Artistic Taos, New Mexico
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- Category: Camping Gems
- Created on Monday, 28 September 2009 21:30
- Last updated on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 17:54
- Published on Monday, 28 September 2009 21:30
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Artistic Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico is a gem of a city. This art-filled resort town is steeped in history and surrounded by colorful deserts and wooded mountains. For recreation, the summer provides hiking, biking, and even rafting. In the winter you can ski or float above the town in a hot air balloon. In the evenings, take in the fabulous art, festivals, or enjoy the rich history of the Pueblos in the region.
Located in the northern region of New Mexico, this area was originally home to the Pueblo people. Their rich history is visible everywhere you go. You can even visit Taos Pueblo, which has been continuously inhabited for over one thousand years. Later in history, the Spanish colonized Taos. In the early 1900's Taos became a haven for many of our nation's most revered artists, including Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe. Taos remains, to this day, a thriving artists community.
Art Galleries
If you want to enjoy the art in Taos, visit some of the eighty different galleries within the city. You could also visit one of the town's six museums, which feature both modern and historic art. In addition to the galleries and museums, Taos has great festivals, including music festivals and the performing arts. The rich Pueblo history in the region has fostered the rich collection of native artists.
Summer Activities
When you tire of spending your day viewing the art in Taos, partake in some of the areas amazing recreation. During the summer you can fish, bike, hike, raft, rock climb, or even horseback ride. River rafting in the Taos area is especially good. If you love rock climbing, or even want to try it out for the first time, you can enjoy all levels of climbing here. First time climbers can sign up for guided rock-climbing trips. If you want to try something a little different, you can go on a llama expedition.
Winter Activities
If you dream of visiting a winter wonderland, Taos, New Mexico, is an ideal place to spend your winter vacation. After a few days playing in the snow, you can take a break on a nice hot air balloon ride. From the balloon you will be able to take in the beautiful vistas of Taos from the sky. Everything looks a little bit more amazing and fantastic from the air, especially from the basket of a hot air balloon.
Winter in Taos has just as many exciting recreational adventures as the summer. There are four ski resorts in the Taos area. Skiing and snowboarding are just the beginning of the winter activities to be found in Taos. You can snowshoe, cross country ski, ice fish, ice skate, play hockey, tube, and even go for a sleigh ride.
Each ski resort has something special to offer. Red River's ski area has varied terrain. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, you can also snowmobile or cross country ski on its many trails. At Taos Ski Valley you can take lessons from the nationally acclaimed ski school and enjoy the great snow on the mountain. Angel Fire Resort offers regular ski sports, and it also has all sorts of other snow sports, including ice fishing. Finally, Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort has a multitude of trails and ski-in, ski-out lodging for those who want to spend the maximum amount of time on their skis.
Taos, New Mexico is a fabulous town in which to spend some vacation time. Within the city you will find a rich history and a comfortable atmosphere. The city has great access to all sorts of art, from native and modern to music and other performing arts. Travelers that love to recreate will find many ways to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of northern New Mexico.
Camping and RVing in Red Rock Country
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- Category: Hot Spots
- Created on Thursday, 03 March 2011 21:51
- Last updated on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 18:18
- Published on Thursday, 03 March 2011 21:51
- Written by Administrator
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Red Rock Country
Red Rock Country is the stunningly beautiful area surrounding Sedona, Arizona. Known for the colorful red rock that give the area its name. The country is filled with beautiful red rock vistas, buttes, pinnacles, mesas and canyons. Visitors to Red Rock Country will find many amazing places to explore, activities to enjoy and more.
Visitors to Red Rock Country can explore both Sedona and the Coconino National Forest. Together, these two destinations will provide visitors with more things to do and see than they could imagine. To get the trip started, travelers should stop at one of the three visitor centers in the region. These visitor centers are an amazing source of comprehensive information about the region. The three visitor centers are the Gateway Visitor Centers, including the South Gateway Visitor Center in southern Sedona, the Uptown Gateway Visitor Center in the Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce, and the North Gateway Visitor Center at the Oak Creek Vista Overlook located at the north end of Oak Creek Canyon.
The Red Rock County has a wide variety of recreational activities for visitor and residents to enjoy. This area is an excellent destination to enjoy hiking, horseback riding, scenic drives, fishing in Oak Creek, backpacking and more. There are over 200 miles of trail to be enjoyed. For shorter trips there are urban trails. Visitors looking for longer excursions can try the remote backcountry trails, which cater to the more adventurous hikers and backpackers.
Visitors can also explore the three federal wilderness areas, which cover over 124,000 acres of the area. These wilderness areas include Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness Area, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, and Munds Mountain Wilderness Area. Within these wilderness areas visitors can find cliffs, pinnacles, desert and pinon-juniper forests.
Red Rock Country also has some beautiful scenic drives. All of the scenic drives in the region provide amazing opportunities to view the stunning beauty of the region. The drives from Highway 89A from Flagstaff to Oak Creek Canyon, and from Cottonwood to Sedona are both great ways to see the country. For a little more adventurous drive, the Schnebly Hill Road into Sedona from the east is a fun winding narrow road that allows visitors to truly enjoy the amazing scenery of the region.
Visitors to Red Rock Country can also explore Oak Creek, one of the beautiful features of the region. The creek can be explored on foot. Visitors can also enjoy fishing in the region. Oak Creek is a vital part of the region's ecosystem, and visitors should be careful not to disturb or contaminate the water while exploring the area.
Red Rock Country has been inhabited by many different people and cultures for many generations. Visitors to the region will enjoy the recreation, the culture, the history and much more that the region offers. There is wilderness, incomparable beauty, and lots of recreation to enjoy.
Camping Gem | Best Off The Beaten Path US National Parks
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- Category: Camping Gems
- Created on Friday, 30 September 2011 16:12
- Last updated on Tuesday, 09 October 2012 21:45
- Published on Friday, 30 September 2011 16:12
- Written by Administrator
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The Best US National Parks You've Never Heard Of
The United States has an amazing National Park System, which preserves some of the most unique, beautiful, and fun natural landscapes found throughout the country.
Canyon de Chelly
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- Category: Camping Gems
- Created on Tuesday, 03 March 2009 20:09
- Last updated on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 18:19
- Published on Tuesday, 03 March 2009 20:09
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Set in the rosy sandstone desert of northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly National Monument is one of the most fascinating ruins in the nation. This land is filled with paradox, because while the ruins are expansive and remarkably intact, they give us more questions than answers. Clearly the home of a large, thriving population, the settlement at Canyon de Chelly seems to have been abandoned almost overnight, for no apparent reason.
Archaeologists have found that people lived in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de Shay) for longer than they lived in almost any other place in early America. This area is filled with haunting beauty. The national monument covers 131 square miles, including the canyons of the de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument Rivers. With steep canyon walls and rushing rivers, this is a fabulous place to explore, looking for slot canyons and cool spots on the canyon floors.
Because the national monument is set within Navajo Tribal Trust Land, it's unique among national park sites. In order to tour the canyon floor here, you must be led by either a park ranger or a Navajo guide. The one exception to this rule is the White House Ruin Trail, which visitors can tour without guides. Guided tours are easy to arrange and join at the visitor's center.
Most park guests arrive by car and begin their visit at the overlooks on South Rim Drive or North Rim Drive. The elevation changes in the monument are truly dramatic with thousand foot drops and towering plinths. For example, the highest park overlook is at 7,000 feet while the visitor's center is at 5,500 feet. On the South Rim Drive, you'll find the White House Ruin, a sprawling living structure that's nestled into a long, low cave in a sheer rocky face. As you hike the White House Ruin Trail, be on the lookout for wildflowers and interesting native plants, as well as petroglyphs and rock art. For a fun side trip, head to the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, an area that's home to more than 700 different plant species, including a number of gorgeous wildflowers.
In nearby Chinle, Arizona, you can arrange for special park guides, horseback rentals, jeep tours, and photo tours. The weather can be unpredictable here, so always carry a raincoat with you and be prepared for sudden afternoon showers. In general, the spring and fall are the best times to visit, when temperatures range between 50 and 70 degrees. Summer is quite hot and dry with highs in the 100s. Winter is cold, breezy, and snowy. In the fall, be particularly aware of thunderstorms that can blow in quickly.
Desert Camping
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- Category: Camp Styles
- Created on Thursday, 26 February 2009 19:50
- Last updated on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 17:55
- Published on Thursday, 26 February 2009 19:50
- Hits: 14985
Deserts are beautiful, exotic places. They're visually stunning with their red rock canyons, high sandstone walls, and tiny trees shaped by wind and weather. Deserts are full of the unexpected – cool shade beneath stone cliffs, natural springs that send sheets of water across rippling sand beds. But they're also challenging places for humans to explore and live in. That is, unless you take a few smart precautions.
The sun is the first and greatest challenge of desert camping. Even if you can escape to the cool shade of your RV during the hottest parts of the day, you'll still want to equip yourself with sun-shading gear for when you do head out on that hike, horseback ride, or ATV trip. You'll need a hat that shades your eyes, sunglasses, and a powerful sunscreen (SPF 30 or above). Be sure to reapply your sunscreen from time to time throughout the day. You'll also want lip balm with SPF protection and something to cover the back of your neck. It might be tempting for men to go shirtless, but if you hate the idea of constantly stopping to put on more sunscreen, you just might find it more worthwhile to keep your shirt on and enjoy the fabric's sun-blocking power. If you're particularly sensitive to the sun or to sunburn, look for fabrics that are sun-resistant and apply sunscreen underneath your clothes.
Bring everything with you. A good rule in the desert is to expect nothing (then you won't be disappointed!) Bring your own water – all you need, plus some extra – rather than counting on the seasonal spring on your map. Instead of planning to go food shopping at the last little town before your campsite, bring extra supplies with you. If you're camping at an RV park, of course you can call ahead and find out what the amenities are before you arrive. But whenever you head out into the desert on foot, on bike, or on an ATV or four-wheeler, be sure you have plenty of water and some food with you. And sunscreen, of course!
If you're RV or car camping, there are a few more items that might make your stay in the desert more comfortable. Any kind of awning or portable shade will let you enjoy the outdoors in comfort. You may want bandanas that you can get wet and tie on your neck. If you're able to transport them, fresh fruits and cold drinks are heavenly in the desert. Portable shower bags can help you wash the dust off at the end of the day. And you'll certainly want your camera – and maybe even a box of pastels or watercolors – for capturing those dramatic rock formations.
The second great challenge of desert camping is, surprisingly, cold. As hot as the desert gets during the day, it gets equally frigid at night. The dry air above the desert floor doesn't hold any warmth once the sun goes down, so prepare for cold temperatures after sunset. No matter what time of year you head to the desert, take plenty of warm clothing for nighttime. You'll also need very warm sleeping gear, the same sort you would take to the mountains. If you're camping in a canyon or under the shade of a cliff or butte, you should also be prepared for your campsite to stay cold until the sun hits it in the morning. When you get up in the morning, dress in layers so you can shed garments one at a time as the day warms up.
If your schedule allows, you might adjust your sleeping and waking hours to fit with desert time. Try rising early in the morning – the best time to watch for wildlife – and take a rest or a nap in the middle of the afternoon, when the sun is strongest. A nice late afternoon/evening walk will set you up perfectly for a late dinner. Then you can admire the brilliant desert stars, read or chat a little before bed, and wake up the next morning ready to explore the next slot canyon, wooded arroyo, or game trail up a towering butte.
RVs are extremely self-sufficient, letting people camp in places that don't have any facilities. They're also widely available for rent. Challenges include keeping track of gas, water, and other fluid levels, and parking the RV in tight or awkward spaces. When you go RV camping, you may also want to bring along another car for exploring your destination area, or toys like ATVs, bikes, snowmobiles, and small boats.
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