Every year in Indio, California, those who make the best tamales come to compete. We happened to be near the area for the 30th Anniversary of the festival, which...

It's a National Park that lies smack in the middle of an active missile testing range. Thus, it's advisable to check in advance to ensure there are no tests...

I'm a history buff, but I had never been to The Alamo before. And I hadn't necessarily wanted to, either. History is far grayer than a hero-villain portrayal, and...

This was the National Championship of Craft Shopping. As we pulled into the convention center parking lot, we saw large groups of women in chairs behind their vehicles --...

Hot Springs National Park is the smallest of all the national parks in the system, and, though it only gained the designation of "National Park" in 2018, was one...

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky carries the title of the world's longest cave system, at 420 miles of passageways (that they have surveyed and therefore, know about). The park rangers...

The Western National Parks will spoil you. The awe-inspiring grandeur of the West: the sharp mountain peaks, the big game roaming the valleys, the cascading waterfalls, the mammoth tree...

The impossibly-bright yellow leaves of an aspen tree in fall might be one of nature's most brilliant displays. Instead of hiking briskly, the aspens had me strolling slowly-- my...

I'd never heard of Great Basin National Park until I saw it on our atlas. The lesser-known parks still feel like hidden gems, as despite their mighty designation, they...

Three straight days of off-road training seemed like a good idea, at the time. You see, I was trying to learn as much as possible about driving my 9,500-pound...

Ever wonder what a changing climate can do to a lush rainforest? Petrified Forest National Park provides a stark answer. At first, Petrified Forest appears barren, devoid of life-- looking...

We got lucky; the desert was blooming when we arrived. For those who travel into nature, you know that what you see, is often about when you see. No advanced planning...