Happy 102nd anniversary to Bandelier National Monument! On February 11, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to establish Bandelier National Monument. That piece of legislation protected 33,000 acres of rugged land with a beautiful canyon and mesa country. Bandelier NM also … Read More

— Through a contact known to a friend of mine, we were lucky to secure a long weekend in Bandera, the Texas Cowboy Capital of the World. We like the Bandera area a lot. It has great food (barbecue, Tex-Mex, … Read More

— Located in southwest New Mexico, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument encompasses 533 acres (2.16 sq. km.) of protected land near the Gila River. There are two prominent ruin sites and several other smaller ones with examples of the Mimbres … Read More

— Not in London town, as the song goes. Around mid-December 2017 we had one of those thick foggy morning in the Austin area. It was the same foggy pattern that prevented us from seeing the first Supermoon of 2018. … Read More

— January 9, 2018, marked the 110th anniversary of Muir Woods National Monument, established by President Theodore Roosevelt. The land was donated by William Kent, who requested the park be named after the famous conservationist John Muir. As I noted … Read More

— As the Rocky Mountain NP anniversary approaches this week, I took a trip back down memory lane and looked at some of my old photos from our last trip to that park. Has it been over 10 years really?!? … Read More

— Not being one to take selfies often — I prefer not to spoil the scenery — I’ll make an exception for this shot. This is a throwback-Thursday photo made about 3 years ago. Yes, I was happy to make … Read More

As many times as we have been to Big Bend National Park, crossing the Pecos River bridge outside of Del Rio always leads us to a stop to marvel at this iconic Texas river. This route via Highway 90 is … Read More

— With all the recent rain we have received in Austin, today was the first sunny day since this past weekend. With temperatures climbing into the upper 70s, I had my wish to celebrate being retired by doing something simple … Read More

— Morning or afternoon hours, the views from the Lost Mine Trail are always breathtaking all the way along the trail. You can see the Window, Casa Grande as well as Juniper Canyon and the South Rim, as in this … Read More