Wendi and Gus on top of Rock Bridge in March 2020. Red River Gorge, KY Rockbridge and Creation Falls If you are hiking with small children, the Rock Bridge/Creation Falls loop trail is the ideal introductory hike in the Gorge.  It has a unique arch (the only arch in the gorge that spans a body of water) and is long enough to feel like you are really in nature, but is still nice and easy.  It follows Swift Camp Creek for most of the trail, providing ample opportunities for young ones to play in the water, look for crawdads, and skip some rocks.  It is a great trail for all four ..read more

Tyler Childers at the Eastern KY Expo Center in Pikeville, KY. December 27, 2019. Every time I read an article about Tyler Childers, and I have read several since he has been neck and neck with Taylor Swift as my favorite artist over the last seven years, I think “I could do better.” Shockingly, since I have absolutely no authority as a music critic, no one has asked me to write one. After listening to his new single “In your love” on repeat for two hours yesterday, I have decided it is time to put these feelings into words. So here is my attempt at explaining why I love his music so much, wh ..read more

“No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite.  Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life…as if into this one mountain mansion Nature had gathered her choicest treasures”—John Muir. The root ball of a giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove. Yosemite National Park. June 2023 Introduction to Yosemite There are so many amazing National and State parks in the US that it is impossible to rank their beauty, but one park that undeniably deserves a spot near the top is Yosemite.  When you first drive through the Wawona tunnel and see the towering granite walls surrounding the lush, gr ..read more

View from the East Pinnacle. Berea, KY What are The Pinnacles? The Pinnacles are rock outcroppings located on the Eastern and Western portions of Indian Fort Mountain just outside of Berea, KY. They are a part of the Knobs region of Kentucky that forms a horseshoe around the more low lying Bluegrass Region. The Knobs are composed predominantly of sandstone which is more resistant to erosion than the nearby limestone of the Bluegrass Region. Beyond the Knobs region to the south and east lies the Cumberland Plateau. The hiking trails to the Pinnacles are located within The Berea College Forest ..read more

The kids playing around the pool formed by Copperas Creek Falls Copperas Creek Falls Trail: This is an unofficial and unmarked trail in the Red River Gorge Geologic area. I don’t usually recommend trying unmarked trails with kids, but this one is hard to get lost on because you are following the creek bed for the entire route. It is also a moderately popular hike and well-worn. The giant rock house with Copperas fall spilling 42 feet over its roof into a cool pool below is a great payout for kids. In the summer, the water, which comes mostly from underground springs, is still surprisingly ref ..read more

The roof of the Dolmen de la Creu d’en Cobertella is a single stone slab that weighs approximately 18 tons. What are Megalithic structures? “Megalithic” is a generic term referring to structures made out of large stones. Stonehenge is perhaps the most well-known of these but there are thousands scattered across Europe.  They generally date back to the Neolithic period, between 5000-2000 BC. These structures are particularly fascinating and leave the observer wondering how humans could have moved and lifted these massive stones without machinery.  Many theories exist but there is no ..read more

The kids near the trailhead in good spirits, with snow capped Grecian mountains in the background. The Vlachatta Loop Trail After 3 hours on a winding mountain road from Delphi to Kalambaka, I rounded up the troops for a sunset hike on the Vlachatta Loop trail. For some reason, they had forgotten who they were travelling with and thought we would spend the evening resting, but, in the end, everyone was happy that we hiked this trail instead. The rounded Meteora rock formations are fun to explore and are accessible midway through the hike. The Trail:  This is a nice varied trail with som ..read more

The stone bridge over the Verdon as you enter Lac de Quinson. Introduction to Les Gorges Du Verdon The Verdon river in southern France has carved France’s deepest gorge into the surrounding limestone, creating a striking landscape characterized by the contrast between the turquoise green waters of the river and the sheer white limestone cliffs.  The water gets its green color from the limestone “rock flour” which is due to glacial erosion at the source of the river in the French alps.  This rock flour reflects only the green-blue part of the visible light spectrum, resulting in a re ..read more

Wendi floating high up in the salty Dead Sea Dead Sea Introduction The Dead Sea is the lowest land based elevation on Earth.  It is the seventh saltiest body of water on Earth (9 times saltier than the ocean) and the deepest hyper saline lake on Earth.  The Dead Sea is also vanishing at a rapid rate due to diversion of the Jordan River to the north in 1964.  Water is evaporating out but no longer flowing in.  The shore line is dropping at an average rate of 1 meter per year.  There are some proposed plans to stop this, but no definite plans yet.  All of this mean ..read more

Bailey preparing to sand board in the Red Desert of Dubai Introduction to Dune Bashing While in Dubai, we knew we wanted to get out of the city and see the vast red sand dunes in the surrounding desert. There are a plethora of desert tours that can take you for various activities.  Options include dune bashing, Quad biking (ATV or 4 wheeler riding), camel rides, sand boarding, and much more.  We weren’t interested in riding a camel but wanted to try all the rest, so we picked a tour that included sandboarding, dune bashing, and Quad biking.  We went with the “Morning Desert Saf ..read more