El Niño rains loomed just beyond the California coast as we fled east over the San Ysidro Mountains. The winding road crested at Julian, CA, amidst a thick fog that embraced us like an overzealous Great Aunt adept at sewing…
Six Months of Secrets
Six months on the road. 20 states visited. One foreign country visited. 8,103 miles driven in the motorhome. 7,823 miles driven in the car. 44 campgrounds called home. 37 Junior Ranger badges earned by each child. Over 6,000 photos taken.…
We Love Grand Teton NP
Just south of Yellowstone, mountains rise in surreal fashion from the valley known as Jackson Hole. Towering over the Snake River, these youthful peaks reach for the sky forming a jagged silhouette yet to be savaged by wind and rain. So…
A Salute to Teddy
It is an incalculable added pleasure to any one’s sum of happiness if he or she grows to know, even slightly and imperfectly, how to read and enjoy the wonder-book of nature. — Theodore Roosevelt Much of what we have enjoyed,…
The Ubiquitous Cowfalo
Cowfalo: noun \ˈkau̇-fə-ˌlō\ 1. A ruminant mammal of the Bovinae subfamily often seen in the distant grasslands of the Great Plains possibly inhabited by buffalo. Cowfalos unvaryingly reveal themselves upon closer inspection to be merely cows. Millions of buffalo once grazed across the Great…
Thanks Dad (and Mom)!
Circa 1976. A burnt orange truck rambles down an Oklahoma back road destined for the Wichita Mountains. Strapped in the truck bed is a 12-foot, self-contained, camper. My mom rides in the passenger seat. I sit in the “boot,” a…
The Great State Debate
Even before our trip began, controversy rocked the family to its core. We affixed a U.S. map outlining all the states to the front slide of our motorhome to visually show our travels. We have camped in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana,…
Why Varied Skies?
As we work hard to take care of all the things necessary to get on the road, let me take a minute to explain the origin of our blog name. I first thought of starting a blog to document our…