Hello, friends! Hi, fam! Welcome back to another update. These past two weeks found us at Crater Lake National Park, with the deepest lake in the United States.

We made our way here from Surveyor Recreation Site in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. (Catch up on our time among the big trees here if you missed it.)

Crater Lake National Park

I’d been stalking the Crater Lake webcam for weeks and it was so surreal to finally see it in person! The blue of the lake is almost unbelievable — more on why it’s that blue below.

I told J there was no way I could ever paint it and do it justice.

I remembered that one of my art heroes, Molly Hashimoto, had done a painting of it in her book Colors of the West — and luckily enough one of the gift shops had her book! I eagerly turned the pages only to find that she didn’t quite capture it either.

The other thing that’s hard to capture about Crater Lake is the sheer size — it seems to go on forever.

While we were standing at the Sinnott Memorial Overlook I texted family in Ohio and told them to check out the webcam and we’d see the same view at the same time.

So cool!

Random Facts about Crater Lake

I thought I’d share a few random facts about the lake that really resonated with me:

• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet deep.

• It was formed only 7,700 years ago when Mount Mazama collapsed after it erupted. The lake sits inside the caldera. As I looked at the lake I couldn’t help but think of Valles Caldera National Preserve where I had my very first artist residency. There used to be a lakes in the caldera there as well, but the youngest lake drained 50-60,000 years ago.

• Because the lake is filled by rain and snowfall, it is one of the clearest, most pristine lakes in the world.

• Speaking of snowfall, Crater Lake gets an average of 41 FEET of snow per year — and that’s down from an average of 51 feet when recordings were first kept starting in 1931.

• The 33 mile drive around the rim of the caldera doesn’t usually open until late June or early July, depending on the snow. Whoa!

Perseid Meteor Shower

Since Crater Lake is an International Dark Sky Park — and we were here during the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower as well as a new moon — we HAD to try and look for them.

We made full use of having the van and planned an all-nighter. The first step was looking for a spot, so we drove around the east side of the crater rim and finally settled on Discovery Point with its large parking lot and view of the lake.

We got there around 4:30 pm because I was pretty sure we’d have trouble finding a parking spot after the celestial party started (turns out I was right). I did a quick sketch of the lake and then we ate dinner and watched the caldera light up with the setting sun:

I did a ton of research on how to photograph the Milky Way with my iPhone before we got there and did some practice shots before the meteor shower was supposed to peak:

I was pretty impressed at how well they turned out — not bad at all for a phone!

If you want to try this, here are the key points for iPhones:

• Find a dark sky, away from city lights — or any lights for that matter. I like to use the International Dark Sky registry to find locations.

• Use a tripod or improvise a way to hold the phone completely steady.

• Put the camera in Night Mode, then tap the menu again and switch to the 30 second exposure. Note: you’ll only get the 30 second option if the camera is completely still.

• Use an inexpensive remote for the camera shutter — J originally got me this one years ago for filming art videos and it works great.

That’s it!

We saw so many meteors — some blazing across the sky like fireballs.

It was incredible.

People would oooooohhhh and aaaahhhh like we were watching Fourth of July fireworks.

By 11:00 pm the parking lot was filled with people, cars, and cameras. Many people had their cameras on tracking devices so that they could take long exposures. The guy next to me had two cameras on tripods.

I felt a little out of place with just my phone on a tripod, ha! (I did have that remote for the phone shutter at least!)

I eavesdropped on some of their conversations and learned a bunch about how the pros take multiple shots and stack them, and how the ground plane will be blurry if they use tracking software so they have to make a composite image. Software helps with the process. It all sounded so techy and cool!

After a while we had a hard time keeping our eyes open, so around 2:00 am so we went back in the van, set the alarm for 3:00, and took a nap. When we went back out there was a whole different crowd — the techy photographer types had been replaced by 20-somethings playing music and partying. We called it a night and went to bed at 4:00 am, woke up for sunrise around 6:00 am, made breakfast in the parking lot and then went back to the campground and took a long nap.

What a night to remember! I’ll treasure it forever.

A Word About Wildfires

There have been a record number of wildfires this year in Oregon — and fire season isn’t even over yet.

Growing up back East and then living in Texas for almost 30 years we weren’t used to this many wildfires — but people here have learned to live with them. I never thought about it much before, but I found out from friends that they have go-bags so they can evacuate at a moment’s notice. I also discovered that since 2020, “only 1% of the land damaged by wildfire in Oregon is owned by the state. The bulk of the land that burns every year is federal, managed by either the federal Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service. The high proportion of wildfires on federal land isn’t surprising, given that 53% of the land mass in Oregon is federal.” Source: Oregon Journalism Project.

Another interesting fact: 45% of the fires so far this year were caused by humans, including campfires, cigarettes, and car accidents.

The Wright Spring Fire, which started on August 5, is just 25 miles from Crater Lake, and still burning as I type this on August 29. We talked to one of the rangers and he said we were safe, but it was still eerie seeing the lake blotted out by smoke. At times we couldn’t even see Wizard Island.

I made a habit of checking the webcam, and if it was really smokey we just hunkered down in camp and had an admin day. Hiking in smoke is no fun. Plus my hindbrain didn’t like it one bit — I kept having the urge to run away!

Hike to Garfield Peak

August 22nd was a clear day and we decided to hike Garfield Peak — and I’m so glad we did! The trail goes up a bunch of switchbacks, gaining around 1,000 feet in elevation and ending at 8,000 feet. There are awesome views of Wizard Island along the way:

What a view from the top!

It has a great view of Phantom Ship, one of Crater Lake’s two islands:

Here it is zoomed in so you can see it better:

The view opposite Crater Lake was equally amazing, and I even spied my old friends Mount McLoughlin and Mount Shasta off in the distance. I was so busy gawking around I forgot to take photos of the mountains or my sketches — doh! J got a photo with the PeakFinder app tho — thanks, J!

All too soon it was time to head back down the trail. We hit magic hour just right:

And we even got to see the moonrise:

Awesome hike — highly recommend!

Hiking Annie Creek

The next day we decided to hike the Annie Creek Trail since it starts right in the campground. It’s pretty neat since it goes through a hillside of ashfall from the Mount Mazama eruption, then winds its way down to the creek:

I was getting Valles Caldera vibes again — I really miss it there, and I told J we gotta get back there, stat.

We saw so many little waterfalls and it was a joy to listen to the creek music:

And we even saw a mama deer and her twins:

Another awesome Crater Lake hike in the books.

Farewell, Crater Lake

We just couldn’t leave Crater Lake without watching the sun come up over the lake.

So our last morning here we set our alarms for 5:30 am and then headed back to Discovery Point (where we watched the Perseid Meteor Shower). We got there right at 6:00 as the sky was starting to light up:

There were a few other intrepid souls at the overlook bundled up in blankets watching the sunrise with us. (It had been getting down in the 30s at night — I loved it but J didn’t, ha!)

After the sun came up I made breakfast in the van — this was the view out the window as I was making our oatmeal:

What an unforgettable start to the day!

Art News

I have two bits of art news to share!

BLM feature

I’m excited to report that my artist residency at Cascade-Siskyou National Monument was featured on the main Bureau of Land Management Instagram account:

If you’re thinking of applying next year you should totally go for it — it was such a great experience. You can read more about my residency here.

2026 Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference

In case you missed it, I’m over the moon to be one of 30 teachers at the annual Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference, Sept. 15-19, 2026, Live Online! All passes include access to the event recordings through April 30, 2027.

I had my tech check with the Wild Wonder team while we were at Crater Lake, so we headed to an overlook with a clear view of the sky so that we could use Starlink.

I can’t wait to teach my workshop on painting the Milky Way. Hope to see you there!

Off to the coast!

That’s a wrap on Crater Lake National Park. I loved our time here and can’t wait to return someday — hopefully after construction on Cleetwood Cove is complete so we can take a boat tour of the lake and hike down to the lake itself - and hike Wizard Island!

Thanks for following along on our adventures — it means so much to have you along for the ride! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

Art Toolkit Collaboration

I’m super excited to share that my triad collaboration with Art Toolkit just went to the next level with the introduction of the Large Triad Template! Woo hoo! Longtime readers may remember when the Small Triad Template was released back in the spring of 2024 — right after we started traveling full time — two dreams coming true.

Here’s a photo of the Large and Small Triad Templates together for comparison:

The coolest thing? You can stack the two triads to create more swatching areas!

I have a blog post over on the Art Toolkit blog with tips and triad ideas for you — and I can’t wait to share more in the coming days.

Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference

In more art news, I’m over the moon to be one of 30 teachers at the annual Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference, Sept. 15-19, 2026, Live Online! All passes include access to the event recordings through April 30, 2027.

This is a full circle moment for me as I’ve attended every online Wild Wonder conference — and now I get to teach alongside my art heroes and friends. I’ve learned so much at these conferences and can’t recommend them enough. Plus they’re so much FUN!

My class will be “Paint me a River…of Stars”, all about painting the night sky — including the Milky Way. I can’t wait!

Hope to see you there.

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Artist Residency Completed

This week I wrapped up my artist residency at Hyatt Lake in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) in Southern Oregon. I was missing the Monument before I even left, and we’re already making plans to return. (Catch up on Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you missed them.)

Thinking about applying for a residency here at CSNM? Watch this space on the BLM website and apply next year. Let me know if you have any questions about what a residency involves — I’m always happy to help!

One Last Hike

We just had to go on one last hike before we left — and we made it a good one. We started right from camp and hiked out to pick up the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), then dropped down along the lakeshore for a 4 mile hike. It was in the 90s and the air was hazy with smoke but we didn’t let that stop us!

I did one last quick sketch, too:

Find a video of my sketch spot and more photos and videos from the PCT hike here on Instagram. (Instagram embeds seem to have stopped working — hope they fix it soon!)

I’ve been following several PCT hikers on Instagram and it will be pretty cool to see when they go through the area, especially Kevin Gleason - check out his recent paintings in his video below:

He’s been doing daily (!) gouache paintings on the trail and they are amazing! This is his second sketchbook.

Farewell, Hyatt Lake

This was a camping residency and we stayed at Hyatt Lake Recreation Area as well as several weeks of dispersed camping. Part of me was ready to head on down the road, but part of me was sad to leave. I took several walks around the campground and said goodbye to my plant friends, as well as the lake.

Our last sunset was hazy with patchy smoke from the wildfires in the region:

You can see how much lower the water level is now by looking at the peninsula:

The next morning we got one last luxury shower at the shower house, and we learned that we probably got the last showers here of the year. Turns out there’s a leak in the water line and they shut off the water shortly after we finished, and they’re closing C Loop of the campground for repairs.

I’m a VIP!

After we left Hyatt Lake we headed to the Interagency Field Office in Medford, Oregon so that I could drop off the pieces that I’m donating to the Monument.

I always feel a little anxious dropping off my work — what if people don’t like it? I didn’t have to worry though, as the employees working at the front desk all really loved the paintings.

I also received a VIP — Volunteer In Parks — America the Beautiful Pass! The pass allows free entry for one year, and you can get one by logging 250 volunteer hours across participating US government agencies. I also found out that you don’t have to complete all of the hours in a single year.

One other thing I learned about America the Beautiful passes is that fourth graders, Gold Star Family members, and veterans get them for free (and can bring their families)! Find out more here. Pass it on!

When we got back on the road and there was so much more smoke in the valley — it was kind of eerie:

Surveyor Recreation Area

After dropping off my artwork at the Medford, OR field office we headed to the Surveyor Recreation Area, in the eastern part of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to stay for a few days. One of the BLM rangers told us this area had BIG trees, so we really wanted to check it out before we left the area.

He was right!

There are only five, first come-first-serve campsites here and it was nice to take a few days to unwind and reset.

Back on the Road

We’re getting back on the road today and heading to Crater Lake National Park — I can’t wait! I’ve always wanted to go there. I keep checking the webcam and it looks so beautiful.

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See you next time! As always, thanks for joining us on our grand adVANture — it really means so much to have you along for the ride! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry the Van

Hello, hello! I’ve fallen so far behind in updating the blog since I’ve been busy wrapping up my artist residency at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) in Southern Oregon — apologies for that! I decided to write up everything from the month of July in one post — so settle in and see what we’ve been up to. (Catch up on part 1 and part 2 if you missed them.)

Paintings to Donate to the Monument

The main reason I’ve fallen behind on posting is that I’ve been busy painting pieces to donate to the Monument. The residency requirements are to donate one piece of artwork to the Monument, but I found that a single piece just wasn’t enough to capture this special place on paper. I ended up creating and donating three pieces — and one piece had 15 paintings!

#1: Tiny Paintings, Big Biodiversity

The first piece, Tiny Paintings, Big Biodiversity is a series of 15 small works to represent the incredible biodiversity and awe inspiring landscapes at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, framed as a mini art gallery. Sizes range from 2×2 to 3×4 inches.

#2: Mount McLoughlin from a Kayak

I had the use of a kayak during my residency and went out on Hyatt Lake three times, twice with Jason and and again for a group event. I took a small art kit out with me and did some sketches right from the kayak.

One time I saw clouds that made it appear the mountain was erupting, and that inspired a second piece to donate to the Monument:

I have more about our kayaking adventures in the monthly recap below.

#3: Greene’s Mariposa Lilies in Pen and Ink, on Pink

During the public outreach program for my artist residency and the kickoff of Project MARIPOSA (Monument Assessment of Rare and Invasive Plant Occupancy in Sensitive Areas), we got to see Greene’s Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus greenei), a rare plant.

I had to try and capture their intricate details in pen, ink, and gouache, especially the long hairs inside the flowers. This is the third piece I’m donating to the Monument:

Find full details about these pieces and more more about my residency on my portfolio site, LisaSpangler.com.

There are still so many things that I want to paint from my time here — I can’t wait to go through the TWO sketchbooks that I filled up and turn them into larger works. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I’m missing the Monument before I’ve even left. I’ll be back again!

Now, on to the recap…

July Recap

This is a camping residency and we have a free spot at Hyatt Lake Campground — and what a spot it is:

I can’t wait to wake up each morning and open the door — just look at this view from the van:

I’m really going to miss this view when we leave. We frequently spy osprey and eagles soaring overhead, and pelicans on patrol. There are also lots of Canada geese, but I don’t really count them, ha!

Fourth of July Fireworks

This was the first time we got to see fireworks right from our campsite. The Hyatt Lake Resort across the lake put on a show and the whole campground had a party atmosphere.

I must confess that I was a little worried about a wildfire starting since it had been hot and dry around here — but luckily nothing happened. Whew.

Spectacular Sunsets

Speaking of fires, before I share the spectacular sunsets we saw this month I had to share a bit about the East Evans Creek fire. It’s been making for some unreal skies.

East Evans Creek Fire

When planning the dates for my artist residency, the BLM ranger told me that it was a really low snow year and they were concerned about wildfires, so he wanted my residency to start in early June. His concerns turned out to be true. The East Evans Creek Fire started on July 10 when a car hit an electric pole, igniting dry vegetation. As of this writing the fire has grown to 15,580 acres. It’s about 30 miles away as the raven flies, but smoke from the fire has drifted into the campground several times. We are staying safe and using the Watch Duty app to monitor the fires.

Thanks to all of the wildland firefighters out there for all that you do. Hope everyone stays safe. Our hearts go out to those who had to evacuate, including some of the BLM rangers.

Now for the sunsets:

In this one you can really see the haze from the smoke:

How is this real?

I feel so lucky that we got to witness them. They filled me with peace.

Milky Way

In other sky-related events, one of the camp hosts told us that she got to see the Milky Way during the new moon on July 14th, so we had to check it out the next night — thanks so much, Kim!

We faced the cold — it was in the low 40s — and went down to the dock about midnight and were greeted by the Milky Way overhead! I tried to get some photos with my phone mounted on a tripod, but it just didn’t do it justice. We tried until about 1 am when we decided to call it a night.

Backing up a bit, I first found out about the artist residency at CSNM when I was looking for Milky Way photos — I found both the residency and the work of Paul Atkins, the 2024 artist-in-residence. He took some amazing photos while he was here, and I highly recommend you check out his work.

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is working on becoming an International Dark Sky park and I hope they get it soon.

Kayaking the Perimeter of Hyatt Lake

As part of my residency we have the use of some kayaks — and I’ve even done several sketches while out on the lake. Check out this post on Instagram for my kayaking adventures:

On July 19th we wanted to go for one last kayaking adventure in case we had to leave due to the fire/smoke. We decided to go the whole way around the perimeter of the lake! Our arms were sore the next day, but it was so worth it!

The best thing about kayaking here is that you can’t see Mount McLoughlin, a dormant stratovolcano, from the shore where you put in. Instead, you paddle around a peninsula and it suddenly comes into view. It gets me every time.

When we paddled to the west side of the lake we saw Mount McLoughlin from a totally different angle then our other two kayaking adventures — you can really tell that it’s a stratovolcano now from that curved slope:

I had to do a sketch from my favorite spot where I wedge the kyakak between two snags:

PS. I had some questions, and that is an Art Toolkit Demi palette loaded with paints to mimic their pre-filled Demi Explore Palette. All colors in mine are Daniel Smith unless noted: Hansa yellow medium, quinacridone rose, organic vermillion, cobalt turquoise light (Winsor & Newton), ultramarine blue, phthalo blue (red shade), transparent red oxide, and indigo.

I think I’m finally getting the hang of kayak sketching!

As we paddled back to base I had to turn around for one last view of Mount McLoughlin — from the lake, anyhow:

I’m really gonna miss this view.

Hike to See Mount Ashland

One of the camp hosts told us that if you hike up the hill on the peninsula you get a great view of Mount Ashland, so we had to go check it out…

And he was right! Thanks, Ben!

I took my art kit and did some sketches — two of Mount Ashland and one of Mount McLoughlin — for two (dormant) volcanoes on the day:

The hike also inspired some gouache studies in my nature journal after we got back to camp — I’m still getting the hang of gouache, so this was all in fun:

What a great hike!

Hiking the Perimeter of Hyatt Lake

A few days later I took a break from painting and we went for a walk to the dam that we saw on the hike to see Mount Ashland — and it was such a nice day we decided to on the spur of the moment to hike the whole way around the lake.

I’m glad we always set out from the van with a full supply of water and lots of snacks, because the hike ended up being 7.5 miles!

Highlights of the hike included seeing a bald eagle, ospreys, a pelican party, Mount Ashland and Mount McLoughlin from different viewpoints, and a new-to-us-plant: rose spirea!

Last but not least, these two snags reminded me of the Torii gates we saw when we visited Japan:

Hiking Palette

In addition to my Demi palette I took kayaking, several people asked me about the watercolors I’ve been using in my Art Toolkit pocket palette - so I thought I’d document them before I gave the palette a good cleaning! I posted a video over on Instagram if you’d like to see it in action.

All Daniel Smith unless noted. WN = Winsor & Newton, H = Holbein, MG = M. Graham

Row 1: Hansa yellow medium, rich green gold, yellow ochre (H)
Row 2: Shell pink (H), quinacridone magenta (WN), transparent red oxide
Row 3: Cerulean blue, phthalo blue (red shade), ultramarine blue (MG)
Row 4: Phthalo blue (green shade), Van Dyck brown, indigo

Mixing pans from upper left: light green, dark green, sky, and grays/browns. I’ve really come to love having these for dedicated areas for mixing.

You Made It!

Annnnnd that’s it for this post. Whew! You made it to the end!

Thanks so much for following along on our adventures — it really means a ton to have you along for the journey.

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I have more art news to share in my next post, so stay tuned as we get back on the road. — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

Hello, hello, and welcome back!

It’s hard to believe it’s been 109 weeks since we sold our house in Austin, Texas to travel full time in an AEONrv we’ve named Henry — but there you have it.

We spent these weeks at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) in Southern Oregon as I continued my artist residency and it’s been busy busy! (Catch up on Part 1 of my residency here.)

Lake Life and Spectacular Sunsets

This is a camping residency and we’ve really been enjoying our time at Hyatt Lake Campground in the Monument. We have use of a travel trailer that I turned into an art studio. It’s so nice having space to spread my art supplies out and not have to put them all back where they belong every night — one of the constants of vanlife is that you have to put everything back in its place as soon as you’re done using it.

We’ve been taking a quick 5 minute walk down to the dock to watch the sunset almost every evening — here are a few favorites:

It’s been interesting how some sunsets are spectacular and others are kind of a dud. It’s also been cool watching the sun set later and later before the solstice, and now it’s swinging back the other way.

We also got to watch Venus and Jupiter dance across the sky as they reached conjunction. Here’s a photo right from our campsite, shining like jewels:

A Trio of Orchids

We ran into Aaron Teets, the Ecologist for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, in the campground and he told us that there were Phantom Orchids blooming! So we HAD to go try to find them.

We got to see, not one, not two, but THREE new-to-us orchids on the Green Springs Mountain Loop Trail! Part of the loop follows the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) so we were excited to hike a little more of it at the same time.

I used a black gatorboard so that I could take photos of them for later painting — an idea I got from Marshall Enquist’s book Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (one of my favorite books when we lived in Austin). It’s also the thing to do when you’re photographing rare plants or in protected place like a park or monument.

Orchid#1: Spotted Coralroot

Our first orchid sighting was a Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata:

From Wikipedia:

Corallorhiza maculata is a myco-heterotroph; it lacks chlorophyll and obtains energy by parasitizing the mycelium of fungi in the family Russulaceae.^[7] The rhizome and lower stem are often knotted into branched coral shapes. The stem is usually red or brown in color, but occasionally comes in a light yellow or cream color. There are no leaves and no photosynthetic green tissues. The stems bear dark red scales and intricate orchid flowers.

The flowers are so intricate! Just amazing.

Orchid #2: Alaskan Rein

Next up was Alaskan Rein orchid, Platanthera unalascensis. These orchids lit up the forest with an eye-popping neon green, and are the only one of the trio to have leaves and chlorophyll:

Those big leaves reminded me of a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) that I used to have as a houseplant.

Orchid #3: The Phantom

Last but not least was the object of our quest: the Phantom Orchid, Cephalanthera austiniae. This is another mycoheterotrophic orchid that derives both its energy and nutrients from ectomycorrhizal fungi representing a variety of taxa within the Thelephoraceae. (Source: Wikipedia)

These orchids seemed to light up the forest! Just so amazing. On a sad note, according to Wikipedia, “the plant is becoming more scarce as its habitat—dense, isolated forest—becomes more rare. Climate change models forecast decline and possible extinction of this species by the year 2100.”

We felt really lucky that we got to see all three species of orchids — and I can’t wait to try and paint them.

As we finished the loop we had awesome views of Pilot Rock — which was cool since that’s where we were headed next:

Back to Pilot Rock

You may remember that we almost made it to the top of Pilot Rock — catch up on that adventure here. Hopefully someday we can go with experienced climbers. Until then, I’ll just look at it wistfully from ground level, ha!

So why head back there again? To check on the Greene’s Mariposa lilies!

Greene’s Mariposa Lilies

During the public outreach program for my artist residency and the kickoff of Project MARIPOSA (Monument Assessment of Rare and Invasive Plant Occupancy in Sensitive Areas), we got to see Greene’s Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus greenei) — but they weren’t blooming yet.

According to Nature Serve, Greene’s Mariposa lily is listed as G3, which means it is at a moderate risk of extinction or elimination

Endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northern California. Known from approximately 80 sites and approximately over 31,000 plants. The main threats include grazing, non-native invasives and perhaps collecting and ORV's. There are some protected sites in Oregon.

We just HAD to go back and see if they were blooming so that I could paint them.

The colony that the BLM rangers showed us still weren’t blooming, but we spotted a lone rebel blooming not too far away! I was so excited! Since we camped nearby we were able to hike out and check on it every day for four days.

I took a zillion photos and did some field sketching.

These are going to be super hard to watercolor since they have lots of tiny hairs inside — I might have to break out the white gouache. Stay tuned!

Mount Shasta

When we went to check on the mariposa lilies each day we just had to hike a little further to see Mount Shasta. It’s not that far away as the raven flies in California.

I told Jason that if Cascade-Siskiyou were a National Park this view would be swarming with people — I felt so lucky to have it all to ourselves.

Fog

One morning we woke up to temperatures in the low 40s and fog — it really felt like we were in the Pacific Northwest! Everything smelled so good.

I went for a walk and took a zillion photos before breakfast — here are just a few favorites:

The fog dissipated all too soon, but it will live on in my memory forever.

Sketches

Here are just a few sketches that I shared over on Instagram:

That’s a Wrap

And that’s a wrap for this update! As always, thank you for being part of our grand adVANture — it really means so much to have you along for the ride! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

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Hello, hello, and welcome back to another update! I started my artist residency at Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) in Southern Oregon on June 1st and I’ve been having an amazing time so far. It’s just so beautiful here! A bit about the monument, from the BLM website:

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is situated at the crossroads of the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou mountain ranges, and represents an outstanding ecological wonderland. This convergence of three geologically distinct mountain ranges has resulted in an area with unparalleled biological diversity and a tremendously varied landscape. The Monument was established in 2000 in recognition of its remarkable ecology and to protect its diverse range of biological, geological, aquatic, archaeological, and historic resources.

I can confirm that it really is biologically diverse — it’s been pretty amazing, especially for a plant/tree/bird/butterfly/geology nerd like me!

This is a camping residency at Hyatt Lake Recreation Area in the northern corner of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and I’ve been going to see the lake once or twice a day.

What is an Artist-in-Residence (AiR)?

Backing up a bit, I’ve had several people ask me what an artist residency actually is, so here’s a quick summary:

• There are many different types of artist residencies. In general, they are “programs that provide artists with space and resources to support their artistic practice” (Wikipedia).

• I’ll just describe the types I like to do: artist residencies on public lands (national parks and preserves, national forests, national monuments, BLM land, etc.) where art promotes nature, public land, and conservation. (Those are some handy links to places to look for calls for artists.)

• It starts out by applying to calls for artists at participating parks, monuments, and forests. Most residencies accept writers, musicians, dancers, film makers, quilting/fiber artists, potters, photographers, and of course, painters, so no matter what you work in there’s a residency out there for you. This was the call from the 2026 CSNM program and if you’re thinking about doing an artist residency I highly recommend watching for next year’s call for applications!

• If you’re selected to be the AiR, you generally have to give one or more public outreach program(s) and donate one piece of artwork.

• Lodging is different at every residency. Some use park housing, shared lodging, a cabin or house, or can even be a camping residency - or no lodging at all. This one is a camping residency with a travel trailer provided — I’m currently using it as my art studio since we have the van. It’s been great to have a place to spread out my work!

That’s it in a nutshell. Be sure to check the application for any specifics. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below and I’m happy to help. This is my fifth artist residency and they’ve all been so rewarding — I highly encourage you to apply for one if you’re thinking about it.

Here are some highlights from my time at CSNM so far — I still have a week left in my residency, and we’re thinking of staying a while longer, too!

Kayaking at Lake Hyatt

We have use of a kayak while we’re here and so far I’ve been out on Lake Hyatt twice, once with just Jason and I and again for a group event. Both times I took a small art kit out with me.

My favorite part is when you round a corner and see Mount McLoughlin, a dormant stratovolcano in the Cascades:

I later learned that Mount McLoughlin is usually still covered in snow this time of year — that would have been spectacular to see. This was a low snowpack year and things are really dry. The rangers and locals have told me that they’re worried about wildfires, so we’ve been keeping watch.

The first time I went kayaking wasn’t sure what to expect, so I took a water soluble pen and did some sketches:

The second kayaking trip was through an event co-hosted by the BLM and Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and there was a great turnout. We saw bald eagles, ospreys, pelicans, the moon, and more!

We had a cold start to the morning — it was in the low 40’s and the wind off the lake was bracing! But it was worth it to see Mount McLoughlin. For the open paddle part of the event I did a quick sketch with my Art Toolkit demi palette clipped to my paper — I should have taken a photo of it, darn!

There was a cloud shaped like a lightning bolt that looked like it was about to hit the mountain. It was so cool! I have a work in progress of a larger painting based on these sketches — I’ll post it when it’s done.

Pen and Ink Sketches

As I get to know CSNM I’ve been doing some pen and ink sketches using a Pentel brush pen since it’s fast and simple. Here are two favorites:

On the left is a new-to-me plant called thimbleberry which produces raspberry-like fruit, and on the right I went out of my comfort zone and sketched a pickup truck, documenting the day the rangers planted trees around the campground. Find videos of these sketches here and here on Instagram.

Hobart Bluff

Friday and Saturday the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument had a Hike and Learn event with local artist Sarah F. Burns so I signed up and went — it was really fun and a great opportunity to meet local artists, including Elizabeth, who recognized me by my voice from my Instagram videos at the Friday talk! (Hi, Elizabeth!)

Paintout

Saturday we met at Hobart Bluffs and hiked a tiny bit of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) until we came to this view of Pilot Rock — whoa!

I had accidentally left most of my art supplies back at the “art studio” in camp so I made do with what I had left in the van and did some pen & ink sketches plus some small studies. In this photo of all of participant’s art, mine are the pen and ink sketch and the two watercolors on the board next to it.

It was so cool to see how even though we were all looking at the same thing we all created something different. Thanks to Sarah and the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou for a great event.

Spectacular Sunset

After the event was over Jason and I went back so I could show him all the wildflowers and a gnarly juniper.

We decided to stay for sunset — and I’m so glad that we did!

Wow. Just wow.

The Soda Mountain Wilderness is such a special part of CSNM.

Project MARIPOSA Event

As part of my residency I joined CSNM rangers to co-host a Hike and Learn at the Project MARIPOSA kickoff, an effort to document rare and invasive plants on the monument in two sessions.

For the first session on Friday, June 12th, I gave a presentation on field sketching and shared my work to-date at the Ashland Food Co-op Community Classroom. Then on Saturday we went out and had the best time IDing plants and sketching. I gave a demo on how to use a water brush and gave some basic watercolor tips and techniques, and then we all split up and sketched on our own.

Here are some of us sketching Mount Shasta, in California:

I put together a video so that you come on a virtual trip with us:

Here are some more photos from the day:

What a great hike with a great group of people! Thanks again to everyone who came out, and to the BLM for all you do for this special place. It was an absolute joy to share my love of field sketching and watercolor — and what a location to share it in!

I forgot to get a final headcount, but all 12 of my Art Toolkit teaching palettes were in use. (PS. You can use code LISAFAN10 at Art Toolkit for 10% off palettes and toolkits and I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you.)

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I also didn’t get a group photo of everyone’s sketches — only a video — so if you attended and happened to get one please send it my way — I’d love to see!

Pilot Rock Hike

Pilot Rock is a volcanic plug or neck, like Shiprock in New Mexico and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, and it has the same cool formations. We went back the next day to hike to the top…

…and we almost made it to the top — photo below in the upper right — but I didn’t feel safe continuing on, darn! Jason probably could have made it fine, but I would have been a wreck waiting for him and I wouldn’t be able to help him if he got in trouble so we had a snack and then headed back down.

We did get to see lots of cool plants, including columbines and a honeysuckle, plus awesome views:

Then we hiked over to the meadow where we had the event the day before, and further on to get better views of Mount Shasta:

We had a snack under a juniper and just soaked in the view. So peaceful.

Then on the way back to the trailhead we stopped for a view of Mount McLoughlin (on the left):

I’ll leave you with a sunrise photo from June 16th at 5:15 am — you can’t see them in the photo, but there were turkeys up in the trees calling to each other:

I’ll be back next week with more from my Cascade-Siskiyou artist residency — and more great hikes!

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See you then! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

Hello, hello, and welcome back! I’m so glad you’re here! This post is pretty special because May 29th marked TWO YEARS since we sold our house in Austin, Texas to travel full time, first in a converted Ford cargo van, and now in an AEONrv we’ve named Henry.

How is that even possible? It still feels like a dream come true. I love writing about our travels here on the blog — both so that I can document our journey and so that I can share it with all of you. It means so much to have you along for the ride as we celebrate our two year van-iversary!

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These past two weeks have been pretty amazing — first wild camping in Lassen National Forest, and then at camping in adjacent Lassen Volcanic National Park, both near point A:

This was our first time in the area and we loved it so much we’re already plotting a return trip.

Before I get to the recap, I wanted to share some art news…

Artist Residency at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon

I started my artist residency at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) on June 1st and I’m so honored and excited to be here! I’ll share more about the residency in the next post, but until then I wanted to let you know about my public outreach program.

I’ll be joining CSNM rangers to present a Hike and Learn all about documenting rare and invasive plants on the monument in two sessions.

Session 1: Friday, June 12

In the first session, specialists from BLM will introduce Project MARIPOSA and teach you how to use iNaturalist to document rare native plants and invasive species across the monument. Your contributions will be reviewed by scientists and included in an official database used to protect rare plants and manage invasive species — so cool! After the ranger presentation I’ll be giving a watercolor demo and share the art I’ve created so far.

Session 2: Saturday, June 13

On Saturday we’ll hike out on the monument, making several stops to botanize rare and invasive plants. At one of the stops I’ll have supplies available so you can try your hand at sketching and painting. You’ll take home a mini nature journal and a new appreciation for the monument.

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Sign up for the learning session here and the hike session here. Please help spread the word to friends and family in the area. I’d love to see you out on the monument!

Now back to the weekly update.

Lassen National Forest

We were lucky enough to find a campsite in Lassen National Forest near Bailey Creek — it was so peaceful, and the sound of the water sang us to sleep at night.

There are so many cool plants here in the forest — which was awesome for a couple of botany nerds like us! We really put iNaturalist to work.

First up, striped coralroot orchids (Corallorhiza striata):

We found so many of them on our morning walks — sometimes a single orchid, and sometimes a colony of 6 or more. It was so neat to see their stalks grow a little taller each day.

Then there were the sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) cones scattered all around. If you’ve never heard of them, sugar pines produce 12-14” cones — and some are even bigger!

I sent my Dad this photo and he told me that my Aunt Freda (my Grandma’s sister) had some in her flower beds in Arizona. I wonder where she collected them from? If we still had a house I’d bring one home for sure!

We also had a Wild Kingdom moment when we watched an ant pull a crab spider into a hole in this incense-cedar tree! The spider backed in the hole so the spider’s legs were sticking out for a bit until they disappeared!

It was kinda frightening how fast it all happened! I actually had a bad dream about it. I’m glad ants aren’t big enough to carry us away!

One morning I was up on the bed working on the computer while Jason was out for a nature walk. I thought I heard a weird sound by the stairs — I called out “hey J, is that you?” several times — but didn’t get an answer.

Heart thumping, I climbed down off the bed and looked out — only to find a squirrel in the bathroom, scrabbling at the screen door to get out of the van!

He must have pushed his way in and then couldn’t get back out. I opened the screen door for him, but he ran up into the cab and started running back and forth across the dash instead of going out.

I closed the habitat door so he couldn’t get back in to the cabin, then ran out and opened the passenger door. He still wouldn’t leave, so I opened up the driver’s side door too — and that’s when he zoomed out the passenger door like his tail was on fire! I never saw a squirrel move so fast.

Poor lil guy!

Hike to Brokeoff Meadows

Memorial Day we just HAD to go for a hike. Jason downloaded the local area maps to the Gaia app, and we set off from our camp in Lassen National Forest with no particular destination in mind. (The best kinda ramble!)

We were hoping to catch a view of Lassen Peak, so when we stopped to look at the map we decided to head up an unnamed Forest Service road since it looked like there was an opening in the forest canopy from the satellite images — plus I spied some brilliant, eye-popping red flowers and we had to check them out:

Wow! They’re called snow flower or snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea), and I just had to include this blurb about them from the Forest Service website:

Snow plant is an herbaceous perennial wildflower with a limited geographic distribution in California, Nevada, and Oregon. Snow plant with its scarlet red coloration and early spring flowering is a beautiful wildflower. Snow plant is the only mycotrophic wildflower in the heath (Ericaceae) [family] that is not a ghostly white color or various shades of reddish to purplish brown.

Snow plant’s distribution is local. It is uncommon in its habitat. When a fortunate hiker does come across the brilliant red scarlet plants, she will generally be greeted by several individual snow plants occurring as a small colony.

So cool!! And we did feel fortunate indeed!

We ended up seeing so many cool plants on the hike, including warrior’s plume:

And acres of manzanita:

We didn’t catch a glimpse of Lassen Peak, but we did see Brokeoff Mountain:

Brokeoff Mountain is over in Lassen Volcanic National Park, but when we looked at trail conditions on the park website it doesn’t look like we’ll be hiking it anytime soon! In fact, on the park website it says that “snow is likely to be found in places along the trail until mid-August, and there is usually too much snow for hiking before mid-July.” Whoa!

We also got to see the South Fork of Bailey Creek right across from the meadow:

We made it back to camp around 7 pm — for 7.5 miles on the day. What a great hike!

Christmas in May!

On May 26th a late spring snowstorm turned our camp in the forest into a winter wonderland!

It was so beautiful and peaceful (Note: Jason disagrees — he’s been done with snow for months now, ha!)

Here are just a few favorite photos:

It smelled amazing, too!

Lassen Volcanic National Park

The next day we drove a whopping 15 minutes to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It started raining on the drive — and it turned to SNOW at higher elevations!

I was laughing!

Jason was NOT. He was a good sport though and let me take some pictures of him for scale. Just look at the size of this snowbank:

We read that Lassen can get 30-40 feet of snow per year — that’s a lot of snow! The main park road had just opened a few days before we got there, so we considered ourselves lucky that we got to go at all.

It’s a Celebration

May 29th we celebrated our 2 year van-iversary! I was thinking of putting some deep thoughts here but the post is long enough already, so let me just say that if you’re thinking of traveling full time you should totally do it. Take small steps — you don’t have to go whole enchilada. Go for two weeks and see how you like it. Are you going to sell your house like we did? Clean out that junk drawer! Donate some old clothing you haven’t worn in a year. Tiny steps.

It rained most of the day so we celebrated by being cozy in the van. Appropriate, right?

When the rain finally stopped we went for a walk right from the campground around Manzanita Lake — it was so pretty.

Clouds and fog kept moving in and out so the view was ever changing:

Someone asked me recently what I love most about vanlife, and I have to say it’s the freedom to explore. It’s like backpacking, but the van carries the pack! As for what I miss most about homelife, I’d say it’s being able to get packages. Getting packages on the road is harder than you’d think!

Now back to the update.

Highlights from Lassen Volcanic National Park

We’re gonna have to go back to Lassen someday, because it was cold/rainy/snowy the whole time we were there — except for the very last day. We made the most of it and hiked our legs off and drove the main park road again.

This time we had some views!

We even got to see the other side of Brokeoff Mountain:

We hiked out to Cold Boiling Lake and then on to Crumbaugh Lake. It was pretty neat to see, plus there were wildflowers, too!

Before heading back to camp we had to hike Manzanita Lake one more time — and this time we got to see the view! Yayayayayay!

I thought it was cute how each peak had its own little cloud hat!

I was so happy we got to see the view at last.

On to Oregon

Sunday, May 31 we left camp and headed to Medford, Oregon to pick up packages, stock up on groceries (Trader Joe’s yeah!), and do laundry. We spent the night at a rest stop with 50 plus other vehicles and the highway noise kept us awake, even with earplugs.

After a sleepless night we got up around 4 am and decided to head on down the road to Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Once we got there we ate breakfast and then took a nap. It was a good thing Jason set an alarm so that we were awake to meet Ranger John!

After orientation we took another nap, then explored the campground, and I even did a sketch out on the dock:

Tune in next time for more about my residency — I can’t wait to share more about this special place at the crossroads of the Cascade, Klamath, and Siskiyou mountain ranges. It’s just so beautiful here!

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Until then, thanks for joining us on this journey! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

Hello, hello, and welcome back to another update! This week found us traveling from Nevada to California and points between:

This week was an odd mix of camping and big city life — read on for more!

Hickison Petroglyphs Recreation Area, Nevada

Monday we left Great Basin National Park and headed out on the Loneliest Road in America to Hickison Petroglyphs Recreation Area, Nevada. (Catch up on our time at Great Basin if you missed it — we had so many amazing adventures.)

After we arrived we quickly set up camp, ate dinner, and then headed off to see the petroglyphs. They didn’t disappoint!

Then we hiked out to the overlook and stayed as long as we could, just soaking in the view.

I just had to do a quick sketch at the overlook — it was so beautiful, and I loved that snowy peak in the distance peeking out:

We stayed at the overlook until the wind got too cold and then we double-timed it to the van, getting back just before sunset.

I went back to look at the petroglyphs one more time before we left the next morning — it’s such an incredible experience to get to see them up close. I was the only one there for a long time, and it felt really peaceful.

Reno, Nevada

Tuesday morning we headed to Reno, Nevada so that we could get some minor repairs to the van build done at at AEONrv HQ. We booked a rental house for 4 nights so that we could have a place to stay while we dropped off the van. This is the not-so-glamorous side of traveling full time in a van.

But first — and most importantly — we stopped at Trader Joe’s to stock up on groceries — woo hoo! I love TJ’s and was so happy we got to go! (J thinks I’m a little nuts, but if you know, then you know.) After unloading some of the van into the rental we slept like logs.

The next morning we dropped the van off bright and early and then caught a rideshare back to the rental house. We set about doing endless loads of laundry and other chores. Fun, ha!

Virginia Lake

I was going a little stir crazy and HAD to go for a walk on Wednesday. After looking at a map of the area I spotted Virginia Lake Park about a mile and a half away and off we went. It was strange walking past so many casinos, including the Peppermill — not our usual scene!

Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936-1938, Virginia Lake has a one mile trail around its perimeter.

We were surprised to find cormorants on the lake — so cool to see them!

I felt so much better after the walk.

We picked up the van on Thursday at AEONrv and then had to load everything back in the van from the rental house. Whew! We were watched by a trio of young squirrels — they were really skittish and I never did a get a photo of all three of them together, darn.

I just have to give a quick shoutout to AEONrv — their service is top notch, and we’re loving our tiny house on wheels.

Also! May 29, 2026, will mark 2 years since we sold our house to travel full time — how is that even possible? I’m still so grateful for this life we’ve made — and savoring every minute. AEON gave us a referral link to share with you if you’re thinking of getting an adventure van of your own.

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Piedmont, California

Friday we left Reno and headed to the Bay Area to visit my dear friend Jackie, stopping for lunch at Emigrant Gap — what a view!

The craziest thing was that we went from over 10,000 feet in elevation at Great Basin last week, all the way down to 7 (!) feet as we approached Piedmont.

3.5 hours later we arrived at last. First we gave Jackie a tour of the van, and then we moved a few things to the guest bedroom — we would have slept in the van but the driveway was a little too slopey, ha!

Then we had the most amazing dinner that Jackie made for us — it really hit the spot after a long travel day.

We stayed up late chatting and getting caught up.

I noticed that Jackie had some of my artwork in a little nook in the kitchen — a Valentine I painted in New Mexico this year, and some ranunculus I painted before we left Austin two years ago:

It made me so happy to see them there — really touched my heart.

Backing up a bit, long-time followers may recognize Jackie as THE Jacqueline Leventhal, founder of Hero Arts, Inc, a stamp manufacturing and design company. I worked for her for many years and I learned so much from her. She’s one of my art heroes!

I feel so lucky to know her and call her a dear friend.

Two Walks

Jackie and I took a walk in the neighborhood, wandering to Crocker Park, or “Bear Park” as it’s better known:

Then later our friend Paul came over and drove us to Joaquin Miller Park, just down the road in Oakland. We hiked out to an overlook with awesome views of downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge:

Wow!

Then we had to hurry home for a…

Pizza Party!

Saturday evening Jackie planned a pizza party for us! More dear friends, including Todd and his wife Corby, Paul, Jason and I had a lively conversation while eating the best pizza I’ve ever had outside of Chicago:

Jackie made a giant salad, carefully washing each lettuce leaf earlier that morning and then wrapping them up in towels and letting them crisp up in the fridge. I kinda wanted to eat the whole thing! Jackie even got us vegan brownies for dessert.

Did I mention she made placetags for each of us so we’d know where to sit? Yes, yes she did! I kept ours to remember that fun evening.

Montclair Farmers Market

Sunday Jason and I walked from Jackie’s house to the Montclair farmers market — it’s a really hilly area and was a great walk. I think being at 10,000 feet elevation at Great Basin gave us a boost — I didn’t have to work hard at all.

At the market we got some local organic strawberries (best strawberries I’ve had in forever), broccolini for Jackie, sourdough bread, Thai basil, tamales, and I got a raspberry mojito kombucha. Yum!

We also had some more really amazing views of San Francisco Bay on the walk back home:

What a great Sunday!

Lassen National Forest

Monday morning we said goodbye to Jackie and set off for Lassen National Forest. I miss her so much already. Jackie, thank you again for everything!

We headed for a wild camping spot in the forest, just a few miles from Lassen Volcanic National Park. Of course we had to stop for photos of Lassen Peak along the way:

We also saw Mount Shasta off in the distance:

Wow. Just wow.

We found a campsite near Bailey Creek and the sound has been lulling us to sleep. I can’t wait to share more about our time in the forest next week!

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Until then, thanks as always for following along on our adventures — it really means so much to have you along for the journey! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-van

Hello, hello and welcome back to another update on our grand adVANture! We spent the week at Great Basin National Park near Baker, Nevada — and what a week it was.

Before I jump into the weekly update I have two big pieces of art news to share:

Art News

Artist Residency at Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon

I’m honored and excited to be selected as this year’s artist-in-residence at Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. I’ll be there June 1-22 and can’t wait to get started!

I’ll be giving a public outreach program on June 12th and 13th in conjunction with the Project MARIPOSA Hike and Learn — stay tuned for more details! In the meantime, you can learn more about Project MARIPOSA here.

Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference

Save the date! I’m going to be an instructor at the annual online Wild Wonder Foundation’s Nature Journaling Conference, September 15-19, 2026. I’m so excited to be teaching along with some of my favorite art heroes and friends.

Here’s the lineup:

I’ve learned so much from the online Wild Wonder conferences I’ve attended — I haven’t missed a single one! I highly recommend signing up, especially for the live pass so that you can interact with the instructors and feel like you’re part of this inspiring international community. (The live pass includes access to the recorded sessions as well.) Find out more and signup with the early bird discount here.

Now back to the weekly update!

Great Basin National Park

When we first arrived at Great Basin National Park, Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive was only open to Mather Overlook, not to the Wheeler Peak Trailhead itself. We knew about this annual winter closure before we arrived, but we were hoping that it would open to the trailhead so we could see the Great Basin bristlecone pines without having to do a 12 mile day hike.

We had some rounds of rain, freezing rain, and snow so we didn’t have our hopes up…until Jason spied a park service pickup driving by our campsite with a barrier in the back. We quickly checked the park website, and the road was open to the trailhead! WOO HOO!

We planned to hike up and see the bristlecone pines the next day!

Hike to the Bristlecone Pines

On May 6th we stopped at the Mather Overlook to see where we were hiking — what a view, amiright? Remember this scene for later.

Backing up a bit, I thought I’d share a blurb about Great Basin bristlecone pines from the park website:

Great Basin Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva) are remarkable for being the oldest non-clonal species on the planet. These hardy trees, shaped by wind, snow, and rain survive thousands of years, overseeing the rise and fall of great empires, growing through ice-ages and catastrophic volcanic eruptions. But their ability to survive these harsh environments and adverse growing conditions is exactly their secret to great longevity.

The Great Basin bristlecone pines in the Wheeler Peak Grove where we were headed are estimated at being between 2,000-4,000 years old. There are dead trees that are still standing that are 5,000 years old. We learned from our time at Bryce Canyon that bristlecone pine needles can last up to 45 years. Wow! I couldn’t wait to see them. But first we had to stop at Stella Lake.

Stella Lake

The trail was free of snow until we got to Stella Lake — but that just made the view all the more stunning:

The views were so amazing. I was in awe.

We stopped for a snack and soaked it all in.

I just HAD to do a quick pen + ink sketch to capture the feeling of being here, taking notes so that I could do a small watercolor study back at camp:

Just so beautiful and peaceful.

Teresa Lake

We stopped briefly at Teresa Lake to take in the beautiful view:

Then the snow started getting deeper and deeper!

Slipping and Sliding

After leaving Teresa Lake the hiking got harder. I stopped to put on my knee-high gaiters because I kept postholing in snow up to mid-thigh!

I was super glad to have waterproof hiking boots, hiking poles, and those gaiters, especially on one of the north facing slopes. It was a slip n’ slide and I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about falling and rolling down the side of the mountain.

I was also glad to have lots of layers! I wasn’t sure what to wear while hiking at 10,000 feet with temperatures in the 30s, but I finally settled on a sun hoody (I put the hood up!), windbreaker, vest, and I also brought along a winter jacket that I kept taking on and off. When we were hiking hard the sun hoody/windbreaker/vest combo was perfect.

We stopped for a quick break after we got out of the worst section and I heard someone call “Sideoats!?! Lisa??! Is that you??” and here it was my Instagram friend Laura (@lalamcg2010) and her husband Liam. She had seen the van in the parking lot and recognized it, plus she saw me heading off up the trail. We’d never met in real life before but it felt like I’d known her forever. What a small world, right?

Bristlecones at Last!

Then we rounded a corner — and there were the Great Basin bristlecone pines at last.

It was such a humbling experience walking among these ancient trees.

I thought about how they’re such tough survivors — I want to be a bristlecone pine when I grow up!

There weren’t as many footprints here, and we were guessing that we were among maybe 10 people to hike out and see the bristlecones that day.

We had a laugh at this bench — and had a snack on a boulder instead!

I also sat on a rock to do a quick sketch. I can’t wait to have more time to try and paint one and capture that feeling of awe.

I felt so grateful we got to hike up here.

In the Junior Ranger booklet — more on that below — it said that we could (gently) touch the tree bark.

I carefully put my palm on a tree, closed my eyes, and breathed in and out. A feeling of profound peace came over me, and I wished that everyone could experience something like this, if only for a few moments.

We also got to see Wheeler Cirque Rock Glacier, the only glacier in Nevada and one of the southernmost glaciers in the United States. If you scroll back up to the photo from Mather Overlook it’s the same glacial view! So cool.

We weren’t sure about hiking out any further with the snow hiding obstacles underneath — plus the sun was starting to go behind Wheeler Peak — so we decided to play it safe and save it for next time.

Then we double-timed it back to the van!

Luckily the north-facing sketchy section was starting to freeze up again and it made the going so much easier. I even stopped for a quick picture:

We stopped again at Stella Lake to catch a bit of alpenglow on the peaks:

The robins were calling goodnight as we kept hiking in the fading light.

I eventually had to break out my headlamp as we made our way back to the van.

I’ll treasure these memories forever.

What an unforgettable day.

Hiking Baker Creek Loop

We wanted to get one more hike in before leaving Great Basin, but we were still recovering from the hard 8-mile hike to see the bristlecones. So we decided to do the easy/moderately rated Baker Creek Loop to see what we could see.

It was a great hike! Since this post is so long already I’ll just share a few favorite photos — but first, on our way to the trailhead we met the owners of AEONrv #127 — so cool. It’s like being in a club — and making instant friends. (Find out more about our AEONrv here and as always, please let me know if you have any questions.)

The aspen trees were just starting to leaf out and we got to see lots of flowers, including foothills death camas, manzanita, and balsamroot!

The trail starts along Baker Creek, then winds up through sagebrush until it meets up with the creek again.

We kept smelling elk but didn’t spot any. We did see a herd of deer that we kept chasing down the trail:

Another awesome hike at Great Basin National Park in the books.

I’m a Great Basin Junior Ranger + Night Explorer!

I haven’t become a Junior Ranger for a long time, but I just HAD to do it here at Great Basin because I fell in love with the park and wanted to learn more.

It’s the best feeling taking the Junior Ranger oath — I always get a little teary.

I can’t wait to make it back to Great Basin someday when Lehman Caves are open — they were closed for lighting renovations when we were there, but opened up shortly after, darn. And I can’t wait to hike out and see the glacier — plus spend more time with the bristlecone pines!

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Let me know if you’ve been to Great Basin — I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Thanks for following along, and catch you next week! — Lisa, Jason, & Henry-the-Van

Hello, hi, howdy! Welcome back to another weekly update. This one is pretty special because — are you ready for it? — it’s been 100 weeks since we sold our house in Austin, Texas to travel full time — first in a converted camper van that we later sold, and then in an AEONrv we’ve named Henry!

I can’t get over it — it really feels like we’re just getting started. I feel so lucky for this life we get to live and try not to take anything for granted. I love sharing it with you so that you can experience it too, and hope it brings a moment of peace to your hectic week.

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This week, we traveled from Bryce Canyon National Park to Capitol Reef National Park (both in Utah) and then headed to Great Basin National Park, Nevada where I’m currently writing this to you from camp.

Here’s our route:

Now let’s see what we were up to.

Farewell, Bryce Canyon National Park

On Monday we sadly left Bryce Canyon National Park — but not before making two more stops.

Stop #1: Fairyland Canyon

First up, Fairyland Canyon, where we learned that the hoodoos in this part of the park are younger than those in the main amphitheater.

We hiked a little bit of the Fairyland Loop Trail and spotted another Great Basin bristlecone pine. They’re just so cool.

I can’t wait to get back here someday and hike the whole loop.

Stop #2: Mossy Cave Trail

Then it was on to the Mossy Cave Trail. This short but sweet hike is one of the only hikes in the park that begins with a climb and ends with a descent — my kinda hike! It has a little bit of everything, too — a cave with dripping moss, a waterfall, and classic Bryce Canyon rock formations:

I’m so glad we did it!

Then after stopping to get groceries in Loa, Utah we headed to…

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

We arrived at Capitol Reef National Park just before sunset and we were pretty tired — but not too tired to stop for a photo of the moon:

Whew! What a long day!

Pie Day

Tuesday we woke up early and walked from the campground over to the historic Gifford House, where the Capitol Reef Natural History Association, in cooperation with the National Park Service, sells homemade pies daily.

We had a hard time choosing what flavor to get, so Jason decided to get all three vegan options: peach, strawberry-rhubarb, and cherry. These are just lil pies y’all.

I hadn’t had pie since my Dad’s 80th birthday back in October — he’s the pie guy — so I asked him which one we should try first and he voted for peach.

It was good! :)

Visitor Center Surprise

After we finished our breakfast of oatmeal and pie we headed to the Visitor Center to watch the park film — and I spotted this painting by Claire Giordano of Adventure Art Academy in the theater room!

She painted it during her time as artist-in-residence here at Capitol Reef back in 2021, and I remember watching the lesson on Adventure Art Academy years ago. It’s still part of the course catalog if you’d like to see it.

Claire is a great teacher and takes you along with her as she hikes and paints — I highly recommend joining the Academy. She is so generous with her time and knowledge and she gave me advice before my first ever artist residency at Valles Caldera National Preserve back in Week 10 — to cook food ahead of time so that I could focus on painting — best advice ever! It’s also super helpful to cook ahead if you want to give yourself time to create at home.

I also spotted a photograph by Paul Atkinson from when he was artist-in-residence here as well:

Be sure to check out his website for more amazing photos and stories, many from his artist residencies.

Petroglyphs

Our next stop was to see the Fremont Culture Petroglyphs along Utah State Route 24. We spotted them pretty quickly through our binoculars, then stood silently taking them in:

What are they? On the park service website they’re described as “anthropomorphic (human-like) petroglyphs”. They filled me with wonder. And awe.

The petroglyphs to the left of those are most likely bighorn sheep:

We didn’t see any live bighorns while we were there — but we did get to see these.

Scenic Drive

We decided to do the Scenic Drive to get more of a feel for the park, stopping here and there to take in the views, like this one from Danish Hill:

It was hard to wrap my mind around the scale of the park, but hopefully this photo gives you an idea.

Hiking Capitol Gorge

At the end of the Scenic Drive is the the Capitol Gorge Trail, a short trail up a wash to a side trail that leads to waterpockets or tanks.

First we spotted some cool yuccas:

Then more petroglyphs:

It was an uphill climb to get to the waterpockets:

Here they are at last!

It was so cool to see them and think about the wildlife that uses them, including humans. When we came around the corner to the first one we even heard a duck!

It was hard to capture the depth of some of the tanks.

The sun dipped behind a ridgeline and made for a dramatic shot:

These were only taken about 10 minutes apart:

All too soon it was time to hike back out — and we had a rude surprise! — mosquitos came out in swarms looking for a snack!

Even though the mosquitos feasted on us it was still a really great hike!

Hiking Hickman Bridge

Thursday we set an early alarm, woke up, and drove to the Hickman Bridge Trailhead so we could hike up before the crowds — and I’m so glad we did!

It’s hard to appreciate the scale of this 133 foot natural bridge — photos just don’t do it justice!

We had it all to ourselves for a bit and I even did a quick sketch:

On the way back we noticed some prickly pear cacti blooming that weren’t open on the way up:

What a great way to start the day! And I was extra glad that we hiked before breakfast, because the parking lot was full when we finished — there were even people parking along the road!

Pleasant Creek Trail

We decided to take the Scenic Drive south to the Pleasant Creek Trailhead and make breakfast there since it seemed to be a much less crowded part of the park. We ended up eating breakfast at 11 am, ha!

After our feast of oatmeal with blueberries we hiked part of Pleasant Creek. The park service website says this is an unmaintained trail — and they weren’t joking! We tried following the creek west for about a mile but it was just too hard and my legs were getting all scratched up since I was wearing shorts. Bad call!

We gave up and hiked the old dirt road instead, occasionally making detours over to the creek. We stopped for a snack and I did a quick sketch. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

We then headed back down the way we came. I wish you could smell the sagebrush lining part of the old road — it smelled amazing.

Henry was waiting for us at the trailhead — a welcome sight for sore legs!

We hiked past the van and took the trail a bit on east side — and we realized that we should have done this side of the trail instead as the going was MUCH easier. Next trip!

Sunset at Danish Hill

By this time we were pretty hungry for lunch/dinner — linner? We didn’t want to go back to the campground to cook, so we stopped at Danish Hill — our first stop on the Scenic Drive on the way in — the perfect bookend to our time here.

The sun started setting just as we finished eating, so we hiked up the hill to watch it. I couldn’t stop taking photos!

The cliffs just seemed to glow:

I’ve never seen clouds quite like this:

Wow. Just wow.

After we did the dishes and got everything put away we went for one last little walk and saw the moonrise:

What an amazing day.

Farewell, Capitol Reef

Friday we said farewell to Capitol Reef, but not without stopping at the Gooseneck Overlook and Panorama Point:

We can’t wait to get back here someday when we can spend more time.

Hello, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

After leaving Capitol Reef we drove 4 hours to Great Basin National Park, Nevada, with a stop in Richfield along the way to do laundry and stock up on groceries.

I’ve always wanted to come here — I almost can’t believe we’re really here!

We got to camp after the Visitor Center had closed for the day, so on Saturday we stopped by first thing to watch the park film — it’s a really good one:

Here’s a bit about the park in case you haven’t been here before:

From the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak [in the southern Snake Range] to the sagebrush-covered foothills, Great Basin National Park hosts a sample of the incredible diversity of the larger Great Basin region. Come and partake of the solitude of the wilderness, walk among ancient bristlecone pines, bask in the darkest of night skies, and explore mysterious subterranean passages. There's a lot more than just desert here.

The park also has some of the darkest skies in the lower 48 states:

Recognized by Dark Sky International (formerly the International Dark Sky Association) as one of the premier International Dark Sky Parks within the United States, you can stand nearly anywhere within the park's boundaries and gaze in awe at the endless space above you. Great Basin is committed to reducing our own light pollution footprint by using red exterior lights, turning white lights off during the night, and using motion detectors to ensure lights are only on when needed. We also measure the brightness of our skies monthly to ensure no light encroaches on the park and our night skies stay as pristine as possible.

Another thing Great Basin National Park is known for is its populations of Great Basin bristlecone pines. When we first got to the park the road to the trailhead to see them was still closed for the winter, so we were contemplating doing an overnight backpacking trip so we could get up there.

It was gonna be a cold night since it’s still getting down in the low 20’s up there. But luckily today — May 5th — they opened the road up to the trailhead. Woo hoo! Can’t wait to go hiking tomorrow!

That’s a Wrap

That’s it for this week — whew! Thanks for following along on our adventures — it really means so much to have you along for the ride.

Next week I’ll have some special art news to share with you — stay tuned! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

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We spent this week at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah — and it was amazing! Don’t believe those bad reviews — like this one in Subpar Parks:

If you haven’t heard of Subpar Parks you’re in for a hilarious treat! Amber is too funny and I love her art. She has a book out and another on the way. I crack up every time I see her posts — in her words: “Real one-star reviews of national parks, turned into art”!

Now let’s see what we’ve been up to!

Sunset at Sunset Point

Monday we took it easy in camp and then hiked over to Sunset Point to watch — yep, you guessed it — the sunset.

We wondered why it was called Sunset Point because it doesn’t face west…and it turns out it’s so that you can watch the shadows slowly make their way over the amphitheater. Tricksies! No sunset for us.

Even though we didn’t see the sunset, it was still neat watching the light change across the hoodoos:

After hiking back to camp we set our alarm for 4:44 am and went to bed early because we had big plans to go…

Searching for a Comet and Watching the Sunrise at Sunrise Point

Tuesday the alarm jarred us awake.

It was 20 degrees and pitch dark when we bundled up, grabbed our packs and binoculars, and put on our headlamps to hike from the campground over to the canyon and search for Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS).

The comet was supposed to be visible near the horizon in the east, but the clouds blocked our view, darn. We worked our way along the canyon rim looking for a better vantage point but just couldn’t spot it.

I was glad that I made us each a tea in our travel mugs because standing around looking for a comet in 20 degree weather is cold work! Brrr.

We kept hoping that the clouds would break up before sunrise, but no joy.

We did get to watch a glorious sunrise, tho!

I always tell J that the best color is right before dawn — and it held true here at Bryce Canyon, too:

I couldn’t stop taking photos! (Longtime readers probably aren’t surprised.)

I kept changing my viewpoint and watching the ever-changing light.

The actual sunrise itself was kinda boring:

The glints of orange light on the hoodoos as the first rays of the sun hit them was so incredible:

Then we hiked back to camp, had a big ole breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries — and another tea — and took a nap.

What a way to start the day!

“I Hiked the Hoodoos” Challenge

While we were at Bryce we took the “Hike the Hoodoos” Challenge — it was so fun! The challenge is to find special medallions embedded on signs while you’re hiking and either take a selfie with them or do a rubbing — I opted for a doing a rubbing — of course — just so I could use my magic pencil. (Note for my fellow art gear enthusiasts out there: I take this wooden version of the magic pencil out hiking, and keep this mechanical version in my Art Toolkit since it’s a heavy beast, ha!)

I made a little ‘zine to do the rubbings and when I took it to the Visitor Center to show the ranger and claim my reward she said it was the most creative way to do it she ever saw! She even knew what a zine was — that totally made my day.

I can’t wait to put my sticker on my next sketchbook. Woo hoo!

Back to Rainbow Point

What do you do when your camp spot is in the shade of tall Ponderosa pines and you don’t get enough sun to keep your batteries topped off with your power use? Go for a drive and turn on alternator charging!

That’s what we did on Saturday when we drove back out to Rainbow Point (catch up on our time there last week here if you missed it). We were also able to get a parking spot in the sun so that we could charge the batteries while we went hiking.

Hiking the Riggs Springs Trail to a Promontory

We were both feeling a little under the weather so we decided to hike the strenuous 8.8 mile Riggs Springs Trail as far as we wanted and then turn around and hike back. No pressure — just stretching our legs and having fun.

The hike started off through a burn scar from the Riggs and Lonely fires in 2018. The weather forecast only had a 20% chance of rain, but we kept a close eye on the sky — and an eye out for any trees that might blow down.

Here’s a bit about the fires from the park website:

Both the Riggs and Lonely Fires were started by lightning strikes – the Riggs Fire on August 25, 2018, and the Lonely Fire on September 6 of the same year. Both of these fires originally started on Dixie National Forest land, and eventually merged into one large fire in mid-September. The area in which the fires were burning hadn’t been impacted by fire for many years, so fire managers decided to let them burn naturally to reduce the buildup of fire fuel brought on by fire suppression. At one point, however, the fire began to spread up into the park towards the parking lot by Rainbow Point, which would threaten both visitors and historic buildings like the restrooms on the south side of the parking lot. As a result, fire managers decided to implement a backburn off of the Bristlecone Loop trail.

The fire was patchy in some areas, while in others there weren’t many trees left at all.

Hiking through a burned area can both be sad and hopeful all at the same time. It’s sad to see all the trees that were burned and knowing that the forest won’t recover in our lifetime. But it’s also hopeful seeing young saplings coming up and new growth.

We also saw mountain bluebirds, chickadees, and robins.

We stopped for lunch at a promontory — and of course that’s when the wind started kicking up, ha!

I did a quick sketch of the hoodoos, but the wind was too cold to add watercolor. Brrrrr!

We decided to head back down the trail and then over to the Bristlecone Loop to see the famous pines again.

Visiting the Bristlecone Pines Again

We noticed way more Bristlecone Pines this time versus last.

I guess we learned to spot them better!

Paria View

On the way back to camp we stopped at several of the overlooks, and then Paria View since we hadn’t been there yet. There were some really dramatic clouds!

I thought for sure we were going to get some form of precipitation — either rain or snow — but we didn’t get a spec until the next morning…

Bryce on Ice is Twice as Nice!

Sunday morning we woke up to SNOW!

I was so excited!

We hurriedly ate breakfast, then bundled up and hiked over to the canyon — I couldn’t wait to see if there was snow on the hoodoos.

Turns out there wasn’t much snow on the hoodoos themselves, but it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

As you might guess, I couldn’t stop taking photos — so here are just a few favorites.

This was our first glimpse of the canyon when we got to the rim — it was almost a white-out at times:

It abruptly stopped snowing, but we could see another wave coming in:

We watched that wave pass us by — and could see another blast on it’s way:

Then it REALLY started coming down — and there was some pea-size hail mixed in too!

We considered hiking down into the canyon on the Navajo Loop or Queen’s Garden Trails, but we saw some people coming up with their pants and shoes covered in mud — it’s no bueno to hike on trails when they’re very muddy because it can really mess them up. So that was a no-go for us.

We hiked almost to the North Campground, then decided to head back to ours, stopping to watch the clouds along the way.

What an incredible experience!

What they say is true — Bryce on ice really is twice as nice!

That’s a Wrap

That’s it for week 99! Whew! Thanks for reading until the end.

And big thanks for following along on our journey — it really means so much to have you along for the ride! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

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When we left off last week we had just finished hiking the Taylor Creek Trail in Kolob Canyons at Zion National Park and we were soaking wet from a cold, cold rain. We quickly changed and headed off to find a camp spot for the night and ended up at…

Pyramid Ridge Campground

We found a camp spot at Pyramid Ridge, ate dinner, and zonked. Tuesday morning we woke up to SNOW!! Yeah!

I was so excited I had to go for a walk before breakfast. The air smelled so fresh and clean. I couldn’t stop taking photos!

Just so beautiful! (Note: Jason was done with snow way back in Week 86, but I was happy we got another round!)

Cedar City, Utah

After breakfast we headed to Cedar City, Utah to do allllll the FUN things — that means groceries and laundry, ha!

I was excited to pick up a panini maker at Walmart and sourdough bread at Natural Grocers — more on that later.

Dixie National Forest

After putting groceries away we drove up, up, up into the high plateaus (up to 10,000ft elevation) of Dixie National Forest and soaked in the views:

I spotted a herd of pronghorn and we had to stop for a few photos:

I just love their eyelashes! Random fact of the day: did you know that pronghorn are the fastest land animals in The Western Hemisphere? Yep, its true!

Bryce Canyon National Park

We arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park just as the sun was setting, found our campsite, and zonked again. It was a long day!

Wednesday morning we walked right from camp to catch the free park shuttle — it’s so nice to be able to do that and not have to worry about finding a parking spot. Plus we can leave the van all setup in camp — win/win.

Visitor Center / Park Film

Our first shuttle stop was to the Visitor Center so that I could stamp my sketchbook and watch the park film. Here it is if you’d like to watch it too — it gives a sense of scale that photos just can’t capture:

I also found this 6 minute film that really shows the hoodoos — it’s worth a view if you don’t have time to watch the park film.

We learned that Bryce Canyon National Park has the largest concentration of hoodoos anywhere in the world! From the park website:

Roughly fifty million years ago, the park was a swampy, freshwater lake more than 200 miles long but shallow in depth. Over the course of 25 million years, sediments washed into the low-lying lake from surrounding mountain streams and gradually built up in layers. These layers formed the fragile Claron limestone, the material that makes up the park’s beloved hoodoos, which rise up from the landscape in columns, towers, and bridges. Bryce Canyon National Park has the greatest concentration of hoodoos found anywhere on Earth.

They’re just so amazing!

Bryce Point

While we were at the Visitor Center I asked a ranger where we should go first, and she suggested Bryce Point. So we hopped back on the shuttle and off we went.

This was our first view of Bryce with our own eyes — and WOW!

No words can describe the feeling of seeing this for the first time — I can’t even try.

Hike to Inspiration Point

We decided to do the easy hike along the rim from Bryce Point to Inspiration Point, just 1.5 miles away. I couldn’t stop taking photos — here are just a few faves:

After our hike we picked up the shuttle and then walked back to camp. We were both pretty hungry since we skipped lunch, so I decided to try the new panini maker and made roasted red pepper, hummus, and spinach paninis with that awesome sourdough — they were so good!

I paired the paninis with kale salads and leftover soup for the win. Yum!

Bristlecone Loop

Thursday we headed out to Rainbow Point so that we could hike the Bristlecone Loop Trail. It was cold and really windy — not the best day to be at one of the highest elevations in the park at 9,115 ft, ha!

I’ve always wanted to see Great Basin bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) — and today was the day! I learned that the bristlecone pines in the park are up to 1,800-years-old, and individual pine needles can live to be 40 years-old! Whoa!

The Great Basin bristlecone pines in Bryce Canyon National Park don’t live as long as those in places like Great Basin National Park since the limestone erodes so quickly here at Bryce, while at Great Basin the remains of the famous Prometheus tree is estimated at between 4,700 and 5,200 years old.

And then! We saw one at last, hanging on the edge of the cliff:

The needles have such a distinctive way of growing along the branch, right?

Overlooks Along Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive

After leaving Rainbow Point we stopped at some of overlooks along the road to see what we could see. We saw so many neat hoodoos:

And bridges:

Swamp Canyon Loop

We wanted to get in one more hike before heading back to camp, so we decided to do the 4.5 mile Swamp Canyon Loop. It’s hard to believe that this area used to be a swamp.

From the park website:

Swamp Canyon appears relatively small and sheltered from the overlook, allowing the viewer to develop a more intimate connection with the landscape than some of the grander viewpoints in the park. The Swamp Canyon Loop, which starts at the viewpoint, is more rugged than the Bryce Amphitheater trails, taking hikers into a more forested backcountry hike. There is less signage on this hike and hikers are encouraged to carry a map.

We can confirm that it’s more forested and intimate, but we didn’t have any problems finding the trail.

In fact, we even found more Great Basin bristlecone pines, including this less-tortured specimen:

We also found several Utah serviceberries blooming:

After heading down into the canyon and back up, the trail winds through the forest and sagebrush — it smelled so darn good!

Once we made it back to the top we stopped to look at where we’d been:

What a great hike!

Bryce on Ice is Twice as Nice

We woke up Friday morning to 20 degrees — and a dusting of SNOW!

I was super excited! (Are you surprised?)

We ate breakfast and then hiked over from camp to Sunset Point. There was a just few hints of snow here and there — I was hoping for more, darn.

We didn’t want to go back to camp yet, so we decided to hike over to Sunrise Point and then do the Queens Garden / Navajo Loop Combination.

Queens Garden / Navajo Loop

This is the “must-do” hike at Bryce Canyon and takes you from the rim right down in among the hoodoos. It was an awesome hike!

Some sections of the trail were a little nerve wracking, but luckily it wasn’t too crowded and people weren’t acting crazy.

We spotted some more Great Basin bristlecone pines and cool junipers — love those branches against the sky:

Here’s the E.T. Hoodoo:

The views kept getting better and better:

Next up was the Two Bridges:

Then it was time to hike up the famous switchbacks:

I had researched this hike before we arrived at the park and saw several videos of the famous switchbacks and this video was going through my mind as we hiked up them — it’s too funny! But it does give you a better idea of the scale of the switchbacks:

Too funny!

Now back to the hike — here’s the famous Thor’s Hammer Hoodoo:

Then we hiked back to camp and had more paninis for lunch. It had warmed up to 34 degrees — heat wave, ha!

That’s a Wrap

That’s it for this week — thanks for reading to the end! Which photo is your favorite? I’d love to hear!

Before I sign off, I just had to share a Quote of the Week from Jason:

I never thought I’d spend so much time looking at colorful dirt and rocks.

— Jason Spangler

We’ll be here at Bryce for a few more days — I can’t wait to go on a few more hikes! (And I’m secretly hoping for another round of snow — there’s some in the forecast for later this week.)

We’d love any recommendations for where to head next — J is voting for someplace warmer, ha!

See you next week, and hope you have a nice “Bryce” day! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

Note: We don’t recommend coming here in April — it’s been craaaaazy crowded in the Zion Canyon area of the park since so many schools are on spring break right now. We knew going in that it would be busy — but we didn’t realize it would be quite this bad.

The shuttle buses have been super full with long wait times, and the trails have been packed too. For those who have never been to the park before, Zion Canyon is the main part of the park and it’s closed to personal vehicular traffic from March to September.

We were glad that we were staying in the Watchman Campground since the parking lot at the Visitor Center to catch the shuttle has been filling before the first shuttle leaves at 7 am. Lesson learned!

We made the most of it and went on some fun hikes, though!

Zion Human History Museum

Monday we walked from where we’re staying in Watchman Campground along the Pa’rus Trail to the Zion Human History Museum.

We watched the park film in the theatre, and the part that really resonated with me is right in the beginning when Angelita Bulletts, a Kaibab Paiute Tribal Member, says:

Zion belongs to everyone…Zion has many gifts to give…but there’s also a need for balance, and we have to be able to give back. It’s important that people take the time to connect to this land. And to connect in a personal way.

I did some research, and Agelita was the Bureau of Land Management's first Native American district manager. You can read more about her here.

After checking out the displays and reading about early Native American and Mormon land use, we had a snack on the back patio of the museum and soaked in the views:

From the front of the museum we spied the Natural Bridge — see if you can spot it too — look in the center of the photo:

Then we walked back to the Visitor Center, waited in line for the shuttle, and rode it all the way to the last stop. We walked around a bit and then hopped back on the shuttle and headed to…

Weeping Rock

We felt pretty lucky that the Weeping Rock Trail had reopened in September 2025, as it had been closed for almost 2 years due to a rockfall. (Note: destinations previously accessible from the Weeping Rock Trail, including Hidden Canyon and the East Rim Trail to Observation Point, remain closed.)

A short but steep hike lead to the weeping rock — and a crowd of people, including a big group having a picnic up top and taking up half of the viewing area! (Rude!) So I didn’t get many good pictures of the rock itself, but I did get pictures of some cool plants.

First up, a new-to-us shooting star: dark-throated shooting star or Primula pauciflora:

Shooting stars are in the same family as cyclamens that you get get at the grocery store — so cool, right?

And then! We started seeing bigtooth maples everywhere! Bigtooth maples are a pretty special plant to me as there are relic populations of them hidden in the canyons at Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks — our “home” parks.

Then it was on to the…

Emerald Pools

We heard from several friends that we should check out the Emerald Pools — and they were right! We did the Lower and Middle sections.

We hiked there from Kayenta Trail and were lucky enough to see 3 deer crossing the Virgin River:

I was feeling overwhelmed by all the people there and didn’t take many photos — but J did. These next two photos are by him — thanks, J!

Here’s a closeup of one of the pools — we think the water level was lower than usual this year:

After the pools we walked through the famous Zion Lodge and restaurants just to check them out.

Then we waited in the long line to catch the shuttle bus back to the campground — it was super packed! It reminded us of the buses in Kyoto, Japan!

River Day in Camp

The Virgin River — the same river that forms The Narrows at Zion — runs right along the Watchman Campground where we were staying and one of our campsites had river access! So we took our camp chairs down and spent the day relaxing and staying cool since it was in the upper 80s.

We hiked around for a bit in it too and had our own river experience — without the crowds. The water was super cold!

We also made a new cute pocket gopher friend:

What an awesome camp day!

Perpetual Journal

Speaking of camp days, I also took some time in camp to sketch a nibbled cottonwood leaf in my perpetual journal:

Check out a video here on Instagram for more:

This is my third year sketching in this journal (and my fifth year keeping one) and it’s been so fun seeing all the places it’s been already — I can’t wait to see all the places it will go. I’m forever grateful to Lara Call Gastinger for this practice.

Find out more about my setup here on the Art Toolkit blog.

PS. I’m an Art Toolkit Ambassador and they’ve given me a code to share with you: Use code LISAFAN10 for 10% off your purchase of an ArtToolkit, palette, or mixing pans.

When you make a purchase using the code I’ll receive a small commission at no charge to you. I truly appreciate your support.

Artemis II Splashdown

We also watched Artemis II splashdown live online from camp — I was on pins and needles!

The mission has been a bright spot these days and it was incredible to think of everyone watching together all across the country and around the world. Did you watch too?

Kolob Canyons District

Monday we headed out to the Kolob Canyons District of Zion National Park and I’m so glad we did! It was so much less crowded here — and the scenery was incredible.

Timber Creek Overlook Trail

After stopping at the Visitor Center to stamp my sketchbook we drove the scenic loop, stopping to hike the 1.2 mile Timber Creek Overlook Trail.

From the park website:

Once you reach the overlook, you will be rewarded with views of Shuntavi Butte, Timber Creek, Kolob Terrace, and the Pine Valley Mountains. Looking south on the far horizon, visitors may see Mount Trumbull, 100 miles away at the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

It was sprinkling rain as we started the hike — then it cleared up for a while — and on the way back we had pea-size hail! Luckily the sun popped out when we were at the overlook — what a view!

We also found a new-to-us species of deathcamas on the trail!

Botany friends, this is Foothill Deathcamas (Toxicoscordion paniculatum).

We also spotted a new-to-us twistflower! Feast your eyes on Heartleaf Twistflower (Streptanthus cordatus):

So cool!

Taylor Creek Trail

Next we hiked the 5.5 mile Taylor Creek Trail. There was a sign at the trailhead that mentioned that the trail crossed the creek 40 times — we thought that meant we’d have 20 creek crossings out and 20 on the way back — but no! It was 40 crossings each way, ha!

The water in the creek was so clear — and cold! I was glad to have my hiking poles with me — it made crossing the creek so much easier:

Here’s a bit about the hike from the park website:

The Taylor Creek Trail leads hikers deep into a narrow box canyon toward the Double Arch Alcove, where erosion has carved out natural openings in the Navajo sandstone. As the trail reaches the mouth of the canyon it enters the Zion Wilderness and begins to crisscross Taylor Creek. Winter conditions can be very icy and water crossings in the spring will get your feet wet. The trail passes the geologic formation of the Kanarraville Fold and two historic homestead cabins built in the early 1930s before arriving at the Double Arch Alcove.

We saw both of the cabins and wondered what it must have been like living there. It was so quiet and peaceful.

Then we made it to the Double Arch Alcove at last — and it was worth the hike!

I couldn’t get over the colors! Just so amazing!

Then we had to double-time it on the way back since it looked like it would rain any minute…

The skies opened up when we were about a half hour from the van and we got totally soaked — and it was a cold rain, too!

But still worth it!

That’s a Wrap

Annnnnd that’s it for Week 97 and Zion National Park.

I’m writing this from Bryce Canyon National Park and can’t wait to share our adventures here so far — stay tuned!

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As always, we’re so happy to have you along for the ride! — Lisa, Jason, and Henry-the-Van

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Camping on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

When we left off last week we were camping on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Kaibab National Forest near Locust Point.

When I say “camping on the rim” I mean it too — this is the view from the van:

Wow!

Kaibab National Forest ends about 6 feet down from the edge of the cliff and that’s where Grand Canyon National Park begins!

Here’s a different angle so you can better see where we are — don’t worry, we’re not that close to the edge:

And here’s the view out the bedroom window by our feet — what a way to wake up!

I’m so thankful that the area around the Grand Canyon is protected by the National Forest, keeping it safe from development and acting as a buffer zone.

I spent some time in camp playing with pen, ink, and gouache, trying to capture the feeling of being here and posted a quick video over on Instagram:

Now that you’ve seen where we are, let’s talk about what we’ve been up to!

Hike to Fence Point

As luck would have it, the Rainbow Rim Trail runs near our campsite, about a half mile from Locust Point. So we decided to hike to Fence Point, the next major opening in the forest with views of the Grand Canyon:

The views along the 4 mile hike to Fence Point didn’t disappoint!

It’s hard to take the Grand Canyon in — it’s just so grand that the mind can’t comprehend it! Here’s Jason for scale, pointing to Fence Point:

That’s Fence Point off in the distance:

When we got there we stopped in the shade for a snack, trying out these Fillo’s Walking Tamales for the first time:

I heard about them from my friend and fellow traveler Jess — give her a follow if you love adventure and travel and art! We liked the bean salsa verde ones best — the sweet corn elotes was also good but a little too sweet for our taste.

Then we turned around and headed back the way came, for 8.5 miles on the day. What a great hike!

Rockfall!

One morning we were eating breakfast as usual, when something UNusual happened!

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and the next thing I knew there was a cloud of dust rising through the air!

The strangest thing was that I didn’t make a sound!

It was so cool to see geology in action!

AEONrv Meetup!

On Sunday, fellow AEONrv owners Ellen and Craig drove over to our campsite and we had the best time talking and comparing rigs! They have AEON #109, and ours is #111, so we’re guessing they were worked on at the same time at the manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada. It was probably there when we picked ours up back in November 2025 since they didn’t pick theirs up until January.

It was cool to see them together again on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon!

Their dog Otter had us all laughing as he tried to play fetch with this 15 or so foot sapling:

Safe and happy travels, Ellen and Craig! Hope to see you again down the road.

If ever you or a friend is interested in purchasing an AEONrv of your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have! Also! They’ve given me a referral link to share with you for a discount.

Forest Hikes

I wanted to share a few photos from our hikes in the other direction from camp on the Rainbow Rim Trail, too.

This section doesn’t have as many views of the Grand Canyon, but it does have awesome stands of Ponderosa pines:

It’s much cooler in the forest and the air smells so good.

And it makes the views even more special when you’ve been walking through the forest and get to see the canyon.

Wind and Dust

We had a few days with high winds, so we hunkered down in the van! Dust was in the air and made for some spectacular sunsets: