We visited Fort Davis National Historic Site in Texas. As the NPS site says, “It is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars’ frontier military post in the Southwest.”
The NPS map; click or tap to see more on their site. The red-roofed buildings on this map are now ruins, often just foundations, but the others are mostly intact, with some furnished:
Entrance:
Gift store:
Museum exhibits:
Officers quarters:
Exhibits:
Commissary:
Officers quarters:
Hospital:
We visited Big Bend National Park, again — we first visited it in 2022. That first time, we explored the western part of the park; this time, we explored the eastern side.
Here’s an interactive map of our route:
Entrance sign:
Mountains and cacti:
We had a picnic lunch and short stroll at Dugout Wells, a little oasis where some homesteads once stood, and now just a windmill remains, as far as we could see:
Tunnel:
The Rio Grande Village Visitor Center, the one visitor center we didn’t make it to last time:
Big Rivers, Big Changes:
There’s even a full-hookup campground in the village, though it’s basically a parking lot:
A roadrunner on the road:
There’s also a no-hookup campground, which is nicer, despite the lack of utilities. It even has some sites big enough for us, like this pull-through site:
Interesting rocks:
Lots of Mexican trinkets for sale; this area is on the border with Mexico:
We did the Boquillas Canyon Trail along the Rio Grande river:
Steps:
The Rio Grande river; the other side of the river is Mexico:
Shady tunnel of trees, welcome on a warm day (about 82°F):
More Mexican trinkets for sale; Jenn bought the cloth in the front and a bead roadrunner:
The canyon closing in on the river:
Youngsters on the Mexican side of the river:
Canoes on the river; we spoke with a couple of the people, and they said they were camping down river:
A nice hike; a little too warm for us with little shade, but we survived.
We re-visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico. We first visited in 2022, but enjoyed re-visiting this year. As the NPS site says, it’s like no place else on Earth, the world’s largest gypsum dunefield.
The official NPS map; click or tap for full-size (and more info):
Visitor Center with the historic sign from before it became a National Park:
Road between sand dunes:
Picnic area:
Sand dunes:
We re-visited the two units of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. We first visited in early 2022, but that was before Jenn was doing her National Parks passport book, so didn’t have a passport stamp for this park. Plus it’s nice to re-visit parks, especially ones we particularly enjoy like this one.
An interactive map of our route, starting with the west side (and a stop at a Subway to pick up some lunch for a picnic):
West-side entrance sign:
West visitor center:
When we visited last time, they were limiting the bookstore to 10 people at a time due to COVID restrictions (but without masks by then), but this time there were of course no restrictions, though it wasn’t super busy:
Fascinating timeline of growth of a saguaro cactus:
Jenn got her passport stamp:
Exploring a dirt road with saguaros and other cacti:
We stopped at the amusingly-named “Sus Picnic Area” for lunch:
Our picnic site:
Back on the dirt road:
After leaving the park, an undulating road:
Through the scenic Tucson Mountain Park, also with lots of saguaros:
East entrance of the national park:
East visitor center:
A saguaro outside the visitor center:
Along the cactus forest scenic loop in the park:
A nice park. There’s something about cacti and desert landscapes that we really enjoy.
On another visit to Joshua Tree National Park, we hiked to Wonderland Ranch and Wall Street Mill.
An interactive map of our route, going in the north entrance for a change, then to Wall Street Mill, and a picnic dinner on Keys Ranch Road, and finally back out the main west entrance:
An interactive map of the hike; zoom in to see more details:
North entrance sign:
Wall Street Mill Trail:
Wonderland Ranch ruins:
Windmill:
“Here is where Worth Bagly bit the dust at the hands of W.F. Keys, May 11 1943″:
Truck ruins:
Wall Street Mill ruins:
After the hike, we had a picnic dinner along Keys Ranch Road:
Sunset:
On another visit to Joshua Tree National Park, we hiked around the Hall of Horrors, an imaginatively named and fascinating set of rocks.
An interactive map of our route, heading in the main (northwest) entrance:
Another interactive map of the Hall of Horrors Area; zoom in to see more detail:
We stopped by the main visitor center:
Park road:
Hall of Horrors hike:
One of our favorite National Parks is Joshua Tree in California.
We visited the park on several evenings, starting with Geology Tour Road.
An interactive map of our route, heading in the south entrance (which doesn’t have an entrance station or lines of cars, but on the other hand has about an hour of not very exciting scenery):
Entrance sign:
Interesting rocks:
Geology Tour Road is a dirt road (in our opinion, some of the best parts of the park are down dirt roads):
We stopped at Paac Kü̱vü̱hü̱’k (pronounced “paach kurv-er-hurk”), put out our chairs, and had a picnic dinner:
Fascinating rocks:
An old dam:
Heading back up the road, some Joshua trees:
Sunset:
More rocks:
Supermoon over Joshua trees:
We visited Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Santa Clarita, California, about 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles. (Wikipedia info.)
Being so close to Hollywood, it has long been a popular filming spot; you may recognize it from TV and films such as Star Trek and many more (see the Wikipedia page for a list).
Visitor center:
Star Trek diorama:
Snakes:
Map:
Some movie usage:
Vasquez Rocks:
Distinctive.
We visited the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura, California. This was actually our second visit here; we previously visited back in 2022, including a boat tour to near the islands.
This second visit was mainly so Jenn could get a stamp in her National Parks passport book; something she hadn’t started on our first visit. We also watched the park film.
Exhibits:
Store:
Relief maps:
We visited Sequoia National Park in California, including the Foothills Visitor Center, the Tunnel Rock, the Giant Forest Museum, Moro Rock, and Tunnel Log.
An interactive map of our route:
Sequoia National Park historic sign:
Kaweah River:
Visitor center:
Tunnel Rock:
A very twisty route:
Interesting rocks:
Big trees:
Giant Forest Museum:
Auto Log:
Moro Rock:
Trees and hills:
Driving through Tunnel Log:
Our truck under Tunnel Log:
Tall trees:
