When I was a youngster, the very first book I remember reading, and then immediately re-reading many times, was James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. I couldn’t bear to leave Shangri-La. There were passages I read every night for a year.
Read moreApril 24, 2016
The Wall Street Journal
Today is the seventh anniversary of my “heart thing.” In 2009 I developed Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, (AKA) Neurogenic Myocardial Stunning. More commonly known as an attack of Broken-Heart Syndrome.
Read moreZion National Park, Utah
Yeeowzaah!
Amazing? Magnificent? Awesome? Truly there are no words for this place either! My experience of Grand Canyon was from up around the rims; but in Zion, I entered on the valley floor, and hiked along looking up at the cliffs, sky, and monoliths. Seriously, just stunning!
I spent quite a bit of time looking at the giant boulders and slabs next to the path, and then craning my neck to look straight up at the cliff to see where the rockfall came from. The sky was totally Utah crazy, and combined with the red and gold stone, the deep greens of the evergreen trees and the bright spring green of the new leaves budding out on the trees next to The Virgin River, I experienced the whole place in Kodachrome.
At one point I thought I found some cilantro growing out of the rock face, but a botanically astute hiker informed me that it was hanging columbine. I think perhaps she was mistaken, but I need to sit with my western guidebook and suss it out for myself.
Below is a gallery of my favorite photos from Zion National Park.
Moab! Arches National Park!
Sorry about the over-use of the exclamation point, but out here, it accurately reflects how I feel!
This winter, I have been to many places where the geology of the earth is visible out there on the hillside, or in that canyon for us to see. But in Moab, it's all going on: upthrusts, erosion, subduction, and all sorts of metamorphism. You may have begun to suspect, gentle reader, that I am beginning to study geology in my Third Act. There is so much to learn before I am older than dirt.
Below is a gallery of thirty-two photos. See if you can find what I saw in the rocks: a blue-tail lizard, a standing madonna figure with bowed head, an allosaurus neck, selfish selfie-girl, a balancing potato, an elephant weeping a tear of light, Abe Lincoln/Homer Simpson, a group of adults waiting in line, My pal Kath and me, Kath in her car, and sitting on a rock-working on her tan, a tiny window that looks like an eye, a cool arch that looks like the poster for Arches National Park, a precariously balanced rock-on-a-stick, that sort-of looks like a beagle, (no, no, no, not a bagel!), any number of random muppets, and the landscape flipping us the bird. Oh, and if you see any dirty stuff? Please don't mention it.
Driving from Grand Canyon, Az. to Zion, Utah
This was one of the most amazing drives I have done. I found out that I had actually driven all around the geologic Grand Canyon: from Southern California, to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, to Mesa Arizona. Then up to the South Rim, north past the Vermillion Cliffs up to Zion National Park, then all the way across Utah to Moab, and back to Farmington, New Mexico. I don't even want to know the mileage of this leg of my journey!
Read moreValley of the Sun: Vacation With My Family
This is a little out of sequence. Before I went to Grand Canyon, I completed my spring loop in time to rendezvous at Mesa Arizona, in a big house with my amazing, hilarious family. We had a blast together: swimming in the pool and relaxing, eating out and cooking in (thanks Alice ;-), drawing, coloring and playing tag. We just spent the time enjoying the heck out of being together.
Read moreGrand Canyon
Amazing? Magnificent? Awesome? Truly there are no words. But there are quite a few photos.
Read moreCalifornia Coast Love!
A number of people have recently asked me where I’m heading from here. Clearly, I’ve fallen in love with California’s coast. For the spring season I'll be in California, Arizona, and Utah-then back to California.
Read moreBump In The Night
This is what you can see outside at 2:30 AM.
Well, it finally happened. I awoke to knocking on the rig. 2:30 in the morning. I sat up. Sat very still and listened to see if I’d really heard it, or was it part of a dream?
Nope. There it goes again. Seven or eight sharp raps in quick succession—just the way you’d knock on a door.
Read moreThinking About Transitions
Home sweet home?
I came out here on this trip to transition from a worker person to a retired person. From someone with a Manhattan apartment full of stuff, to a person who lives and travels lighter in a 26 foot motor home.
Read moreJoshua Tree: Skull Rock
There is a location on the park map called Skull Rock. There is a sign on the road pointing it out, and always seven or ten cars, or campers parked there, taking photos and pointing, and another sign inside the campground, showing the way to Skull Rock Trail. I hiked over there yesterday, and yes, erosion has created cavities that look sort of skull-like, but this entire landscape is filled with rocks that resemble familiar objects!
Read moreJoshua Tree, California Saturday, January 30, 2016
At three o’clock this afternoon, I had a very heavy heart. Happy Hour in Quartzsite was about to begin, and I was missing it! I was really missing my pals, George and Suzie, Barb and John. I was even missing Hank and Piper, the dusty canine members of the group, who would rotate from lap to lap while the humans told stories and shared RV tips, best routes, and location information. Oh, and of course we shared recipes, as George was usually beginning to get supper ready.
Read morePosting Comments Resolved?
Hello Dear Readers
I've recently learned that some of you have tried to post comments on the blog but for various reasons were unable to do so. I spent some time this morning on the Square Space Help/Live Chat with a lovely woman, Susana, who was working out of a call center in Dublin. It was still quite too cold and windy to enjoy hiking today, so that was a very good use of my time. I hope we have resolved the issue, so please feel free to post away!
Read moreHot Ginger Lemonade aka "McKenna's Hootch" and Muesli Recipe
Hootch Prep--Thanks to Janis for the lemons!
Quartzsite Shopping—Flea Market Style
The Safety Hat
As a general rule, I don’t just randomly shop, as an activity. I do not enjoy walking slowly through a giant flea market, looking at acres of dust-covered stuff. But I have been doing it here in Quartzsite, and I’ve been finding some hilarious stuff. As if marking the packaging, “As Seen On TV!” was really going to encourage me to buy the item.
Read moreQuartzite Hike
Successful hike up Q mountain the other day with my friend George. It’s just a big hill, really, that has a giant “Q” painted on the front—hence the name. Much of the landscape is super flat here, so anything that sticks up that much looks like a mountain to me.
Read moreEl Morro: Over The Top!
El Morro is a stunning oasis in western New Mexico. People traveling across the desert could always count on this spring-fed pool of water as a place to rest, fill canteens, and water their horses or camels. Yes. Camels.
Read moreFull Moon In Roswell, New Mexico
I left the Davis Mountains and Texas to drive what I'd estimated would be four hours up to Roswell, New Mexico. This was driving on a miserable two lane road through miles and miles and miles of oil and gas fields, and nothing. Also, somewhere along the way, I crossed over another time change, and so added an hour to an already long trip.
Read moreStar Party at the McDonald Observatory
I thought, "This feels just like a national or state campground full of people." There were way too many smokers though, for it to be a park crowd. It was a clear night, and perfect for a star party, except for the full moon. But, I’ve been getting some great moonrise shots right over the observatory.
Read moreAnt Colony on Wheels
I picked up an ant colony in POFA and drove those mofos all the way to NOLA before I could convince them that my home was truly inhospitable.
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