The Utah Saga: Deep into Monument Valley

Cue "Horse With No Name" by America, please. So I had to pull off this quick detour between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. I had heard of Monument Valley and remember seeing it in typical old cowboy movies. This, is quintessential wild west: Monument Valley (or officially known as…

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Backpacking Canyonlands National Park: Two nights in the Needles

After a morning pitstop at Canyonlands National Park's Island in the Sky district, I hopped back onto the highway and drove 90 minutes south to begin my three-day backpacking adventure in the Needles District. The park entrance is off of hwy and you'll have to drive on a long road through the lush, Newspaper Ro…

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The Utah Saga: Moab, sunsets, and Edward Abbey

Upon arriving my first night into Arches (established in 1971), one of the many National Parks on my adventure bucket list, I spent an hour hiking the (easy, 2-mile round-trip) Park Avenue trail which takes you past towering red rock walls, in a big, washout of dried sandstone littered with curves and crazy shapes, ap…

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The stories of Sego

After two flights and a layover in Denver, Colorado, I landed in Salt Lake City later in the morning.   My backpacking pack and rental car keys in hand, I quickly set out. The pure goal of this trip is to spend ten days visiting every National Park in Utah and as many other marker federal lands as possible. On the road…

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A September update

I'm heading west to Utah. Starting bright and early on Thursday morning, I'll be flying solo to Salt Lake City, with a short layover in my favorite state's capital, Denver, to fill the next ten days with pure exploring of Utah. This is a state filled with tall peaks, canyons, and endless desert. I've n…

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A spring overnight at Kohler-Andrae State Park

With about 18 hours off of my normal work schedule, I went on a bit of an adventure.  I took some inspiration from an article I recently read in Outside Magazine about the concept of "Microadventures," studied by Alastair Humphreys . After getting home from a few errands and a stint of rock climbing on Sunday …

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The best jobs I ever worked were seasonal jobs

Seasonal jobs aren't exactly understood by those that have never done it.  When I was in college at Loyola University Chicago, earning my B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations, the phrase "seasonal job" never came up in classroom discussions, one-on-ones with professors and academic advisors, and in c…

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East to Wisconsin: Bidding farewell to Colorado

A new job back home in Wisconsin means a new adventure on the road.  On Sunday I'll be leaving the truly beautiful state of Colorado (but not for good) and driving almost 24 hours with 1,500 miles (this time solo) back to the cheese state. A must-see stop? Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve , that's be…

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Colorado Mines Peak during a whiteout

Today we summited Colorado Mines Peak at 12,497 feet. In addition to Colorado Mines Peak our plan was to then summit nearby Mt. Flora, Eva, and Pary Peak (also locally called Bearclaw). Chatting over the weather report and routes at breakfast in the commons dining area at YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, we so…

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End of the line in Granby

On the way into my hometown of Granby, there's a set of tracks with an old caboose. Today I decided to explore what was down there. Parking next to a storage shed, its yellow and red painted facade standing out in the nearby white snow and piercing blue skies, I passed a bucket of railroad ties laying in the snow o…

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