national park

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Rene Cizio standing on a white sand dune

5 Reasons White Sands National Park is Worth Visiting

There aren’t very many people at White Sands National Park. I don’t know how many national parks you can say that about anymore. On the days I was there, weekday and weekend, I was mostly morbidly alone. The sand is lovely, but who wants to go to a beach without water? And hiking in the sand, I can now tell you from experience, is precisely as difficult as you might expect it to be. But this place isn’t about the...

Bayou Sign

Touring the Bayou in Jean Lafitte National Park

Before booking a kayak tour through the Jean Lafitte National Park bayou, I messaged the host. The tour promised a slow paddle through the bayou with likely sighting of swamp birds, turtles, and maybe some gators. Kayaking and alligators didn’t seem like they should go together, so I asked,  “Are there alligators? I want to do this, but it seems totally crazy to me. Am I nuts?”  “There are alligators, but you’re not crazy!! It’s an awesome time!!”  A friend...

Saguaro National Park cactus with orange sunset

5 Beautiful Places to See Near Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a rare and beautiful place. I didn’t know much about it before I went there, and that’s because the people are chill, and I think maybe they’re trying to keep this fantastic place a secret. You know a place is spectacular when it has two unique lifeforms that only live there – the Saguaro and Pipe Organ Cactus. Here are five places near Tucson that I loved 1 Saguaro National Park Saguaro Cactuses are an icon of the...

Saguaro National Park cactus with orange sunset

Saguaro National Park and the Wild Javelina

Seeing Saguaro National Park is like visiting another planet, but somebody should warn you about the pigs. Really, how many people know that Arizona has a wild pig population? I sure didn’t. I was shocked when I ran into these feisty fellows on a trail and hightailed it out of there. Had I known what I do now about Javelinas, I wouldn’t have run so fast. Cactuses in Saguaro National Park Saguaro cactuses are an icon of the old American...

Rene snorkel los arcos

Snorkeling at Los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta

There’s an entire underwater world waiting when you go snorkeling at Los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta. I visit its mysterious depths after a walk, a ride in a Volkswagen bus, and a short hike. Then: transcendence. Los Arcos National Marine Park You can see these rocky outcroppings from downtown Puerto Vallarta, but you need to get close to them to appreciate their size and stunning beauty. They look like massive gray boulders dropped in the sea by Poseidon. Los Arcos...

Death Valley

One Day and Night Alone in Death Valley

On my way to Death Valley were palm trees and Joshua Trees. After that, there was nothing except desert sage covered in dust, making everything a monotone beige. Then there wasn’t even that. One can’t help but think of the famous Christian biblical passage when driving into Death Valley, “…into the valley of the shadow of death….” Or is that just me? My drive into Death Valley National Park was about five hours long through the Mohave Desert, so the...

Rene in Death Valley

12 Things to Do Near Carlsbad and San Diego

Staying in Carlsbad, California, between San Diego and Los Angeles, is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to explore beaches, national parks, history, and nature. There’s so much to do within a few short hours that it would take you a year to attempt it all. Here are some of the things I saw and did while I stayed in the area for one month. La Jolla Underwater Park Along the Pacific California coast, there is a different little...

Rene next to a felled Redwood tree

Absorbing the Energy of the Immortal Redwood Trees

Redwoods are the closest thing to immortal that we have on this Earth. On my road trip from Oregon and along the California Coast, I made frequent stops to hike along the many redwood groves and absorb the energy these immortal trees give off. I’d heard of Redwood National Park and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, but somehow it didn’t occur to me that these magnificent trees would grow elsewhere, but they do. Many remain in small groves all...