Joshua Tree

So, a friend of mine says (via email), “Hey, want to meet me in Palm Springs?” Leigh and I look at each other. “Weeeelllll…” Then I remember – Palm Springs is right next door to Joshua Tree National Park! Let’s do this thing! Even better: reasonably-priced direct flights from DFW! And our friends in TemeculaContinue reading “Joshua Tree”

The Grand Canyon : Rim-to-Rim and more!

Late August is not a highly recommended time for visiting the Grand Canyon, especially if you’re going to walk down to Phantom Ranch. But that’s when we had a cabin at Phantom Ranch, and we weren’t going to miss it! After all, I’d never been there before. And we’re from Texas, we can deal withContinue reading “The Grand Canyon : Rim-to-Rim and more!”

Saguaro, Saguaros, and More!

Saguaro National Park. Just saying it brings to mind that majestic cactus, standing tall and proud, branches reaching to the sky! And rightly so, everywhere you look, even places where you’d think nothing could grow, there they are. Such a ubiquitous symbol of the west, you see their profile everywhere, even here in Texas. Unfortunately,Continue reading “Saguaro, Saguaros, and More!”

Big Bend Country – Part 1

A trip to West Texas is always a joy for me and I was really looking forward to hiking in Big Bend National Park. We hadn’t been there for over a decade and that trip had included a recalcitrant youngster so we didn’t do as much hiking as we might have liked. We were excited!Continue reading “Big Bend Country – Part 1”

Bryce Canyon 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”

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”

Climbing Half Dome: Yosemite 2015

I was prospecting through the archives today when I ran across photos from a trip we took a few years back – I knew there were gems in there! In late summer 2015, my wife Leigh and I decided we wanted to make a quick trip to Yosemite shortly after school started, hoping there wouldContinue reading “Climbing Half Dome: Yosemite 2015”

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