During my years living in New York, I always felt like my life as a Manhattanite was a little different than others. But then that’s what makes Manhattan so great! EVERYONE is “a little different.” 😉 Unlike most of my friends, my closet contained more camping and hiking gear than it did designer shoes. That should have been a clue.
I was also a proud card-carrying member of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Continue reading
First and foremost, thanks to everyone for their very kind comments regarding my “Canadian Summer Series.” There is nothing so gratifying to one who loves writing and photography than for someone to say “You took me there.” Every last one of your comments were a welcome companion as I charted my solo course through unfamiliar territory.
On a recent visit to the local Chinese Food take out joint, I received an amusing question in my fortune cookie Continue reading
So here I sit at another border altogether, trying to figure out how to catch the blog up to “real time.” Yes, it’s behind, but I was determined to finish all the posts I had started while meandering through Mexico. To those readers who stuck with me through two months of making Mexican memories, I thank you.
And now, I’m knocking on the door of our northern neighbor, Canada, knowing that as soon as I cross the border into the “Land of Marginal Internet,” the blog is going to be behind again. Continue reading
One would think a month living in the Winnie parked down on the farm in Texas would be enough time to get the blog caught up. But there were farm chores to do, families to visit, projects to complete, and adventures to experience.
I hauled off and burned enough tree trunks and limbs to warrant notifying the fire department beforehand. I reconciled a few storage sheds and helped my brother Don install some 8’ X 12’ sliding doors on the equipment shed. I got both my passport and my tetanus shot renewed for another ten years. And got my Mom’s dog Annie Continue reading
The Winnie traveled across ten different states in 2016, the last being the least desirable. No offense to my family, athough Texas is my birthplace, anyone who knows me knows I’m not a fan for many reasons. If my Mom and niece would only relocate, I’d be like Thelma and Louise, driving across the four contiguous states just to avoid driving through it.
It’s 500 miles from the state line to the family farm, every one of them Continue reading
The US Dept of Interior recently posted on Facebook, “Moonlight brightens snowy dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Experience the park after dark by stargazing, listening for owls along the foothills or going for a full moon walk on the dunes. Cold temperatures are the norm in winter, so bundle up with warm clothing and sturdy footwear for an unforgettable nighttime adventure.”
I find this an odd promotion, considering the park is miles from nowhere, and they have closed the one and only campground within the park. Continue reading
I’ll admit I’d never even heard of Chaco Culture National Historic Park until I visited Mesa Verde National Park in 2015 when a Ranger on one of the guided tours said “If you think this is something, you should visit Chaco Canyon!” So to learn that it was once considered the center of all ancestral Puebloan culture came as quite a surprise. How could this ancient hub of civilization, just one state over from my childhood home, be a complete unknown to me? After all the road trips of my youth across the great southwest, Continue reading
NOTE: Thanks for all your wonderful comments and support on my “Dear Mr. President” post. I’ll get back to life in Mexico soon, but first, I have a few posts to catch up on, lest I forget the last days of my southerly winter migration…
If a tree falls in the forest and I can’t remember seeing it, does it still count? If I visited a national park but can’t remember a thing about it, does it still count?
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a national park junkie. I have lofty aspirations to visit all 59 with the official “Park” status. Continue reading
Just how long can one stretch out a story about the Grand Canyon, one might ask? Well, longer than the average visitor spends on the edge of the rim…
I decide to stay one more day on the snowy South Rim, after all, no one seems to notice that the Winnie is taking up space in the empty Backcountry Office parking lot. Continue reading
The “wake up knock” comes on the Phantom Ranch women’s dorm door at 5:00am. I’ve signed up for the 5:30am early breakfast in order to get on the trail as early as possible. The sun doesn’t rise until 7:15, so this will mean hiking for about an hour in the dark, but I figure it’s better to put in the dark time at the bottom of the canyon rather than risk having to hike in the dark at the top where it’s covered in snow and ice. Continue reading