Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
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Follow along with me, Jan, aka BeeKeeper, as I travel around finding the best Cherry Pickin' spots. I'm proud to be a Cherry Picker :) I love Disneyland hikes, minus the people. I tend to adventure off season in the popular places. I'm happy to follow the path less traveled. And that folks is what you'll find on my blog.
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2d ago
After a friend shared her experience from a visit in January 2020, I knew I had to add this park to my list. Finally, the time had come and after visiting Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona (blog link), I had high hopes but low expectations especially as this is a much smaller park. With ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1w ago
After seeing photos of this park years ago it went on my list. Finally, I was at the right place at the right time to make a visit. Mother Nature wasn’t playing nice, and in her typical spring temper tantrum mode, she sent me eastward as she blew forth gusty winds and even a little ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1w ago
This was my third visit to this area but the first time hiking trails from Highway 12. It was a joyful day hunting hoodoos and enjoying views with snow adding definition to the red rocks. Step 1 – Park along the highway at one of many pullovers or at the Visitor Center. I started from ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2w ago
There are only two official trails along the highway on the east side of the park, the Canyon Overlook and East Rim Trails. Off-trail wandering is encouraged with the multiple pullovers and parking areas. Knowing that 95% of visitors to National Parks stay within 1/4 mile of the road, it was an easy decision to ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
2w ago
Early bird gets the worm or more like parking in Zion. Silly me overslept then spent time in the coffee shop before starting the drive. Google quickly told me about the traffic delays but I pushed on, testing my patience and fortitude. I had several places marked for possible exploration but the joke was on ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
3w ago
I spent a day waiting out storms; afterward needing to find trails and roads that wouldn’t be too muddy. I was camped near La Verkin and found a wonderful coffee shop where I could enjoy good eats and drinks. Although the area is in the process of growth it felt much more welcoming than those ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
Zion Canyon is spectacular, there’s no doubt. Zion National Park is the third most visited park behind only Great Smoky Mountains and Grand Canyon. As visitation has grown so has the infrastructure of nearby communities that support such a grand national park. To me, it feels more like Disneyland than the areas I prefer to ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
Joan and I are usually able to share some time during her spring break vacation. Last year we hiked some miles on the Arizona Trail and we’d hoped to complete another section in 2024. However, Mother Nature had other ideas gifting Arizona a March Miracle, in the form of snow. From a logistics and weather ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
It was spring jaunting season and with a date in southwest Utah, I needed to first cross California and Nevada. I was dancing with a storm, trying to stay one step ahead. Pyramid Lake When I reached Susanville I noticed a route on my Google map bypassing the business of the Reno/Sparks area. Since I ..read more
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings
1M ago
With Crater Lake National Park and my time as a Volunteer Ranger in the rearview mirror, it was time to find spring. Far NorCal experienced a wet winter and with more clouds and cooler temperatures, spring was a bit more delayed than some years. I was happy to get out on the warmer days and ..read more