It’s hard to disagree with the opening sentences of Nicholas Kristoff’s piece Forget the Yacht. The Best Travel Is on Foot, Through Wilderness:
Some think that the best thing about America is its wealth, technology and modernity. Others point to its Democratic institutions. But I’m with the writer Wallace Stegner that America’s “best idea” is our spectacular inheritance of public lands — purple mountain majesties — amounting to about 40 percent of our nation. As Stegner said of our national parks: “Absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best.”
Badlands National Park, On This Day in 2022.
Badlands National Park, On This Day in 2022.
Faces in the mountain - On This Day in 2022
A couple videos of the bison herd at South Dakota’s Custer State Park from our last visit, On This Day in 2022.
I wrote a post about being the “smallest house on the block” in your friends group, a concept I’ve been thinking about recently. It’s something that I think makes sense to occasionally take a look at, just to ensure there isn’t an excessive imbalance.
Our latest post about our upcoming 100-day trip around the world: Exhausted with Trip Planning. Don’t get me started on the crazy number (and cost) of vaccinations we need for this trip.
On This Day in 2017, we trekked to the University of Chicago to visit the original location of what was called “Chicago Pile-1,” the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction, improbably taking place under the bleachers at Stagg Field.
ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/histo…
The view of a (nearly) full moon paddle from On This Day in 2020. I’m heading out for another one tonight, though it’s going to be more of a “moonless” paddle tonight.
On This Day in 2017, I visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan.
On This Day in 2022, I met up with a social media friend at the International Peace Garden, which straddles the US-Canada border.
I wrote a short post about the visit: rscottjones.com/visiting-…
On This Day in 2022, I met up with a social media friend at the International Peace Garden, which straddles the US-Canada border.
August 2024 in 10 Photos
I saw this post by Matthew Haughey and liked the idea, so here’s 10 photos from August 2024. You may also be interested in my recaps of the month: Mid August recap and End of August recap.
At Sun Devil Stadium after ASU’s 48-7 victory. It’s my 38th year as a season ticket holder. Jen has been joining me at the games since 2016, and I believe my bestie Becci has sat with me since 2010ish.
With my mom and her new (to her) Nissan Kicks after she drove it home for the first time. Thank goodness she finally has wheels again; she’s been without transportation for ten weeks after a vehicle ran a red light and totaled her old vehicle.
An art piece at the Art Museum on campus in Tucson. I grabbed a free admission Culture Pass from the Phoenix Public Library and finally marked it off my list.
A view from the Catalina Highway, in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson. I grew up at the mouth of one of the canyons in this shot. I made stops at my old house and school.
The Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site off the Catalina Highway. This was once a “Federal Honor Camp” (aka prison camp) for various offenders, most notably Gordon Hirabayashi, who was confined there after refusing to admit himself to a Japanese Internment Camp during WWII. His conviction was ultimately overturned in the 1980s and the federal government finally apologized for that whole unAmerican episode.
My wife spent much of the month working in Tucson, so I’ve gone down to keep her company after work. We’ve been trying to hit some classic Tucson restaurants. On this night, we went to my parents’ favorite restaurant back in the day: the entirely kitschy Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse.
We’ve had to file several documents with the Maricopa County Recorders Office, and we really enjoyed using this video service kiosk at the local library. Super convenient, but also feels a bit weird to file important documents at the library.
Another classic Tucson restaurant, often described as the original home of the chimichanga.
I had to get two old crowns replaced in August. This is a 3D image of all of my teeth that they used to make the new crowns. Man, that’s so much better than those awful goopy trays they used for impressions.
My buddy moved to Denver, so we had one last hurrah at our old local watering hole, Paradise Lounge. Man, we created so many crazy memories at that dive bar, back when we were young enough to get away with a long night of drinking.
#WildlifeWednesday from #opcOnThisDay in 2022, a visit to what is now called White Horse Hill National Game Preserve in North Dakota.
I visited because it used to be called Sullys Hill National Park, and well, I have a quest to visit all “former” (decommissioned or transferred) National Park units in the US (because of course I do).
https://rscottjones.com/quests/former-national-park-units-quest/
#GoQuesting #NorthDakota #NationalPark
I wrote a bit about the important role that humor played in securing better health care for my dad.
I was pretty happy to get my End of August 2024 recap written ahead of schedule last week—and then promptly forgot to publish until today. 🤦♂️
#opcOnThisDay in 2017, I was lucky to coincide my visit to Pullman National Historical Park (at the time, a newly designated national monument) with Labor Day, which is cool given its infamous role in labor organizing.
On This Day in 2017, I was able to “summit” Charles Mount, the highest point in Illinois. So far, it’s been the hardest one to mark off my travel quest to visit the High Points of Otherwise Flat States because it’s on private land and only open to the public on four weekends each summer.
