I am a fan of hoodoos, a geologic formation also known as a tent rock. The reason I like them is because they look weird. That’s it. There’s a whole bunch of interesting science behind how they form that I sometimes find interesting, but on the day I went to visit these hoodoos, I just wanted to hike someplace cool. Off to Tent Rocks it … Continue reading Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
White Sands is the largest gypsum dunefield in the world, covering over 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert with brilliant white, soft dunes. They’re located on the west side of the Tularosa Basin, between the San Andres and the Sacramento mountains. The White Sands Missile Range surrounds the park, so the road in (US 70) is sometimes closed during missile range tests. Those closures … Continue reading White Sands National Park
This place blew my mind. It’s huge, it’s beautiful, and I was happy and surprised to discover that it’s so accessible that even those in wheel chairs can tour a large portion of this national treasure. I’ll start with the huge part. There are larger caves in the world, but there aren’t any with more space available to visit if you aren’t a scientist with … Continue reading Carlesbad Caverns National 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
This cave is the largest one in Texas and very, very cool. I love exploring caves (on guided tours, not crawling around on my own) and I’ve been to many of them here in the U.S., as well as in Mexico and Switzerland. This one is the most interesting one I’ve seen, ever. A natural limestone slab bridge with a span of about 60 feet … Continue reading Natural Bridge Caverns, Texas
I have one of those Passport books issued by the National Park Service. You know, the kind where you stamp the passport at each park you are lucky enough to see? It’s a fun way to document your travels, and it’s even more fun when you get a stamp from one of the parks that is less visited. Dry Tortugas is definitely one of those … Continue reading Dry Tortugas National Park
Key West is crazy big time fun. I was surprised how much there was to do, since my impression before going there was just fish, party, sleep, repeat. It’s definitely a fishing paradise, and from the drive down the Overseas Highway, I assume that is true in most of the Keys. Key West does seem to be filled with people living a life of days … Continue reading Key West, Florida
I’m gathering lots of great photos and experiences to share from here in the Florida Keys! Continue reading Chilling’ in Key West
The Everglades is huge. I mean, I knew that from looking at the maps (1.5 million acres), but it didn’t really sink in until I drove to the park entrance and the ranger said, “Welcome to the Everglades. Your campground is straight ahead on this road forty miles down.” Ten minutes later, my cell phone coverage went out, and didn’t return until two days later … Continue reading The Everglades
“There are no other Everglades in the world.” Those are the introductory words of the famous book, “The Everglades: River of Grass”, written in 1947 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998). They are considered to be the most famous words ever written about the Everglades, and the book itself is a delightful description of what once was, and was almost lost. … Continue reading The Everglades: River of Grass
Magic Carpet Caravan 