New Year’s in Hocking Hills: Winter Hiking at Cantwell Cliffs, Rock House, and Whispering Cave
A New Year’s winter visit to Hocking Hills State Park in southeast Ohio unfolded under an overnight snowfall that left roughly a half inch of fresh powder across the landscape. Cold temperatures and slick conditions thinned the crowds, lending the park a quieter, more deliberate character. We spent several days moving through the hills with my partner and Theo, our cattle dog, following a loose arc between some of the park’s most distinct sandstone formations.
Snowshoeing West Virginia’s Coopers Rock State Forest
A winter visit to Coopers Rock State Forest featuring snowshoe hikes, the Henry Clay Furnace, CCC history, and views over the Cheat River Gorge.
The Covered Bridge and the Tamaracks of Mill Race Park
Mill Race Park in Columbus, Indiana, offers a mix of riverfront scenery and unexpected botanical surprises.
Through the Year: Cataract Falls in Every Season
Whatever the season, I’ve found Cataract Falls State Recreation Area near Cloverdale, Indiana, to be a quiet place to reflect and explore.
The Prairie Dogs of Yukon, Oklahoma
Driving east through the Oklahoma City area along old U.S. Route 66, we had set our sights on Yukon, mostly to pass by Garth Brooks’ childhood home. But scanning the map to see what else was in Yukon, another pin caught our attention: “Prairie Dog Field.” It seemed out of place among the usual chain fast-food restaurants and gas stations, so we decided to take a short detour.
El Morro: Petroglyphs, Inscriptions, and a Pueblo in the Sky
Discover El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico, where a desert pool, ancient petroglyphs, Spanish inscriptions, and the ruins of Atsinna Pueblo tell the story of travelers who passed this sandstone bluff for centuries.
On the Road to El Morro: Discovering Los Gigantes
On the slow road to El Morro, New Mexico, somewhere between the dusty roads and the clear blue sky, we found Los Gigantes.
Among the Joshua Trees of Grapevine Mesa
Sometimes the best nights on the road begin without a firm plan: just a stretch of open highway and a vague idea about a stand of Joshua trees in northern Arizona. That’s how we found ourselves heading into the Mojave, chasing the last light south of Boulder City.
Slot Canyons and Sandstone Waves: A Day Beneath Nevada’s Desert Sky
Early one May morning, my partner and I left Las Vegas and followed the interstates and the Valley of Fire Highway into the desert, headed toward Nevada’s oldest and most visually striking state park.
Restoring the Sunken Garden Fountains at Garfield Park
Concrete pouring is underway on the Sunken Garden fountains at Garfield Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.