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Exploring the Monument Rocks

In 1968 the Monument Rocks of Kansas were designated the first National Natural Landmark, and it’s easy to see why. These stunning chalk pillars, which some call pyramids, rise 70 feet above the surrounding fields. They were formed approximately 80 million years ago in what was once a huge inland see. Now they sit on […]

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A Week at the Airport

From an early age I was instructed not to judge a book by its cover, just as so many other people have been taught. I find it an impossibility not to do so, since that is generally what first catches my eye. This wasn’t the case, though, with Alain de Botton’s A Week at the Airport. I knew I had to have this book as soon as I read the title – it sounded so interesting and different from anything else I had recently read.

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A Stop at Scott Lake State Park

Just a short drive north of Garden City and the Arkansas River, the border with Mexico in the early 1800s, sits Scott Lake State Park in Kansas, which is a great spot for fishing, camping, hiking and the like.     Driving through the vast plains and farm fields of western Kansas it’s difficult to […]

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Hiking the Black Mesa

The Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve in the panhandle of Oklahoma is the highest point in elevation in the state, which is not nearly as interesting as it may sound.     I had anticipated spectacular views as I hiked along the mesas, likely an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. I thought […]

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A Stop at Clayton Lake

New Mexico’s Clayton Lake State Park, just east of the Capulin Volcano, is well worth the visit south of state lines. But, I had very low expectations to start, thinking it’d just be a reservoir for boating and fishing. I must admit though, I was pleasantly surprised.     To start with, boating and fishing […]

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Hiking the Capulin Volcano

The Capulin Volcano National Monument is one of several volcanoes in northeastern New Mexico. It sits about a 30 minute drive east of Raton, New Mexico, where the only real chance for lodging, other than camping, is in the area.     Some of the brochures and trailside information list it as dormant and others […]

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