It has come to my attention, that I am The Ice Age Queen, bringing record cold to all the parks and monuments I visit. Why should the Utah/Death Valley/Nevada trip be any different? It wasn't... Yup, even in Death Valley, record cold and rain. It never rains in Death Valley! More on that later. Fred, Davis & I camped outside of Moab for what was supposed to be 3 nights. Fortunately, we were rescued by our friends, Gaylene & Don Bruskotter. They invited us to the home t

This section of the journey is very personal. We took Anna on this very trip when she was 5 years old. She had such a great time! For us, it is bittersweet to relive this exact trip. We see her happy smile wherever we look...and we grieve. 2001 We were joined at Arches by many friends who love us and love Anna. We all share in the joy she brought to our world and the great loss of that light being taken from our world. I will be integrating pictures of the present and th

Tonight marks one year without the precious light of our lives being with us. I am posting it exactly at 12:58 am, March 26th, the very moment she left us. Why? Because her life mattered and she was loved immensely. Anna gave so much to her world. She challenged how we think. She was tenacious. She was gentle. She was a mentor. She was a warrior. She was an athlete. She made us all laugh. She was highly intelligent. She was beautiful. Most importantly, She taught us real lo

The trip to Great Basin from Death Valley was a very lonely sojourn. I camped north of Panaca, Nevada in Cathedral Gorge State Park. Only 3 other people were camped there. It was 2 hours the next morning to reach Great Basin National Park. In that 2 hours I only saw a dead coyote and 3 eagles and in the 2 hours past Great Basin I saw 2 trucks...2! Good thing I grew up in South Dakota and was used to that. Great Basin is beautiful and vast! It also had a great deal of sno

Cabrillo National Monument is on a peninsula bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Bay. Even though it is in San Diego, it feels miles away. The views are lovely! 360 degree views! This National Monument is dedicated to Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Spanish Conquistador. He stepped ashore here in 1542 from his ship the "San Salvador" after leaving Navidad, Mexico; that's near Manzanillo to you and I. I have actually been to Barra de Navidad, where he sailed from.

L to R Pokin, Sky, Rainbow, Nickcki, Cindy & Gene In the very first meeting Cindy and I had regarding the National Park Run, she expressed that she had always wanted to go to Joshua Tree NP. So when she first approached me about coming to the National NET Summit in San Diego and doing Joshua Tree then; I insisted she do it with me. On the coldest day in Southern California this year, Cindy Lovelace, Gene Lovelace & I set out on a 3 hour ride from San Diego to Joshua Tree Nat