We got some more use out of our national parks all access pass at Mesa Verde and The Great Sand Dunes. In Mesa Verde we got to explore some cliff dwellings created by the Pueblo Indians 1,000 years ago. And the Great Sand Dunes reminded us of home without the Pacific Ocean. In between both destinations we camped at Beaver Creek, just above the south fork of the Rio Grande. It was raining so we used our creative talents to make a tarp shelter. It has rained almost everyday since we got into Colorado...but it is a warm, refreshing summer rain [View Full Entry]

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Happy 4th of July. We left Zion yesterday morning very early and headed east, yet again. We stopped in Bryce for about an hour. We would have liked to have camped but it was only about an hour drive away from Zion so we decided to go farther...much farther. We drove about 11 hours yesterday, through Capitol Reef and Blanding Utah. We ended up in Cortez Colorado at around 7pm, just in time to shower and find a fireworks show. The drive didn't see as long as it was because the scenery was so beautiful. There were new kinds of rock [View Full Entry]

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Both of us agree that Zion is by far the most beautiful place we have seen so far... although the list is still short. We enjoyed our stay here, even with the heat. We completed the Angel's Landing hike in about 4 hours and then continued on to do the water hike in the Narrows after resting for about an hour. What a challenging and rewarding day. Angel's landing is one of the peaks in Zion canyon that has an elevation gain of around 1500 feet. For about .5 miles of the climb, you have to hold onto a chain because [View Full Entry]

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From Vegas hotel to the Grand Canyon campsite! The photos speak for themselves! We did a 4 hour hike in the middle of the day, next time, we will get up much earlier. [View Full Entry]

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We left Pasadena and drove through the scorching mojavi and arrived in Vegas. It was 114. We stayed at Circus Circus, "45 min line just to check in" and cruised the strip. While in line for the buffet at Paris, we met a couple from Georgia and hit it off well. They ended up picking up our tab and inviting us to stay with them when we made it out to their part of the world. We were grateful and look forward to the stay. The next morning we headed south to the Hoover Dam. It was large and in charge [View Full Entry]

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Uncle Joe's Birthday was a blast. Complete with Mariachi music, homemade authentic Mexican food, family and fun in the sun! It was good to catch up with everyone and partake in the festivities! What a great way to kick it with the Paggi's and kick start our adventure. [View Full Entry]

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1st stop, Banning California. Time with my grandparents was very well spent. We got "hooked-up" with everything from canned tuna to first aid kits! On Thursday they took us to the Huntington Library for a delicious Tea lunch and we got to see a Gutenberg Bible, an enormous cactus garden, a Japanese tea garden, and a great photo exhibit about the evolution of Los Angeles. Then we went on to Van Nuys to visit with Daniel Tracy. (I got us a little lost on the LA freeway system, but Paggi and his keen sense of direction got us on the right [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone! As many of you know, Paggi and I are leaving soon for an EXTRA LONG road trip across the United States. Our departure date is June 24th. We will be cramming all of our necessary belongings into a Honda Accord (Thanks to Mom, Grammy and Papa!) and hitting the road for the adventure of a lifetime! The first leg of our journey is Southern California where we will visit with all of the grand parents for a couple of days and celebrate Uncle Joe's 70th birthday with the whole Paggi crew in Pasadena! On June 29th we will jet [View Full Entry]

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