Glen Canyon, AZ While the far-reaching views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon may be the most enigmatic and spectacular, there is a particularly intimate magic to being inside the canyon itself. One cannot really know the place without being underneath its shadowy depths. But there’s a rub…there’s still no easy way into the canyon. The advent of […]
Sedona: The Red Rock Paradise
Sedona, AZ There is, believe it or not, much more to see than just the Grand Canyon in Arizona. During their 2009 Grand Canyon expedition Brian and Sylvia decided to see some more of what the Grand Canyon State has to offer. Of course, Brian had in fact been to the Canyon twice before, including a full North-South traverse of […]
Grandscape: The South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ Excepting perhaps Yosemeti’s famed valley, no landscape has captured the national imagination like the Grand Canyon. Vast, rugged, strange, fantastic, profound…the grandest of canyons carved by the Colorado River through countless layers of sandstone rock is like no other on earth. There are bigger canyons, but none eclipse the Grand Canyon in scale, beauty […]
The Most Celebrated Hole on Earth
The Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon has long been recognized as one of America’s most magical places. Even the name affirms its grandeur…there is no need to explain WHAT canyon you are talking about (it’s the canyon of the Colorado River, technically speaking.) All you need to do is say that it’s the Grand one. Everyone knows which canyon you […]
Looking to Get Off the Beaten Path? Try the Lone Star State
Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas Looking for a great American National Park experience? Our suggestion is to look off the beaten path. As far as the outdoor recreation community is concerned, that perfectly describes the dang ole Great State of Texas. No one thinks of Texas as being a hiking mecca. But in our opinion, trans-Pecos Texas […]
Tough times for Zion National Park
Angels Landing reopens…but now the Narrows is indefinitely closed. A lot of unfortunate news coming out of Zion National Park these days. First, due to damage resulting from a severe storm earlier this year, the Angels Landing Trail – the most popular in the park – was closed for months. Then, just days after Angel’s Landing re-opened, the park announced […]
Canyon at the Edge of a Neon City
Day 4: Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas With regrets we said goodbye Zion Canyon. We had done what we had set out to…explore the great canyon and do as much hiking as was possible. But we still had a LOT of unfinished business here, enough for at least one more trip. We departed, vowing to be back someday. But we […]
Observation (exclamation) Point
Day 3: Observation Point, Zion Canyon *We have added Observation Point to BecauseItzThere’s list of Great Hikes in The US and Canada. It’s hard to believe a hike could get much better…yet the almost universal consensus is that this hike ranks below Angels Landing and The Narrows, both of which are Bucketlist Hikes. Need any more reasons to visit Zion? […]
The Bowl Full of Wonders
Day 2: Bryce Canyon *Located less than 90 minutes north of Zion National Park is much less visited Bryce Canyon National Park. Though less epic in scale than Zion, it is photogenically AT LEAST as pleasing and a worthy place to to visit all by itself. If you are visiting Zion anyway and have time, making the drive up to […]
Zion: A Canyon of Biblical Proportions
Day 1: Zion Canyon *Note that Brian and Sylvia made the pilgrimage to Zion Canyon some five years ago. During this time, Brian, then a man of a ‘certain age’, has become a man of a certain age plus five years. Therefore, a few minor dramatic liberties have been taken with the account that follows…IE, Brian has forgotten most of […]