Category: National Parks

Bird on cactus

Exploring the Vibrant Life of America’s Deserts in the Spring

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Blooms, Birdsong, and Blue Waters—A Springtime Road Trip through the Southwest

By Oana Harrison

PUBLISHED in ROVA Magazine, March/April 2025 issue

The desert: dust, death, and desolation. Or at least that’s how I used to think about it before our springtime road trip to the Southwest. Eight months into a full-time RV year that my husband, David, and I had embarked upon, we headed west through Texas to New Mexico, Arizona, the California coast and back. Along the way, we discovered unique places in the Chihuahua, Sonora, Mojave, and Colorado Deserts. The Southwest offered incredible natural nuances, from shifting sand dunes to endless canyons, to lush oases and blue lakes. This landscape I’d once viewed as dead and quiet, the desert was teeming with life. And nothing prepared me for the intense orange-purple sunsets or the Technicolor desert in bloom.

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Life on the Road: A Year of Unforgettable Cross-Country Adventures—Five Year Anniversary

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I can’t believe it’s been five years already since we packed up our house in Tennessee, loaded up our dogs, and embarked on an epic one-year RV trip.

And, as epic trips do, this one changed our lives and proved to be a great teacher.

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David, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Spring Celebrations and Good Byes

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March 2023 held a special reason for a visit to Tennessee: my mother-in-law’s 95th birthday. We celebrated a special person, as well as a colorful beginning of spring. Unfortunately, only two months later, we returned to celebrate Marian’s life, as she peacefully made her passing.

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San Juan Skyway, Colorado

Million Dollar Highway and Mesa Verde National Park

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If you are looking for the most scenic drive through the mountains, you must drive the Million Dollar Highway and San Juan Skyway! We drove the loop from Ridgeway, to Ouray, Durango, Telluride, and back, all the way picking up our jaws from the ground as we took in magnificent views. On the way, we visited the exceptional Mesa Verde National Park. So, buckle up, this post is long, but only because I had to include a ton of photos. Enjoy!

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hot springs Ouray Colorado

Ouray and Box Cañon, Colorado

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Known as The Switzerland of America, Ouray is nestled in the San Juan Mountains, perched at 7,792 ft. It has been crowned the “Outdoor Recreational Capitol of Colorado,” and for a small town (with about a thousand permanent residents), Ouray has plenty of activities to offer to the hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors. It’s is a great base for day trips; while in town, hike up to Cascade Falls, or through Box Cañon. After a vigorous trek, relax in Ouray’s hot springs. If you’re up for a thrill, drive the Million Dollar Highway, connecting Ouray to Silverton, famous for its dangerous twists and turns, but also for spectacular vistas (one of the most scenic drives in the US).

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