New Mexico is an amazingly rich world of geology. Mountains, crystals, landforms and fossils are everywhere and there for the exploring. Our adventure involved a hunt for staurolite crystals… stauros, meaning “cross,” and lithos, meaning “stone”… “cross stone.” The unique shape of these crystals, often “twins” at 60 degree angles, makes them truly unique. There […]
Hunting Staurolite Read More »
This was our second trip to our beloved Bisti Badlands in a couple of weeks. But this one was our first adventure with a mix of kiddos from our two families. Tori (Riki’s daughter) and Josey (Kelly’s son) are our youngest kids, and it was wonderful to finally get them together in the Wild. Although it
Bisti badlands, Dreams and Wings Read More »
A remote wonderland of geology, the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness is one of our favorite places in the world. With vast collections of hoodoos and amazing rocks and fossils, there are endless opportunities for the imagination. The weathering of the interbedded slate, sandstone, mudstone, and soils has resulted in a fantasy land of scenery. Kelly’s thoughts…
Bisti, De-Na-Zin Wilderness Read More »
We love the southwest… its hoodoos and arches and canyons, its vistas and solitude. The Chiracahua Mountains have been on our list for a while, and they didn’t disappoint in the least. Kelly’s thoughts… We don’t often visit national parks or monuments, not because they don’t have cool nature or culture, but because they have
Chiracahua National Monument Read More »
How does one go from writing a blog about an international mega-trip to writing about a Sunday afternoon outing? Maybe in a similar way as one would go from taking her first international mega-trip to settling into regular adulting. . . just simply by doing it and not over-thinking. It has been a bit of
Galisteo Basin Preserve, New Mexico. Read More »
Our last day in Ennedi brought us another collection of amazing sights, The Zipper, Mushroom Rock and, late in the day, the beautiful Guelta d’Archei oasis, among other things. As we spent our last day, it became clear to us that we will one day need to be back, to see things we had already
Chad Adventure VI. The Zipper and Guelta d’Archei Read More »
In the Sahara, camels are wealth. In Chad and other areas of northern Africa, for thousands of years they have been a means of transport and sustenance. We were almost never out of sight of the beasts, and the opportunity to ride them across the desert, even for a short time, was something we couldn’t
Chad Adventure V. Elephant Arch and Camel Rides Read More »
Among the high cliffs, canyons and weathered features of the Ennedi Plateau is extensive evidence of human activity and habitation. Everywhere we went we found incredible pictographs, petroglyphs and pot shards. Our day began by exploring one of the more impressive sites for seeing these pictographs, the Terkei Barakatra caves. Kelly’s thoughts… Terkei Barakatra We
Chad Adventure IV. Ancient Pictographs and the Oyo Labyrinth Read More »
Our next days in Ennedi were spent exploring from a base camp in the center of a region of incredible features and landscapes. It was nice to know that we would be staying in one place for some nights instead of packing up and driving like crazy. Kelly’s thoughts… As we left Bashikele we drove
Chad Adventure III. Aloba, Five Arch Rock, and Main Camp Read More »
Northeastern Chad includes a large mountainous area just north of the Sahel Region rising out of the Sahel and Sahara, the Ennedi Plateau. Near the border with Sudan, this region is exceptionally remote from the world most of our readers are used to. With an area of 23,000 square miles, the Plateau is characterized by incredible
Chad Adventure II. The Ennedi, Julia Arch and Bashikele Read More »
