mywalkabout40

[mywalkabout40]

Another college track meet, Pole Vault time

I made it to another one of CBug’s college track meets to watch him Pole Vault. Regional championship’s are just around the corner, and his hope was to qualify. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. He had some great pre-qualifying jumps, but when it came down to it, he just couldn’t quite hit the height needed. He was disappointed, and I wished I had the words to comfort him, but I couldn’t find…

[mywalkabout40]

AZ RenFest 2025

Another Arizona RenFest came and went this year. As I focus these next ten or so years more on saving money and my hopeful retirement in 2033, I decided to not go the the Ren Fest every single weekend, but instead only a couple of times. This new schedule allowed me to savor and enjoy my time here in a new way. This philosophy has permeated most other areas of my life too. I Huzzah my way…

[mywalkabout40]

Dauphin Island

Standing on the Alabama shores of the Fort Morgan historic site is where one can catch the ferry to Dauphin Island on the other side of the bay. On New Year’s Eve 2024 I decided to walk instead of drive onto the ferry to save a little money, as well as get some exercise in while exploring Dauphin… The ferry ride itself took less than half an hour, time spent watching seabirds and oil drilling…

[mywalkabout40]

Bon Secour wildlife refuge

After a couple of days living a beach bum’s life on the sandy white shores around Gulf Shores, I thought I would explore more of the area. Bon Secour was only about 15-20 minutes away, so I take a quick drive to the wildlife refuge. In the month of December, I wasn’t too worried about snakes or alligators, but one can never be to caution when exploring a new part of the country. My eyes were…

[mywalkabout40]

Sweet Fort Morgan, Alabama

I’ve almost been to every State in the USA. I have North Dakota, Hawaii, Mississippi, Connecticut, Delaware, and Indiana to still see. Alabama was on this list until my Christmas 2024 holiday to the sleepy seaside community of Fort Morgan. I’m not sure if international travel is going to continue to happen for me, at least for awhile, as I need to focus on hopefully retiring in 2033. So while I…

[mywalkabout40]

more of Bryce Canyon hiking after a snowstorm, part 2

The twinkling of snow on a bare branch. A bird rests, then flutters away, and a smattering of snow falls to the ground. I listen intently to the silence. Fire in my lungs, spasms up and down the legs. Out here is where I need to lay down, rest, forever. I keep on walking until my final collapse. Which have been, should have been, today. No more glorious a viewpoint before stepping into my…

[mywalkabout40]

Bryce Canyon hiking after a winter snow storm (part 1)

Most of my life thus far has been all about luck. Something that initially seemed to ruin a plan or situation turns out to have been just what needed to happen for something truly amazing to follow suit. That is probably the best way to explain it. Take how a rain storm that last all day ruined my plans to go hiking in Bryce Canyon, yet the rain turned to snow overnight, which led to going to…

[mywalkabout40]

Lick Wash

Out in the wild and expansive Grande Escalante National Monument, along a single dirt road, starting outside Kanab, Utah. I’m looking for a particular slot canyon to explore but if I find some just as interesting I can easily change my plans. This is how I stumbled upon a lone sign for the Lick Wash trailhead. At first I thought this might be the slot canyon I was looking for. I didn’t have any…

[mywalkabout40]

The Mirror Overlook

A few years ago I first passed the East Zion Resort and thought it would be a fun place to have a base camp while exploring new areas of Southern Utah. The small town of Orderville really has nothing else. Last year on my trek to see family for Thanksgiving, I booked a tiny mirror cabin here. Perfectly juxtaposed between Kanab, Zion’s and Bryce Canyon, I settle into my small one room cabin with…

[mywalkabout40]

The Airplane Graveyard in Tucson

Ominous skies all around us, storms dropping massive amounts of rain in desert valleys. CBug and I going to the Pima Air & Space museum in Tucson to hopefully see the history of airplanes around the world, both commercial and military, as long as the weather doesn’t shut our trip down. This is my second time visiting this place. Cbug’s fascination with planes in general had him in heaven from…

[mywalkabout40]

Light Bloom at the DBG

It was the first weekend after the New Year. I start 2025 by going to the sanctuary that is the Desert Botanical Garden in Central Phoenix. They are having a Light Bloom display that I wanted to see. I wander through the gardens as the winter sun slowly starts to set. The glow over the valley calms my nerves. As night comes, the lights come on in the cubes scattered throughout the Botanical…

[mywalkabout40]

My 1st College Track & Field Meet

My nephew moved down to Arizona to go to college here, but the biggest reason for the move was to continue his passion for pole vaulting. The track team at Mesa Community had a major coaching upheaval right after he got here. He stuck with it though, and I finally had a chance to see him in action at a meet at in the Valley. I loved the college atmosphere as I watched the different schools…

[mywalkabout40]

Fish Creek

In the year of 2013 I flew to Phoenix to see Eddie Vedder. Before the concert I took a drive into the Sonoran desert without really knowing where I was going. This was my first time exploring the Fish Creek area, but I had only dipped my toe into all the spectacle and wonder this area has to offer. Soon after I had moved to Arizona, the Fish Creek road had been washed out by some rainstorms, and…

[mywalkabout40]

Holiday Time...2024

For Halloween, our company choose “The Wizard of Oz” as our theme. We have a new HR guy. It was actually pretty fun to see the office actually get into the spirit of something other that corporate greed. For Thanksgiving, I once again made the long drive up to Utah, then had my nephew join me for the drive back home at the end of the Holiday. He surprised me when we arrived at the house 10 hours…

[mywalkabout40]

Cards vs Hawks

In 2007, my brother and I flew to Seattle to watch the wild card NFL game match up between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. We sat in the endzone and watched a young Tony Romo fumble at the goal line in the final seconds, and the Seahawks went on to win. Being from the Seattle area, it was a moment on both of our lives that we’ll never forget. We’ve also been going to Utah college…

[mywalkabout40]

The LaVerkin Trail

For as many times that I’ve been to Zion National Park in Southern Utah, I had never entered the Kolob Canyons backside of the park. The lesser known entrance is quite far from the main entrance. On my annual drive to see family for Thanksgiving in 2024, I decided to try hiking from this side of Zion’s. After quickly showing my National Park Pass to the ranger’s at the gate, I head up and find…

[mywalkabout40]

Butcher Jones

After so many years now, it’s nice that one can still find new hiking trails here in Arizona that blow me away with the beautiful scenery along the way. This was the case with the Butcher Jones trail that winds along the backside of Saguaro Lake. I took work off on a Monday, which was Veteran’s day I believe, which meant that it was free to park at the trailhead with it being a State Park. Much…