Category Hiking
En route to Las Vegas
By Sunday morning we had done everything we had planned to do in Zion national park, and since Vanessa’s flight left super early on Monday morning we decided to wend our way back to Las Vegas. Along the way we stopped at the Valley of Fire state park, which was a step down from the […]
More Zion!
Up again in the wee hours, out with the first shuttle, and on the trail before dawn. Today we did three different hikes, with snacks and naps and a healthy serving (or five) of ice cream in between. Vanessa’s step-counter says we did more that 30,000 steps over more than 12 miles. Another fun day […]
The Narrows!
Yesterday I met up with Vanessa in Las Vegas and drove to the tiny town of Springdale, Utah, which sits at the entrance to Zion national park. This morning we set our alarms for o-dark-middle-of-the-night so that we could be on the first shuttle into the park and among the first people to head into […]
Misty hike around Coldwater Lake
It has been so chilly and wet in the Seattle area that it’s hard to believe we’ve almost reached the summer solstice and are about to turn the corner to shortening days. I really miss the warm springtime and early summer of other places I’ve lived. The risk of course is that if you wait […]
Hiking and grilling and 75 degrees
This past week has been the best week of weather we’ve had all year so far. Day after day of clear sun—and sun in the Pacific Northwest is hard to beat. On Thursday and Friday I worked most of the day on my roof deck. Today we went on a hike to Bridal Veil Falls […]
Petroglyphs and sea arch!
Within Volcanoes National Park there’s a road that leads down from the craters to the water’s edge, where the lava cliffs and ocean waves make for a dramatic coastline. Along the way there’s an understated stopping point with a trailhead to the middle of nowhere. This particular bit of nowhere happens to be a stretch […]
Plants!
The big island seems to alternate between vast swaths of barren lava sheets, lush jungle, and scrubby desert hillside. Seeing how the micro climates change from one place to another has been fascinating, and one of my favourite aspects of the trip has been discovering the range of plants that characterise each one. My absolute […]
Volcanoes!
We dedicated a whole day to visiting Volcanoes National Park. It’s in the opposite side of the island and kind of a schlep to get to, but it wouldn’t have done to have missed it. The forecast predicted rain, but very little of it fell while we were outside the car. And while there was […]
Hawaii! — let’s start with beaches…
I cannot tell you how good it feels to get out of the house, Seattle, the daily routine—and instead enjoy sun, warmth, and the joy of living in a big and beautiful world. And having Heather decide to join me at the last minute has made it even better. We flew in yesterday, separately, and […]
Hiking at Lake Cushman
Amy and I set aside this weekend for a hike in the Olympic Peninsula. After a long dark winter full of work and wet, we were both itching to get out into nature. And since the forecast predicted rain everywhere, we decided to lean into it and head for the rainforest. Our luck seemed dicey […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 