In the desert of northern Arizona lies a forest, a forest so old it was ancient even when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Yes, this forest is more than 200 million years old, and it can still be seen. How, you ask? Petrified Forest National Park contains one of the largest collections of petrified wood in…
Most people seem to think of New Mexico as a splotch of land between the desert of Arizona and the flat plains of Texas, thereby having little to no appeal as it relates to beauty. While geographically they may be right - New Mexico is, in fact, between Arizona and Texas - this is a…
On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed in what is now San Diego Harbor at Point Loma. Today, more than 450 years later, the place is a bit different than he would have seen it. However, the strategic importance of this point overlooking the harbor and the deep blue Pacific Ocean remains the same,…
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love driving trips! I especially love driving trips when they combine seeing close friends, eating amazing food, experiencing exciting culture, and basking in natural beauty. Tomorrow I head east for a week spent driving through Arizona and New Mexico. Here is my itinerary, and of…
My eyes closed in the sun Arms spread to the eager winds I float Though my feet remain firm to the ground. This is a flight of the soul A soaring of the spirit A journey of the mind And I am forever changed. Rocky crags rise above valleys that seem never to have felt…
California's Central Valley is nothing like the postcard pictures of the Golden State everyone imagines. There are no surfers, no beautiful people sipping designer coffees or juices. This is farm country, some of the best and most productive in the country, and maybe even the world. It is flat, it is dry, it is dusty…
There is something relaxing for me about being in the mountains. Sitting on the balcony of my room at Callahan's Mountain Lodge, just off Interstate 5 in the Siskiyou Mountains at the base of Mt. Ashland, I stare at the forested peaks around me. These mountains were those I had always driven past, admired through…
As a traveler, I've been lucky to see a lot of incredible things. And yet, there are still sights that amaze me to the point that I will struggle for words to explain them, something that can be a big problem as a writer. I have been to Sequoia National Park, and its neighboring Kings…
The air here is dry, and the wind that has whipped constantly since my arrival blows sand and dust into my face and eyes, making it seem even dryer. I shield my eyes from the sun and sand, and look out across the valley in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Eastern California,…
I find the desert relaxing. Skies that extend as far as the horizon, wide open spaces, rock monoliths, all combine to make me feel very small, and therefore my problems insignificant. So when the chance to spend a few days in Death Valley National Park came up this week, I jumped at it. Death Valley,…