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Chicago: The Windy City
In September I took a long weekend to go visit my younger-but-taller sister in downtown Chicago. I haven’t spent more than a few hours at a time with her in years, and it’s been almost a decade since...
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Capitol Reef National Park: Fruit Orchards
I know many of you are still buried in winter, and I don’t mean to rub it in, but except for a day here and there we’ve been experiencing spring-like conditions since January. This is kind of good...
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Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado
Six months ago my sweetheart moved 700 miles away to the Valley of the Sun, we’ve each made a bunch of trips back and forth for weekend visits, but this particular weekend we decided to meet halfway...
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Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, South Dakota
Mt. Rushmore National Monument Visiting Mt. Rushmore was one of the main reasons I wanted to go on this 2,000 mile road trip. Anti-climactic? Sure. Just a hunk of rock with faces in it? Sure. Freaking...
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Elkhorn Mountains, Montana
After spending a week in Arizona with Mr. Blue Eyes and his kiddos, we all made our way 1,000+ miles north to the land of cooler temperatures and a more relaxed way of life. Blue Eyes’ parents live in...
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Muir Woods, California
Years ago I spent about 20 minutes wandering around Muir Woods National Monument, and it was approximately 37 hours not long enough. A whirlwind weekend in Northern California full of adventuring with...
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Point Bonita, California
Point Bonita is famous for it’s lighthouse, however due to some construction issues and early closing times we missed being able to actually visit the final outcrop of land where the lighthouse lives....
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Hiking Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada is full of ancient Bristlecone Pine trees, a couple of grueling hikes, and gazillions of stars. In late summer a friend and I packed up our camping things...
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Boone Hall Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina
Earlier this fall I had a conference on the east coast and as a treat to myself I decided to go a little early and spend a few days in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston has been on my list for...
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Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina
Fort Sumter, a tiny island fortress in Charleston Harbor, is the site where the Civil War began. The first shots fired in 1861 were by the Confederate army, they blasted Fort Sumter until it...
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Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston walk around historic downtown, pretty as a postcard. And freaking humid. There were crazy tropical storm warnings starting a few hours after I arrived. I did not feel one bit guilty about...
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San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Riverwalk Last month I went to San Antonio for a work conference and managed to squeeze in plenty of wandering. Blue Eyes lived in Houston for a few years and fell in-love with Texas, so...
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San Antonio Mission Trail, Texas
The Mission Trail in San Antonio consists of the five early missions that have since been swallowed up by the city. Some of the old churches are in better shape than others, and some were more...
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Best of 2015
I think by all accounts, 2014 was one of the worst years on record for me. By comparison, 2015 has been a dream, even with the bumps, bruises, and emotional roller-coasters that are the norm for making...
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Moments on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
You know those moments, the ones full of wonder and awe? The moments when you feel both incredibly small and remarkably lucky to see and experience and know the things you do? I know many people feel...
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Bryce Canyon National Park in the fog
On one of my trips between Salt Lake and Phoenix I decided to make a slight detour and stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. I was hoping for some gorgeous photos of soaring ruddy cliffs and orangey...
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Sometimes, I play with oil paint
Several years ago on kind of a whim I bought a set of professional water color paints and a how-to manual. I hadn’t tried using watercolors since I was a kid and, frankly, they are a lot harder than I...
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Horseshoe Bend and Highway 89
For the first part of March I was lucky enough to be back in Salt Lake for some work-stuff, but also to spend some much needed time with my mountains, the city that holds my heart, and dear friends...
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Tsé Bit’a’í, or, Shiprock, New Mexico
I have made the drive from Salt Lake City to Phoenix and back more times than I can count. There are only a few ways you can go: the shortest distance, the shortest time, and the one with the least...
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Petrified Forest National Park
Once upon a time, in the middle of a very long drive from Salt Lake to Phoenix, I took myself on a little detour to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It was a park I’d never visited, was...
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