Misc Parks and Adventures

State: New Mexico Trailhead: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9hJ19xqN9PN9nqEh8 Park: Valley of Fires Recreation Area Length: Malpais Nature Trail - 0.8 miles Elevation: 32 feet Fee: Daily Pass of $5.00 per vehicle, Free with America the Beautiful Pass // Valley of Fires Recreation Area, a lesser known geological gem in southern New Mexico, grants the hiker a chance to walk around one of the youngest and best preserved lava flows in the continental United States. The Carrizozo Malpais

State: Florida Outfitter Location: Blackwater Canoe https://maps.app.goo.gl/gU7bJm8dmrwTSgX69 Length: 9 miles Fee: $40.00 for a kayak. During the off season, they are cash-only. By the time I launched my kayak into the Blackwater River in early February 2026, it had been over 2 years since I'd put my hands on a paddle. Water is not plentiful in my current location of El Paso, TX. And my last water-oriented activity had been a river cruise on the Spree in Berlin. It had simply

State: Alabama Trailhead: 760 Aldock Road, Eight Mile, AL 36613 (start beside the playground) Park: Chickasabogue Park in Mobile County Length: 3.8 miles (My distance is a little longer, due to detours) Fee: None // Chickasabogue Park is an 1100 acre park located in Mobile County. If you're driving through Mobile or staying in the area, this is a solid location to either run, hike, or mountain bike. There are also camping and disc golf options. For me, it was a much needed br

State: Alabama Trailhead Location: https://share.google/PxdePmzGegPqYpMrj Park: Audubon Bird Sanctuary Length: 3.4 miles (including the beach walk to Fort Gaines) Fee: Free // By the time I arrived on Dauphin (Daw-fin) Island, the journey had taken me 1200 miles through the ice and snow-covered Chihuahuan Desert, past the hill country, over the Delta, and deep into the southeast pines. The 4runner and I had left El Paso the prior morning and dipped into a silent, white world

Franconia. Bavaria. Bayern. All these names conjure images of Oktoberfest - steins swelling with local, limitless bier and sightings of liederhosen. This region is what many visitors think of when they imagine Germany. But as much as I love these festivities, my association with a place, whether it be a new city or country, is dependent on its landscape. Most people can list the names of streets, highways, and restaurants after they’ve lived in a locale long enough. For me,