The wind started to pick up just after dark. It brought warm air, kept the humidity at bay. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I expected that the clouds would have rolled in. The sky, however, was perfectly clear – the stars shone with the brilliance that I’ve come to expect [...]

We passed the midpoint of this trip last week, but we didn’t know it then. It took making it to Zion (really) to figure it out.

Looks like we’ve made it past two full weeks together. There’s a bit of talk about the road home, concern about the cold up north of us, especially for camping. And now we’re in Utah and planning on spending a couple of days in Zion, one for relaxing and one for hiking (possibly overnight). Earlier [...]

Compared to last night in the overly warm motel room, tonight is a cold one. It’s definitely below zero, the sky is perfectly clear (and beautiful at the same time) and Matt and I are sleeping in the summer tent. The campground is closed, but we only got here at 10:30 PM so couldn’t really [...]

After being denied access to a couple of bars because the ID that my Australian friends were carrying wasn’t considered valid, I hear the sweet sound of saxophone and trombone playing ska beats.

Flagstaff now, after a day hike into the Grand Canyon, with spectacular views and a surprisingly draining hike back. It’s not usual to go down at the start of a hike and then come back up at the end, at least for me.

It’s cold, below freezing, but pretty dry so it’s not all that bad at all. Plus, I’ve found my thermal underwear, and have just had a really good meal.

Death Valley was cold and rainy, Las Vegas is one scam after another. At least I’m in a tent again, and there’s water nearby. Actually, the hiking in Death Valley was quite enjoyable this morning, and the only snow we’d seen was on the way in to Death Valley, on the pass. The rain was [...]

“Happy Veterans Day” someone said on the radio yesterday. Today, someone flew an American flag halfway up a kite string. People just don’t know what to do these days, or rather, people don’t just know what to do these days. The ceremony is externalized, it comes from knowing and feeling that something is required of [...]

The sound of the wind and the need to pee woke me up. I got out of the tent. The eastern horizon has a red glow, and yet the moonlight still casts it’s shadows. Amazing.