Category: USA and Canada

Joshua Tree National Park is different from many other prominent national parks because its attractions are more subtle and its size is so vast (794,000 acres). At first I wasn’t too excited by the desert expanse that featured an endless brown terrain dotted with joshua trees and scattered rocks. Keeping an open mind, I soon…

  I am crazy about our U.S. national parks, and yet a trip to Death Valley seemed like a lot of effort for an uncertain reward.  After all, it is in the middle of nowhere, and aside from having the lowest spot in North America, I couldn’t think of many other major features it offered….

OVERVIEW WHY KAUAI: Compared to Maui, I prefer Kauai because it is smaller, less commercially developed and more scenic. It has some of the best hiking along the Na Pali coast, an impressive canyon (Waimea Canyon) spectacular, jungle-clad mountains with waterfalls. The nature aspect of Kauai is hard to beat. WHAT WE RECOMMEND TO DO:…

WHY LAKE POWELL:  I love the Southwest’s arid, rocky, crisp beauty. When you combine this with a sky blue lake that stretches as far as you can see, bordered by canyons and cliffs of every imaginable shape and reddish hues, then you have a place called Lake Powell that is hard to beat. Rent a…