Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Alaska Route 5
I left Fairbanks headed for Dawson City, but a wildfire warning near Tok made me stop and reconsider the route. With the highways still open, I continued through Tok and onto the Taylor Highway, where I discovered that “sections of dirt road” really meant mostly dirt. By evening, a $6 campsite at Walker Fork Campground looked very good. My last day in Alaska.
Davis Dam and Laughlin, NV
I started the day above Lake Mohave watching sunrise, explored the history and engineering of Davis Dam, walked the Colorado River in Laughlin, drove through vast Nevada solar fields, and ended the evening on BLM land outside Valley of Fire State Park with warm desert air and an early night.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Hike
I hiked to the old Victoria Mine before 8 a.m., walking four miles through saguaros, organ pipe cactus, cholla, and creosote bush in the Sonoran Desert. After signing out at the trail register, I left Arizona, stopped in Ajo for coffee, photographed a massive desert aqueduct carrying Colorado River water, and made my way toward Lake Mohave for the night.
Quartzsite, AZ
After finishing taxes near Bouse, I drove into Quartzsite, Arizona — winter home to massive RV gatherings, gem and mineral shows, and long-term BLM camping. I explored the town, learned about Hi Jolly and the Army’s camel experiment, and settled into quiet dispersed camping under the desert sky.
Sedona to Bouse, AZ
What started as a simple travel day from Sedona toward Quartzsite turned into a detour through Bouse, Arizona and an accidental drive deep into BLM land. Along the way, I passed the enormous TSMC semiconductor fabrication plant rising from the desert before settling into a quiet campsite just as the sun dropped behind the mountains.