Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Every spring, the hills above Carlsbad in North San Diego County erupt into one of the most breathtaking seasonal displays anywhere in California. Sandy and I had been wanting to visit the Carlsbad Flower Fields for years — finally, this spring we made it happen during our California coast travels, and it was worth every mile of the drive north from San Diego.
Last Updated: July 31, 2026
So much of travel moves at a pace set by logistics — the next destination, the checkout time, the reservation that can’t be changed. The Sonoran Desert has a way of overruling all of that. You slow to three-quarter time whether you intend to or not, because the things worth seeing here don’t reveal themselves to anyone moving too fast. The cactus wren sitting three feet away on a saguaro arm. The bobcat stretched out in a patch of morning sun. The Costa’s hummingbird hovering in front of a blooming aloe, iridescent purple gorget catching the light. You have to be moving at the desert’s pace to see any of it. Continuing our spring stay at Western Way RV Resort near Tucson Mountain Park, we had two more weeks to let the desert set the tempo — with a day trip south to the artist colony at Tubac and daily visits to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum thrown in. Jake set the pace each morning, and it was always exactly right.
Last Updated: July 31, 2026
Spring is the Sonoran Desert at its absolute best — wildflowers carpeting the desert floor, saguaros preparing to bloom, hummingbirds working every flowering shrub, and evenings that turn the western sky a deep molten orange behind the Tucson Mountains. We drove in from the west in April 2021, stopping overnight in Gila Bend before continuing to our favorite base camp on the west side of Tucson near Saguaro National Park West and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We needed some minor repairs done on the RV — this was our third stay at Western Way RV Resort — and once the work was sorted, we spent two weeks photographing wildflowers, raptors, woodpeckers, numerous species of hummingbirds, and the kind of sunsets that make you understand why people choose to live in Tucson. Jake was entirely in his element.
Last Updated: May 28, 2026
From Idaho we headed south through Nevada to visit Great Basin National Park — one of the most remote and least-visited national parks in the lower 48 — before swinging east to Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah and then south to Las Vegas for a week of rest and family.
Last Updated: May 28, 2026
From Bruneau Dunes we headed east to Picabo, Idaho — a tiny agricultural community that serves as the base for visiting Silver Creek and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. From there we drove north to Ketchum to explore Sun Valley and make a day trip to Stanley through the Sawtooth Mountains. On our way out of Idaho we stopped in Twin Falls to restock at Costco and see Shoshone Falls.
Last Updated: May 28, 2026
From White Bird, Idaho we drove south to McCall — a scenic few hours alongside the Salmon River canyon, full of twists, turns, and stunning gorge views. Surprisingly, not a single cabinet came open. We spent a relaxed week at the McCall RV Resort before continuing south to Bruneau Dunes State Park, home to the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America and some of the darkest skies in Idaho.
