american west, Camping, Hiking, national parks, outdoors, Travel, Uncategorized

Hiking the Narrows

In the second of our two part Zion National Park series, we hiked the Zion's famed Narrows, wading through the refreshingly cool Virgin River.

california, Camping, Museums, national parks, outdoors, Travel, Uncategorized

Into the Yosemite Valley

"It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter." - John Muir Yosemite Valley is the most visited area of the park, and for good reason.  Powerful granite walls and evergreen dominate the valley landscape, with massive waterfalls cascading down imposing cliffs. Many of Yosemite's most famous landmarks are found in the Valley.  Even the tunnels on Wawona Road leading in are iconic.  In every direction, there is great beauty- and much exploration fun.

american west, california, Camping, Museums, national parks, outdoors, Travel, Uncategorized

Follow Me to Tuolumne

Less visited than the Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows is a jewel along Highway 120 on the eastern side of the park, with miles of hiking trails, domes to climb, and the pristine Tuolumne River sunning through it.

american west, Camping, Family, Hiking, Kids, Museums, national parks, outdoors, photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacation

El Malpais National Monument

After four full days of visiting Ruidoso, New Mexico, we headed to Flagstaff, Arizona for the next leg of our Spring Break Southwest Roadtrip, stopping along the way in the scenic and geologically interesting El Malpais National Monument.

american west, Family, Hiking, Kids, Museums, national parks, outdoors, photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacation

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The second post in our Spring Break Southwest Road Trip series has us spending some time "indoors." We visited the grand caverns of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico.