While in Joseph, we took a day trip to the Zumwalt Prairie, a Nature Conservancy preserve about 25 miles east of town and even further out into the middle of nowhere. There’s a beautiful sign proclaiming that we had indeed arrived at the preserve, but there were no discernible trails. We flagged down the young […]
The main street in the tiny town of Joseph leads directly into the vast wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains. Tucked into the far northeastern corner of Oregon, Joseph is in the middle of high desert-mountains-nowhere. It was the perfect place to spend a week, allowing us the time and space to recover from the intensity […]
There are unexpected treasures in the Oregon high desert. Traveling along mostly deserted roads next to the winding John Day River, the scenery is a dramatic mix of mountains, river valleys, and the spectacular geologic formations of the John Day Fossil Beds. The Painted Hills and Sheep Rock Unit (both in the John Day Fossil […]
As of last Wednesday, June 12th, we’re on the road, traveling and living full-time in our 21’ Bigfoot travel trailer. (With the cat, but that’s another post.) Had we known what it would take to prepare for this adventure, I suspect we might have bailed on the idea. Over the past few years, we’ve fantasized […]
While camping at Joshua Tree National Park, Eric looked at me across the trailer dinette table one morning and said, “Looks like we both need haircuts.” A little background here: This is a man who does not notice details. When I have my hair cut at home, one week later he might say, “Did you […]
Didn’t mean to leave ya’ll stranded at Rockhound State Park. We’ve been home for three weeks as of today, and I’ve been intending to post a blog or two. With settling back into life in Ashland and the festivities of the holidays, I got sidetracked. But after receiving a number of emails from long-distance friends […]
We discovered this New Mexico state park several years ago on one of our cross-country trips, and always look forward to returning. It’s located in the Little Florida Mountains just outside of Deming, New Mexico. (You don’t know where that is? We didn’t either until we stumbled across it. My geography skills have vastly improved […]
“Hike about one-quarter mile, take a right at the duck, and head for the alligator on the horizon. Scramble another quarter mile, and walk straight from the alligator’s mouth into the cave. It’s a tight squeeze to get into the cave, but it’s worth it.” These were the directions the ranger gave us to Cave […]
Located 21 miles southwest of Fort Davis, the little town of Marfa (population 1,966) thrives in the middle of nowhere. It’s an old ranching community that seems to be amiably absorbing a wave of avant garde artists (given to a spare aesthetic), set in the stark beauty of the high desert grasslands of the West […]
In most state parks, feeding wildlife is discouraged. Not so in Texas State Parks. In every Texas State Park that we’ve visited, bird feeders and water features are the rule rather than the exception. Many parks boast bird blinds with elaborate waterfalls and feeding stations, most camp hosts maintain a variety of feeders at their […]
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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!