Winter in Grand Canyon National Park

After an amazing morning hiking Bright Angel Trail and a mid-day siesta to avoid the hail storm that was passing through, we decided to spend our first afternoon in Grand Canyon National Park exploring Hermit Road. Hermit Road is usually closed to personal vehicles. During peak season, you have to take one of the park …

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Grand Canyon: Hiking Bright Angel Trail

Our first day in Grand Canyon National Park we decided to tackle the toughest hike on our list - the iconic Bright Angel Trail! Bright Angel Trail is a 9.3-mile trail down to the Colorado River. The National Park Service recommends that day hikers only go down 6 miles before hiking back out (for 12 …

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Crossing the Hoover Dam

I have mixed feelings about man-made dams. We've visited Grand Coulee dam as well as several other dams along the Columbia River, and they certainly are engineering marvels. Many of them have generated economic prosperity for the surrounding communities and states and have eliminated devastating flash flooding. They have also caused significant and irrevocable harm …

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Experiencing the Vegas Strip at Night

Probably the last place you want to go during a global health crisis is Las Vegas. The casinos, the shows, the dining -- I can't imagine any of those experiences being particularly safe right now. However, if you find yourself passing through Vegas at night, as we did on our recent long weekend trip to …

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Joshua Tree National Park: Black Rock Hikes

Our final day in Joshua Tree National Park we hiked more than I think I've ever hiked in one day -- 12+ miles, logging more than 34,500 steps! After our previous day exploring the central areas of the park, which are definitely the busiest areas of the park, it was wonderful escaping to the much …

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Joshua Tree National Park: Hidden Valley Hikes

After spending our initial day in Joshua Tree National Park exploring the easternmost side of the park -- primarily by car -- we were ready to enjoy the sunshine and stretch our legs on a series of hikes throughout the central areas of the park on our second day. Day 2 Itinerary: Ryan and Hidden …

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Joshin’ Around in Joshua Tree

While we continue to mask, socially distance from others, wash our hands, work from home, and go months on end without gathering with friends or family, I cannot entirely live in a sterile hole. Working for a health care organization and helping to communicate all things COVID-19 to our doctors, nursing staff, pharmacists, admin teams, …

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