RoadUP blogs

Blue Diamond Hill Dressed for Winter

Jim — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:23:54 +0000

This afternoon I escaped the dreary overcast and drizzle of the Las Vegas suburbs for the cloud-shrouded and weatherful landscape of Red Rock NCA. The scenic loop road, along with much of the park, was closed to entry due to the very weather I was interested in. The way I drive that road they were doing me a favor - I'll slide off the road some other time.

National Parks on Twitter

Jim — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:21:05 +0000

As I discovered National Park Service sites posting on Twitter I would include them in #followfriday and other posts. Once in a while people ask if there is a comprehensive list. I thought for sure a something official would emerge given the recent marketing efforts of Ken Burn's PBS documentary, but to date nothing official or otherwise has appeared on my radar. So let's get started! Here's a map with all parks I know of so far using Twitter.

View NPS Parks on Twitter in a larger map

Why a map and not a simple text list? People may not know their local parks by name, but they certainly know where they live or where they're interested in visiting.

List gathering got a bit haphazard so I ended up referencing the NPS's own Twitter profile, assuming they are following at least all parks under their management.

NPS resources are easy to marker save the National Historic Trails out there. For now I'm listing them in a marker bucket off the California coast. As time allows the maps will overlay the trails using Google's line tools and mark them appropriately.

This is a simple beginning. What other information would be useful in this map? And have I any parks/sites/trails? Care to contribute building this? Let me know in the comments below or @roadup me.

Wandering Arrow Canyon

Jim — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:12:26 +0000

Last weekend some friends joined me hiking up Arrow Canyon, about 40 miles north of Las Vegas. After on-again-off-again weather we happened to pick the hottest day of the year so far to do it. Not so bad considering it's one of those hikes where you get a nice respite as the canyon narrows to a point where the ground and walls stay nice and cool from rarely, if ever, encountering the sun's rays.

Getting there is pretty easy. From metro Las Vegas take I-15 north to Hwy 93 north. In the time it takes you to down your tall mocha latte you'll pass the Arrow Mountain range - the giant wall of rock as you look out the passenger side. Left at Hwy 168, and...is that a golf course? Don't ask, rambler, just keep driving. Head over the pass, and as you're angling down towards Moapa keep an eye out for a small ranch-style arch sign. Turn onto this road steering clear of the Brady residence, please, unless you want to make them an offer on their place. Unless you're sportin' 4-wheel drive park next to the water processing buildings.

View Arrow Canyon Trail in a larger map

The trail is pretty clear, heading south then west into the canyon. This season the lower canyon is lined pretty nicely with wildflowers. Twice the canyon will narrow down enough to give you the classic sliver-of-sky view that are part of a slot canyon hiking experience. As it grows closer to summer these are also great spots to pause, drink up and feel the cool rock against your skin. Keep an eye out for glyphs lining the canyon walls, both ancient and not-so-old. Grottos, slides, and other erosional markers litter the canyon walls.

No more details from me on this one. Let the video and pics pique your curiosity and pick a day to tank up and find the rest out for yourself.

Pic: Ferrying to the Olympic Peninsula

Jim — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:03:51 +0000

I'm on vacation for 12 days, and it's off to Washington state! My mother lives in the small seaside town of Port Townsend, and it's actually been a few years since I've come up to visit. It's not all family business, though. Port Townsend lies next door to the Olympic Mountains, and although the mountains themselves are snow-packed and inaccessible the surrounding forest and communities hold a lot of possibilities for fun and discovery.

If you know the area and have a recommendation for places to visit leave me a comment or @roadup me on Twitter.

A New Beginning

Jim — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:30:36 +0000

This space used to be merely a vacation home for me while I represented myself elsewhere. More and more, though, it's becoming my main identity out here in the pixel world. And like every aging home, eventually it needs a few repairs, some structural improvements, and a fresh coat of paint.

I was a poor (read: infrequent) blogger, and I knew something had to be done or give up this space as a content-lite dead end. So, with repair and rejuvenation in mind I closed shop for a bit and am working to solidify the focus of the site and centralize my little adventures here.

Even if folks subscribe via iTunes or their own feed gathering tool this space still matters to me. After all, this is where I live. :)

With that, let the games...continue.

image credit: cliff1066