His name was Michael. I met him in New Mexico on a drizzly night in spring. Standing in front of the Taos Inn dressed in a cook’s apron, he was puffing on a smoke before…
I stand near the top of a steep mountain in Utah. The scenery is stunning—white-capped mountains undulate toward the horizon, peppered by stands of dark green pines. Ridges and valleys ripple outward, like great swaths…
“Look out for the bears,” the hiker said as he passed Judy and me during our hike in Yosemite National Park last September. “A mom and her two cubs are eating acorns in a tree,”…
As I sit in the desert twilight, swirls of sunset colors wash the air in shades of teal and pink, apricot and green. It’s that magical moment when day blends effortlessly into night, and I…
My sons and I awoke before sunrise and slipped out of our cottage at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu, leaving my husband, Peter, deep in dreamland. Under a pale dome of…
I almost lost my husband in Kauai. I already lost a friend there. No, I don’t mean lost as in—you know—falling off the side of a cliff or something. I mean lost as in disappear…
I couldn’t believe my eyes. A blanket of white fog shrouded one of the world’s most scenic views. Here I was face to face with the Grand Canyon, and instead of oohing and aahing over…
In the Pima language, there is no word for hello or goodbye. Tribal members greet each other with “Sap en thak em nie,” which translates to “It’s good to see you,” and say the same…
Many Phoenix visitors barely glimpse downtown as they speed from the airport toward one of the city’s gorgeous resorts, where rounds of golf golf, spa treatments, and exquisite dining await. I’ll admit I love resorts…
Among the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, I strolled along a wooded path, my husband Peter trailing behind. We were exploring the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, where new growth sprouted among trees charred by…