Four days in Tucson, AZ
J and I have a past relationship with Tucson: J’s brother lived there for many years, through grad school and marriage and first real job and the birth of both of his kids, so we’ve visited a bunch. However, the...
Author: lauren
Saguaro National Park
Close your eyes and picture a cactus standing in the desert. I’m going to guess your imaginary cactus friend is a saguaro! Am I right? Saguaro (pronounced “sah-WAR-oh”) cacti, standing tall with cartoon arms, are all over pop culture, but...
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
This magical land of desert delights is an International Biosphere Reserve, home to virtually all the organ pipe cacti in the US. The organ pipe cactus, with is cluster of upright stems growing from a single low trunk, is named...
Joshua Tree National Park
We finally got to California in the Airstream! Bugsy got a new state! (She’s up to 36 now!) For some reason–ignorance, I guess–we weren’t sure if Joshua Tree was worth rearranging our schedule and driving many extra hours to visit....
Four days in Flagstaff, AZ (visit #2)
Flagstaff was one of our favorite cities on Big Trip #1, and we were excited to return for the many, many hiking and beer drinking opportunities! Campground Our home base this visit was Black Bart’s RV Park, a big park...
Grand Canyon National Park – South Rim
[FOR GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM, SEE HERE!] [This is the original GCNP post from Big Trip #1 in 2016, updated with details from our 2018 visit on Big Trip #2.] If you’re planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, GET...
Big Trip #2 catch-up
Okay, so we’ve been back home in VA for a month now and I’m still writing about Utah and Arizona. It’s fun to relive our adventures in the Western sun, sitting here in gloomy Virginia where it’s threatening to sleet...
One night in Monticello, Utah
This wasn’t a well-planned stop. Our intention was to spend two nights in Monticello and have easy access to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park… but it’s still an hour drive to the Needles Visitor Center from Monticello, and...
Three days in Moab (visit #2)
Moab is a fun town! If you are a hiker or mountain biker with an appreciation for stunning red sandstone vistas, you’ll be happy here. Despite our favorite quesadilla truck being closed for the season, we managed to have a...
One night at Dead Horse Point State Park
After spending several days in Escalante, we hitched up the Airstream and drove over Hell’s Backbone (stopping for breakfast at Hell’s Backbone Grill of course), continued down Scenic Byway 12 to Capitol Reef National Park for a short hike, and...