Anchoring one end of “The Loneliest Highway in America,” Great Basin National Park has become one of our favorite parks. The hiking is spectacular, the spring and summer wildflowers abundant (in the fall, the leaf colors are equally stunning), the night skies for star gazing are among the finest in the country, and there’s even […]
Author Archive for Laurel (AKA chickadee) – Page 29
It’s a fairyland of fantastical rock formations—towering spires and arches painted in varying shades of pinks and oranges. The Paiute Indians believed the colorful rock totems were “Legend People,” who were turned to stone by Coyote. Early geologists named the rock formations “hoodoos,” and thought the imposing spires were capable of casting spells. Ebenezer Bryce, […]
It’s just a tiny slice of what was once known as the Main Street of America. But in the 90 miles that links two towns in Arizona—Holbrook and Flagstaff—you can enjoy the kitschy ambiance of the Wigwam Motel, hike among ancient Hopi ruins, lunch at the elegant La Posada Hotel, and stop for an obligatory […]
Local festivals are some of our favorite happenings. On Memorial Day weekend, we pulled into Silver City, New Mexico, just in time for their annual outdoor Blues Festival. The weather was gorgeous, the crowd mellow and happy, and the music excellent. It was a perfect recipe for a fun weekend. Less than 200 miles from […]
“Be who you are and say what you feel, Because those who mind don’t matter, And those who matter don’t mind.” ~Dr. Seuss So reads a sign in the Mimosa Market, a neighborhood market tucked into the hills of Bisbee. This pretty much sums up the philosophy of Bisbee, a small town of 5,500 free-thinking […]
It’s a good thing that I didn’t know I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. for our field trip to Patagonia Lake. It’s not that I don’t like getting up early. But 4:30 is about 3 hours prior to what I consider a reasonable hour for interacting with the world. There wasn’t much I […]
If you’re interested in birds, you must visit Sierra Vista, Arizona. It’s centrally located to a half-dozen of the most desirable birding locations in the U.S. It was the perfect place for us to set up camp in early May, during the height of spring migration. Each day, we took off in search of winged […]
The forecast was for “blowing dust.” “What the heck kind of forecast is that?” I asked Eric. We found out. We were camped in early May in the midst of a barren dust bowl in far southwest New Mexico, 200 miles from our last stop at Hueco Tanks in Texas. The winds blew for two […]
We’ve traversed Texas many times in our cross-country journeys on our way back and forth to Florida to visit family. We’re always looking for new places to explore—but as far as we’ve been able to figure out, there are only a handful of places worth stopping in the 500-mile drive from the Hill Country to […]
I doodled and daydreamed my way through history classes in high school and college. Fortunately, my short-term memory was good enough that I could spend an evening memorizing dates, people, and events—just enough to pass exams. And then, of course, I promptly forgot everything. Now, though, we’re on The Mother of All Field Trips, visiting […]
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If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!