Seattle Tea and Gingerbread
Christmas tea and the Gingerbread Houses are perennial favorites in my book! Props to Steeped in Comfort Tea Shop in Lakewood for the wonderful personal service, not to mention the great scones.
Moline Thanksgiving
We're thankful for family, friends, warm clothes, bountiful food and a snug bed in this chilly weather.
Snorkeling with What?!
The cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula were used by the Mayans for fresh drinking water. Today, some are private and some are commercial for snorkeling and diving. The rules are strict - no sunscreen, no [...]
Diving in Tulum
In January 2018, dive researchers were thrilled to find a passageway in these cenotes (limestone caverns), connecting two huge systems, and discovering the longest known underwater cave in the world. We dove several parts of [...]
Exploring Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá is a famous Mayan ruin about 3 hours west of Cancun. One of the seven wonders of the modern world. A huge stepped pyramid, known as El Castillo, dominates the old city, which prospered [...]
Diving MUSA in Cancun, Mexico
The Cancun Underwater Museum (MUSA) is the worlds most famous underwater sculpture museum. In 2009, 500 concrete sculptures were sunk in the water, meant to be both an artistic statement and to provide a habitat for sea [...]
Finding Joy in Death Valley
Death Valley is an incredible place to go EXCEPT in the summer, when temperatures have reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit! Some roads are quite steep, and signs posted require that you turn off your car's air [...]
Joshua Tree Nat’l Park, CA
Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California is a bizarre landscape where rocks and cactus pop up with strange and beautiful formations. The Colorado and Mojave deserts meet here. tr
Hooray for Hollywood
Hollywood! We did all the touristy stuff: Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater, the old Max Factor Building (now the Hollywood Museum), the Dolby Theater where the Oscars are held annually, and the Hollywood Museum of Illusions. [...]
Zion and the Subway, UT
The Native American Paiute tribes called this area Mukuntuweap, but the National Park Service decided that the adopted Mormon name, Zion, was easier for the masses to pronounce. The park’s striking vertical topography is what draw visitors [...]
Grand Canyon, AZ
As the crow flies, Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim and the Lodge at the North Rim are only 10 miles apart. To drive between them, you have to travel 215 miles or about [...]
Coyote Gulch, UT
Located in the vast Grand Staircase-Escalante desert, Coyote Gulch is a winding, semi-narrow canyon that snakes its way down through incredible red rock country, and joins with the Escalante River just above Lake Powell. Mike hiked [...]