Category: Adventures

It is Wednesday again, and it is that time when I share another place I have enjoyed along my travels with you. While this “location” is more of an area than a physical spot, it is well-known by those who spend time in or live in Arizona.

The Mogollon Rim is located just outside Payson, Arizona shares dramatic views that rival the Grand Canyon. This naturally formed geographic feature spams 200 miles from Yavapai County, Arizona, into New Mexico. The central section of the rim is described as having highly eroded cliffs of limestone and sandstone that have been dramatically cut through the centuries. With most common elevations between 4,000 and 5,000 feet on average, some areas rise well over 8,000 feet. Dramatic views with sheer dropoffs to the valleys below are incredibly stunning.

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Woke up to snow on the ground, a surprising sight I was not ready for. I am quite ready for spring to be here but this snow is a sign that winter is not quite ready to leave. Today’s plan is to hop in the truck and head out to a local trail on the northeast side of town. A bit of a drive for me, but I do love a good drive. The morning was clear and crisp and perfect for a stroll down an unknown trail to me. I was up early enough that the roads were empty and still had frost and snow covering them before the sun hits them. Continue reading

Campfires always bring people together as does camping. This last weekend was my first annual Freeze Your Butt Off campout or FYBO for short. A camping weekend that takes place at Kickapoo State Park in Illinois. This trip allowed me to check off another State Park from my list as well as get to test out some of my new camping gear.

Before you start with the whole …. there he goes again buying more gear. I admit I might have a slight minor addiction to camping gadgets but all of this gear was purchased prior to the Jeep crapping out and me getting the 4 Runner. This means that every trip this year will be a new experience. New vehicle, new-ish gear, and new places…

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Having lived in the southwest, I became addicted to visiting ghost towns and mines.   A saying among my friends is “West is best” when they talk about the amount of adventure that can be found in the Southwest. Sure, I enjoy hiking out east, but out west has lots of very unique places to explore. With an endless amount of BLM land and dispersed camping, you can always find plenty of places to get away from the hustle and bustle of towns. I have only lived in the Southwest for over five years now. I wanted to recap a few of the places that I have explored.

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A warm week brought on a spur-of-the-moment desire to go camping. Camping always calls to me however the midwest had been seeing some unusually cold days. Some of the midwest saw negative 40 deg Fahrenheit which all sane people did the bare minimum outside and hibernated. Luckily for Winston and me, we were able to spend Christmas with my mom. Thankfully the cold temps did not last all winter. With an overcast weekend, the weather was just warm enough to head out to camp. This would be our last of the year and first of 2023.

Knowing all of my friends would be busy fighting colds or covid I did some looking around to find a good quiet spot to go camp. Winston has not become a seasoned camper yet so patience and quiet camp sports are what he needs to get there.  I settled on a spot about two hours from the house. Almost in the middle between Saint Louis and home.  Mccully Preservation.  I found the camp through Hipcamp an app that allows you to book a night on private land akin to VRBO or AirBNB but for camping.

I debated camping was how I wanted to spend NYE. I knew I did not want to go to any big parties so it was either stay home or go camping.  Camping a couple of hours away gives you a safety net so if something unplanned happens you can just head home. I spent the day on Friday collecting and organizing my gear. This would be the first time using the new tent.  I quickly collected the gear and tossed some of it in the truck. We settled into a quiet evening of watching youtube and playing with Winston’s Christmas presents.
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A couple of years back I headed north from Tucson headed to find an odd roadside attraction. Two Guns Arizona sits outside of Winslow, Arizona, off Historic Route 66. There is not much there today but it does make for a fun plate to explore. I dive deeper into the town’s history over on my adventure page.
 
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During my trip to Outdoor Retailer, I was asked to join the ranks of a super-secret invite-only hike. Lead by a person whom I shall call “Mr. Swedish Fish”. Met at an undisclosed parking lot in downtown Salt Lake City a few blocks from the convention center. We loaded up into vehicles and headed into the mountains. We arrive and are promptly told to switch all phones into airplane mode. Thankfully I knew many of the people there and one does not turn down a #HikerChat secret invitation. The hike was roughly a 6-mile round trip hike that gained nearly 2000 feet of elevation.

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The adventure begins with an email saying that my flight is an hour late. I then spend the rest of the day making sure that I can make my connecting flights. The original plan was to fly into Seattle and Paul would pick me up and then we would drive down to Merced CA. I ended up having to change flights and destinations in order to make things work. I flew into Portland and landed around midnight.  Paul made fantastic time to pick me up and off into the night we drove.

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