Fan Camp
The young man with the automatic weapon stated more than asked, “Do you consent to a full inspection of the vehicle and all of its compartments?” Sounded okay to us as two security personnel poked their way through our camping
Busted in Carlsbad
It’s hard to wrap your head around southeastern New Mexico. It’s not artsy Taos or wealthy Santa Fe or scientific Albuquerque. It’s a product of millions of years of geology that left a system of massive, intricate and stunning caves
Boulderdash in Guadalupe National Park
Hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park is nonsense! There are 11 marked trails, all of them long and strenuous except the two overlooks at two different Visitor Centers. Spoiler alert – the one we chose didn’t end well. It was
Decoding Fort Davis
If we didn’t have reservations in New Mexico, we might still be lost in West Texas. Despite the tough conditions in Big Bend, it was worth some heatstroke to immerse in nature’s extremes on the borderlands. Wrapping up in Marfa
Marfa Marfa Marfa
Four years ago, Marfa splashed across the New York Times as the Coolest Art Town in America. It was the story of Shangri-La in the middle of west Texas nowhere. A place where celebrities can disappear and artists can stay
The Gambler (Lost)
A wise gambler once said, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” After two nights of holding an off-suit 2-7 in Big Bend’s Cottonwood campground, we mucked our hand and ran for our Iives
Castolon Castaways
On the southeastern border of the park lies the last wilderness. There is no gas. No potable water. No border point of entry. No electricity. The facilities are vault toilets. The visitor center has burned down. This is Castolon. Chisos
The Ballad of Scurry and Plod
The last time we met up with Scurry and Plod, they were in Glacier National Park hiking Mt. Brown. They missed the summit, both banged up their bodies and they vowed to thoroughly evaluate vertical hike adventures before embarking on
Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!
The last time we were at a hot springs, it was St. Patrick’s Day 2020 and COVID had just shut down Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. A ginger bearded leprechaun in a kilt poured us a Guiness and played
Village People
It is Easter Sunday in the Chihuahuan desert. While cool, even cold temperatures blanket our mid-atlantic home, and pickelball-perfect mid-80’s surround the Florida place, we bake in the desert. We have been pushing hard exploring the region and in the