After spending the first two days above ground, we ventured beneath the surface at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It sounds banal, but the only word to adequately describe the caverns is, well, cavernous. The system of more than 119 limestone caves was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural…
Our second day in the Chihuahuan Desert included a hike to McKittrick Canyon, a route that began at the interpretive center and rounded a small hillside before crossing a big, rocky wash that exposed the canyon’s geology. The canyon is named after Captain Felix McKittrick, a rancher who settled at the mouth of the canyon…
Our adventure into the Chihuahuan Desert began with a drive-by of El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak, the most distinguishable and highest points in Texas. El Capitan is the southern-most peak of the Guadalupe escarpment, an ancient limestone reef that forms the present-day Guadalupe Mountains. These mountains are an exposed portion of the Capitan Reef Barrier, a 350-mile long reef made up…
After a three-week hiatus, we hitched up Cloud 9 and headed to our favorite backyard park for a weekender. Throughout our stay, we longed for a little peace and quiet — the kind that amplifies the crackle of a campfire or the whir of the wind. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, we found our moment of…
The first day of our Rocky Mountain adventure was spent driving from Dallas to Amarillo. We added some time to our trip by avoiding the shorter route through Fort Worth, which includes some of the most treacherous construction traffic we’ve ever experienced. Driving west toward Abilene and then north to Amarillo requires plenty of caffeine…
Yesterday, one of Jon’s colleagues said, “When are you ever going to take a vacation?” Answer: at the end of the month. Destination: Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll be camping near Estes Park during our week-long stay, which will allow us time to acclimate to the altitude before hitting the trails. After traveling to Grand…
The American humorist Garrison Keillor once said, “The problem with paradise is that it’s temporary: You don’t belong here and the neighbors are nobody you care to know, so it’s only blissful for a week or so.” We lost count of how many blissful weeks we’ve spent camping at Loyd Park this season, but one…
We’re wrapping up a six-week spring staycation at Loyd Park, and we’re in no hurry to leave. In fact, Jon’s Mom recently asked, “Do you think you’ll ever stay in your house again?” There are campers who have no desire to stay, and campers who are in no hurry to leave. We fall squarely into…
Our Sunday at Loyd Park brought thunderstorms, with lightning, winds and flooding rains–quite a change from previous days of warmth and sunshine that gave us clear skies and spectacular sunsets. Life at Loyd Park is a wonder, precisely because it includes an occasionally rainy Sunday. We had an unexpectedly quick move to site 139 on Thursday afternoon,…
We often spend two or three weekends a month “at the lake,” but the fact of the matter is that we spend very little time in or even near the water. Oh, we catch an occasional glimpse of the shore as we drive in or out of the park. We see a couple of ducks…
Garinns on the Go 