You may wonder why I am reposting this article. On July 13, 2026, there was a new executive order reducing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from about 1.87 million acres to roughly 182,000 acres. That is a cut of about 90 … Read More

After my previous post, I wanted to do a follow-up about Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelley (pronounced d-SHAY) National Monument. We first visited that park in 2006, when we were returning from our Grand Canyon South Rim visit. We … Read More

The Portuguese language has a wonderful word that always seems complicated to translate accurately into English. The word is saudade (IPA pronunciation: /saʊˈdɑːdə/). Wikipedia defines saudade as an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet … Read More

In the Gila National Forest, southwest New Mexico, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument was established on November 16, 1907, by President Theodore Roosevelt through executive proclamation. The park encompasses 533 acres (2.16 sq. km.) of protected land near the Gila … Read More

This image was captured in 2006, but its magic is never lost. We visited several national monuments, parks, and recreational areas on this trip. The camera used was a Canon PowerShot G5. Although it barely has a one-megapixel sensor size, … Read More

Who is not enamored by bridges? I cannot resist seeing a bridge without stopping to photograph it. There is something more about bridges than just connecting two points. The Pecos River Bridge in West Texas is a feat of engineering. … Read More

Back in 2006, on our first trip to the Southwest USA national parks, we made a three-hour stop at Natural Bridges National Monument. We wanted to see the three natural bridges in the park. Luckily, a scenic drive took us … Read More

— To look at our ancestors’ lives often provides us with a rewarding experience that teaches us valuable facts about our present lives. Places such as the Alcove House at Bandelier NM are fascinating pieces of history. The Alcove House … Read More

— Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a sleeping giant. The park encompasses 1,880,461 acres (7,610 km2). According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which now administers the park since September 18, 2021, “the Monument is a diverse geologic treasure … Read More

— Part of our southwest vacation in 2010 included Aztec Ruins NM and Chaco Culture NHP. The first and foremost thing to learn about this national monument is that its name, Aztec, is a misnomer. A nineteenth century erroneous belief, according to … Read More