Slot Canyons
Antelope canyon is a zoo and a complete and utter rip-off. Some really cool light beam photos have spawned a tourist trap. Trucks full of people on Antelope Canyon tours fill the streets of Page. Read more…
Month: May 2015
24 May, 2015
The Overland Expo
A MUDDY MESS OF AN ADVENTURE
Wind. Rain. Sleet. Snow. MUD! No, I’m not talking about training to be a carrier for the US Postal Service. I’m talking about the weather at this years Overland Expo West. Read more…
12 May, 2015
Glen Canyon Dam
DAMMIT!
The sun seems to rise quickly here. At first just a thin bright orange band starkly outlining the buttes, mesas, and temples that surround us. Lake Powell is REALLY pretty early in the day. Within just a few minutes all is bathed in the suns warmth. I guess that’s how fast this giant rock that we’re flying through space on turns. Read more…
10 May, 2015
Horseshoe Bend
VIEW FROM THE TOP
About five years ago I took Wyatt and Carson on a road trip of the desert southwest with our good friend Yoram. We stopped at Horsehoe Bend on a weekday morning…granted it was winter and about fifteen degrees but still…it’s Horseshoe Bend. There were only three cars in the small parking lot and we didn’t run into the pilots of those vehicles in our four hour stay at the bend. Read more…
8 May, 2015
Desert View
THE WATCHTOWER
The Grand Canyon goes on…and on…and on. And then there’s Desert View and the watchtower. It’s kitschy and commercial and dedicated to separating you from your money. But it’s so cool in a creepy way that it’s worth the stop. It also provides an excellent view of the Colorado River.
VIEW FROM THE DESERT VIEW
7 May, 2015
Wildness!
CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON
We girded ourselves for battle with the famed Bright Angel. Water, sunscreen, more water, hats, weather checks, headlamps (just in case), more water…hey – it’s hot at the bottom you know, snacks, more water…this time for the dogs. Outfitting complete we headed to the trail head…and read more…
4 May, 2015
The Grand Canyon
STORM PASSING THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON
The Grand Canyon is big and bad and one of the best National Parks experiences. The light changes every thirty seconds so it’s a photographer’s dream.
Everywhere you look are non-stop vertical drops of many hundreds of feet…so it’s also a perents nightmare. Expecially if you have kids of the highly mobile, not good listening variety…like ours. See more…
29 April, 2015
Stromy Weather
A COLD AND WINDY DAY IN THE VERDE VALLEY
We escaped the snow but not the rain and wind. Flagstaff received over two inches of snow – seems late in the season to me but what do I know?
We got a day of heavy winds, and a few thunderstorms. Many hands of crazy eight were played. I stepped out of the camper at about three am to be greeted by an amazing display of the milky way…I should be a more dedicated photographer but it was cold, and my bed was warm and…well…
28 April, 2015
Jerome…part duex
MAD MAX’S MOTORCYCLE
Our intention was to continue north, but the forecast for the high country wasn’t happy. Wind, cold, possible snow. We decided none of them were necessary so we hovered in the Verde Valley for the day.
There is a nice albeit a little disorganized campground (it takes a lot for me to cry disorganized) here in the valley called Dead Horse Ranch. Nice facilities. Showers. Very good mountain biking. A stones throw from downtown Cottonwood. So it’s no surprise that it’s VERY popular with the BIG (as in forty foot +) cruisers. Plan accordingly.
There are quite a few tent sites with a nice view of the Tuzegoot ruins but there is a lot of ambiguity as to what’s a tent and what’s the maximum allowable heigth…not that we had any experience with that…but we all worked it out in the end. Mostly.
26 April, 2015
A Day In Jerome
TIM BURTON WAS HERE
The thing about travel advice is that it’s often worth what you paid for it. We’ve followed a good many leads that haven’t panned out as fully as promised. Jerome wasn’t one of them.
The main appeal to the town is it’s lofty perch overlooking the Verde Valley which is backed by vertical cliffs that form what locals call the “Rim Country”. It’s a formidable view. The small streets get pretty congested and we heard nightmare stories about the weekends. Burgers and Margaritas at the Haunted Hamburger get a thumbs up.