My previous attempt to inspire myself to write about our trip out West seemingly failed, so I’m going to keep this ridiculously late recap simple (as simple as a wordy writer can): It was overall a memorable and highly adventurous trip. I think I’m ready for tropical-style relaxation…..(hint hint — but not before two other … More Six months late…(UT/AZ/CO)
We’ve been home for a little while now. I’ve shuffled through my pictures at least once, perhaps twice. As I return to the routine-driven life, I wish to be back on my feet again, tromping through sand or rocks or clay in my hikers, which are now worn in, cozy, and have most definitely lost … More Hindsight: Thoughts About the Southwest from “Back Home”
Click the photo below to view our trip memories via my Flickr site: //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
Albuquerque: our final destination, and one to be reached by an extended drive beginning at pre-dawn hours in the Grand Canyon. We passed through the mountains surrounding Flagstaff and then the desert of Arizona before arriving in New Mexico, where rounded red rocks surrounded us prior to our ABQ arrival. It was here we would … More One more: ABQ & the Uplifting Balloon Fiesta
Standing at a Grand Canyon overlook is similar to that moment when you curiously spun a classroom globe around as a child: there’s simply too much there to comprehend. We spent about a day and a half at the park (thanks to the aforementioned itinerary change), but I left feeling as if we might have … More A Grander Canyon Experience Needed…
We left Durango and, with a bit of discussion, axed off our detour to Monument Valley. It would have added three plus hours onto our trip that day, and thus take away from our time in Arches and/or Canyonlands. So Utah it would now be for the next week or so, and is where I … More Intro to Utah: Mars or Moab?
The week has arrived: that of packing panic, last minute errands, advising the housesitter(s), worrying about the cats, etc. etc. OH, and that of the beginning of our two week vacation to a large swath of the Southwestern US! With much going on, and much more interesting things to post about once we hit the road, … More Southwest Itinerary (pre-departure rerun!)
It’s here: the final countdown to our trip across the US Southwest. Before the month ends, we’ll be on the other side of the country, road-trippin’ and hiking our way through golden aspens, other-worldly rock formations, and the grandest of all canyons. You can definitely call me excited, but am I prepared? I’ve been pecking … More Vacation Time: Forethought & Planning vs. The Free Spirit
Remember that post about how difficult it is to plan a travel itinerary that includes everything fantastic within a limited timeframe? And how we had scrapped ending our trip in Albuquerque, visiting the Balloon Fiesta, because the logistics were too difficult? Well, throw that out of the suitcase, because even a “final” itinerary can change for the right … More Itinerary Revision (Albuquerque, after all)!
Not that I’m complaining, but planning a trip itinerary is impressively difficult for those of us who want to maximize every travel opportunity without stretching the itinerary beyond the bounds of common vacation decency. Here it is, that moment when a silver bird is finally going to drop you off someplace amazing, and you’ve got only [insert … More Pinballing Through the Southwest, and the Painful Joy of Itinerary Planning
Travel Notch 