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The Play is the Thing

by Brian on November 20, 2012 in Travel, United States, Utah

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

We rolled into Cedar City, Utah, simply looking for a spot to overnight while exploring the surrounding desert landscape. What we found was a vibrant college town complete with Texas-topping barbeque and a production of Hamlet besting anything we experienced in twenty years of Manhattan Shakespeare productions. Pretty impressive for a city of just 29,000.

Located in the southwestern corner of Utah, Cedar City is sometimes called the Gateway to the Parks. From here you can reach Zion, Bryce, Great Basin, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Lake Powell and even the Grand Canyon all within a several hour scenic drive. But our purpose for coming was to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument, just 22 miles from the city’s center.

How Much Does Long-Term Travel Cost?

by Brian on November 16, 2012 in How To, Money & Finance, Travel

Wannabe wanderers initially have just one question on their minds: How much does long-term travel cost? The classic response to this question may be informative, but is not completely helpful.

The web abounds with the personal budgets of folks who have taken off to explore the world. Through the magic of Google it is easy to find detailed financial histories for backpackers and RVers chronicling weeks, months and even years of their spending. These individual budgets are often posted as definitive answers to the headline question. What they miss, though, is the most important cost component of all: you!

Photo of the Day: Idaho Falls

by Brian on November 14, 2012 in Idaho, Photo of the Day, Travel, United States

Go Speed Racer

by Brian on November 12, 2012 in Travel, United States, Utah

This 30,000 acre salt pan in northwestern Utah is probably best known for an entirely unlikely reason. Given the slickness of its salty surface, it’s not the best place to achieve fast acceleration of wheeled vehicles. And yet if these Bonneville Salt Flats are known for one thing it is for land speed records. What gives?

A Lunar Landscape at Craters of the Moon

by Brian on November 9, 2012 in Idaho, Travel, United States

618 square miles of magma. That is the size of the lava field at Craters of the Moon National Park in south-central Idaho. Large enough that it stretches as far as the eye can see in some spots, giving the impression of a barren, black world.

The entire field isn’t just one lava flow, but 60. At least 25 different volcanoes contributed to its construction some 15,000 to 2,000 years ago – a mere blink of an eye in geologic terms.