Last week, Whitney went to the American Geriatrics Society Conference in Portland. I joined her on Thursday night and we spent the next three days wandering around. On Friday, I spent all morning at Powell’s Books and meandered around town waiting for her to finish the conference. That night, our friend and her sister joined … More Portland, Oregon

San Francisco is probably my favorite big city in the United States. I love the hilly streets, the fresh ocean breeze, and the cultural frenzy. Because my brother and his family lives in the Bay Area, I’ve visited numerous times. I’ve ate my weight in chocolate at the Ghirardelli Factory, visited the haunted halls of … More San Francisco, California

The Everglades is a pristine landscape that is mostly underappreciated. People tend to hate alligators and snakes. And I totally get it. I don’t exactly want to cuddle up next to these dangerous creatures, but they are vital members of the ecosystem. The wetlands have been markedly destroyed in Florida, as swamps are drained to … More Everglades National Park

Carlsbad Caverns is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. It is a great two for one regarding national parks with Guadalupe Mountains National Park next door! The caverns are most well known for a large limestone chamber called the Big Room, which is 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high. … More Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Hiking the Narrows, Angels’ Landing. Need I say more? The answer is no. Zion National Park is a fan favorite of mostly everyone who has visited the five parks of Utah. And for good reason. We have visited twice, once as mostly a drive through during a road trip many years ago, and again as … More Zion National Park

The Painted Desert is a colorful area of badlands, made of stratified layers of siltstone, shale, and mudstone. The Painted Desert stretches from the Grand Canyon National Park to the Petrified Forest National Park, with a large portion lying within the Navajo Nation. Petrified Forest National Park is one of the more underwhelming national parks I’ve … More Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park

Monument Valley is also known as Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, meaning “valley of the rocks.” It is located in Navajo Nation, along the Arizona-Utah border. The sandstone buttes are quite famous, most notably the West and East Mitten Buttes, the Totem Pole, and the Three Sisters. The scenic road is incredibly rocky and nearly took out … More Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park