Am I the only person who pursues riddles my logical mind knows it can’t solve? Why do we drive on the parkway and park on the driveway? Why do bad things happen to good people? Do humming birds sleep? Why don’t woodchucks chuck wood?
Tag: nature
Yosemite: it’s my first time
Having been warned that Yosemite was a “circus”, “a nature theme park”, and my favorite “The Valley of Crazed Tourist”, We prepared for the National Parks version of the Hunger Games. Read more
Surprised by Splendor
Rolling through Southern New Mexico in record high temps the starship campervan began to feel more like a vehicle from Mad Max. Covered in Dust, an insect graveyard upon the grill and bumper. The previous morning I’d hit a tumble weed. Am I an official “road warrior”? May I point out the van is a tiny home on wheels, NOT a finely tuned super car. Yet somehow, we managed to dodge countless birds, deer, and a fox. Mother Nature really needs to start a wildlife/ woodland creatures suicide counseling program. Read more
Solar Campervan/ stepping off
Yes, I’m leaving a good job with amazing coworkers , many of whom are like family. We’re stepping away from the safety of our suburbia middle American Dream to live out of a homemade campervan.
I’ve been told I’m committing career suicide, going through an early midlife crisis, and my personal favorite, “you should start doing drugs, like normal people”. And yes, this was said lovingly! “Drugs are bad MKAY” Read more
Welcome to the Dark Side
Setting up my tripod before a mirrored lake, I manually adjusted each setting in the manner all photography was done before (AUTO). Shockingly Ansel Adams didn’t use an I-phone, or a point and shoot. Sliding the dial from Auto to Manual opens “a whole new world, don’t you dare close your eyes“. Ok, Aladdin may have been trying to impress Jasmine. But if you want to go on a magic carpet ride, (More Steppenwolf/ “less Disney”) try a little night photography. Welcome to the Power of the Dark Side. Read more
Run for it: Anahuac Wildlife Refuge
Flailing hands at my assailants, I ran as panic set in. A mixture of sweat and blood was on my hands. My heart pounded with the echoes of heavy footfalls amplified by low boardwalks and bridges. A cloud of relentless attackers had been driven into a frenzy by the smell of blood. Read more
Raft the Colorado River
I’ve spent most of my vacation and holiday time hiking, climbing, kayaking, or rafting locations that were illustrated in my childhood Boy Scout handbook. Yet there’s a twist. Those images were cartooned and often inaccurate, leading younger me to believe I could one day enjoy a campsite in front of Delicate Arch. Or that climbing Everest was something any fit young man could accomplish with a knapsack and a thermos of Campbell’s Soup. Read more
Texas Missions
This story begins as so many Texas stories do, “Hold my beer and watch this”! Just kidding, that’s only stories involving fireworks and trips to the hospital. This anecdote begins in a bluebonnet patch. Why bluebonnets you may ask? Maine’s state flower is a pine cone. Have you ever laid on a stack of pine cones? Read more
Guadalupe River State Park: why camp
The accumulation of daily life and it’s endless demands tightens around me like a python squeezing joy from my soul. This is the first day in a week long Texas State Park trip. After only a few hours of climbing, photography, and hiking, my smile quickly returns.
Nature+Adventure= less crazy
Do you long for an extinction level event? Have you ever fantasized about head-butting the annoying person in front of you at Star Bucks? Are you prone to full-tilt diva workplace meltdowns? Did “Chicken Soup for the Middle American Confused Middle Child Who Wasn’t Hugged Enough” not make a lasting impression on you? Read more
Little Adventures 