Overlooked and under appreciated, Capitol Reef is a miraculous place. History thrives within the park, petroglyphs from early natives and an established town built from nothing by fleeing mormons. Fruita, the town, still has the standing original blacksmith building and school house. The park service continues to farm the range of produce that brings the... Continue Reading →
Exploring claustrophobic inducing slot canyons for the day? Count us in! Filled with hidden treasures, escalante is the adventurers paradise! This national monument is unestablished, off the beaten path, isolated, and filled with desert extremes. Peek a boo and spooky canyon are a popular stop by many, but only few enjoy the 10 inch wide... Continue Reading →
We squeezed our friends in the back of the van and their backpacks filled the floors. It was past midnight when we finally could pick them up, so by the time we drove into Zion we were all zombies trying to unpack and set up the tent. Although our bodies told us to sleep in,... Continue Reading →
This life will go by fast. Don't fight with people, don't criticize your body so much, don't complain so much. Don't lose sleep over your bills. Look for the person that makes you happy. If you make a mistake, let it go and keep seeking your happiness. Never stop being a good parent. Don't worry... Continue Reading →
Heading towards Page, AZ we had to stop at the famous Horseshoe Bend. We were surprised by how different it looked, apparently the national park system decided to do some construction. I hope it remains a free stop off, although the new bathrooms, fencing, and garbage cans make me think it'll require a day fee... Continue Reading →
Rushing to claim a spot at Mather campground, we were surprised to how few people were there. A win for us! Setting up our tent we were so amped to finally sleep outside. We still had the rest of the day to explore so we packed our day bags and headed to the rim. A... Continue Reading →
We trekked north until the canyons turned red. We made it to Sedona. The weather was warm and the sky was cloudless. We went to the visitor center to pick up some maps. Sedona has hundreds of hiking, off road driving, and mountain biking routes also the not as popular climbing routes that we wanted... Continue Reading →
The saguaro cactus stands tall and with perfect posture. They say if you look close enough as the sun begins to set and the silhouettes of the cacti begin to appear, they resemble people. Although there are thousands, each resembles a different character performing a different task. The saguaros stand over 15 feet tall so... Continue Reading →
Our third time in Joshua Tree in two years, the lure this desert has on us is obvious. The first two times it was summer, however this year we were visiting during the peak season, and during the weekend. We didn't get a campsite, but we also didn't really try all to hard. We've been... Continue Reading →
80 degree weather in Death Valley is tolerable/enjoyable compared to last year's June, 120 degrees. (in the shade) November is peak season but we didn't expect all the campgrounds to be full by the early morning. We found out later that it was 49ers weekend, meaning all the Gold Rush fanatics bring their massive RVs... Continue Reading →
The hot, dry sun of southeastern Sierra Nevada's. The relentless buzzing in your ear from the silence. One of our favorite places, Alabama Hills. We pulled into the dirt road and a white cloud trailed behind the van. The combination of the dust and the dry heat burned on nose hairs. I don't think Alabama... Continue Reading →
Trying to sort through pictures is time consuming. It's a mix of landscape, ugly selfies, 5 pictures of the same thing but 4 of them Zack had his eyes closed, and blurry images because I'm still trying to figure out manually shooting with my camera. I've had to put all my pictures on an external... Continue Reading →
It was a short day at Pinnacles since we were coming from Big Sur. We knew there was some rock climbing close to a parking lot so we headed there. Although the sun was on its way down we proceeded. Since we had no service and the park rangers were no help, we had no... Continue Reading →
Fog engulfed San Francisco. It was an early Saturday morning so we were able to get a real taste of this city. Runners, bikers, children's soccer games, and lots of lots of people. Although crowds usually irk us to the core, we didn't seem to mind it here. This is Zack's favorite city. He loves... Continue Reading →
Living for a Living 