Last November, while I was visiting Death Valley National Park, I decided to take a trip over the mountains to check out the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. One of my favorite EPs from 2020 (actually late 2019, but who’s…
Kayaking Honeoye Creek: Genesee River to I-390
Last week, we decided unexpectedly to take a kayak trip. We thought about doing another paddle on Black Creek (or maybe downstream from the Churchville Dam), but I’d had my eye on Honeoye Creek for some time. It seemed like…
Walk Across Death Valley & Lowest Point in North America!
Thousands of tourists and visitors to Death Valley stop at the Badwater Basin Trailhead. They pose with the sign that says it’s the lowest point in North America at -282ft. But that sign is not actually the lowest point. For…
Clarence Pathways – Paved Rails-to-Trails
A few weeks ago, I got to ride a “new” (to me) bike path in western New York State! (I almost hate to call it in the Finger Lakes, since it’s so far west, but it could still be classified…
The Lower and Upper Reaches of Fall Canyon
My favorite canyon we did in on our last visit to Death Valley National Park was Fall Canyon in the central part of the park. It even beat out Sidewinder Canyon, which is saying a lot since Sidewinder Canyon was…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot canyons, and rock formations galore? The good news is that the national parks in southern Utah (namely, Zion National Park,…
The Tunnel in Arches
Last fall, en route back across the country, we took an unexpected side-trek to Arches National Park. I’d been reading about off-the-beaten-path arches in Arches, so our first hike was off-trail down Courthouse Wash to The Tunnel. As features in…
A Beautiful Evening at the Ibex Dunes!
On my first visit to Saratoga Springs in southern Death Valley National Park back in 2008, we saw the Ibex Dunes marked on a map, down a road not so very far away from Saratoga Springs. But after we got…
Walk along Lake Ontario: Sterling Nature Center to Fair Haven State Park
Did you know that you can walk for several miles along the shore of Lake Ontario north of Fair Haven State Park? It’s not exactly easy walking (lake stones are rough footing), but it’s doable. You’ll also get to see…
Trona Pinnacles: Spires Galore!
West of Death Valley National Park and east of the town of Ridgecrest, the Trona Pinnacles National Landmark is a very unique place to visit. The signs on-site said that the pinnacles are made of tufa (calcium carbonate), the leftovers…