Category: Outdoor Recreation & Hiking
Natural Stone Architecture: Natural Bridges National Monument
April 3, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
Natural Bridges National Monument covers a relatively small area in southeastern Utah. It is rather remote and not close to other parks, and as a result is not heavily visited. A trail into the canyon underneath Owachomu Natural Bridge is a short distance from the overlook. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Since natural bridges are formed by running water, they are much rarer than arches, which result from a variety of other erosion forces. Natural bridges tend to be found within canyons, sometimes quite hidden, whereas arches are usually high and exposed, as they are often the last remnants of rock cliffs and ridges. Unlike Arches National Park, with over 2,000 classified arches, there are only three bridges here. The area also has some scattered Indian cliff dwellings, pictographs, and scenic white sandstone canyons. The pinyon and juniper covered mesa is bisected by deep canyons, exposing the Permian Age Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Where meandering streams cut through sandstone walls, three... [Read more...]
Consider Vancouver Island!
March 31, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 3 Comments
One of my favorite summer destinations in the Pacific Northwest is Vancouver Island. We first visited this large island about fourteen years ago when our daughter was very little. We were new to the region, and I was spending a fair amount of time doing research and talking to tourism representatives in British Columbia. Back then, everyone told me that Vancouver was great, but many of my contacts gave me a wink and a nod and urged me to visit Vancouver Island, too. They urged me to go in the summer and bring the kids. Those tips were true insider information. I am so glad that I listened! When we first visited Vancouver Island, I picked Parksville as our destination. The guidebooks touted the large safe sandy beaches and a quiet atmosphere…Hmmm. That sounded perfect for a family with a toddler. Initially, we stayed at a fabulous beachfront resort known as Beach Acres. Located right on the water and next door to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, this family friendly low... [Read more...]
Steep Cliffs and Towering Spires: Dead Horse Point State Park
March 30, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Dead Horse Point State Park is perhaps Utah’s most spectacular state park. The park lies on the same broad mesa as The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. The meandering Colorado River 2,000 feet below Dead Horse Point. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock atop sheer sandstone cliffs about 6,000 feet above sea level. Two thousand feet below, the Colorado River winds its way from the continental divide in Colorado to the Gulf of California, a distance of 1,400 miles. The peninsula is connected to the mesa by a narrow strip of land called the neck. From the overlook, canyon erosion may be viewed on a grand scale. This erosion process has taken approximately 150 million years. Much of it is caused by the river slicing down into the earth’s crust as land is forced upward. These powerful forces are still sculpting the fantastic shapes of the precipitous bluffs and towering spires. Vegetation and wildlife in this desert environment... [Read more...]
Land of the Sleeping Rainbow: Capitol Reef National Park
March 28, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
Capitol Reef National Park is filled with geological wonders that stagger the imagination. The huge, rounded domes of red Wingate sandstone, capped with pale ivory Navajo sand. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Somewhat remote, and not as well known as the other parks, Capitol Reef is located on the northern edge of the Grand Circle Tour. Capitol Reef encompasses a 100-mile natural upheaval in the earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold. We’ve traveled Utah’s red-rock country from Bryce to Arches and Zion to Monument Valley, but none is more impressive than Capitol Reef. Hundreds of millions of years of geological history are contained within this long, narrow park that stretches about 100 miles from its northern to southern boundary. Time moves very slowly in the ageless world of colorful spires, pinnacles, and domes that form Capitol Reef. Formed by cataclysmic events of eons past, these rock formations have been defined and redefined over past ages as ancient sea waters... [Read more...]
DO I REALLY NEED TO TAKE THAT? Must have tools and parts for RV Camping
March 17, 2012 by Professor95 · 4 Comments
Packing or stocking your RV for an extended camping trip can sometimes be more like a game of chance than a science. The problem is that when you are 90 miles from nowhere at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night and the need for a specific tool or part arises you are up that proverbial creek without a paddle – that is, unless you stock for every imaginable need. Well, let me share with you one of my most inner, deep, dark secrets – this is one of those secrets that only my closest friends and family know. I have an extremely vivid imagination. Couple that with a guy who is an admitted tool junkie and president of his local Tools Anonymous help group along with my passion to fix anything and everything that “might” go wrong and you end up with a big, big box of tools and RV parts that could serve as initial inventory for a new Camping World Store. Anyway, to get to the point, these are the items packed away in that big, dark warehouse of parts, tools and accessories that DID prove... [Read more...]
A Day Trip to Whidbey Island…
March 15, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 1 Comment
A couple weeks ago my husband and I decided to take a day trip to Washington’s Whidbey Island. I hadn’t been there for a few years and we wanted to partake in their annual Penn Cove Musselfest! Located only a short ferry ride from Mukilteo, Whidbey Island is a fabulous rural destination. We arrived in Clinton on the south end of the island and then drove north about twenty miles towards Coupeville, which is where the mussel festival was taking place. Coupeville is a historic seaside village that abounds with mussels and lots of charm. The indigenous mussels are grown right there in Penn Cove and indeed these bivalves are the signature seafood of this rural region! The annual mussel festival clearly reflects this because just about all of the restaurants feature the local mussels on their menus!! (Even the local bowling alley features a signature mussel dish!) When we arrived around 11:30 that day, the Musselfest was in full swing. We purchased chowder sampling cards and then... [Read more...]
IMAGINE YOURSELF HERE – Relaxing along Florida’s “Forgotten Coast.”
March 9, 2012 by Professor95 · 5 Comments
My Mom always said I was part fish. You see, I love the water. It can be a lake, pond, or ocean – it really doesn’t make any difference as long as I can get out on or in it. After aimlessly wandering around Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, we found ourselves skirting the Gulf Coast of Florida on Highway 98. Our destination was a small “hole-in-the-wall” RV Park just outside of Carrabelle. Appropriately, the park’s name is Ho-Hum. Now, if that doesn’t imply a laid back and restful don’t-give-a-care attitude I don’t know what does? There are maybe 50 sites here. All of them are made up of broken shells, gravel, and sand. Grass is scarce, much to Oscar’s dismay, but beautiful views and magnificent barrier islands are aplenty. If you are looking for shopping, movies and amusement park rides this is definitely not where you want to go. But, if you want to lay back and forget about the hectic pace of more populated and busy locations, this is the place... [Read more...]
Day trip around Cape Cod Bay
March 5, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Back in 2008, we made a long trip from Ottawa, ON to PA, MA, ME, NB and PEI before going back home. It was our first trip with the RV and we still remember the highlights of that trip. A few weeks ago I presented a tour that we did while in Pennsylvania. Today, let me present you to the coast of Massachusetts – more specifically Cape Cod Bay. While we were in the Boston area, I wanted to go visit the Cape Cod Potato Chip Company that let you see how they make potato chips. The manufacture is located on 100 Breed’s Hill Road in Hyannis, Massachusetts . We were not allowed to take picture inside the facility and to be honest this is a self-guided tour where you look through windows while you watch them work and make potato chips. The tour wasn’t long and can be done in about 10-15 minutes. But the kids enjoyed seeing the process of making potato chips. Self-guided tours are the next best thing to real tours when you take the time to read and explain... [Read more...]
OUR DIAMOND MINING EXPERIENCE – Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas
March 1, 2012 by Professor95 · 3 Comments
You have probably read or heard about the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Stories abound about great diamond finds. These stories have a tendency to make one think that there is a volcanic crater filled with shiny bean size diamonds just waiting for visitors to pick them up and keep with little or no effort. The truth is diamond searching is a difficult and dirty adventure. The odds of finding a significant diamond are perhaps about as good as hitting the Million Dollar Jackpot on a Las Vegas casino slot machine. Still, some visitors do make significant gem finds. But – despite all of the above, it is fun. We met some great people while digging in the mud. Folks from all over the country were out exploring our true national treasures of openness and freedom. Many families with children were present as well as their pets. Oscar went with us but soon became tired climbing the furrows and wanted to be carried. Plowed trenches in the search field Nancy... [Read more...]
Rio South Texas: Nature’s Wonders
February 29, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
The Rio Grande Valley nature scene is filled with many wildlife hot spots. We’ll continue our tour of the top nature hot spots in the Rio Grande Valley with a visit to the World Birding Center. The World Birding Center (WBC) The World Birding Center (WBC) is a network of nine unique birding sites in the Lower Rio Grande Valley along a 120-mile corridor following the Rio Grande from Roma to South Padre Island. The mission of the World Birding Center is to protect native habitat, while increasing the understanding and appreciation of birds and wildlife. Drive through subtropical Texas to share the borderlands mix of Texan and Mexican heritage, and take time to look for any of the more than 500 bird species that have been documented in the region. Ted Eubanks, a well-known birder and nature tourism expert, was involved with the creation of the WBC starting in the late 1990s. His company, Fermata Inc., conducted the original feasibility study for the project, titled “Using a World Class... [Read more...]
