Colorful uplifted ancient canyons and mountains that used to be rivers, swamps, deserts and oceans make up Capitol Reef National Park. As I rounded every bend of the trail, it revealed a slice of geologic history through millions of years. It also revealed beauty unlike anything I had seen. Where: Capitol Reef National Park Distance: 10.49 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation ...

Sometimes hikes don’t go as planned, creating an unexpected fun adventure. A pretty little lake, beautiful end of September wildflowers and a one of a kind view all made this hike a winner. Where: Ansel Adams Wilderness, Sierra National Forest Distance: 7.08 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 8,040′ – 9,612′ Date: September 17, 2018 Maps: Merced Peak Topographic ...

I was heading to Utah for a horse camping trip and wisely planned a little extra time for adventure along my way to Torrey. I had been thinking about driving through some country that I hadn’t been to so headed from Cedar City over Hwy 14 to Cedar Breaks National Monument. That drive over was gorgeous but Cedar Breaks with ...

Our hike took us off the trail, up through boulder-strewn moraines where we were almost blown over by wind gusts, but it was all so worth it when we reached the beautiful high lakes fed by the Dana Glacier. Brightly colored mountains and rocks framed the views for us and this isn’t the first time a curious critter welcomed us ...

Riding horses in Yosemite’s beautiful high country is always a special treat. Riding along the trails in the Tuolumne Meadows area gave me a different perspective of the country, viewing the country through my horse’s ears. My friends were staying in one of the horse campsites at Tuolumne Meadows and invited me to come up and ride with them. How ...

We headed off-trail to check out the country above the Mono Pass Trail. We never know what we will find and that is part of the excitement. The 30 percent chance of thunderstorms didn’t deliver the lightening, thunder or rain but they did deliver beautiful reflections of white clouds in those beautiful high lakes. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About ...

Sally and I had escaped the Ferguson Fire smoke by heading over to the east side of the Sierra. We spent the night in Lone Pine, then headed up Hwy 395 to the White Mountains. I hoped that by getting up over 10,000′ elevation, we would experience smoke-free air plus I had never been to ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest and ...

Sally and I had reached a threshold where we just had to get out of the smoke and heat but with Hwy 41, 140, 120 and then 108 all closed to the eastern side, it was time get serious about our escape. So, we drove south down Hwy 99 to Bakersfield across Tehachapi and up 395. Smoke was following us ...

Nineteen days of heat and smoke from the Ferguson Fire had me looking for another short escape and adventure. Mom said she was was up for an adventure, so we headed to a place were she had spent some time but it was a long while back. It had been over 70 years since she spent a summer babysitting in ...

Adventures come in every shape and size and sometimes they are not really planned. My plan was to head up to Saddlebag Lake to do some camping but the Ferguson Fire blocked my easy route there. After living in heat and smoke for 6 days and glued to the fire updates, I needed to escape and came up with the ...