Today is the halfway mark on my four month trip around the lower 48 states. It’s been amazing! I’ve made it all the way to the southernmost part of the U.S., and to the lowest point in the North America. I’ve watched dolphins play in the Atlantic, swam with fish in the Gulf of Mexico, descended into the depths of Carlesbad, hiked hundreds of miles, … Continue reading Life on the Road (So Far)
Bryce really is this colorful. I’ve wondered about that every time I’ve seen a photograph of the beautiful hoodoos there, and always assumed that photographers were over saturating their photos, but no. I entered the area through the Dixie National Forest first, and literally had to pull over to just look at the rocks for a moment. It was late afternoon and they were glowing … Continue reading Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park is huuuge, comprising over 337,598 acres of dramatic landscapes. The park is divided into three areas, and it’s not really an option to do more than one in a single day. I spent two days exploring The Needles, and Island in the Sky. The Needles This place has it all. Lavender canyons, giant mushroom rocks, super exclusive high clearance roads, 2,000 year … Continue reading Canyonlands National Park, UT
Mesa Verde contains over 4,500 archaeological sites of the Ancestral Pueblo people; 600 are cliff dwellings. I first visited this park about ten years ago when my children were younger, and I’m glad I went back. I was happy to see there is a new visitor’s center right at the entrance now, so that you can set up your tours and put together a … Continue reading Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Taos was the first place I’ve visited where I could see myself moving to. It’s a small town, but cultures blend here respectfully as if it were a big city. There’s art, there’s amazing food, there are interesting people, and there is an obvious appreciation of nature everywhere. The days start with the sun coming up from behind the mountains, pushing gorgeous colors along with … Continue reading Taos, NM
Bandelier surprised me in a good way. It was bigger and more compelling than I expected, and incredibly peaceful in the early spring. The entire area of roughy 33,000 acres is located inside the Jemez Mountain region, where massive volcanic eruptions were very active about 13 million years ago. Bandelier is situated on what is basically the side of an ancient huge volcano, the Valle … Continue reading Bandelier National Monument, NM
I rolled into Santa Fe ready for art, culture and food, but then got derailed a bit by weather and altitude. Luckily, I understand the number one rule for positive experiences while traveling is to be flexible, so I was still able to enjoy my time there, just not in the way I was initially expecting. The altitude issue was the biggest surprise. I wasn’t … Continue reading Santa Fe, NM
This was my experience, you may have a very different impression, especially if you enjoy conspiracy theories (and I realize many do) . There are some places that I just have certain expectations about. I’m trying to keep an open mind to accepting things as they come on this trip, but I realized I had a clear expectation for Roswell the minute I entered the … Continue reading Roswell UFO Museum
The San Antonio Missions were established along the San Antonio river in the 1700s as a way to spread the Catholic Faith and establish a Spanish colonial society in this part of Texas. Construction was financed by the Crown of Spain, and the Franciscans were charged with operating this arm of the church, and converting the indigenous people known as Coahuiltecans, to Catholicism. There is … Continue reading San Antonio Missions National Historic Park
I wanted to call this blog post, “Dixie Chicks and Dead Possums”, a title which would make no sense to anyone but me, but would definitely better reflect the way that life brings you to certain places. “On a field of bluebonnets” is a line from a Dixie Chicks song. When I heard it many years ago, the Missouri farm girl in me had no … Continue reading Texas Hill Country
Magic Carpet Caravan 