Tucson Part 1: Diving Into Our Longest Stay Yet

We rolled into Tucson three weeks into January to begin a month-long “residency.” Staying put in one place for a month is an experiment of sorts, in part a product of our 2019 goal of traveling more slowly. It’s an opportunity to get to know a place in greater depth, instead of focusing all our … Read more

Desert Immersion at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

One of our bucket list items for our time in Arizona was a visit to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, located deep in the heart of the Sonoran Desert along the border with Mexico. We weren’t sure whether the government shutdown would impair our experience, but we decided to stick with our planned schedule and … Read more

Enjoying Joshua Tree NP Despite the Shutdown

Our visit to Joshua Tree National Park coincided with both the park’s traditional busy season around the winter holidays and the ongoing government shutdown. While this made for more stress in our planning, including finding a new place to camp outside the park when all the campgrounds were closed, we were still able to enjoy … Read more

Buzzed by Condors at Pinnacles NP

Pinnacles National Park is not one of the more famous parks in California. Completely overshadowed by famous destinations like Yosemite, Death Valley, and the Redwoods, Pinnacles barely registered with us when we started thinking about our route through the state. Judging from the blank looks we received from family members at Thanksgiving when we mentioned … Read more

Surprised and Delighted by Point Reyes National Seashore

I realized during this stay that while we are usually awed by the sights we’ve seen on the road, we are seldom surprised. We were thrilled, but not particularly surprised, to see bison in the Black Hills and huge trees in the redwoods. Point Reyes National Seashore, on the other hand, really surprised us. We selected … Read more