Saying goodbye to a very interesting year.
Last year I ended 2017 at the Grand Canyon. This year, I’m still here. This is the first time since 2016 that I have been in one place for one year. It’s been a hard adjustment. However, being in one place hasn’t stopped me from exploring any less. 2018 has been a year of explorations of Arizona, the Four Corners area, southern Nevada and California. I wish I could have seen more, as usual.
Here are just a few of the places I explored in 2018. Click on the links for the corresponding Updates from the Road!
Of course, I explored more of the Grand Canyon. This is still one of my favorite photos I have taken here. Check out some of my explorations here.
I even did a bit of hiking into the canyon. (More on my hike to Dripping Springs.)
The Grand Canyon is great and all but I enjoyed my explorations outside of the park more.
My first trip away from the Grand Canyon was to sunny (and warm) Southern Arizona and to Coronado National Monument on the Mexican border. (More on Coronado National Monument.)
On the same day as Coronado National Monument, I saw the amazing San Xavier del Bac. It was fantastic.
While in Southern Arizona I had to visit the famous and tacky Tombstone. It was so tacky but fun. (More on Tombstone.)
One of my most memorable experiences was driving through a Saguaro cactus forest at Saguaro National Park. (Explore this unique national park.)
One awesome thing about moving to the southwest is seeing all the pueblo ruins and cliff dwellings that I studied in college. Tonto National Monument has two cliff dwellings, the Upper and the Lower. I have now seen both. (Explore Tonto and two other ruins.)
Closer to home is Wupatki National Monument, full of ancient stone pueblos and views of the San Francisco Peaks. (More on Wupatki.)
One of 2018’s highlights was a visit to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. So many cliff dwellings, so little time. It was fantastic finally being able to see these amazing cliff dwellings. (Explore Mesa Verde.)
Another 2018 highlight was visiting the mysterious ruins of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. (More on Chaco.)
One of the most interesting moments of 2018 was the visit to Horseshoe Bend with my family. It was early July, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a bit windy. It felt like a pilgrimage trekking through the sand with a zillion other people. (Check out the rest of Glen Canyon.)
I even visited Las Vegas and actually enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for themed casinos apparently. (Wander Las Vegas)
A weekend trip to Utah brought me to the fantastic Cedar Breaks National Monument. The elevation was so high, I had a hard time breathing here, and that’s saying something since I lived at almost 7,000 ft in elevation already. It was also great getting out of the August heat. (A Weekend in Utah.)
Of course, one of my favorite things was this very photogenic marmot that I saw on Brians Head near Cedar Breaks.
In October, I finally made it to California and saw some giant sequoias. (Explore Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks.)
I also got to see this spectacular view of King’s Canyon in Sequoia National Forest. Just simply amazing.
I also got to see a fog rainbow reflected in a pond in the Yosemite Valley. (Explore the Yosemite Valley.)
A trip to California would not be complete without visiting San Francisco, the most expensive city I have ever been too. (Wander San Francisco.)
Very memorable and absolute fantastic experience was driving California Route 1 down the the Pacific coast from San Francisco. Who couldn’t love that view. Seriously check out these views.
I went to Los Angeles just for the Getty center and the Getty Villa. It was worth it. I did go see more of the Los Angeles area through. (My explorations of the Los Angeles area.)
California is full of old Spanish missions like San Juan Capistrano. I need to go back to California to see some more. They are an excellent source of early Californian history. (Check out this mission and San Diego.)
Joshua Tree National Park was pretty cool. So many Joshua trees and so little time. (Explore Joshua Tree.)
I had a pretty good year of explorations. I got to fulfill a couple of my 2018 goals. I wanted to go to California, see the Pacific Ocean for the first time and see some giant sequoias. I was not disappointed.
However, what I will be in 2019 is up for grabs. I may be staying here in Northern Arizona for a while, or I may be shipping out to a different part of the country. I don’t know. However, I know 2019 will bring some great adventures, hopefully Italy and Malta.
Check out my Updates from the Road for more adventures!
