In 2022, I decided to visit the Maze District of Canyonlands in Utah. The Maze is famous for its extreme remoteness, rough dirt roads, and incredibly rugged scenery. The day before I left, I checked the weather in Utah –…
How to Make Sleeping in a Van More Comfortable
I could have called this post, “How to sleep on plywood and not bruise your hips,” but I liked the other title better! In this post, I’d like to give you some tips on how to make a bed in…
Tent for Seven – Book Review
I just finished reading a book called “Tent for Seven” by Marty Ohlhaut and his daughter, Grace Ly. I’ll just spoil the rest of the review for you and tell you to buy it – the book is engaging, funny,…
Five Forms of Entertainment to (Not) Enjoy While Camping or Hiking
Tired of camp games and cooking over a campfire? Try these unique, not-typical ways to keep yourself entertained while camping or hiking! (BTW, I don’t endorse any of these, though most have been thoroughly tested at least once.) Five Forms…
Yummy Sesame Noodles – Backpacking/Camping Recipe
The other day, Pinterest served me up some backpacking meal recipes. And I was thrilled! In the middle of the winter, when I’m not necessarily traveling (bloggers have to blog sometimes!), it seemed like the perfect pastime to try out…
How to Get a Camping Permit for Echo Canyon & Hole in the Wall Roads in Death Valley
About a year ago, Death Valley National Park instituted a permit system for the two most popular roads for camping in the park – Echo Canyon Road and Hole in the Wall Road. I gather that the two were simply…
Alabama Hills Ramble – Again!
Quite a while ago, I posted about rambling through the rocks in the Alabama Hills of southern California. I discovered fantastic views, cool arches, and lots of fun rock formations. Well, a few days later, I did it again –…
Trip Report: Ricketts Glen, World’s End, and More!
This past weekend, I did another “short and sweet” semi-local trip! We saw so many waterfalls thanks to the recent three days of rain, some mountain views, lots of cool boulders and rocks, and peaceful old-growth forests. On top of…
Things You Must Have to Camp in a Van, Car, SUV, or other Vehicle
The more I travel, the more people I find who sleep in their vehicles. There are just so many pros to sleeping in your car, SUV, or van: Of course, there are cons, too: But here’s the real question: Just…
How to Camp in Death Valley – for Free!
There isn’t half enough camping in Death Valley National Park for all of the visitors. That’s frequent in the national parks. But unlike most national parks, which seem to just throw up their hands and say, “figure it out for…