We stopped at the Quartzsite BLM for a couple of nights to check out the gem sale that takes place every winter and do some hiking in the area. First, the sale. We walked down the many dusty aisles and bought some craft supplies. To our delight we found a rock tumbler, that due to … Continue reading Quartzsite
Remember the new trailhead we found yesterday near Pebble Beach? Today, we headed back to Marathon to check it out. Driving through town, we realized that we are starting to recognize some of the locals…have we really been here this long? There, again, is the young woman with the funky glasses, and the older couple … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 24
Because we are staying put in one place for so long, we start exploring some of the lesser known places around the park. Today, our plan was to go and find the big dunes at the mouth of Pic River. The dunes are located within the Pic First Nation's territory which is just outside the … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 22
Another beautiful morning and this time it is much warmer. We decided to go to Neys Provincial Park for a hike. Our plan was to check online the different trails and decide which one to take, but strangely, there was no reception at all as we drove out of the park. There was no reception … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 20
We woke up to a sunny but cooler day (14c/57f). After a quick breakfast we drove to Mink Falls, a spectacular waterfall situated about 16 km west of Marathon. A short, steep trail leads to the first viewing point. We are at this point on top of the waterfall with views of the river approaching … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 19
We finally managed to wake up before 8am, drank only one pot of coffee and were able to have an earlier start to our day. It is Saturday and the visitor centre is open on weekends in the off-season, so we went to look at the displays first. We loved the women's regalia. Examined the … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 18
We slept in again. The nights are getting cold and we had the heater on and extra blankets to keep us warm. The days are still nice and warm though so we headed out for a hike on a few of the park’s trails. MAnito Miikana First we took Manito Miikana (The Spirit Trail) up … Continue reading Pukaskwa Camp Hosting: September 14
We were still in Florida, waiting for the dealership to fix our van. This forced vacation took us up and down the west coast of plenty. We explored some towns and barrier Island and it will take us some time to catch up and post about it all. This post takes us to Bradenton, "Florida's … Continue reading De Soto National Memorial
Pine Island was home to the Calusa Nation; a nation now extinct. The Calusa was an organized society that, unlike other ancient societies, sustained mostly on fishing and not on agriculture. We were happy to find the Randell Research Centre's Heritage Trail on the island and went for a history hike. The heritage trail meanders … Continue reading The Calusa Nation in Pineland
Continuing our 2010 trip. All photos look much better if you click and enlarge them. Saturday, June 26, 2010 Highway Gardens As you drive along the highway you see every 100m or so a fenced off area that is usually tilled. The fencing varies and can be very creative with different scare tactics employed: scarecrows, … Continue reading Blast from the Past: Hiking and geocaching in Cape Onion and Burnt Cape