Like pioneers traveling westward on wagon train, we too are thrilled to finally see the Pacific Ocean. It's been a long time coming. The salty sea-breeze, the familiar wail of sea-gulls, the methodical crashing of waves up against the rocky shores below. In many ways the trip seems somehow complete even though we remain hundreds of miles away from our destination. It's almost too familiar. Where are the white sandy beaches, the sun-bronzed Californians hitting the surf? Outside the wind is whipping and it is cold. After pulling off the road at a public beach, we pull out our fleeces, head down to the surf and snap a few obligatory photos as if to say "Hurray! We made it! Here's proof! Now lets get back in the car before we freeze!" and high-tail it back to ... read more

You know that feeling when you wake up and for the briefest of moments you don't quite know where you are and have to retrace your steps to remember? That is not the Grand Canyon. First, there's the continuous presence of heat radiating from every angle, from the ground below and the sky above and even the rock escarpments surrounding you. Then, there's the aching feeling radiating throughout your entire body that reminds that yes, you did actually get down here by the power of your own two legs. It is painfully obvious where you are, and how you got there. That was Sunday morning. Yesterday, when the backcountry ranger came by to verify we had all the proper permits, she warned us of temperatures were climing up to 140F( 60C) in the sun and to ... read more

High temperatures have prompted authorities to issue warnings stating that activity anytime other than the early morning hours could be dangerous. You know, I thought we were really going to enjoy this break from the open road, lounging around in a temperature controlled environment but claustrophobia is quickly setting it. Temperatures here reached up to 116F (47C) yesterday and have reached record highs throughout the southwest. Not quite hot enough to fry an egg (yes, we tried) but pretty darn close. What a perfect summer for a cross-country road trip—record gasoline prices and record heat waves! Talk about good timing. Last we wrote we were waking up in the cool, shady groves of San Juan National Forest. Originally we were going to spend some time down around the four-corners area, but as the landscape rolled on ... read more

If you think you need to travel to the far reaches of Africa to experience sand dunes, you would be mistaken, but certainly not alone. If anything, our travels thus far have firmly cemented the notion that adventure and discovery can indeed take place in your own backyard. After a fantastic evening with our friend Joseph and his girlfriend, exploring bookstores downtown Denver and trying out new "hip" vegetarian dishes (seitan buffalo wings anyone?) we continued south towards Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a relatively unknown area of geographic interest that only recently achieved national park status. Rising abruptly from the flats of San Luis Valley and tucked against the ridges of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, it is a relief to see them but their size deceives our sense of distance and it ... read more

Anthropology students are all inevitably subjected to a discussion on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; how we must meet our physiological needs in order to feel the need for safety, love and, ultimately, self-actualization. Four years at a university and I had always assumed that contentedness and freedom could only come when self-actualization was achieved. Four weeks on the road and I realize now that there is nothing more freeing and exhilarating than having no more pressing thoughts other than where to lay our heads at night, and how to prepare whatever food we'll eat. Americans are always hung up on the concept of freedom--what it means, how we have so much of it, why it's just so great--and the word gets thrown around so much its true meaning becomes so obfuscated under the weight of platitudes ... read more