August 5, 2021 Knowing that even at an altitude of 7,500 feet it was going to be hot in the thin-air sun and that the

We agreed that this boondocking campground in Kings Canyon was one of our all-time top five. The stunning views of 11-14,000 foot peaks in the

August 3, 2021   We left the next morning a few minutes after waking up, the chairs and table already packed away the night before.

August 2, 2021 Getting to some of the most beautiful places in California from our house means crossing the Golden state’s agricultural heartland. California is

June 18-19, 2021 This is our 100th blog post, which finds us, ironically, at Lassen Volcanic National Park only a couple of hours from home

June 17, 2021 Snick, crunch, crunch. Snick, crunch, crunch. Snick, crunch, crunch. We’d never hiked a cinder cone before and it was getting obvious that the

June 16, 2021 California is in one of its worst droughts ever mostly because last winter received far less precipitation than normal. Fire season has

April 1, 2021 Spring sure starts late at high elevation. Once again, we woke to a very cold morning, this time in the high desert

March 31, 2021 It was as cold as predicted overnight and the walk outside to the hotel lobby for breakfast felt like mid-winter as we

March 30, 2021 We lingered over breakfast and coffee in the sun at our quiet Bandelier National Monument campsite. It was chilly but not like

March 29, 2021 We left the hotel in Albuquerque feeling clean and rested. A short drive brought us to nearby Petroglyph National Monument. We decided

March 28, 2021 A strong cold breeze and bright full moon kept us up a lot during the night. We’d hoped to arrive at nearby

Art credit zazzle.com March 27, 2021 We were awakened by a stereotype at 3 am: a lone coyote (likely near a saguaro cactus, I was

March 26, 2021 The wind died overnight and no critters visited (that we knew of). We were underway by 7 am. We drove back down

March 25, 2021 It’s always strange waking up in a hotel after camping for a few days. The luxury of a queen-size bed vs a

March 24, 2021 At dawn, we were serenaded awake by coyotes not far away. Way better than an alarm clock, I thought. A couple of

March 23, 2021 I woke suddenly at 6:00 am to a strong wind gust and rain slapping against the windows. The rain wasn’t supposed to

March 22, 2021 Neither of us slept well last night because our room was directly over the busiest intersection in Prescott and loud trucks and

March 21, 2021 Lulled by the strong wind rocking the truck through the night, we both slept soundly. By morning, the wind had almost entirely

March 20, 2021 While the night desert had been quiet, both of us accused the other of snoring last night. Not the earth-rattling kind but

March 19, 2021 Only some softly hooting desert owls disturbed our sleep during the night. The rising sun illuminated snow on peaks of the distant

March 18, 2021 It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it was morning and it was a bit drizzly and partly cloudy but I

February 26, 2021 The cold settled in overnight and when we eventually said good morning to each other, we laughed as we could see our

February 25, 2021 The moon was bright and the campground was eerily lit at midnight as owls hooted to each other. It was a cold

February 24, 2021 10:45 am. Her: Hey, I know this is kind of sudden, but I was thinking about a little camping trip we could

February 14, 2021 The wind blew all night but we were snug in the truck and protected enough not to get too much dust inside.

February 13, 2021 We both woke up by 7 groggy from lack of sleep. The loud couple got up and waved to us and we

February 12, 2021 Sadly, the room air conditioner in the hotel was noisy when it was on and too quiet when it was off, which

February 11, 2021 Light clouds rolled in overnight and dimmed the usual spectacular star show. But the night was quiet and we slept peacefully. Initially,

February 10, 2021 We both slept warmly last night despite the cold temperatures outside and were greeted by the sun coming up behind us. Sometime

February 9, 2021 Sometimes an adventure just comes together. We had nothing on our calendars scheduled for a week so we came up with a

January 16, 2021. It got dark at the campsite by 5 pm, but the nearby RV’s generator didn’t shut off until 9. We couldn’t imagine

January 15, 2021. It was in the upper 30’s when we woke up in the campsite by the creek, the trickling water welcoming us as

January 14, 2021. A few days of rainy and cool weather was starting to make us antsy for a road trip. We found a window

December 19, 2020 I stepped out of the truck very early in the morning before the sun was up as a gentle cold wind blew.

December 18, 2020 It was cold when we got up, somewhere not much above freezing. Parker, Arizona looked like a working-class town that was unhurried

December 17, 2020 The desert can be chilly at night in the winter, but we were warm with our extra blanket. Bugs don’t like the

December 16, 2020 We both woke up a little chilly, but only our faces. The outside temperature was 25 according to the truck when I

December 15, 2020 Sleeping next to a highway rarely makes for a good sleep, but because this one mostly went into the park, it was

December 14, 2020 California instituted new Covid restrictions a few days ago. Hotels were closed to all except essential workers, all campgrounds were closed and

September 30 – October 1, 2020 We weren’t nearly as cold as the night before—only 49 degrees this time—and we slept until the sun began

September 29, 2020 We both shivered half the night because we’d forgotten to bring our extra down blanket. I saw why we shivered—it was 29

September 28, 2020 We woke at dawn after an agitated sleep and immediately checked for an update on the fire near home. Fortunately, the news

September 27, 2020 It was a peaceful if chilly night by the corral with no sound but the wind. We made a leisurely breakfast at

September 26, 2020 We woke as the sun came up and by 8 am we were in Moab. The two-mile traffic jam from the night

September 25, 2020 We woke up at first light. Last night was peaceful but neither of us slept well for no reason we could ascertain.

September 23-24, 2020 After taking care of lots of little details and closing up our house to keep out the wildfire smoke, we finally hit

August 17-18, 2020 A cool comfy sleep is just the thing after a motorcycle trip from (or to) hell. Yesterday’s asphalt-melting ride to Napa was

August 16, 2020 The idea was to ride the motorcycle to Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California on a two-day 550-mile loop . We would

August 11-12, 2020 Covid is causing more people to try new things, such as camping, for the first time. We love seeing people discover how

August 10, 2020 As expected, the sunrise over the lake was spectacular, even if we slept in and missed the first part. It was cool

August 9, 2020 We’d had a wonderful one-month stretch at home, with family visiting for much of it, but now we were ready to explore

July 7-8, 2020 The terminus of our trip was supposed to be Glacier National Park. We were going to head there first, but five days

July 6, 2020 We woke at 6:30 and within 10 minutes we were underway to the South Rim of the Yellowstone Trail. Before we even

July 5, 2020 We woke up ready to leave. Ready in that everything was packed up so we could head out early. The Tetons are

July 4, 2020 It was cool last night, around 45 degrees, which made for good sleeping. We lingered until the sun came through the windows

July 3, 2020 11:30 pm: The four twenty-somethings camped across from us kept talking and getting in and out of their car a few yards

July 2, 2020 We woke to sun streaming in the windows and it was cool enough out that Susan donned her puffy coat to step

July 1, 2020 During the night it started to rain and we were glad to be inside. It was a cold rain with wind but

June 30, 2020 The cheap hotel the night before turned out to be just what we needed. By the time we checked out, we were

June 29, 2020 I woke up about 2 am and turned off the fan, partly because we didn’t need it anymore and partly because I

June 28, 2020 We’d never made camp the night before and it was quite chilly camped at high elevation, so we left right after we

June 27, 2020 We showered one more time in the morning to get our money’s worth at the hotel and set off to Twin Falls,

June 26, 2020 3 pm on the Oregon coast: Wow, the sun is shining bright—I could live here. Any other time: It’s so dreary I could never

June 25, 2020 When I woke up, I knew I wanted something hot for breakfast. The wind had mostly died but it was chilly and

June 24, 2020 Most campgrounds wake pretty early. But Redwood Bar wasn’t like most campgrounds. There were no designated sites, rather dozens of spots along

June 23, 2020 With both of us feeling the travel itch again, we decided to take a trip in our own “backyard” and see parts

June 10-11, 2020 While we love camping, we really love traveling. Camping is an affordable way to wake up in awesome places and allows us

May 28-29, 2020 To get a perfect night’s sleep requires several things. Each sense must be completely satisfied. A soft comfortable surface to lie on,

May 27, 2020 Our remote campsite last night was incredibly quiet. We slept in and woke up with the sun already streaming through the tall

May 26, 2020 I stepped out of the truck at about 2 am and looked at the sky. It was hard to believe how bright

May 25, 2020 We always said that once we actually retire and we get tired of the rainy winters or baking summers, we’d simply leave

May 10, 2020 We’d escaped the heatwave at home, but now the forecast for the entire north part of California was for several days of

May 9, 2020 We woke to muted sun low through the trees, a chill, a faint pine scent, and the ever-present smile-inducing sound of Trail

May 8, 2020 We woke up early and when we stepped out of the truck we were surprised that it wasn’t as cold as we

May 7, 2020 We left the house at about 9 am, heading north and west to escape a coming heat wave and find some places

April 30, 2020 A gentle breeze rustled the oak leaves and whispered in the pines above us as we woke. The night had been incredibly

April 29, 2020 The skies clouded overnight and the temperature didn’t fall as much as we’d expected. We both slept warm and comfortable on our

April 28, 2020 It had been six weeks since we began sheltering in place due to the coronavirus and we needed to get out. We’d

March 16, 2020 We woke at daybreak and took a short walk along the lake’s edge. Our campsite next to the lake was peaceful and

March 15, 2020 Refreshed, we decided to spend some time in our hotel, taking care of business – phone calls to family, canceling our May

March 14, 2020 My phone was supposed to wake us at 6 am this morning and didn’t. We planned to take in the sunrise at

March 13, 2020 It was a pleasant evening camping in Mesquite Canyon. Then a gentle breeze sprang up after we’d gone to bed. Soon, the

March 12, 2020 The sunset the night before in the Alabama Hills was followed by a perfect moonrise. When I stepped out of the truck

March 11, 2020 Voyagers can find travel addictive as minds expand with horizons. So it is with us. Less than two weeks after returning from

February 28, 2020 I awoke around 3 am and stepped outside. There were no coyotes yipping this time but amazingly I could faintly hear the

February 27, 2020 The wind blew through the night and shook the truck at times but eventually diminished a little. Getting out of the SUV

February 26, 2020 All through the night, the wind howled. The palm fronds hung on bravely and the sand dust swirled throughout the campground and

February 25, 2020 Again we woke to the swooshing of swaying palms brushing across the truck. The forecast was for even higher winds with gusts

February 24, 2020 In the morning in Baja, the wind is usually light. But this day, by noon, it was howling and blew 25 mph

February 23, 2020 A constant cool breeze flowed through the truck while the surf lulled us all night. The forecast was for robust wind, but

February 22. 2020 We woke up early with the sunrise and decided to head to Agua Verde before breakfast. Not long after leaving, we started

February 21, 2020 We woke at 5:45 am (first light) to absurdly loud, throbbing Mexican music. After being gone all night, the fishermen I’d helped

February 20, 2020 Day two at Playa Pilitas started after a good night’s sleep with a cool breeze blowing through the screened windows. Before breakfast,

February 19, 2020 The decision to stay another day in Cabo was nixed a few seconds after it was uttered, and unanimously. The crowds, traffic,

February 18, 2020  Let’s go sit in the hot pool! The sun was just rising and Susan was already awake. Groggily, I said sure, but

February 17, 2020 Many years ago, sailing friends, when asked how far south they planned to go, used to say, ‘til the butter melts. For

February 16, 2020 Turns out, a long way. After waking to a stunning orange sunrise over the sea, followed by a breakfast of oatmeal and

February 15, 2020 We woke sprawled on the hotel’s double-twin bed (not to be confused with a real king). Then another hot shower and then

February 14, 2020 After the wind died down overnight, the stillness was powerful. A late-night bathroom break presented stars from horizon to horizon with the