Category: Uncategorized
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Hello Again
Hello again, its been awhile and I have some big news! We are expecting another little girl in October! We are so excited and it will be a lot of fun raising a toddler and a newborn (aka crazy town). I would like to start posting more often as well, we have been on quite…
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US Forest Service Roads: a brief history and reflection
Nothing embodies the word freedom more than the dusty one lane tracks that make up United States Forest Service road network. There are over 380,000 miles of Forest Service roads in the United States. Forest service roads can range from two way paved highways to narrow rocky tracks that can only be crossed with a…
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Misadventures in The Great American West
” When everything goes wrong- that’s when the adventure starts”- Yvon Chouinard I feel like when Chouinard said this he was referring to epic adventures which likely involve failed gear, getting lost, unpredictable weather, and a complete absence of the technology we all rely on. But there is a subset of adventure, the misadventure: the…
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Death Valley National Park: Surprise Canyon and Panamint Ghost Town
Panamint Valley is sandwiched between two dry and barren mountain ranges. It is hard to imagine that tucked away in one of the many hidden canyons is a lush spring fed environment. Surprise canyon is aptly named; the drive up to the mouth of the canyon is dusty with no trace of water but as…
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To a New Year: Part 1
2016 was started with a sleepy night on the couch. When you have to fly on New Year’s eve after a delay of three days it’s a little hard to rally and rage. Luckily the weekend proved to be glorious. After a few blinks of my coffee seeking eyes it was off to Wrightwood to…
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Anza Borrego
The lowdown: 585930 acres Borders three counties, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial. 500 miles of dirt roads, 12 designated wilderness areas, 110 miles of hiking trails. Home of the endangered peninsular big horned sheep. While in Anza Borrego State Park it is easy to feel as if you are in a science fiction novel. It…
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Pizza Party
A few years back my friends, the Mckenzies, installed a brick pizza oven in the backyard. The oven sits in a corner of the yard it’s stately domed roof blending in with the lush garden, it’s oven opened to the summer air. The McKenzies provide the dough and the guest bring toppings, and let me…
Bit of Betsy 