from rscottjones

Jen & I had our first “date” in Ironwood Forest National Monument, and I helped launch the Friends of Ironwood Forest five years before that. It’s an incredible landscape worthy of permanent federal protection. That’s now under threat: Ironwood Forest National Monument—Arizona’s hidden treasure

Another belated post—and more Wales, more Iceland, and more domestic adventures.

On Aug 19 2023,

…we wrapped up our time in Wales before heading to the airport to fly home.

On Aug 19 2021,

…we had another fun day in Iceland, visiting some waterfalls, doing some short hikes, and finding ourselves some fun street art.

Wait wait wait…

…was that a sheep staring me down back in that first Wales photo? Yep, yes it sure was. Look buddy, I’ve got my eye on you too.

On Aug 19 2018,

…my friend Jessica and I had camped in Coconino National Forest, then hit the Waterwheel recreation area on Houston Mesa.

On Aug 19 2017,

…we spent the day at the North Cascades Parks Complex (which is includes the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, which most people mistake for North Cascades itself).

I’m posting a bit out of order again today, as I’d like to highlight this day in Iceland. I had to leave out a number of other years, too—August is quite the busy travel month.

On Aug 18 2021,

…we had an excellent day in Iceland. What an amazing place. I included some roadway shots, because even those are scenic as hell.

On Aug 18 2023,

…we had a great day in Wales, too. More great scenery!

On Aug 18 2018,

…my friend Carrie and I paddled around Bartlett Lake, in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Scottsdale. Stands of saguaro near water is a special thing.

On Aug 18 2018,

…I spent the day up at Fossil Creek—another gem in the desert—with my old twitter friend Jessica. We made a weekend out of it, camping that night up on the Mogollon Rim, with a great sunset.

On Aug 18 2012,

…I was apparently in Isle Royale National Park. We’re looking to return in 2026 to celebrate our friend Krista’s completion of her 63 National Parks quest.

I’m a few days behind on my OTD posts, here’s one fro Aug 17th.

On Aug 17 2023,

…we spent the day in Wales, among other sites, visiting the castle at Conwy and the town with the longest place name in the world.

On Feb 17 2021,

…we visited the Myvatn geothermal region, and finally did the Icelandic hot spring thing.

Who needs a shower?

On Aug 17 2019,

…I visited Cabinetlandia!

Look, I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s worth checking out the much longer blog post I later wrote about it. It’s an intriguing story. Anyway, here’sthe video tour I recorded without knowing any of the background, which somehow holds up pretty well:

On Aug 17 2014,

…I visited Uncle Bear’s Brewing in Ahwatukee with my friend Jenny as our 10th in pursuit of our #PHXBrewQuest. Funny enough, this would be where I’d meet Jen (my wife, not my friend Jenny) the following year. So even though the beer wasn’t great, it’ll always hold an important place in my life.

On Aug 17 2010,

…I apparently drove part of the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped at the Monterrey Aquarium. These must be among the earliest photos in my current iPhoto Library.

Catching up on my OTD posts, highlighting Iceland again here.

On Aug 16 2021,

…we had yet another amazing day Iceland, highlighted by our visit to the incredibly impressive Dettifoss.

On Aug 16 2023,

…we spent the day exploring the Isle of Man before heading back to Scotland.

On Aug 16 2015,

…I made a trek up to Agua Fria National Monument to check out a pueblo ruin I hadn’t been to ages. In a longstanding tradition, I apparently rode a gila monster in Carefree on the drive home.

I wrote a quick bit about Asshole Scott for #Blaugust2025.

If you’re not already a member, Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) is having a 53% off sale on their premium membership right now (just $23/yr; use the code HAPPY10THBDAY). We’ve been members for many years.

In spite of some fun destinations and photos, I didn’t get around to any OTD posts for #Blaugust this weekend. I probably won’t get one posted for today either—at least before bed tonight. I’ll see if I can catch up over the next few days. It’s been a fun way to relive previous trips.

I wrote a bit about how I abandoned minimalism to reduce friction though duplicative purchases. I’m just far more interested, these days, in better enabling activities I want to do than focusing on how much stuff I own. #blaugust2025 #blaugust #blogging

I’m misordering these posts again today to better highlight our Iceland memories. Man, it’s been fun looking through all of these photos.

On Aug 15 2021,

…we were campervanning around Iceland, checking out some great waterfalls, geological features, and even an iceberg-filled glacial lake.

On Aug 15 2023,

…we ventured to Dunbar, Scotland to pay homage to John Muir and his hometown, then explored the New Lanark World Heritage Site.

On Aug 15 2020,

…we were camping near Big Lake in Arizona. Funny enough, a friend I met on a group paddling trip down the Green River in Canyonlands National Park at least a decade earlier took up the adjacent campsite—he goes by the nickname “Wu.” I jokingly obscured my face a bit and walked up saying that I had gotten a call from our mutual friend Russ saying he owed us a bottle of whiskey. A bit frazzled, it took him a moment to figure out what was happening, and we subsequently spent the evening hanging out around the campfire together.

On Aug 15 2019,

…I made a trip out to Las Cruces, stopping at the Lordsburg playa along the way. In Cruces, I visited the museum to see the Paleozoic Trackways exhibit, then hiked in the (oddly named) Prehistoric Trackways National Monument.

On Aug 15, 2015,

…I attended the 100th birthday party for my great aunt, Delma—the inspiration for our ASU Football fandom. She had just been honored as the Arizona Cardinals’ “oldest fan.”

On Aug 15 2014,

I became an official ordained minister for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. No, seriously. Unfortunately, I only perform weddings while on vacation at amazing destinations. So, um, keep me in mind.

On Aug 15 2013

…I tried as I might to get a good selfie with my dog, Sipapu—but he would not be denied in making it extra weird. It was my last night before I moved to an apartment and couldn’t easily bring him along. My mom had just lost her dog, so she was going to care for him for a year as a transition, and could provide a better home as I was often traveling for both work and fun. Unfortunately, he suddenly passed away the following St Patricks Day. :(

Jen is starting to narrow in on the finish line of her National Park units quest. She only has ~50 remaining (the white pins on this map), which are strategically grouped into convenient batches. We have trips booked in the next 60 days to tackle the units circled in blue, with group trips in 2026 that hit the units in yellow. Even with the other travel we’re looking at, she’s on track to finish in 2027 if she wants to. There are currently only 8 of us who have visited all 433 park units.

I’m excited to get a look back at our Iceland trip, but it was especially fun to look back at our Hanford Reach tour. It’s so crazy to wander through a nuclear reactor and chat with folks about how it works and how they were still sorta figuring things out as they went.

On Aug 14 2021,

…we had our first full day in Iceland. And oh my, it did not disappoint. We saw several amazing waterfalls, hiked to a glacier, hit our first Icelandic craft brewery, and enjoyed yet another sunset at our campervan campsite. We even found a golf course; I FaceTimed my dad so he could see it. These are all iPhone shots—wish I had my Nikon shots handy!

On Aug 14 2023,

…we were still in Scotland, and met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin in Glasgow. It was great to reconnect. We also stopped by a Big Lebowski pub for lunch; nothing special, I just like this photo. (And yes, this is out of order, just because I wanted the Iceland photos as the lede).

On Aug 14 2021,

…we camped at Big Lake in the White Mountains, driving home via the scenic Salt River Canyon.

On Aug 14 2017,

…we toured the Hanford Reach B Reactor in central Washington, one of the major sites of the Manhattan Project. This was the last of the three “sub-units” of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, so I got the last third of the 3-part national park stamp.

On Aug 14 2015,

…these “wild horses” (read: feral horses relocated to the White Mountain Apache Reservation from the Lower Salt River) wandered through my campsite on the Mogollon Rim and interrupted my sunset viewing.

Earlier in the day, I had attended an ASU football practice at Camp Tontozona and stopped by Pinetop Brewing.

Here’s a #JulyReply2025, though a very belated one I never wrapped up and posted. Whoops!

Robert Birming recently blogged about his enjoyment of The International Bar in Sweden, and how it’s a bit more friendly than other watering holes in the country. I didn’t realize that “bar culture” was that much different in parts of Europe.

As an American, bars are one of the increasingly few public places remaining where striking up a conversation with a stranger is not uncommon¹. If you’re seated at the bar (as opposed to a table in the bar), it’s generally fair game to casually comment to someone nearby. In fact, chatting up the customers is often a big part of the bartender’s job.

This social tradition is so strong, in fact, that we often include stops at craft breweries and dive bars during our travels as it’s one of the best ways to chat with a local (we jokingly call it #LostNeededDirections). It’s a great little hack for learning more about the local area.

I happened across this video about loneliness in the US recently and was reminded of the important role that bars play in today’s America—at least when it comes to socializing with others.

And especially for older, single men. Whether for good or bad, the bar is at the heart of many of their social lives. Simply interacting with others, plus the relationships they make with fellow regulars and bar staff, and feeling like part of the “in crowd” all contribute to the sense that they’re part of a larger community.

When my dad ended up in the hospital with heart failure in 2020, it was his buddies at the Dubliner Pub that came to check on him. They did their own welfare checks when he hadn’t shown up when expected.

“Hey, anyone seen Norm recently?”

“Nope, and he didn’t answer my call this morning.”

“Yeah, I got voicemail too.”

“Hmm, let’s go check up on him.”

“Sure…but not until I’m done with my beer.”

(How I imagine the conversation at the Dubliner the day after my dad entered the hospital.)

I’m typing this at happy hour, where a longstanding group of 15-20ish regulars congregates. Most of these folks have been frequenting the same bar together for more than two decades now, occasionally switching venues as the local scene shifts or new bar owners take over. They organize a variety of sports betting pools, occasionally dine at each others’ houses, and drive each other to doctor appointments when they need a hand. But mostly, they hang out at the bar together.

After the time I spent here with my dad in his final years, I’ve been partially adopted into this crowd. They ask how my last trip went, rib me for my failed cooking attempts (of which there are far too many), and ask if I rode my bicycle over even in this summer heat (yes, yes I did).

For many of these folks, this is their primary social scene. While plenty of them drink more often than they should, they primarily show up to talk with their buddies, not drink their sorrows away. It’s their social time. A few of them show up and only drink NA beer, or get a soda instead; they’ll get a teasing comment or two from the peanut gallery, but no one actually cares.

Too many of us spend too much of our time on our phones. But here, most are focused on actual conversations, only glancing at their phone to look something up. Sure, they say they’re here to watch baseball on the bar TVs too, but they’re mostly here to chat with their bar friends while the game plays in the background. Even with people who are substantially different than themselves. Even with people who don’t share their politics (a bar is one of the last remaining places where there’s some sort of broad political mixing). Even with people they wouldn’t have stopped and said hello to in another context. But here? Yeah, they met at the bar, many of them decades ago, and that’s been enough to maintain these friendships.

Apparently, August 13th has been an eventful day for me over the years. Iceland was one of my all-time favorite trips, so it’s going to be fun seeing photos for the next week plus. Until Africa, the Angle Inlet border crossing (near the bottom) was the weirdest I’ve been to.

On Aug 13 2023,

…we continued our time in Scotland, just Jen and I at this point.

On Aug 13 2022,

…I did an evening paddle with my friend Brittany.

On Aug 13 2021,

…Jen and I landed in Iceland and picked up a campervan, our home for the next ten or so days. We grabbed some supplies, took a nap, and started exploring Thingvellir National Park.

On Aug 13 2020,

…I brought a couple bartender friends, a regular from the bar, and Jen on a morning paddle down the Salt River.

On Aug 13 2017,

…we spent the day at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in central Oregon, my 379th national park unit.

On Aug 13 2013,

…I visited what is now New River Gorge National Park, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River—quite the busy day!

On Aug 13 2012,

…I visited that silly little notch in the northern border of Minnesota. To get there, you have to cross into Canada and then back into the US—using a videophone booth to clear immigration and customs each time. It’s a trip. There’s no security, you just stop because that’s what you should do. You enter, pick up the phone handset and press a button to start the one-way video call. YOu answer some basic questions, hold your passport up for viewing (no scanning), and…well, that’s about it.

I also apparently decided to officially adopt my High Points of Otherwise Flat States quest this day (which I just finished in May).

I’m working on a new web project that showcases public lands across the US. If you enjoy our public lands and have some photos to share as a contributor, please get in touch. I’m primarily interested in BLM and USFS lands, but might scatter in some national park lands as well.

It was fun to get an email from Sid, who is blogging all month about the websites of other #Blaugust2025 participants, when he featured mine. What a great idea!

Another installment of my “On This Day” photos for the month-long #Blaugust2025 blogging challenge.

On Aug 12 2023,

…we wrapped up our time in the Scottish Highlands.

…and toured the Culloden Battlefield, where so many Scots clans were crushed;

…and stopped by the Clava Cairns, too.

On Aug 12 2017

I visited Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, then Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and ended at a brewery in Bend, Oregon—where I finally finally got to meet one of my earliest social media friends, @Calipidder.

On Aug 12 2013

…I was continuing my roadtrip around Ohio, which included a short detour in West Virginia to visit Marshall University. Marshall is famous for the tragic plane crash that claimed its entire football team, who was returning from a game. But I didn’t visit fort that reason—it was my dad’s alma mater and I wanted to FaceTime him the campus so he could see what it looked like these days and hear some new stories that might be triggered by seeing various places on campus.

On Aug 12 2012,

…I stopped by the incomparable Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota—my second visit to the famed roadside attraction.

On Aug 12 2010,

…I hiked in Fern Canyon in Redwoods State and National Park. This is the only photo in my Photos library, which is a shame because I loved this hike and back then it wasn’t crazy crowded.