Pueblo del Arroyo doesn’t get the attention it would get if it was a little further away from other well-preserved Chacoan great houses in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, like Pueblo Bonito. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a…
The Beautiful Water & Wildflowers of Cracker Lake
I almost didn’t hike to Cracker Lake high in a mountain canyon above Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana. It seemed like such a long hike. Friends told me there was a long section of forest. And at the…
The Best Day Hikes in Chiricahua National Monument
The first time we visited Chiricahua National Monument, we thought we must have entered a rock-formation-wonderland. We were used to the red rocks of Utah (Bryce and Arches have long been favorite national parks), but this was a totally different…
Picking Apricots at Capitol Reef National Park
I had always heard of the orchards at Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park. Established by the Mormon pioneers in the 1880s, the settlers created a network of irrigation channels to allow not only crops to grow, but also orchards…
Some of the Best Ancient Civilization Ruins at Pueblo Bonito
Probably one of the more memorable destinations we’ve visited on our travels is Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Culture National Historical Park. From the first time we saw a photo of it on the cover of our American Automobile Association Southwestern…
Genesee Riverway – Ontario Beach Park, Turning Point Park, & Maplewood Park
A couple weeks ago, we took a bike ride along the Genesee Riverway in Rochester, New York. I had ridden the northern part of the Genesee Riverway from downtown Rochester to the Erie Canal in Genesee Valley Park a few…
Remote History at the Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse
You’d better be up for an adventure if you want to see the historic Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse – it’s at least 60 miles of questionable dirt roads to get there. We certainly had a good time visiting, but we were…
Climbing the Ladders to Alcove House
Probably one of my favorite hikes in Bandelier is Alcove House. One of the great things is that it’s not that much longer to take the Main Loop to the Alcove House Trail, so you get to see the cliff…
Climbing Ladders into Caves on Bandelier’s Main Loop
It’s not every day you get to climb a wooden ladder into the home of ancient American Indians. Maybe in Mesa Verde, on an official tour, or another tour with a guide or park ranger standing close by. But on…
Best Day Hikes in Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is a land of extremes – incredibly dry desert, mountains, bristlecone forests, cacti, sand dunes, wildflowers, canyons, old mines, and waterfalls, not to mention rich history, hiking options galore, and the bragging rights of “the lowest place in…