We are three days away from being back in Canada. After 191 days, 56 distinct stops, one accident, one flat tire and one possible concussion, we are ready to bring this trip to an end and get off the road for a while. We drove over 22,000 kilometres. We know that after a few weeks, … More The Six-Month Road Trip: the results are in.
My very first glimpse of the Grand Canyon was squinting through the lens of my red plastic Viewmaster. I was seven or eight years old and highly impressionable. I have Viewmaster to thank for planting the early seeds of my travel bug. Each Viewmaster came with themed reels; Wild Animals, Seven Wonders of the World, … More The Grand Finale
We’ve been camped out on BLM lands near Kanab for the past three nights, and have been enjoying every minute there out among the dunes. During the day we explore, at night we build a fire and watch the stars come out. This small rustic (pit toilets, no hook-ups) campground (10 sites), is first-come, first-served … More From Little Hollywood to Hoodoos
Zion is our favourite National Park so far; so filled with contrast and unimaginable beauty that adjectives are inadequate and our conversation on the trails was often reduced to “Wow”, “Beautiful“, and “Look at That.” Before we arrived we were warned by fellow travellers in rather ominous tones that, “Zion will be crazy.” We were … More Zion!
Astronaut Neil Armstrong attributed that quote to geologists, who understand so well that rocks carry the stories of the planet – history, geography, weather events, flora, fauna and human activity – all contained within their solid, immoveable forms. We have spent the past five days camped at Bluff, Utah; a perfect base from which to … More “Rocks Remember”
Everyone’s heard the lyrics – this monster hit song co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and released on The Eagles’ debut album in 1973. It put the whistle-stop town of Winslow Arizona on the map and has created huge business for merchandise with T-shirts, keychains, posters and hats bearing “Take it Easy”, “Standin’ on … More “Standin’ on the Corner”
We have heard about Sedona for years – otherworldly red rock formations, unparalleled hiking and perhaps most intriguing – the opportunity to tap into our spiritual power through the vortexes that are supposed to be found here. I would love to say that I’m as skeptical as the next person, but that would not be … More Searching for the Vortexes in Sedona
Prescott is where Arizonians (Arizonans?) head in the summer to escape the sweltering triple-digit heat of the south. We met a gentleman who is a snowbird within his own state. He spends his winters in Phoenix and his summers in Prescott. “I can deal with the high ’80s and even the low ’90s, but once … More Prescott: Mile-high city with down-to-earth attitude
We first heard about Quartzsite from a couple of brothers we met while traveling through British Columbia last year. They spend their summers working for one of the provincial parks and their winters boondocking in southern Arizona. They appeared to be in their 60’s, in good health and good spirits; far from destitute or desperate. … More Quartzsite: Boondocking bonanza or land of broken dreams?
Driving the Apache Trail was high on our list of must-do Arizona activities. This twisty hairpin road, billed as “best scenic drive in Arizona” was originally a stagecoach route called the Tonto Wagon Trail. You tend to think of things like stagecoaches when you’re in southern Arizona; it is a state that straddles the past … More Driving one of the world’s “dangerous roads.”
Leaving Ourselves Behind 