I established a hiking regimen for our 21-day drive to Issaquah, WA. Except for our 5-day stop at Hill AFB, UT, the remaining 6 stops were each for 3 days. My plan was to chill on the day we arrived, hike a minimum of 3 miles each morning thereafter (except for the day of departure)….
Took advantage of the good weather and many trail options to take four hikes during our 5-day stop in September. Hike 1 – Dorothy Stewart Big Loop, above 7,000′, and 2.9 miles with 669′ elevation change. Moderate rated trail with lots of ups and downs, low shrub/tree vegetation, but not many scenic views. Hike 2…
A variety of trails were available during our week-long stay near Durango. I hiked four, each providing a unique flavor of area terrain. Unfortunately, I failed to save these within the Runkeeper or AllTrails apps on my phone. I estimated the off-trail distances hiked in order to meet MFI at our predetermined rendevouz points, and…
The City of Page sits atop a mesa that varies in height from about 50′ along the south side of town to several 100′ along the north. I found the 10.3-mile Page Rim View Trail on my AllTrails app and decided to hike it across the four days we were there. On the left below,…
Hiking has been part of my fitness routine for some years now, but this screeched to a halt this past winter and early 2023 travel season for two reasons. First, my shoulder and neck problems and subsequent surgery recovery periods prevented me from hiking for six months. Second, once back on the road, we spent…
We took a four-day trip back to Green Valley, so we could finish what was left undone from our first visit back in June (Please refer to our earlier blog, Brother Rus’ Projects – Green Valley, AZ). As a reminder, we had converted Rus’ carport into an enclosed garage; however, we now had to refloat,…
My brother Rus retired two years ago and moved to Green Valley, AZ. One of his goals was to hike routinely for maintaining his health, and because he enjoys it. Last year, he exceeded his 2022 goal of hiking 2,500 miles. His 2023 goal is also 2,500 miles; however, he admitted to us in late…
Heading west from New Mexico, just inside Arizona at the Dragoon exit, is Texas Canyon. During our many commutes between San Antonio and Phoenix, while Sarah was at ASU (Go SunDevils), we marveled each time we drove through the canyon but never stopped. Since now was our chance, I scheduled a 3-day stay at the…
For our fourth and final day in the park, we made Boquillas Canyon in the Park’s southeast corner our primary focus. It was a 50-mile drive from the Park entrance. This canyon is one of the last locations we saw where the Rio Grande is still easily accessible, that is, reachable on paved roads. Four…
The weather on Day 3 was also mostly clear and beautiful. Our destination was the basin inside the Chisos Mountain caldera. We took a right turn before getting to Panther Junction and climbed into the forested mountains. The lower forests were comprised of Piñon Pine, Drooping Junipers, and Gray Oak, while at higher elevations we…
