We were maybe 3 shots of mezcal in, at a dimly lit bar in Antigua, Guatemala, when Tim and I verbally committed to one another to return here someday to spend a month learning Spanish. It was one of those nights where everything seems illuminated and you spend hours talking with someone you've been with … Continue reading Our Month in Antigua, Guatemala
Our first visit to the Grand Canyon was nothing short of amazing. We didn’t have time to do any hiking or camping, but we lucked out with a day tour from Flagstaff that we had booked in advance. Our guide, a man named David Reed, showed up in a van that morning to pick us … Continue reading Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Crevasses formed by the Little Colorado River, leading to, you guessed it, the Grand Canyon.
When you’re driving through the desert in Arizona and you see a sign that says “Meteor Crater”, you follow it. Imagine a cooler, damper time in Arizona’s ancient history, 50,000 years ago, with woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths living in the area. Now imagine a meteorite 50 m across slamming into this spot. Fast forward … Continue reading Meteor Crater, AZ
Our drive through Arizona took us through the Petrified Forest National Park. These 200 million years + old pieces of trees have been “petrified” due to having been uprooted, perhaps by a flood, and then covered in silt and volcanic ash. As water crept through the wood, decaying organic material was replaced with multicolored silica - … Continue reading Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in Gila National Forest, New Mexico In the 1200s, possibly earlier, Mogollon (a native tribe) families lived in the rooms constructed along these cliffs. Today, the site is a national monument, the only of which to preserve Mogollon culture and history. This is a particularly special place to visit - … Continue reading Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM
Gila National Forest, New Mexico. We stayed on Lake Roberts in these quaint cabins run by the same folks who run the general store next door. We did lots of hiking through small canyons and around the lake. Aside from this wild boar, we also saw a large bull lounging along a trail. We thought … Continue reading Gila National Forest, NM
At a rest stop in New Mexico. Cuidado, indeed!
Driving from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas was 10 hours of dusty, empty road. We couldn’t even keep the dust out of the car. There were no major towns along the way - just small communities of run down trailers, We stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom and the toilet seats … Continue reading Dust Storm in West Texas
Visiting the Alamo in San Antonio was an important experience for me - my ancestor, William Barrett Travis (on my mom’s side of my family), died in the battle of the Alamo in March 1836. He was the commander of the army who fought against the Mexicans for control over this region (then part of … Continue reading Remembering My Family, and the Alamo
Our 21st Century Odyssey 