Southwest Utah: A Triple Junction of Landscapes
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Cliff Bandringa
About Cliff Bandringa
Posts by Cliff Bandringa:
Goldfield, a classic Mining Town
Goldfield, named for the ore mined around it, was once Nevada’s largest city and the state’s biggest economic and political power. With the discovery of gold in 1902, Goldfield would become a rare, post-1900 major gold strike. It also experienced one of the largest gold rushes (and subsequent crashes) in western history. There are plenty […]
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Buckskin Gulch Slot Canyon & Wire Pass
Buckskin Gulch is a spectacular slot canyon located in south-central Utah, halfway between the towns of Kanab and Page. It is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the United States and perhaps the entire world. Our trip takes you on an easy day-hike that includes two slot canyons; the slot of Wire Pass and […]
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San Andreas Fault Tour on the San Francisco Peninsula
We’ve taken our readers on tours of the San Andreas Fault before, this time however, we’re going to take you on an urban back roads tour of where the fault can be seen along the San Francisco Peninsula. Our tour starts near Stanford University in Palo Alto, and ends where the fault plunges into the […]
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Grand Gulch Mine
In the middle of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument sits the remains of the Grand Gulch Mine. This copper/silver/lead mine is a great destination for anyone who wants to explore and enjoy the remote landscapes of the Arizona Strip just south of St. George, Utah. Along the way, you’ll see some of the high country […]
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Cactus Flats near Big Bear
Cactus Flats is an area in the San Bernardino Mountains just east of Big Bear Lake that lives up to its name – it’s a flat area full of cactus. The cactus they refer to, however, is not really a cactus at all. It is the iconic Joshua tree which is, technically, a member of […]
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White Rocks Amphitheater in Snow Canyon
Snow Canyon State Park, situated next to St. George, Utah, offers a variety of colorful rock formations and the White Rocks Amphitheater is part of that collection. Many people think of southern Utah as the home of red rocks (which it is) so don’t let the name White Rocks keep you away. What it may […]
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Rochester Panel
In central Utah there are several superb Native American rock art sites and the Rochester Panel is probably one of the most spectacular. While most rock art sites have a smattering of petroglyphs or pictographs, the Rochester Panel is a large concentration of petroglyphs of many different designs. You will leave the site scratching your […]
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Juneau Icefield
Our back roads exploration this time takes us to where there are no roads as we visit the massive icefield and many glaciers behind Alaska’s capital city of Juneau. Join us as we take to the air via helicopter to not only see this magnificent sea of ice but to also walk on it. Click […]
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Cathedral Valley Road Trip
Our road trip this time takes you into the Cathedral Valley area of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The Park itself can be divided into three sections: the southern section that is accessed using the Burr Trail and Notom-Bullfrog Road; the middle section where you’ll find the popular points of interest including Capitol Gorge, […]
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San Andreas Fault Through Carrizo Plain
Continuing our series of road trips along California’s infamous San Andreas Fault, this tour takes you through the remote Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is located roughly halfway between Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo. No other place in California shows off the long and straight ridgelines created by the fault’s grinding action better than the […]
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Salt Creek Trail Death Valley
Located in the center of Death Valley, Salt Creek is a unique ecological area that is both caustic and sensitive. The caustic alkaline crust that covers everything here, coupled with the intense heat of Death Valley, would make anybody wonder how life can exist here and yet, it does. There are plants and even fish […]
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Historic Train Trip thru Feather River Canyon and Mt. Shasta Country
On this trip, we are trading in our usual dirt-road travel for something on two iron rails. Join us as we take this unique train trip on a seldom-traveled route through remote Northern California and Oregon aboard a collection of historic railcars. Our three-day excursion starts in Sacramento and goes through the Feather River Canyon, […]
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Twin Point: Little Known Overlook of the Grand Canyon
Twin Point is a seldom-visited viewpoint overlooking the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive to get there takes you through part of the Arizona Strip and the fairly new Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Making the trek to Twin Point from St. George, Utah can be a day trip or you can include it […]
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Tushar Mountains Road Trip
You’re probably thinking right now, where are the Tushar Mountains? The Tushar Mountains are the third highest mountain range in Utah and are located about 100 miles northeast of St. George, just east of the town of Beaver, along I-15. Of the several high peaks within the Tushar range, Delano Peak is the highest at […]
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Little Finland in Gold Butte
Inside the newly created Gold Butte National Monument lies a very unique and little place called Little Finland. Big cities like San Francisco have places called Little Italy and L.A. has Little Tokyo, but why would a corner of the Nevada desert have a place named Little Finland? Well, it has nothing to do with […]
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Aiken Mine Road in the Mojave National Preserve
Aiken Mine Road snakes through the Mojave National Preserve’s famous cinder cone field as well as providing access to some of the most unique and wonderful sights this area has to offer. On the way to see those sites, the road passes through other-worldly landscapes of basalt (dried lava) flows which are topped with Joshua […]
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Hoover Dam’s Historic Railroad Tunnel Hiking Trail
This hike is a great alternative to visiting Hoover Dam and to see the views from its bypass bridge. Hoover Dam is one of the biggest tourist attractions for visitors to the Las Vegas area. For most people, this engineering masterpiece is accessed in a vehicle via two other masterpieces of engineering – a roadway […]
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German Riesling Wine Journey
Wine made from the Riesling grape in Germany tends to cause a lot of confusion to American wine drinkers. German wine makers put several classifications on Riesling wine that describes its different styles. Therefore, when purchasing a bottle of German Riesling, it is important to know these classifications. After reading our article about our travels […]
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