A Visit to the Infamous Alcatraz in San Francisco

In the middle of San Francisco Bay lies one of the most infamous locations in America, Alcatraz. I remember as a kid hearing about Alcatraz and that the really bad criminals went there. In 1963 the government closed the prison, but even after that the stories continued to circulate. Today Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area managed by the National Parks and is open to the public. To visit Alcatraz visitors must get a ticket from…

Alaska Sojourn: Unique Ice Sculpting to Grand Landscapes

Thursday dawned early in Fairbanks, but we were not awake to take note. When we were finally up and ready to go, we needed to pack our car as today we would be traveling south. It turns out I made an unfortunate error when I booked our hotel for our Denali visit. The place is actually two hours south of the Denali entrance. My daughter discovered this the day before we left so not much we could do about it.…

Beyond the Grand Canyon: Day Trips Near Flagstaff

If you have spent a day at the Grand Canyon, What do you do next? While the Grand Canyon is an amazing place to visit, the truth is unless you are going to hike in the park, it really only takes a day to see it. So what do you do with the rest of your vacation time? If Flagstaff is your home base, here are some day trips near Flagstaff that you can experience with your next day or…