Hiking in Haleakalā National Park

An advantage of driving the Road to Hana and making a complete loop around the southeastern side of Maui was hiking in the small, publicly accessible section of Kīpahulu Valley Biological Reserve in Haleakalā National Park. The Effort to Protect Kīpahulu ValleyIn 1969 ... The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased close to 10,000 acres of land …

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Adventures in Maui: Driving the Road to Hana

When we visited Hawaii several years ago, we decided to divide our week of travel between the Big Island and Oahu. Our priorities were exploring Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, where we saw incredible active lava flow, and visiting Pearl Harbor, where we learned more about WWII. This year we decided to visit Hawaii once again, …

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Black History Month: Reflections on Racism

A while ago I read White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. I’m not proud to admit that I am one of those white people who gets uncomfortable when I'm confronted with the racial inequity that is still taking place in the United States and beyond. I've been thinking …

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Around Tucson: The Titan Missile Museum

While the main purpose of our time in Tucson was exploring Saguaro National Park, I had a number of other itinerary ideas if the weather didn't cooperate or we found ourselves with extra time on our hands, from driving the Mount Lemmon scenic byway to exploring the different districts in downtown Tucson. As it turned …

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Morning Hikes in Saguaro National Park’s East Side

During our recent weekend getaway to sunny Arizona, we spent some time in both the western and eastern sections of Saguaro National Park. Much of what I read online focused on the western side of the park / Tucson Mountain District. I think people prioritize that side because of the big cacti forests: While similar …

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Exploring Saguaro National Park’s West Side

After an incredible morning hiking to Seven Falls in the Sabino Canyon area, we made our way toward the west side / Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. I had originally thought we'd spend the afternoon hiking in this area, but our long morning hike and a transition to cloudy skies had us altering …

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Hiking in Arizona: Sabino Canyon

We recently took advantage of a free January weekend and Alaska Airline points to chase some sunshine and hike among the saguaro cacti in Tucson, Arizona. This was my second time in Arizona but my first time to this part of the state, and I really enjoyed the laid back pace of this area. We …

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