Gather 'round…
Wow. Bryce Canyon. Wow. But already I'm ahead of myself... The Airbnb was great. The beds were passable--let's be honest, they felt like heaven compared to the string of second-rate Intex--and, and as previously mentioned, the place was clean and cozy. A win. And after the refund from Utah's finest state park, pretty modestly priced,... Continue Reading →
You know that hiking in from the highway option if you miss curfew? Turns out people use it at all hours, and the quickest way back to any site in the campground is through our site. Thankfully none of them were putting forth any effort at being stealthy, so I had no fears that they... Continue Reading →
Up at the butt-crack of dawn and eager to get moving. From furnace to fire, but there is always hope that Utah's in for an unexpected cold front. How was the drive? Hot. Hotter than the fourth level of hell, where the AC is most definitely broken. Fortunate turn of events though... In a wave... Continue Reading →
Big Trees. Indeed. The little energy we had to expend today took up up to General Sherman, and the desperately-in-need-of-renovation Lodgepole Visitor Center. The Giant Forest Museum further down was quite nice yesterday, but the Visitor Center up by the Lodge is stuck in the wrong century. I can only hope it's next on the... Continue Reading →
Obviously, up early to beat the oppressive heat. So far the Intex is withered, but still inflated. I'm not ecstatic with how very squishy it is in this climate, but I'm happy to be slightly aloft of the razor gravel, so... The drive into Sequoia was lovely, I'm sure, but to be painfully honest, we're... Continue Reading →
Took the wrong road out of Big Oak Flats this morning. Just out of camp. Somehow we wound up on the steepest, snakiest beast we've seen thus far, and that is saying something. It was paved beautifully, probably preserved by the total lack of traffic. We burned some serious brakes, even in 1st gear the... Continue Reading →
It was predicted to be (and was!) a hot one out there today, nearing 90, so we went into the day knowing that no hiking would be done if the matriarch (that's me) was to survive. Auto Tour Day. The main attractions left on our Yosemite list fit the bill perfectly: Glacier Point and Tioga... Continue Reading →
Now this is what I'm talking about. This is terrain I can manage. Life. Is. Good. First stop today was Hetch Hetchy Dam and Reservoir. The fine folks with the chocolate yesterday told me that they'd just been up to Hetch Hetchy, and there was virtually no one there. Particularly by the standards of... Continue Reading →
"The mountains are calling and I must go." ~ John Muir I've been thinking a lot about all things big and magical. About a greater scale and a deeper reality. The expanse of the ocean. The tall trees. The neverending desert. I've been mesmerized by my own tininess. And today... Yosemite. Wow. I am indeed... Continue Reading →
Driving, driving, and more driving. I'm not California's biggest fan at this point. It's just not tripping my trigger. I'm not sure what I expected, but whatever it was is not being realized. I've just got a not-so-great vibe going. Sigh. We did pass through San Fran today. Made a quick stop of it. Crossed... Continue Reading →
Up at 6, out by 7:15, in search of California's Redwood Forest! We said goodbye to Oregon, and passed through border fruit inspection with flying colors. I was reminded--by my children--after driving away--that we were, in fact, harboring the very kinds of citrus fruits I just denied to the nice fruit policewoman back at the... Continue Reading →
So there's this guy. He draws in the sand. He used to do it just for himself, early in the morning. Giant labyrinths in the sand. Until folks started printing newspaper articles about alien landings and crop circles. Denny Dyke is now the man behind Circles in the Sand, his home-grown mission to bring people... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 