We arrived at Mather Campground on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon, set up camp, fed the troops and managed to put our feet up before dark (sunset’s not until around 8pm in these parts in midsummer). The fire ban due to high heat, dry vegetation and the resulting threat of…
En route from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon South Rim, we made a couple of stops at some cool places recommended by our local insider, Uncle Robert. Jerome, AZ Jerome was the first. It’s about 160km north of Phoenix, and the township, an old copper mining village, hugs Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley below.…
We headed off to downtown Phoenix on the light rail to the Arizona Science Center on our last full day in town. It was a welcome respite from the summer’s heat. The 3D Oceans big screen film was a hit with the kids. As were the other interactive displays. The Science Center is located in…
It was Father’s Day here on Sunday so the dads and kids went off to see the Han Solo movie while Rach and I did a bit of shopping. In the evening we headed to McCormick Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale where there’s a little train to ride around the park. Yesterday we…
Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I’ve written, but Raising Explorers is back, for a while. Though I’ve been trying to write this as a ‘travel’ blog over the past few years, the fact is, I’m an English teacher, not a travel blogger. So, I’m going back to basics. Today, this is my travel…
Apologies for the title, but it’s late tonight, and the only other thing I could come up with was ‘Houston? No problem’ which I thought was really too cheesy, so… here are our top things to do when you have two days in Houston… I have to admit that Houston was not at the top…
Crowdy Bay National Park stretches along the NSW coast north-east of Taree, from Harrington in the south to Laurieton in the north. To be honest, I’d never heard of it before my brother-in-law suggested it as a possible camping location a couple of weeks ago. We hadn’t booked anywhere and wanted to get away in…
Vientiane. The capital city of Laos. It’s not spectacular, or even particularly memorable. But, it’s ok, I guess. (Disclaimer: We were tired when we got to Vientiane. We didn’t see many sights of Vientiane. In fact, I could compile a list of the top ten things we didn’t see in Vientiane, so this post in…
Tubing the Nam Song is the highlight of most travellers’ itineraries in Van Vieng, Laos. While it’s a lot tamer now than it used to be, with most flying foxes, swings and slides gone from the riverside bars, drifting slowly downriver in a truck inner tube, stopping for a drink at a watering hole or…
Despite its reputation, there is more to Vang Vieng than just a party – the beautiful karst landscape with cliffs dotted with caves, and the tranquil Nam Song, provide much to explore in the surrounding area. In fact, when you get out and about early (and by early I’m talking 8am-ish, not the crack of…
Raising Explorers 