Dear Reader,
It’s been said that “life happens.” That’s certainly been true for me lately. Life has kept me away from blogging for a few months, but I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying my archived posts in the meantime. I plan to publish more new material soon.
After my last update in July, my wife, son, and I toured the western United States. We enjoyed three great weeks last summer in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. Here are some of the best photos from our trip.
Escondido, California
San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, part of the historic California Missions
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Kootenay River Gorge near Moyie Springs, Idaho
Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana
Wild Horse Island State Park, Flathead Lake, Montana
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Click here to watch a World Adventurers video with spectacular views of Bryce Canyon National Park!
Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah
North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Beefaloes (bison/cow cross breed), North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Zion National Park, Utah
The cliché that pictures don’t do it justice is true. My family and I had a great time last summer. I hope you did too!
Since returning home, I’ve spent much of my time writing two new memoirs. Eurasia: Getting into Travel in Europe and Asia is a coming-of-age story about my journey as a college student through 20 countries in Europe and Asia. Vietnam: On the Trail from Then to Now explores the legacy of the Vietnam War and my search to learn the true story of my late father’s time as a soldier in Vietnam. Both are scheduled for release as part of the World Adventurers Series in 2014.
I’ve also been busy promoting my new children’s World Adventurers for Kids picture book collection featuring the first three books in the series, Alexander the Salamander, Ellie the Elephant, and Zoe the Zebra. Sales and early reviews have been great. Do your kids a favor and pick up your copy today! Click here for a list of booksellers.
This article has been cross-posted on Scribd.
What an amazing trip! Glad to know your absence is for good reasons.
And I’m so glad to hear about the children’s books. My nephews just started school, and I think they would really enjoy these books.
Thanks, Anne! It was so amazing. I don’t get to spend enough time back home in the United States, and we make the most of it when we go home. I’ve had a lot going on lately, although I’ve had it in mind for a month or so to post an update. I hope to do so more frequently now. I hope your nephews enjoy the books. The early reviews have been good from adults and kids alike!
What I wouldn’t give for three weeks continuous vacation! Glad you had fun.
Thanks! I feel fortunate to have the time to travel like that. Our next adventure in the states will hopefully be New England and eastern Canada in the early fall when the leaves turn. We might make up for the time off with logistical challenges living the rest of the year overseas. Little things like finding and buying something in a foreign country can be a pain. Gluten free food in Asia? Safety pins? Low carb wheat tortillas? Tortilla chips in Austria? Good luck. 🙂
So glad to have shared some of those vacation memories w/ your family. Sorry it didn’t seem to work out for fantasy football league; Bryan was waiting as long as he could to hear from you on that, but figured you and Alex got busy or changed your mind once back home. Nice to see you enjoyed Zion Ntl. Park. Tell us more about Glacier National Park, Montana. That is in our plans for our trip next summer; we’ll be driving up/to/through at least 6 national parks in the western U.S. and Canada. We decided to wait one more year after that for Bryce and Grand Canyon. Then we really get serious about training for Mt. Whitney. So many plans…I hope they all happen.
Thanks, Shauna. Yeah, my son’s interest in fantasy football lasted one afternoon in California. He’s a pretty typical boy with a short attention span, and I wasn’t about to push him to do something he’s not motivated to do himself. On a happier note, he signed up for baseball and will start this month. The season here is the exact opposite of the states — November to February. Bryce Canyon was our favorite of the four we visited, but they were all great. I wish we’d had more time to enjoy Zion; one day isn’t enough to do more than 1-2 short hikes. If you make to Glacier, let me know and I can put you in touch with my sister who lives in the area and knows it well. We now have an annual pass to the national parks and are trying to figure out where we can see the most parks on next year’s vacation. We’re thinking of going back to Seattle to visit North Cascades, Olympics, and Mt. Rainier N.P. So many plans is right…if only there were more time in a day/year! Take care, my friend.
Great to see you back out there again! Wish you and your family well Sir…
Many thanks, David! We had a great time, but it’s good to be back. I’m happily surprised to see that readership kept climbing even when I wasn’t posting. That’s staying power.
[…] Canyon was one of the national parks my family and I visited in the United States last summer. Here’s a video clip showing different views of Bryce Canyon National Park from the rim. The […]
[…] Breaks National Monument in southern Utah was one of the travel destinations my family and I visited in the United States last summer. Here’s a video clip showing different views of Cedar Breaks from the rim. It’s not very big […]
Mike This is Woody I want to thank you for being with me in the Nam I am planning to return and you being with me was a great comfort Vietnam really changed me and was a great time we had especially on China Beach
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