COVID-19 restrictions have changed a bit and I was finally able to go camping for a proper socially-distanced weekend trip. First stop is to find the waterfall along the Red Cedar State Trail / Red Cedar River. I started from the large boat launch parking lot on County … Read more

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument - View from inside the cliff dwellings

Headed out from Las Cruces and bid my family farewell. Today was dedicated to a singular goal of visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. I have made attempts in the past (see here in 2018) and always ran out of time or got turned back due to weather changes. No more barriers today and … Read more