Valle Grande Overlook

Valle Grande Overlook - View of valley to the west

Leaving Bandelier National Monument it was again decision time. I wasn’t quite ready to give up my exploration of this part of New Mexico so I drove further west on NM-4 through the mountain pass near Los Alamos with some idea of camping in the Santa Fe National Forest. Along the way I came across … Read more

Garden Of The Gods Visitor & Nature Center

Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center - Scenic view of the "Garden"

Doing a bit of free-styling now with my destinations. Left my stealth camp in Wyoming and decided to drive south on I-25 until something strikes my attention. Sadly the wildfire smoke or hazy clouds are blocking my views of the Rocky Mountains. Also sadly I am deciding to pass on by what I can only … Read more

Needles Highway

Needles Highway - Scenic Overlook towards Cathedral Spires

The Needles Highway (SD-87) is a 14-mile scenic drive through some of the best scenery in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is also part of the larger double-loop Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. This is by no means an exhaustive guide to the road – just some photos I took during my adventure. Less … Read more

Jewel Cave National Monument – Roof Trail

Jewel Cave National Monument - Roof Trail scenic overlook

Due to my scheduling blunders I had a break for lunch and to strategize on how to use my time for the remaining daylight hours. There are a some hiking trails in the monument that look pretty interesting, but as I sat in the shady forest eating my sandwich the ominous clouds rolled in across … Read more

Peninsula State Park – Eagle Trail

Peninsula State Park - Niagara Escarpment along the Eagle Trail

The weather has changed for the better and this afternoon is blue skies with only partial clouds and some great sunshine. With the lack of available daylight hours I’m wasting no time. Drove out to the Eagle Panorama for a hike on the Eagle Trail. Not surprisingly views in cheerful conditions are better than what … Read more

Peninsula State Park – Eagle Panorama

Peninsula State Park - Eagle Panorama

Had a few surplus vacation days this year and not much time to plan or use them up. Took a couple off for a brief weekend expedition to continue exploring and hiking across Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula. As is customary, I left home very unprepared, stopped and grabbed essential supplies at the store, promptly drove … Read more

Kinnikinnic State Park

Kinnikinnic State Park - Scenic Overlook of Kinnikinnic River Delta into St Croix River

More intermittent rain today but not enough precipitation to stop my plans. Next up was some hiking at Kinnikinnic State Park in River Falls, Wisconsin. To be honest I didn’t know much about this park before visiting but afterwards it’s easy to see why it’s a special place. From the far west parking area I … Read more