Airstream Forums - The Garinns

The Grand Canyon of Texas

Posted 06-04-2014 at 07:23 PM by The Garinns
Updated 06-05-2014 at 06:52 PM by The Garinns

Situated near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the U.S., roughly 60 miles in length with an average width of 6 miles. The canyon’s depth ranges from 800 to nearly 1,000 feet, displaying dramatic geologic features, multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls.

Never having driven on steep grades (10 percent from canyon rim to floor), we were simultaneously terrified and transfixed. Add a 22-foot, 4,500-pound Airstream, sharp curves...

The Garinns

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Posted in Travel Blogs, Adventures, Texas Parks

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The Better Half

Posted 06-04-2014 at 07:21 PM by The Garinns
Updated 06-05-2014 at 07:15 PM by The Garinns

Although we saw Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome on our first visit to the valley, we didn’t really appreciate its grandeur until we trekked to Glacier Point.

Arriving at the point, we were quickly overwhelmed by Half Dome’s immediacy and enormity. The imposing granite crest was offset by a cloud-filled blue sky above a carpet of evergreens nearly 5,000 feet below. We felt, to quote the great naturalist John Muir, “absorbed” in the great edifice, “her crown a mile away in the hushed azure;...

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The Garinns

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Posted in Travel Blogs, Adventures

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Peace in the Valley

Posted 06-04-2014 at 07:19 PM by The Garinns

Our first full day in Yosemite Valley brought with it the disappointment of overcast skies and low-hanging clouds, which had the unexpected benefit of creating an almost mystical appearance to some of the park’s most iconic rock formations, including El Capitan, Sentinel Rock and Half Dome. However, a quick hike near Bridalveil Fall and Cathedral Rock didn’t disappoint.

At just 617 feet, Bridalveil Fall is not the world’s highest (in fact, 430 falls throughout the world are higher),...

The Garinns

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Posted in Travel Blogs, Adventures

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First Impressions

Posted 06-04-2014 at 06:39 PM by The Garinns
Updated 06-04-2014 at 07:08 PM by The Garinns (Testing)

After setting up the Airstream at our Oakhurst site, we immediately headed to Yosemite, undaunted by the cool weather and light rain. First stop, the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, located at the southern-most entrance to the park. The grove has more than 500 mature trees--among the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth.

Some trees in this grove are thousands of years old (the Grizzly Giant, for example, is thought to be 2,400 years old) and more than 50 feet in circumference....

The Garinns

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Posted in Travel Blogs, Adventures

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The Grandest of Canyons

Posted 06-03-2014 at 07:23 PM by The Garinns
Updated 06-04-2014 at 07:49 PM by The Garinns (Testing)

Halfway to Yosemite, we decided to take a side trip to the Grand Canyon. In a word, the canyon is spectacular. We had both seen it on previous visits, but the effect was the same: overwhelming. We brought Baxter and Ranger along for the experience, and they quickly became "celebridogs." Some Aussies even asked to be photographed with them.

We observed many things during our three-hour walk, but the thing that stood out was the utter lack of sound. The silence from the canyon,...

The Garinns

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