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Bryce Canyon National Park, Destinations, U.S. National Parks, United States, Utah, Zion National Park
Southwest Road Trip Part 4
If you haven’t read part 3 CLICK HERE so you can catch up on the first leg of my trip and get a sense of what it meant to me. You can also check out Part 1 and Part 2! After being at probably one of the most popular National Parks and iconic places in the world, I ended up at what will become one of my favorite places at heart. Zion National Park is located in southwest Utah and is iconic for its red skyrocketing cliffs. Zion is a mystifying place that really captures the imagination with the amount of hikes and scenery that you can take in. The…
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Southwest Road Trip Part 3
If you haven’t read part 2 CLICK HERE so you can catch up on the first leg of my trip and get a sense of what it meant to me. You can also check Part 1 HERE. This part will only focus on the Grand Canyon National Park, since it honestly had a soft spot in my heart for one of my favorite stops the entire trip. The one thing I will mention about the Grand Canyon National Park is that due to its popularity it has become a Disney Land/World of sorts with millions of people coming and a lot of them not knowing the most basic hiking and…
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Southwest Road Trip Part 2
If you haven’t read part 1 CLICK HERE so you can catch up on the first leg of my trip and get a sense of what it meant to me. Petrified Forest National Park This was one of the National Parks that like many I had never heard about, yet I was drawn in immediately by the scenery. Now if you are like us we had no idea what petrified wood was so here is a quick excerpt explaining it: “Petrified wood is a fossil. It forms when plant material is buried by sediment and protected from decay by oxygen and organisms. Then, groundwater rich in dissolved solids flows through…
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Arizona, Destinations, New Mexico, Texas, U.S. National Parks, United States, White Sands National Park
Southwest Road Trip Part 1
A road trip is so much more than a journey to new places but a lifetime experience that cannot be taken for granted. I have always loved driving and enjoyed even more hitting the open road with close friends to new places near and far. This road trip though took me to some of the most amazing places I have ever been too and let me gain a new love for nature and the outdoors. I started this trip with the plan to have some fun in places that always seemed to be just out of reach. Yet I ended this trip with a new appreciation for the outdoors and…
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Cadillac Ranch – Amarillo Texas
If there is one stop along Route 66 that most people know about but might have no idea where it is located, its Cadillac Ranch. I have always heard about this art installation for years but in all honesty never actually knew where it was at or when I would ever get a chance to see it. When I started planning a trip out to Amarillo for a hiking trip I stumbled upon a list of things to do in the area and Cadillac Ranch was at the top of that list! I personally was not aware of how much history the art installation had but had just seen it…
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What To Do and Where To Stay – Fort Davis Texas
Fort Davis in the Southwest corner of Texas just near the borders of Mexico and New Mexico is one interesting town to say the least. Now I will say this quaint little town is thr epitome of the road less travelled and in a corner of Texas that most people will never visit. But if you ever get a chance to be down South near Big Bend National Park or Marfa, TX then you owe yourself a quick trip to Fort Davis. What To Do In Fort Davis, TX The main attraction in this little town and the reason I even heard of it was due to the McDonald Observatory…
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Big Bend Hot Springs Trail
Big Bend National Park is still one of my favorite National Parks in the U.S. for many reasons. One of them being just how many things you can do while you are visiting and how many of these things are normally completely vacant. During my last visit to Big Bend we mostly saw just a handful of hikers during our entire stay and where able to enjoy one of the biggest parks iin the lower 48 in complete peace. The Hot Springs are a must do hike while you are visiting the park since the trail is quite short and covered in history of the original settlers of the region.…
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Terlingua – Alpine – Marfa – Texas
I debated on writing anything at all about this area of my trip to Big Bend National Park but I would regret not mentioning what became one of my favorite drives in a long time. This area of Texas to put it bluntly is pretty sparse of any visitors and any locals but if you are visiting Big Bend National Park this must be on your route in or out. Terlingua is a pretty unknown town to most people and I bet almost no one would be able to tell me where it is located. This town is located on the Northside of the park and is essentially known for…
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Palo Duro State Park
Palo Duro State Park is the second largest canyon in the US gaining it the nickname of the Grand Canyon of Texas. The State Park is just around 5-6 hours from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and offers some great hiking trails in a rather empty part of the United States. The park is located right outside of Amarillo, TX in the city of Canyon. While the park is roughly half the size of the Grand Canyon it still offers plenty to enjoy over a long weekend. We ended up visiting Palo Duro in early May which to my surprise had rather pleasant weather for being in the Texas Panhandle. May is…
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Amarillo – Canyon – Palo Duro Long Weekend
I never had much desire to be honest in visiting Amarillo and let alone the city of Canyon until I started researching a weekend hiking trip to Palo Duro. Palo Duro State Park came into my mind after some conversations with my coworker who is also an outdoor enthusiasts and told me her husband was running a race out in the park. After finally getting a chance to look into the park I realized I couldn’t skip visiting the second largest canyon in the U.S. that was right in my backyard. Ok maybe not in my backyard but just 5 hours way, who could pass that up! After many weeks…