Last Updated: July 18, 2026
Flaming Gorge was named by John Wesley Powell during his expedition down the Green River in 1869 because of the spectacular red sandstone cliffs that are adjacent to the river.
Flaming Gorge NRA & Dinosaur NM
Pronghorn Antelope
Lamar Valley, Mammoth, and Norris Geyser Basin
Last Updated: July 18, 2026
Lamar Valley from West Yellowstone is over a two-hour drive one way — but every mile of it rewards you with geothermal wonders, wildlife encounters, and sweeping fall scenery. In the past we’ve stayed in Gardiner at the north entrance, which puts Lamar Valley much closer. Along the way, Norris Geyser Basin, Terrace Spring, Beryl Spring, Gibbon Falls, and Mammoth Hot Springs all make excellent stops. Yellowstone National Park — established in 1872 as America’s first national park — never fails to astonish us, and autumn is one of the most magical times to visit.
Eagle Nest, Taos & Red River, New Mexico: Wildlife on the Enchanted Circle
Last Updated: July 12, 2026
From Amarillo, Texas, we headed west and then north into the mountains of northern New Mexico — a five-hour drive that climbed steadily from the flat Texas Panhandle to the high alpine country around Eagle Nest at 8,300 feet. The drive itself provided an early complication: somewhere along the route, either diesel fuel contamination with water or the rapid change in altitude was causing the engine to run rough under load. Purging the fuel filter helped, but a visit to the Freightliner dealer in Albuquerque was clearly going to be necessary. We filed it away and pressed on. What was waiting at the end of the drive was worth every mile of it.
Sonoita & Elgin Arizona: Wine Country, Wildlife & Wide Open Spaces
Last Updated: May 2, 2026
Most people driving through southeastern Arizona are focused on Tombstone or Bisbee — and those are absolutely worth your time. But tucked between those famous destinations and the Mexican border lies one of Arizona’s best kept secrets: the Sonoita and Elgin wine country, a high desert grassland region at roughly 5,000 feet elevation where rolling hills, mountain panoramas, and surprisingly excellent wineries await. We came for the wine, stayed for the wildlife, and left having seen pronghorn antelope, world-class birding in Patagonia, a wildfire in the Dragoon Mountains, and a spontaneous snowstorm — all in the same week.
