Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
Awoke before sunrise ready to stretch my legs a bit. The park newspaper gave suggestions for ideal sunrise viewing and I chose Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Left the campground and started my drive. Mountains encapsulate the area in all directions like a bowl. Besides one couple, I was the only other early bird here. You can … Read more
After leaving Artists Drive I didn’t have much daylight left but it still felt too early to call it a day. What to do next? A quick read of the park’s newspaper pointed me to Zabriskie Point which they claim is the best place to watch both sunrise & sunset in all of Death Valley. … Read more
There are no shortages of hikes or waterfalls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and luckily my next stop wasn’t far after leaving Cataract Falls. Only several miles up the road, Laurel Falls is another popular short day hike. Parking at the trail head was a battle – likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday and kids … Read more
Several days into the trip and we finally made it to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. First stop was Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee and the infamous Appalachian Trail. Views here looking over the mountain range are normally quite amazing, however today Mother Nature had other plans. Driving up the 7 mile … Read more
After making a mistake with campsite reservations at Wyalusing (and a less than restful stay at the last motel available), I woke early and headed to the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. I didn’t know much about this park, but it was on my list simply to check off another nationally-managed area. … Read more
An hour away from Las Cruces on the way back to Wisconsin is White Sands National Monument. Known for its very rare almost pure white sand dunes, it seems almost out of place compared to the other local landscape. Interesting fact: at 275 square miles, it is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. … Read more
After Capitol Reef I had a decision to make – skip some parks and start driving south, or press my luck and go for more. Made some distance calculations with my road atlas (no cell service out here anywhere) and made the call to push onward in my adventures. Only about 100 miles or so … Read more
Down the highway from Sunset is the Walnut Canyon National Monument. This site preserves the early cliff side dwellings of the Sinagua culture dating back to about 1100 CE, near the same time of Sunset’s eruption. Can you imagine what they saw in the distant sky from their caves on that day? Crazy to imagine. … Read more
I spent a good portion of last night trying to determine my next destination, and still haven’t decided. So instead, I am winding my way through some local monuments. First stop near Flagstaff is the Sunset Crater Volcano. Last erupting about 1,000 years ago, it blanketed the surrounding 800 square miles in ash changing the … Read more
Ran into a dilemma this morning of which direction to take next. Each way leads to a path where I miss out on major locations I wanted to see. Ended up taking the safe route and going for a quick day trip to Bryce Canyon, and coming back to my little shack in the RV … Read more