Land of the Standing-up Rocks: Chiricahua National Monument
May 14, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Filled with extraordinary rock formations, the Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is a wonder to behold. The word “Chiricahua” may be derived from the Opata Indian word for turkey—wild turkeys are common in the area. Chiricahua Mountains is designated by the American Bird Conservancy as a Globally Important Bird Area. With 12,000 acres of [...]
Indulge Mom in Nature on Mothers’ Day
May 8, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Mothers have been revered throughout history, from ancient pagan celebrations to church holidays to present-day Mother’s Day. Many countries throughout the world devote a day to honor their mothers. The tradition dates back to pagan celebrations in ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. In Rome, too, Cybele, a mother of [...]
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. 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 [...]
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. 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 [...]
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. 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 [...]
37 diamonds found at the Crater in January
February 25, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
January (2012) was a great start to the Crater of Diamonds 40th year as an Arkansas State Park, with more than 1,600 people visiting and 37 diamonds certified during the month. Visitation rose nearly 60% over totals from last January, and four additional diamonds were registered, according to news release. Arkansans residents registered 28 diamonds in January, [...]
Crater of Diamonds State Park Report Successful Year
January 22, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
Looking back over the past 12 months, the year 2011 has been a successful one for park visitors who hunted for diamonds in the 37 ½-acre search area at Arkansas’s diamond site, the Crater of Diamonds State Park. According to Park Superintendent Justin Dorsey, over 500 diamonds were found by visitors last year. Of the [...]
B.C. Walmart Says No to RVs
October 18, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 15 Comments
They are usually known as a welcoming sight for RVers in need of a place to stop for the night or a few days before continuing on with their journey. Besides being a big-box retail store, Walmart parking lots across North America have generally been hospitable to the traveling camper. But, anyone hoping to stay [...]
Chinese Company Copies the SylvanSport GO
October 6, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
In an earlier post, Meet the GO! by SylvanSport, I reported on the GO, a lightweight, reconfigurable, pop-up trailer manufactured by Brevard, North Carolina-based SylvanSport LLC. SylvanSport has learned that Wuyi Tiandi Motion Apparatus Co. Ltd., a manufacturing company operating out of Zhejiang, China has begun manufacturing and selling counterfeit versions of the popular SylvanSport [...]
2012 Quartzsite Show Dates Announced
September 29, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
What is Quartzsite? Quartzsite is located in western Arizona, 20 miles east of the Colorado River on I-10. In 1856, settler Charles Tyson built a fort at the present site of Quartzsite to protect his water supply. Fort Tyson soon became a stopover on the Ehrenburg-to-Prescott stagecoach route. It had become known as Tyson’s Wells [...]
