Hiking to Pear Lake For My 50th Birthday

Michael Brandon and Shea at Pear Lake

Rather than gifts, my sons now give me the perfect present each year by spending my birthday with me hiking. That gift of time is far more valuable than any physical items they could buy for me.

A Simple Connection with Nature

Stellars Jay

While camping in on the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, an interaction with a Stellars Jay gave me a moment to reflect on our place in nature.

Jeeping Around Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park

Jeep in Front of Monolith

As the sun rose, I headed offroad toward the majestic Cathedral Valley. A long-abandoned truck and gorgeous morning sun proved an ample canvas to play with my camera. Deeper along my journey, I found myself alone with the impressive monoliths known as The Temples of the Sun and Moon.

Beginning 1001 Tales of Treasure

1001 Tales of Treasure

In the summer of 2017, I launched “My National Park Quest.” It was born during a trip to some of the astounding National and State Parks in Utah. The goal of my quest was to visit every National Park Unit, along with every National Monument, Forest, and Grassland. An Unease Settles In Over the next […]

Descending into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Looking Back Down The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Within the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, reaching the Gunnison River means either repelling down 2,000-foot cliffs or “hiking” down steep ravines. As I am not a technical climber, I opted to trek to the river via the SOB Draw. The trip down took about two hours, while the journey back up took over four hours, but every minute of the day was well worth the effort. Being in the Black Canyon is a unique and memorable experience.

My National Park Quest Declaration!

Shea At Bryce Canyon National Park

I am declaring that I intend to To Experience & Share each of the United States National Parks, plus all of our National Forests and National Monuments. A recent trip through southern Utah has finally prompted me to begin this epic adventure. Over the next decade or so, I’ll be traveling to every state and many of the US territories to discover more about this great country and sharing it with you.

Kicking Around Some Landscapes

Dreamy View of Hallett Peak

Between launching a new software company, running my marketing company, working on writing my next novel, getting some hiking in, and raising my sons, I’ve been playing with little photography.

Photo Featured on DayHikesNearDenver.com

Storm Coming Up the Valley

A couple of years ago, my friend, Mike Summers (@msphotomid), and I headed up to the Chicago Lakes for an awesome day of hiking and photography. A few days ago, I was contacted by the website, DayHikesNearDenver.com. It’s a great site featuring all kinds of one-day hikes that you can do from Denver, Colorado. The […]