Utah has five national parks — the “Mighty Five.” Over the years, I had visited four of them. In 2011, Natasha, Brenna, and I camped our way through Arches and Canyonlands, surviving windstorms in our tent and driving a rented Jeep far closer to canyon edges than any of us needed to be. In 2013, […]
Anyone who has been in my house since 2015 has seen the photograph. It hangs in a place of honor — a swirl of red sandstone, light pouring through a narrow opening, shadows curling like ribbons. I took it in Antelope Canyon on a trip with my son Jeremy, and it remains one of my
New Year’s Eve found me downtown for the annual chili pepper drop, Benson’s quirky answer to Times Square. The pepper shifts colors all night long, and the big question is always the same: Will it land red or green? This year, it dropped green—a fitting farewell to New Mexico and a bright welcome to 2026.
I left Saint Ignace, and headed to Canada. To get there, I had to go to Sault Ste. Marie and cross at the Soo Locks. I had spent some time in Sault Ste. Marie on my 2013 gypsy trip, so I didn’t spend any time exploring the locks, although they are fascinating. If you’re interested,
My original spring plan was simple: Be at my daughter’s house for her birthday on April 7th, be there for my own birthday on April 12th, and then take off for a couple of quiet weeks before returning to leave my trailer and truck with her while I headed north for my summer trip. But
Divides are one of those quiet geographical facts that most people never think about, but I’ve always found them fascinating. A divide is simply the place where water decides which way it’s going to go — toward one ocean or another, toward one watershed or another. The United States has four major ones. The most
I have wanted to go to Taos for a long time. I’ve been collecting Native American pottery for more than 35 years, and Taos was one of those places I always imagined would speak to me. I tried to get there several times — once in 2020, when everything was closed for COVID, and another
One of the most talked‑about destinations in the Southwest is Sedona, yet somehow I had never stopped there. In my first year as a gypsy traveler, I decided that had to change. I based myself in Camp Verde, just south of Sedona, at a campground near the reservation and a casino. I never stepped foot
My family is complicated, but I’m fortunate. I have four living sons and one who has passed, one daughter, two daughters‑in‑law, and one son‑in‑law. There are ten living grandchildren, one who has passed — he was the son of the son I lost — and one great‑grandchild. Keeping up with everyone keeps me busy, and
Tucson was approximately 30–45 minutes from Benson, straight up I‑10, and I found myself making the drive often. Most of my errands took me into Vail, a fast‑growing suburb on the southeast side of Tucson. What I didn’t realize at first was that Vail sits right at the doorstep of the eastern district of Saguaro
