As summer comes to a close, today is a beautiful day in Boulder, Colorado with blue skies and a comfortable 80-degree temperature. After weeks of the pall of smoke blotting out the sun and tingeing everything an odd color that looks like a Breaking Bad filter, today is truly
As a lover of national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park is my “home” national park, just 45 minutes from my house. We even got married there! There are no hidden secrets here, just a solid, tried-and-true itinerary for people of average fitness. A few things to keep in
First Impressions Something amazing happened when I first saw the view of Lake McDonald from the Village Inn at Apgar. All sense of linear time and arbitrary borders left my mind and I felt I was breathing in the same air that was here when these mountains and lakes took
When the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776, there were 13 states and Ohio wasn’t among them. From the very beginning, though, the Ohio Country was perceived as being part of the new United States, with the states of Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania claiming large
Entering the Red Rocks region around Moab hits in layers, no matter which way you come in. Whether it is that first glimpse of the Colorado River in the canyon against the cyan blue sky of the River Road (UT 128), or the towering cliffs just after entering Arches National
The second I stepped off the plane and took my first breath of Virgin Islands air, I knew the trip was going to be worth it. After being awake over 24 hours and a redeye flight, I was finally in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. At the
The last chords of guitar from a cover of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” drift away as the man next to me claps excitedly, then looks around sheepishly, realizing no one else is clapping; I clap with him and we laugh. We are