We first went to Llano on our way to Inks Lake State Park, and were impressed with their trust system RV parking in the city park for $15. It was a pretty park, right on the river, and included water and…
Sunrise Beach Cabin
I always wanted to live in a log cabin. In my twenties I came pretty close. For eight years I rented a 1920s cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains. It had one main room with a kitchenette corner and a…
Texas-Sized Weather
Coming from Oregon, I thought I knew rain. Hell, Oregonians don’t even own umbrellas. We just put on a hat and a windbreaker and keep on hiking or gardening or whatever. Now I get why. Oregon has anemic rain. It…
Inks Lake, Texas
My sister lives in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston. She and her husband, Don, also have a log cabin on Lake LBJ, west of Austin. So Texas was a draw for us, and we wanted to get there before the…
Santa Fe, New Mexico
I’ve always wanted to go to Santa Fe, but the main draw there for us was our friend, Judith. Kate met Judith while volunteering at a teen parent program in Eugene back in 1990, and our families became good friends.…
Continuing Dental Woes
Although the antibiotics I got in San Diego and again near Zion had eased the infection in my recently crowned tooth, things were clearly not right in my mouth. Any time my top-left teeth touched my bottom-left, it hurt. For…
Durango, Colorado
I’ve been to this quaint little mountain city twice before. The first time, Kate and I drove through to visit my newfound half-brother and his fiancé. He was the baby my father had with his second wife. When my father…
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
We had two different friends push us to go see Mesa Verde National Park in Southwest Colorado. The park is filled with ancient ruins of early Native American dwellings, many of them built into the edges of cliffs. It’s just an hour…
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
For years I’d seen photos of Antelope Canyon in art shows and was astounded by the color and texture of the rock, the way the light made smooth walls glow within the deep slot canyon. I’ve always wanted to go…
Arches National Park, Utah
I’ve seen photos of Arches National Park, and it was one I definitely wanted to hit while we were in Utah. It’s known for its unusual rock formations, including precariously balanced rocks and naturally formed arches and windows. Most visitors…
Capitol Reef National Park
Our next destination from Bryce was Arches National Park. We could take Highway 89 up to Interstate 70, or we could go the scenic route, over mountains, and drive through Capital Reef National Park. Naturally, we chose the scenic route.…