To watch a sunset in Dallas or Fort Worth, you don’t need to go to an exotic place. You just need to go to all the right places to witness this incredible moment to leave you speechless. Here are five great places to watch a sunset in Dallas. Trinity Overlook Park The Trinity Overlook Park serves as a neighborhood “pocket park” providing access to the Dallas Floodway and the Trinity Skyline Trail. The Overlook has parking spaces for twelve, views of downtown Dallas and of the Margaret McDermott Bridge to the south. From here, looking North and south you will see the lights for D ..read more

Pandemics are hard. I am not really sure how to start this post. The last few years have been hard to write during as a part-time blogger. When I looked and all of a sudden it has been almost 9 months since I posted anything, I considered just giving up on this blog. However, then I look back at all of the content I have done and really do not want it to go away. COVID-19 During the pandemic, I took to writing a lot about a lot of beer. While this was a way to produce content and give you something to read, it also had me gaining weight. So I had to stop. I have lost most of it now. I have bee ..read more

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is impacting hard coral species and damaging entire reefs in Dry Tortugas National Park. The park’s Coral Response Team observed it on May 29th, 2021 while conducting a routine disease survey. Dry Tortugas National Park was the only remaining section of Florida’s Coral Reef to not show signs of the disease. Pedro Ramos, superintendent of Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks commented. “Finding it early is significant because, without treatment, the disease has the potential to destroy the park’s underwater gardens, as affected corals have a nearly 100% mor ..read more

Getting ready for Memorial Day weekend in the United States I was standing in our local supermarket beer section looking for beers for the weekend.  I was intrigued by these two brews, Honey Please from Armadillo Ale Works and Jai Alai from Cigar City Brewing. Honey Please  The Pour of Honey Please Poured into a pint glass from a 12 0unce can. Honey Please pours a deep gold/ light amber, large white to slightly off-white head that fades quickly but leaves lots of lacing, brilliant clarity. The aroma is a huge hit of honey-like aroma that has a cinnamon-vanilla-like quality, reminisce ..read more

Winding its way North from Natchez Mississippi to Nashville Tennesse the Natchez Trace Parkway tells the stories of Native Americans and “Kaintuck” boatmen.  The parkway will take you on a journey through 10,000 years of history.   The Natchez Trace Parkway is a unit of the National Park Service. Began in 1938 to commemorate the historic travel route known as the “Natchez Trace.” Completed in 2005, the Parkway is 444 miles in length, covers 52,289 acres, and averages 800 feet in width. In 2020 the Parkway had 6,124,808 visitors.  The busiest month for visitors to the parkwa ..read more

National Park News in May 2021. This month only two news stories jumped out at me that will affect travelers over the next several months. 2021 Star Parties NPS Photo Fort Union National Monument is resuming its star parties. Beginning Saturday, May 22, 2021. The solitude, remoteness, and arid landscapes of Fort Union National Monument make it an ideal place for looking at a naturally dark sky. At night, the sky over the high prairie gives way to the glow of stars unaffected by the artificial lights. Immerse yourself in the culture and science of a natural night sky. Rangers will guide visitor ..read more

First, let me say a big thank you to Deschutes Brewing for inviting me to a virtual tasting of its new “Fresh Family”  of beers and sending me a variety pack of the Fresh Family for the tasting.  Over the last pandemic year, I have really begun to enjoy IPA much more than I did before.  I guess I have grown and finally found some that suites me.  This family of beers may have completed my transition to a fan of the IPA style. The Fresh Family Is all about the hop flavor.  This group of IPA-style beers is showing off the flavor of hops from the Pacific Northwest.  ..read more

This week I am starting a new feature that I plan on being a monthly post. Here I will bring you a round up of the new from the National Parks. National Parks Week Celebrating Nation’s Parks and American Heritage The Department of the Interior announced that National Park Week. This is an annual weeklong celebration of America’s national parks. This year it runs from April 17 to April 25. National Park Week encourages the public to explore the network of our national parks, sacred sites, historical landmarks, and learn about our heritage contained within them.   Interior Secretary D ..read more

Once again I was in my local supermarket beer section and a new bottle caught my eye.  I was shocked to see a french toast flavored beer.  Beer for breakfast anyone? The Pour French Toast Temptress pours a deep dark maple syrup color. A dark tan head forms as the pint glass is filled. As soon as the bottle opened the aroma of maple syrup hits the nose.  Hints of bread and butter follow the syrup after a minute. The Taste of French Toast Temptress Amazingly this beer really does taste like french toast.  The flavors really mirror the aromas. The first thing you taste is mapl ..read more

After the winter storm we had, I went looking for some beers to get me ready for Spring. I realized that I had never tried Spring Bock from Saint Arnold.   The Pour of Spring Bock Poured from a 12 ounce can into a pint glass. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a billowy head of off-white foam. The head has a great level of retention, very slowly fading over time to leave a ton of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.   The aroma of the brew is the strongest of a bready and slightly grainy smell mixed with the aroma of lightly sweet citrus and herbal hop smell. Along with ..read more