Uncategorized – Looking In

Elsewhere in Utah

There are a lot of things to do in southern Utah outside the National Parks!

Zion National Park

Four days of hiking, climbing, and photographing in the stunning Zion National Park!

When we started planning this trip, we looked at the average conditions for Bryce Canyon in September. Average high around 70 (about 21 for you metric types) sounds great! Lows around 40-42? (yes, 5-ish in metric) Not a problem, layer up a little and take it off as the temperature climbs. Easy, yes? Then, asContinue reading “Bryce Canyon National Park”

Welcome to The Grand Canyon … of Texas

“…a burning, seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and color.” -Georgia O’Keeffe. In our last days of freedom, before the Enclosed Times, we took a trip up to Palo Duro Canyon, up Amarillo way. Unfortunately, we came back… But it was a great trip while it lasted! I hadn’t been there for more than 30Continue reading “Welcome to The Grand Canyon … of Texas”

Pinnacles: California part 3

Part 3 of our adventure begins in a lovely Airbnb in Soledad, California. For part 1 go here, for part 2 go here. The location was great, just 15 minutes or so from the western entrance to Pinnacles National Park. Of course, our first day hiking in Pinnacles, we decided to go in the easternContinue reading “Pinnacles: California part 3”

To Hot Springs, just because…

I took a driving trip up to Hot Springs, Arkansas just to scout out the area and see what I could see!

The Road Home…

Here’s part 2 of our journey (Part 1 is here) to meet family in New Orleans. Now we’re taking the long way home… We left New Orleans and drove north across Lake Pontchartrain – mostly because I had never crossed the Causeway before, but also because it was the fastest way to get to Covington,Continue reading “The Road Home…”

Carlsbad Caverns: The next National Park over…

We spent a week in the campground at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but we took a day off in the middle to run up to Carlsbad Caverns. That’s just about a half-hour drive north, just into New Mexico. It’s actually still part of the Guadalupe Mountains, just a different national park! There are two waysContinue reading “Carlsbad Caverns: The next National Park over…”

More of the Guadalupe Mountains

Although dawn at El Capitan was the photographic highlight, and Guadalupe Peak was the geographic highlight, we spent several more days around the mountains anyway! Staying at the Pine Springs campground put us at (or near) a number of trailheads and other points of interest. For example, a short walk from the Pine Springs VisitorContinue reading “More of the Guadalupe Mountains”

The Top Of Texas:The Guadalupe Mountains

In keeping with the National Park theme established in my previous post, I thought I’d talk about the origin of the featured photo on my blog’s home page (above is another shot from a little bit later). That’s El Capitan, in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, here in Texas. Don’t confuse it with that otherContinue reading “The Top Of Texas:The Guadalupe Mountains”