Ouray, Colorado … A Unique Mountain Destination

Nestled in some of the most rugged and towering peaks in the Rocky Mountains, Ouray, Colorado is a unique vacation destination. As though some giant had scooped a huge bowl in the earth, the town of Ouray, sits at the bottom of 1,300-foot-tall red rock cliffs, that seemingly enclose and protect this intimate community from the outside […]

Colorado State Bird

Adopted as the official state bird of Colorado on April 29, 1931, the Lark Bunting is actually a migratory bird. Flocks arrive in April and inhabit the plains regions and areas up to 8,000 feet in elevation, then fly south again in September to the north and central Mexico. The Lark Bunting lives in meadows, […]

The Great Die-Up

Cattle drives, open range, cowboys … these are the images we bring to mind when we think of the Old West. It is an image that might have endured into modern times had the winter of 1886 not happened. The winters leading up to 1886 had been relatively warm and mild, so ranchers stopped stocking […]

Arizona Fun Facts

Arizona is a land of contradictions. For many people, the state is synonymous with hot, low-elevation deserts, covered with cacti and creosote bushes. In point of fact, more than half of the state lies at an elevation of at least 4,000 feet above sea level, and it possesses the largest stand of evergreen Ponderosa Pine […]

Top 10 Places to See Spring Wildflowers in Arizona

Who would guess that in the Spring, wildflowers bloom in profusion, even in the deserts areas of Arizona? Yet Arizona is famous for its yearly displays of color. However, there are two distinct wildflowers seasons, owing to the ranges in altitude. Therefore, we’ve broken this article into two sections — the top 5 place to […]

Valles Caldera: New Mexico’s Supervolcano

There are six known supervolcanoes on dry land, while some six more are located under the oceans. Three of these supervolcanoes are in the United States: Yellowstone in Wyoming, Long Valley in California, and Valles Caldera in New Mexico. A supervolcano is capable of producing a volcanic eruption with ejecta greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic […]

Haunted Dawson Cemetery, New Mexico

You expect a cemetery to be haunted, don’t you? But in some cases, a tragedy of such great magnitude occurs that is causes a cemetery to become an even stronger focus for frequent hauntings. Such is the case with Dawson Cemetery in New Mexico. On October 22, 1913, a huge explosion rocked the town of Dawson, […]

Top 10 Things to do on the Western Slope of Colorado

Colorado has two distinct sides to the state, split in the middle by the great Rocky Mountain Range. The Western Slope refers to everything west of the continental divide. The area is drained by the Colorado River, and its tributaries, the San Juan River and the Green River. Unlike the eastern side of the state, […]

Enchanted Mesa, New Mexico

Long ago, the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico built one of the strongest settlements in the Southwest high in the sky. It was located atop a sandstone butte 430 feet high, 400 feet wide and 1,250 feet long. The massive outcrop is comprised of Zuni Sandstone, topped by a harder layer of Dakota Sandstone that […]

Top 10 Things to do in Colorado

Colorado is filled with amazing beauty, soaring mountains, tumbling rivers and streams, tranquil lakes, tall forests, soaring sand dunes, deep canyons and much more. Here are our top picks (in no particular order) for things to see and do in Colorado. Black Canyon of the Gunnison The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the deepest […]