Quit Your Job and Travel the World: How we did it and you can too!
On the fourth day of our road trip through the Western U.S., we headed to Bryce Canyon. We arrived around noon and were happy to find that the ‘full’ signs had not yet been hung next to the campground names at the entrance.
Between Zion and Bryce Canyon, we stopped in Red Canyon to set up camp on day 3 of Road Trip USA: Summer 2014. After having a hard time finding camping at Zion, we pulled into Red Canyon Campground around 3pm to avoid another after-dark search for camping.
Red Canyon is located near Panguitch, Utah, in the Powell Ranger District of the expansive Dixie National Forest. With a landscape resembling a hybrid between Zion and Bryce, Red Canyon is home to red sandstone spires as well as dense sections of pine trees.
Continue reading “Arches Trail and the Milky Way at Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest, Utah”
Above: Zion Canyon from Angels Landing at sunset
Without a cloud in the sky, our second destination on Road Trip USA: Summer 2014 was hot but breathtakingly beautiful (and also quite appropriately named). Zion — or “the promised land” — is a large National Park in Utah home to the popular Zion Canyon, an expanse surrounded by sandstone and limestone formations tall enough to almost entirely shade the valley below by early afternoon. Continue reading “Zion National Park, Utah, USA”
Our first destination on Road Trip USA: Summer 2014 was warm, calm, and colorful when we arrived there in the early evening on June 17th. Of 23 state parks in Nevada, Valley of Fire is the oldest and largest and is just a quick 50-mile drive from Vegas.
After planning a little for a LOT of exciting things to see along the way from Los Angeles, California to St. Louis, Missouri, we departed on the morning of June 17.
With a tentative route planned and a wish list of places to visit, we set out on our 2K+ mile scenic drive across half the length of the United States. Read on for the list of places we saw, and keep an eye out for posts about each place (coming soon). Continue reading “Road Trip USA”
Above: Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), Milan, Italy
This vast, shallow desert lake is the largest in California, with higher salinity levels than the Pacific Ocean. With no outflow, salinity levels continue to rise, creating an ecosystem in which few species of fish can live.
After our weekend camping trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, we visited the Salton Sea in Salton City, California, near the middle of the lake on the western side.
Continue reading “Salton Sea, California, USA”
After recently living in Venice, California, Ian and I were excited to see the real Venice! During our stay in Eraclea Mare, we took a one-day trip to Venice.
Above: Gondola dock in Venice, Italy
Continue reading “Venice, Italy”
This past weekend, Ian and I headed down to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to host another Lonely Speck astrophotography workshop under the starry desert night sky.
With temps as high as 102° F during the day and lows of 80° at night, May is just about the last month when you can have a reasonably enjoyable time camping in this hot desert area (until fall when it cools down again). The sun’s heat woke us at 7am each morning!
View from Font’s Point in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Continue reading “Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA”
On the Road became a two-week read for me. It took a bit longer than I thought it would, since during the time I spent reading it our travels spanned from Milan to Copenhagen, LA, St. Louis and even out to the California desert. Regrettably, my first Travel Reads Tuesday selection ended up being a little bit of a disappointment. Read on for my thoughts on Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and to see which book is next on my reading list. Continue reading “Travel Reads Tuesday: On the Road by Jack Kerouac”
