To the west, towards Buckeye. Perched atop a mountain in the South Mountain Park and Preserve is one of the best lookout points with phenomenal views of the Valley of the Sun. It's up high, taking a good 30 minutes to drive from the entrance gate to the lookout point, mainly due to the curvy …
Jetting high into the sky, Thumb Butte sits proudly as a distinctive landmark of Prescott, Arizona (Prescott, Arizona: “Everybody’s Hometown”.). Nestled in the Prescott National Forest, Thumb Butte is so prominent that it’s almost impossible to miss, even from many miles out. Hiking Thumb Butte is popular, although we only came across about 8 people …
Continue reading Woot, woot, in the butte (Thumb Butte, Arizona).
"It’s not a castle and Montezuma never lived there” declared the hilariously blunt opening line on the back of the magnet I bought at the gift shop. In fact, the “castle” was abandoned almost an entire century (some say 40 years) before the famous Aztec emperor was even born. It got its name when early …
Isolated in the middle of the Arizona desert, the rough and tumble Wild West town of Goldfield was the happenin’ place in its heyday. According to our mine tour guide, Goldfield still has the most unmined gold of any mine in the entire world. If true, it may be due to a 1897 flood, which …
Nestled in a back corner of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, sits the eccentric and creative Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch. Only mere feet from the iconic Route 66, it’s an interesting place. The closest “town” is Oro Grande approximately 10 minutes away, which is technically an “unincorporated territory” within San Bernardino County. The closest …
Continue reading Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch: A California Desert Adventure.
In the Sierra Pelona Mountains in northern Los Angeles County, near the small town of Agua Dulce, California, sits a collection of rocks that are really cool, and really famous. Formally known as Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, the Vasquez Rocks have a long and interesting history, which includes being the home of the Tataviam …
Located within the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, Joshua Tree National Park is a must visit, at least once. While located practically inside the city of Joshua Tree, the park is not named after the city, but rather for the actual Joshua Trees that grow here. It sits about one hour from Palm Springs, 1.5 hours …
"The big tree is Nature's forest masterpiece... the greatest of living things." - John Muir Fun fact: out of the 61 national parks in the United States, California is home to 9, which is more than any other state in the nation. Some well known ones include Yosemite, Joshua Tree (Joshua Tree National Park.), Death …
Continue reading Sequoia National Park: Largest Trees in the World.
View when flying in from the East. When you think about Southern California, or just California in general, is it along the lines of: crowded, Hollywood, acting, Democrats, and tacos? While California is generally all these things, it is also much more. I have a love/hate relationship with this state, as it is technically my …
Known as The City of the Dead, New Orleans is the most alive city I've ever been to. Whether it's the beauty and history of the French Quarter, the rambunctious and sensory-overloading Bourbon Street, the mysterious swamps, or the mixture of very colorful locals and overly carefree tourists, NOLA simply pumps energy out into the …