American Southwest
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A Day in Capitol Reef National Park: Canyons, Bridges, and Pie!
Thrilled to my toes with my night in Canyonlands, I headed toward Capitol Reef National Park. I’d have a full day in Capitol Reef, the only full day of my trip and I was excited to finally get to do an extensive hike. This park turned out to be the hardest one to plan. I…
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Bryce Canyon Hike: The Quickest of Loops
I knew I had to get home, but Bryce called to me. I had just enough time to get in a quick Bryce Canyon Hike and I desperately wanted to have hiked all of Utah’s Mighty 5. When I was a kid, my family took two road trips through canyon country. I remember that we…
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Reveling in Dark Skies: The Milky Way and Sunrise at Mesa Arch
I felt determined to see the Milky Way. After missing it in Monument Valley (both due to overcast weather and poor planning — why didn’t I think about moonlight?), I had a mission. But, how to do it? I thought about camping, but there are so few campsites in the parks, I doubted I’d snag…
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An Evening Hiking in Arches National Monument
I knew this stop would be quick, but it was worth it for a bucket-list hike in a bucket-list park. Hiking in Arches has been on “must do” list for ages, but it’s just so far out of the way! When we road-tripped the Grand Canyon in March, I thought of adding Arches in, but…
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Speed Running 4 of the “Mighty 5” of Utah’s National Parks
I’m sitting here munching on strawberry rhubarb pie that I picked on in Capitol Reef National Park on Saturday, just trying to remember every bit of my wild 40 hours speed running 4 of the big 5 of Utah’s National Parks. I feel a tiny bit guilty about the whole endeavor. I spent the week…