
Oil and Gas Drilling at Zion?
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed opening up new oil and gas leasing parcels immediately adjacent to Zion … Continue reading Oil and Gas Drilling at Zion?
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed opening up new oil and gas leasing parcels immediately adjacent to Zion … Continue reading Oil and Gas Drilling at Zion?
Several new posts on our latest van roadtrip: our experience of Cairo, Illinois; observations about traveling in the South (and … Continue reading A Southern Loop
If you look at a map Cairo, Illinois, jumps out as a place where you should stop. Betsy has always … Continue reading Cairo, Illinois
Route: St. Louis to New Orleans, back to St. Louis, mostly via back roads with van repairs in Jackson Mississippi. … Continue reading The Middle South
There are only three archeological World Heritage Sites in the United States. Poverty Point, in Epps, Louisiana, in the Northeast … Continue reading Poverty Point
Serendipity is the thing on road trips. The theater of driving and seeing such natural and social diversity is remarkable. … Continue reading On the road…
It is easy to be nostalgic about the road – and particularly Route 66 – from a distance. Before heading … Continue reading Erick, Oklahoma
The Centennial of the National Parks was the occasion for much celebration and appreciation of “America’s Best Idea.” To read … Continue reading Our National Parks
Canyon de Chelly is an important physical and cultural monument. Five million years of geological uplift and water erosion created … Continue reading Canyon de Chelly National Monument
We first heard about Glen Canyon and Powell Lake from a ranger in Bryce National Park. She had been stationed … Continue reading Glen Canyon National Rec Area
Bryce Canyon represents a 60 million year masterpiece of erosion, ice, snowmelt, and weather extremes. The hoodoos are constantly changing. … Continue reading Bryce Canyon
It is trite to say, but Zion is a jewel. The amazing oranges, pinks, and reds; and contrasts of water, … Continue reading Zion National Park
What to do to escape southern California traffic and and the neon lights of Las Vegas? Stumble upon an unheralded State … Continue reading Valley of Fire
Traveling to Yosemite Valley in the winter is taking a gamble–but one well worth taking. The approaches to the park … Continue reading Yosemite
The rain and forecast in Oregon encouraged us to move south quickly. We wandered about a bit in upscale Ashland, … Continue reading Lassen and Central California
I had the good fortune to have a conversation with a veteran park ranger in the Oregon State Park System … Continue reading An Oregon Park Ranger…
It seemed fitting to begin our van adventure by heading from Troutdale to the mouth of the Columbia River. We … Continue reading Oregon Coast
Matty McNair
Our van is named in honor of Matty McNair, a great contemporary explorer. Matty has skied to both the North and South Poles. She led the first all-women expedition to the North Pole. Continue reading ““Matty” Our van name”
2016 Mercedes Sprinter four wheel drive van outfitted by Outside Van, Troutdale Oregon. Van elements include 4×4 Van 144 wheelbase … Continue reading Our van design
After two years of prep, we finally hit the road on November 29, 2016. Our initial route took us to … Continue reading Our van trip
We experienced a wonderful sendoff after 12 years at the Brown School at Washington University. Our friends put on a … Continue reading Brown School Sendoff