Two Geologists, One Campervan, Zero Deadlines >>> Many Vistas
Some travel days, we know our route in detail – where we’ll get gas, where we’ll take a break for a walk, where we’ll stop for the night. Other days, we only know the direction we’re heading and everything else is a surprise (good or bad). When leaving Grand Canyon…
After an enjoyable weekend “moochdocking” (or “driveway surfing,” camping on a friend’s driveway) with friends in Phoenix (thanks Sue and Rory!), we continued our journey north toward Moab. Our next destination was not set. Looking at the map of the area between Phoenix and Moab, there are an abundance of…
Following our adventures in sea-level Florida, our first challenge on our Southwest Tour 2021 was to acclimate to the cooler temperatures and higher elevations. (Spoiler alert: We’ve enjoyed our time in Arizona and Utah so much, we are already planning our Southwest Tour 2022). We accomplished this first challenge in…
Traveling west, our van was taking us higher in elevation and we were apprehensive how our physical fitness would respond in mountainous terrain and thinner air. We had spent six weeks hiking and biking in Florida, where climbing a set of stairs seemed equivalent with reaching the Sunshine State’s highest…
From the North Atlantic (Cape Cod National Seashore) to Lake Michigan (Indiana Dunes National Park) to the Gulf of Mexico (Topsail State Preserve in Destin, FL), our campervan has taken us to many wind-swept sand dunes and their associated beaches for fun in the sun and water. We recently visited…
After leaving Sanibel Island, we headed further south to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park. Departing Sanibel was bittersweet. On the one hand, we looked forward to the wide-open spaces and new adventures at Big Cypress and Everglades. On the other hand, we had grown comfortable…
Climate change is obviously the most pressing environmental issue we currently face. It’s an issue I’ve discussed with colleagues since the late 1980’s when I was in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, the changes we need to make to slow the change seem overwhelming. But, our society…
Our eight days exploring Shenandoah National Park in late October and early November were highlighted with daily hikes to mountain tops, viewpoints, and waterfalls. The hikes typically originated on Skyline Drive, which runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thus, we commonly hiked downhill first, leaving the climbing…
We both eagerly looked forward to a late Fall exploration of Shenandoah National Park and its Skyline Drive based upon our Blue Ridge Parkway trip in 2018 (see our blog post titled Fit Test, Part 4, which can be found here). We expected expansive views, fun hikes to waterfalls, and…
Our exploration of Acadia National Park in early October included scaling five mountains, walking along the rocky ocean shore in fog and sun, kayaking in Eagle Lake (and surprising two eagles perched above the shoreline), and bicycling and walking along the 40+ miles of carriage roads developed by John D.…