Hitting Arizona’s High Country in Cottonwood

After our stop at Picacho Peak we skipped right over the Phoenix metro area and landed in the historic town of Cottonwood, nestled along the Verde River at an elevation of around 3,500 feet. That increase in elevation meant a few things: our arrival just days after a major snowstorm meant we encountered plenty of … Read more

Saying Adios to the Sonoran Desert at Picacho Peak SP

Our final stop in the dramatic and beautiful Sonoran Desert was a short stay at Picacho Peak State Park, located about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix. The day after we left Tucson, the state of Arizona experienced a freak weather pattern that brought several inches of snow to Tucson and Phoenix, and dumped a record-breaking … Read more

Quick Stopover at Red Rock Canyon

Following our stated intentions of slow and easy travel, we decided to break up our trip from Ventura to Death Valley into two segments, stopped for two nights at Red Rock Canyon State Park near Mojave, California. This park features colorful badlands-style rock formations as well as Joshua trees throughout the campground, so it really … Read more

Humbled by Giants in the Redwoods

Since we’ve visited botanical gardens across the country during our time on the road, it should come as no surprise that our itinerary included a week-long stay in Northern California to explore the extensive Redwood National and State Parks. And it’s equally unsurprising that we found the redwoods to be utterly majestic, breathtaking, impressive, and … Read more