This could be the perfect hike for a four-year-old. In fact, it was the perfect hike for three four-year-olds (friends of our four-year-old, Catherine) and our seven-month-old twins. We left Pasadena at 7am on a recent Saturday and were at the 49 Palms Oasis trailhead by 9:30am. This trailhead is accessed from outside the park […]

Despite our crazy adventures in California, we’ve never ventured into the sparsely populated area north of Los Angeles and between the 101 and 5 Freeways. We are usually in a hurry to get somewhere and that keeps us from taking the scenic byways that are truly remarkable. Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain is a broad, […]

The following is a continuation of Coast of Maine in September 2012 – Boston to Brunswick, Maine. Driving north from our overnight at America’s Worst Value Inn was a great break from a bad experience. Just north of Bath, the traveler needs to make a choice between the freeway and the coastal road. Speed versus […]

A business trip to Boston provided an excellent opportunity to drive the Coast of Maine to Acadia National Park. But first, a Friday night Red Sox game, made more special for the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. After a one-hour rain delay, we enjoyed the game, even though the Sox lost. The special treat on […]

Joshua Tree has to be the nearest national park to a major US city that is known to the fewest people. Just an hour and half from our home in Pasadena, Joshua Tree is a winter-only kind of place due to the extreme Summer heat in the Mojave Desert. Uncrowded beauty Its seasonality means it […]

Few people come to the Hawaiian Islands to camp or hike, but we do both. Beyond the excellent outdoor opportunities, we were married at Secret Cove in Maui and come back each year to get married again by our friend, Pastor Dennis De Rego. What started as a romantic ‘mission’ has become one of friendship […]

Barely a month after hiking the Haleakala Crater to Paliku Campsite, we were back in Maui to hike the remainder of the trail that goes from Paliku Campsite down to the Kaupo Ranch Trailhead. The remaining distance was less than 12 km (7 mi) but a whopping 1800 m (5800 ft) elevation change over that […]

The following is a continuation of Hiking the Halemau’u Trail to the Paliku Campsite at Haleakala National Park. One of the best parts of camping is sleeping when the sun sets and waking when it rises. We were awake a little after 5am with the pleasure of enormous slugs crawling on the tent’s screen. It […]

The Halemauu Trail to the Paliku Wilderness Campsite is not a two-day hike for the casual hiker. Fortunately, we’re no casual hikers and were well-prepared for the altitude, wet, cold and 32.8 km (20.4 miles) round trip. We paid our $10 to enter the park for three days, and made our way to the Haleakala National […]

This is a continuation of Two days in Death Valley in February 2012. Morning in the Panamint Valley was cold and very clear. After an unbelievably starry night, the dawn was gradual and brilliant. The best reason for going to sleep soon after dark is to be able to enjoy a very gradual dawn. The […]