Author: Van-Tramp

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Surrounded by birds of prey

On a recent trip back from Lyons, CO where we enjoyed a cool brew at Oscar Blues Brewery, I turned Kerri to a particular road where I saw a nesting pair of Bald Eagles a few years back. As luck would have it, one was there so we pulled out...

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Another trip into Rocky Mountain National Park

On Monday, we took the afternoon to tour the East side of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Kerri has never visited the park so it was top priority for a day-off activity. We waited for a weekday to have less of a crowd, but it may have been overkill since...

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Vanless

That is it, today is the first day that I am officially without-van. Big Blue has been put into storage for at least 6-months. Do not worry, this has nothing to do with the recent family emergency, although it is happening a month early due to that situation, and no...

Family Emergency 3

Family Emergency

Those late night phone calls are always scary. In my recent case, it was an early morning one, but as you an imagine it was a family emergency that required my personal attention. After only a few short days in Santa Fe, I jumped in the van to make the...

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Pecos National Historical Park

I must have driven past this park of New Mexico a dozen times in the past few years, but I have never stopped in this park. That all changed on this day when Kerri and I went well out of our way to drop in. We arrived with just 1...

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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument preserves the cone shaped rock formations that are the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago, and marks my 65th National Park visited. Not even knowing of this National Monument’s existence until arriving in the Santa Fe area, the plan...

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Sandstone Bluff

Sandstone Bluff overlooks the 3000-thousand year old lava flow protected by theĀ El Malpais National Monument. The sandstone itself is 200-million years old, formed by ancient seas, and offers an ideal place to setup a few chairs and watch the sun set. Complete with a thermos filled with hot chocolate (and...

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Bandera Volcano revisit

The Bandera Volcano, though inside the El Malpais National Monument boundary, is privately owned and run. For $12 you can hike 3/4 mile trail into the crater – so we did – for Kerri’s first and my second time. Feel free to read my previous encounter with this volcano if...

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El Morro National Monument

El Morro National Monument is now my 64th National Park visited since starting my travels back in 2010. I had the opportunity to see it two years back when I was in the area, but fuel costs ruled my thoughts back then, so I did not drive the few extra...

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Petrified Forest National Park revisit

This day brings another revisit of a National Park. Even though I had already been here the weather prevented me from getting out of the vehicle on my previous visit. This time around the weather was clear so we set out for a few short walks among the “forest” during...