Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge - Views of tall mountains in the distance

The scenic byway along US-64 south of Wheeler Peak was a great drive, and Taos is an interesting town but due to all the road work it wasn’t ideal to stop and walk around. So I kept driving a bit further northwest to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. There is a parking area but it … Read more

Courthouse Rock & Jail Rock

Courthouse Rock

Another 20 miles east down the road from Chimney Rock you will find a pair of geological landmarks known as Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock. Look for the tombstone-shaped marker that says Seybolt Park for the entrance road. (Not shown here because I missed it: the Historical Marker found directly on NE-88 as you are … Read more

Black Elk Peak

Black Elk Peak - Pole with prayer ties at the lookout/peak

After getting skunked on my morning run across the Needles Highway and then dilly-dallying with breakfast and laundry watching some clouds grow in the sky, I finally said “screw it!” and drove up to Sylvan Lake to the Trail #9 trail head for Black Elk Peak. The clouds continued to build as I watched from … Read more

Dignity Of Earth And Sky

Dignity of Earth and Sky - Closer view of the sculpture

Eastern South Dakota is about as exciting to drive through as southern Minnesota, which is to say that if you enjoy long stretches of flat land and straight roads then this is your place. For the rest of us, any small diversions on a route like this are welcome to break up the monotony. Thankfully … 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

Mogollon, New Mexico

Mogollon, NM – Welcome To Mogollon N.M. Ghost Town

After locating zero elk from the north side of 16B we packed up camp & decided to move southward to check other areas. Heading west on NM-159 there’s a cool little mining ghost town called Mogollon, New Mexico. Evidence of the old mining operations are scattered about town and include mine/cave entries like this one … Read more

Copper Culture State Park

Copper Culture State Park - Trail to Indian Cemetery

One of the lesser-known historical sites in our state, Copper Culture State Park is just a short drive north from Green Bay located in Oconto, Wisconsin. This is also one of the smaller state parks but does contain some short hiking trails and a volunteer-staffed museum inside an old farmhouse with relics and information on … Read more

Durward’s Glen Waterfall

Durward's Glen - Primary view of the falls from downstream

Took a weekend trip up around Baraboo in mid May in search of some new falls within Durward’s Glen, a privately owned spiritual retreat and conference center that is open to the public. It’s definitely quite remote but has some nice hiking trails and is located in a very quiet spot tucked into the Driftless … Read more

Tuzigoot National Monument

Tuzigoot National Monument - View of the pueblo

Continuing the Arizona cultural tour around the Coconino National Forest area, my next stop is at Tuzigoot National Monument in Clarkdale. It’s a relatively small National Monument geographically but still worth a visit if history and archaeology interest you. For this location escpecially it is crucial to see the visitor center. There are many artifacts … Read more

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument - Cliff dwellings

Today I decided to head north and check out the sights with the idea of seeing Sedona and anything that is of interest along the way. It’s a long drive from Benson and traffic is stupid busy on a Saturday but beggars like me can’t be choosers. No matter, I headed north on I-10 and … Read more