latest trips

In January of 2020 I booked a 5 day hiking trip to Death Valley with REI for March of that year.  Less than 2 months later, the COVID-19 pandemic exploded.  Two days before I was to fly out to Las Vegas on March 15, 2020,  I cancelled my trip due to concerns of air travel suspensions and the thought of being stranded out west.  REI graciously refunded all cancelations during this time.  For the next 18 months, I looked back on the day I cancelled the trip and wondered if I made the right decision.  Would I have been able to enjoy the beauty of Death Valley and the excitement of hiking and meeting new people, or would the group have been constantly worried about

Seventeen months after I had to cancel my REI hiking trip to Death Valley due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was finally going on vacation!!  Back in May 2021, Colin mentioned that he had almost 4 weeks of vacation time he had to “burn” before the end of the year.  Nothing more had to be said before I went into planning mode for a September vacation.  It came down between Iceland (they had opened their borders to COVID vaccinated Americans) and Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks.  Ultimately, I chose Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks because I was still a little leery about international travel and planning something 4 months out.  Overall, the trip was a resounding success!!! Other than a “smoky” Grand Tetons, we

In June 2019 I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Basel, Switzerland for 5 days. One of the items on my “bucket list” was to hike the Tour Du Mont Blanc which is a popular trekking tour that circumnavigates Mount Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe.  The trek travels thru 3 countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland, and usually takes 7-12 days to complete.  I began researching tour companies, but the dates didn’t seem to coincide with my conference dates.  Colin was graduating from college in May and wouldn’t be starting his new job until July so I invited him to meet up with me in Switzerland and instead of trekking the Mount Blanc circuit, I put together an itinerary

In 2013 the state of Utah launched a $3.1 million campaign to promote the state’s “Mighty Five” National Parks: Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, & Zion National Park.  The campaign has been wildly successful, almost too successful for its own good.  The parks have now become extremely popular & overcrowded, especially Arches and Zion.  Park officials have had to institute crowd control measures such as timed entry (Arches) and mandatory shuttle services & permit hiking (Zion).  Planning a trip to these parks can be quite tricky nowadays.  Make sure you check the National Park Service website www.nps.gov for specifics related to each park and any pre-trip reservations that you may need to make (they fill up

In 2015 our family of 4 embarked on a 7 day, 188 mile journey thru the Grand Canyon encountering 67 white water rapids with Wilderness River Adventures.  This trip would most likely be our last “family” vacation as both boys would now be in college so we wanted to make it a memorable one.  A year’s worth of planning went into the trip and the experience did not disappoint.  Prepare yourself to be totally “unplugged” from the rest of the world, something very difficult to do in this digital age.  We went on a commercial tour using a licensed Colorado River concessioner.  Please read below for some helpful tips and answers to common questions for planning and experiencing the river adventure. Decide how actively involved

In September of 2010 I took my parents on a 9 day adventure to the Southwestern states of Utah and Arizona, my first time visiting this area of the country.  Thirty years earlier they took me on my first family vacation to witness the wonders of Acadia National Park. That trip was where I found my love for landscapes. It only seemed fitting that I could share this trip with them.  Unfortunately, it would be the last vacation I could share with them due to my parents’ health issues.  I will always treasure this trip.  The trip was a little different than most of my trips because I had to cater to their limitations.  While this trip was over 10 years ago,  I would still