Photography, Fun, and Adventure in the U.S.
We started our adventures in Minnesota, the 23rd state on our quest to see the continental 48 during this 2.5-year road trip, in the southwest part of the state in Rochester — better known for being the home of the Mayo Clinic than anything else. Fun facts: The state is
We hit Iowa (state #22 on our travel across the U.S.) almost immediately after leaving Nebraska City, Nebraska, as we crossed the Missouri River into a sea of flooded fields and farmland. In fact, the roads had just been partially reopened (after repairs from flooding); even the interstate was affected.
On our way through more of the Midwest, leaving Kansas on our way to Iowa, we had to make a several day stop in Nebraska City, home of Arbor Day Farm and the Arbor Day Foundation… which Ran has supported for decades, and which, as tree-lovers, we both had to
We spent about two weeks driving through Kansas — the Sunflower State — and of those two weeks, we had about two days without rain! Most of the time, it was cool and rainy, though toward the end it was hot and muggy. We are seeing crazy (and wet) weather
After several weeks of completing a long, clockwise visit through the state, we concluded our tour of Colorado with a visit to the Colorado Springs area — at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains and near the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak in Pike National Forest. We had planned to visit
This stop was mainly about being close to the Denver airport so that we could take a weekend trip back to San Diego to celebrate the life of Jen’s mom… which was a beautiful and moving time with family and friends… and all of mom’s flowers and shrubs were in
We left Grand Junction on the Western Slope, and headed back up toward the great Rocky Mountains, with a quick stop in Glenwood Springs so that Ran could visit an old friend who lives in the area. The Western Slope of Colorado contains everything west of the Continental Divide in
Grand Junction, also known as River City, is located at the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, in northwestern Colorado, in an area known as the Western Slope. (While the area is indeed pretty grand, the name actually comes from when the Upper Colorado River was Named the Grand
We left Cortez and headed north to Montrose, with a focus on our 36th national park: Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The south entrance to the park, which is the only one that remains open in the winter, is located about 15 miles east of Montrose. (The park closes most
This leg of the adventure is all about learning and experiencing the culture of the Anasazi — the “ancient ones” who dominated the Colorado Plateau for hundreds and hundreds of years — during a stop in the southwestern corner of Colorado. The trip from Alamosa to Cortez was a long