On Saturday I'll be starting my thruhike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I make no apologies for being MIA here this past month or so because A) I do that all the time, and B) it has been CRAZY here. If you've been following the PCT permitting during COVID drama you know that permits weren't …
...And Big Bend National Park Important Big Bend Tip: When you're driving this close to the Mexico-U.S. border, you will be stopped multiple times at border patrol checkpoints. They will ask if everyone in the car is a U.S. citizen. If the answer is yes they will wave you on, if the answer is no, …
"[Bilbo] used often to say that there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: it's springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, …
For those of us that go backpacking frequently, some things are just more comfortable to do and to talk about than for those that are used to more front country amenities. Basically anything that happens in the bathroom is a concern for first time backpackers. After the first few trips though, you'd be amazed how …
One of the hardest things about taking friends new to backpacking on a trip is assembling gear without it costing them a fortune. It doesn't really make sense for them to purchase gear until they've gone on a few trips and understanding what works best for them. There were some things we bought that weren't …
Sharing something you love can be one of the most rewarding experiences, so when two of my friends asked me to take them on a trip to teach them how to backpack I was over the moon, I was so excited. I was going to take them on the most amazing trip of their lives, …
There's a beautiful time of year, a few days, between the end of the semester and exams. All the grading is done, the exam is written and copied, and I don't have any work to do. I mean I still have work to do, I have to plan the next semester and I have to …
Catalina State Park made me want to live in Tucson. It was beautiful, and in the morning I drove 3 minutes to a Starbucks for breakfast. I ran into people on the trails who were just taking their dogs for a walk because they live 5 minutes away. This was also my favorite photography of …
My summer 2018 road trip was my last road trip with Adventure Prius I. The 2005 Prius with more than 240,000 miles on it had a good life, and it was time to pass it on to my cousin. My cousins live in Seattle, which opened up new road trip opportunities for me. Usually when …
I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled program of me trying to get through all my trips from last summer before the next summer travel season starts because over the long weekend we took Stella on her first camping trip! This is one of the moments that I am so glad I live in Texas, because we …
