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 [...]
Reduce the Risk of Fire in Your RV/Mobile Home
March 22, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
The BC Coroners Service and Office of the Fire Commissioner are urging owners of mobile homes and recreational vehicles and operators of mobile home and RV parks to take special care to prevent fires in the wake of a calamitous New Year’s weekend for fire deaths in British Columbia. From December 29, 2011 to January [...]
Discover San Antonio’s Mission Trail
March 18, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
The chain of five missions that were established along the San Antonio River during the 18th century stands as a reminder of Spain’s most successful attempt to extend its New World influence and control. Representing both church and state, these missions were charged with converting the local Native Americans, collectively called Coahuiltecans, into devout Catholics [...]
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 [...]
Magic along the Rio Grande
February 19, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Few can dispute the importance of nature tourism in Texas, especially within the Rio Grande Valley. According to a study conducted by Mathis and Matisoff (2004), Texas is the number one birdwatching state/province in North America, and The Valley is considered the number two birding destination in North America. Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico [...]
San Antonio River Walk: Jewel of the City
February 12, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
San Antonio is best known for being the Home of the Alamo and the San Antonio River, the center points of numerous activities in the downtown area. The river actually has its headwaters in northern San Antonio and travels southward through the city. The Alamo is part of a chain of five Spanish missions that [...]
Crooked Water: Tuzigoot National Monument
February 7, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
For thousands of years, Verde Valley has been a human melting pot. Hunters and gatherers came first, searching for wild game and grasses. Traders followed, digging salt and minerals, and then settlers farming the fertile bottomlands. Perched atop a ridge high above the Verde River two miles east of Clarkdale is Tuzigoot National Monument, one [...]
Yuma Named Sunniest Place in America
January 14, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The sun is out and the weather is great, just like any other day in Yuma, Arizona. It should not surprise anyone that US News and World Report again named Yuma as the number one “sunniest place” in America to spend their golden years. Yuma’s wonderfully temperate winter climate also makes this southeastern Arizona city [...]
Tip of Texas
December 29, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
The Lower Rio Grande Valley rolls out the red carpet for snowbirds. This is Shangri-la, a subtropical paradise, where the average annual T-shirt and shorts temperature is 74 degrees with an average rainfall of only 23.2 inches. This area of extreme deep-south Texas is actually more of a delta than a valley. There are no [...]
Where the Summer Spends the Winter: Ajo
December 26, 2011 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The tiny town of Ajo (ahh-ho) is situated deep in the Sonoran Desert, 42 miles south of Gila Bend and 37 miles north of the Mexican border. For many snowbirds, as it was for us, Ajo is merely a stopping-off point on the way to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. For others, especially Spring Breakers, [...]
