Since we left the Alabama Hills region of California, we’ve been less exploring and more on a mission: to get the damned door finally fixed on the Airstream at a dealership/service center in Temecula, California. The irony is we’ve been in two really stellar campsites during this mission and have hardly been able to spend […]
Three-story Tiny House Beginning
When we were in Las Vegas, at an Amazon locker I picked up a new tiny house, and this was supposed to be the tiny house to end all tiny houses. Three stories! A coy pond and a bridge! A sauna and a gaming gazebo, lol! This thing has everything. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten so used […]
Famous Alabama Hills of California
We drove straight west from Las Vegas, to the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains—an area called Alabama Hills. (More on the name below). Unlike other times when Tracy’s felt confident exploring dirt roads to find just the right spot for us, here we could see campers scattered all over this national scenic area […]
Overcrowding Complaints
As we’ve travelled from the East Coast to the West, Tracy’s done a spectacular job finding us spots to camp at that are outside campgrounds but legal (federal land, mostly), with great views, privacy, and nearby towns. I think we spent all of the summer in Montana boondocking, in fact. But as we head closer […]
I Spent My Birthday on Tatooine
I didn’t know this until I’d been here a few days and was scrolling through the Death Valley info on the NPS app: several Star Wars scenes from two of its movies were filmed here. This was a national monument back then, not a national park and national wilderness like it is now, so it was legal […]
A Different Salt Life
I do miss the Salt Life of the ocean; this time last year we were skirting the Gulf of Mexico on our way from Texas to Florida and loving the small towns along the way. The salt here is pervasive though, and in Death Valley the standing water at the lowest basins is sometimes saltier […]
Mosaic Canyon
This is another slot canyon like Golden, but the geology is much different. The rock here has been turned to marble due to so much flash flooding, and it’s as smooth as a marble countertop in places. We walked along the widest parts with a gravel floor for the wash and had excellent views of […]
Golden Canyon
Slot canyons are pretty common here in Death Valley due to flash floods, and they make for lovely hikes. The revealed geology is colorful and varied in texture. We hiked up this slot canyon, through soft clay-like rock with a gravel wash for our path, and the sun was rising still against the tallest peaks ahead […]
Surprising Death Valley
I feel like I should be saying, “Here, let me show you our slides from our family vacation this summer!” LOL, I have so many pictures, and we’ve been in Death Valley for only two full days so far. I’m going to write a ton of posts with a ton of photos, and you’re going to have […]
Adios Las Vegas
We’re leaving Las Vegas Bay campground just after most of our neighbors have left, oddly. You know those neighbors. The single lady living/traveling in her minivan with her little reactive dog; the mom and disabled daughter in their camper with their much bigger reactive dog (we all would walk at strategic times of the day). […]
