The Art of Exploration archive is where you'll find my past writings and thoughts. You are currently viewing a list of articles that were published in 2012.

Scout Lookout

Published November 6th, 2012 in Utah

When we set out this morning, we had planned to hike the Zion Narrows as far as we could from the bottom up, starting at the Temple of Sinawava.

Emerald Pools

Published November 5th, 2012 in Utah

By the time we got to Zion National Park, I had racked-up what I can only characterize as a rather measly post-op hiking record. I had completed just two modest hikes, both of which had left me entirely wiped me out.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

Published November 5th, 2012 in Utah

Every time I visit places west of the 100^th meridian, I realize how much I miss making art. There is something about the light and the colors in the rock and the warmth of the sun that makes me want to be outside sketching and painting and drawing.

Grand Staircase

Published November 4th, 2012 in Arizona

On Sunday we get a slow start. We eat a leisurely breakfast and then wander around Flagstaff for a while, exploring a few places we have yet to see.

Sedona

Published November 1st, 2012 in Arizona

Grand Canyon

Published October 31st, 2012 in Arizona

So far on this vacation, I’ve done little more than sit in the car, play Wasabi Sudoku on my iPad and hobble from one gallery to the next along the length of Canyon Road.

Boulder to Santa Fe

Published October 28th, 2012 in Colorado

I’m not quite sure where to start with all this, but I guess Boulder is as good a place as any. Or maybe it would be better for me to summarize how we got to Boulder.

Raven Glen Forest Preserve

Published September 24th, 2012 in Illinois

This past weekend, I was driving south on Route 45 near the Wisconsin border when I noticed a sign for Raven Glen Forest Preserve.

Reviving the Dispatches

Published September 12th, 2012 in Illinois

It’s been a while. I suppose you could call my lack of blogging an intermission. A dry spell. A quite interlude. Writer’s block. Whatever label you give it, there’s no denying that the words around here have evaporated faster than dew drops in the Mohave.

The Bridges of Madison County

Published August 11th, 2012 in Iowa

I’m sure I never would have thought of going to Madison County had I not seen the movie The Bridges of Madison County. But ever since I saw the movie I’ve been wanting to visit the corn-blanketed hills of central Iowa to see the covered bridges described in the story.

Northerly Island

Published January 22nd, 2012 in Illinois

When my brother invited me to join him and his family for a trip to Northerly Island this weekend for some sledding and snowshoeing, I told him I’d be delighted to do so.

Lyons Woods

Published January 8th, 2012 in Illinois

In Lake County, the socio-economic status of a town is written all over its roads. The wealthy areas are blessed with roads as smooth as silk. The poorer areas are riddled with roads of rubble.

Classic Images

Published January 6th, 2012 in Illinois

Planning has its time and its place, but sometimes it’s all about serendipity. Today I spent my lunch break at Lakewood Forest Preserve where I enjoyed a short hike along the shoreline of Taylor Lake.

Heat Wave

Published January 5th, 2012 in Illinois

My best attempts to stay acclimated to the cold are being ambushed by a heat wave. Today it got up to 47° in the Chicago area and tomorrow temperatures are expected to inch even closer to 50 degrees Farenheit.

Staying Cool

Published January 1st, 2012 in Illinois

The Windy City sure lived up to its name today. All day long the wind howled and puffed hefty gusts of cold air from the northwest. Cottonball clouds sped across a cobalt sky—they collided and blended together and by late afternoon the sky was leaden.