Yes that’s the genuine official name of today’s destination. A valiant joint effort from the dude who named the river, and the other dude who named a section of deepwater plunge pools somewhere up it. I won’t lie to you, its vaguely suggestive naming did play a crucial role in motivating us to visit The Crack at Wet Beaver Creek (i’m going to keep saying … Continue reading The Crack at Wet Beaver Creek
This morning we hiked up to Devil’s Bridge and became suitably enamoured with what this section of Arizona has to offer. After stopping off in the civic heart of Sedona for hydration and the procurement of a Stetson (obviously), we drove out about 15 minutes to the trialhead at Cathedral Rock for some more. This is Cathedral Rock. At this point we’re probably about half … Continue reading Cathedral Rock Scrambles
If ever you find yourself in Sedona, Arizona, the first thing I would probably suggest you do is go to Nick’s on the West Side and get breakfast. With a bloody. You’ll be needing the carbs for the hiking that presumably you came all this way out into the desert for – and getting a good measure of vodka in you first thing in the … Continue reading Leaping the Devil’s Bridge
I am currently on a Boeing 767 en route to Sao Paulo. We’re flying over Suriname or some other such paradise, and it’s night, and I can see the flashes of about 27 thunderstorms raging on underneath us. Occasionally we fly right through one and shit gets really exciting, which is just as well because, since they put all the prehistoric planes on the South American … Continue reading My Shit Storm Shitstorm
I’m in South Carolina, the sun is shining, and I have absolutely no commitments or plans of any kind. After a spot of musing over a nice hotel breakfast, I have come to the conclusion that today I quite fancy going to the beach. The interwebs tell me that there is a very pleasant beach at Sullivan’s Island not too far from my hotel, and this sounds to … Continue reading Road to Sullivan’s Island
I’m not a massive history buff. Ok, I’m not even a moderate history buff, but there is one particular historical period (and specific geographic location) that I’m pretty obsessed with: the first quarter of the 18th Century in the North Atlantic – The Golden Age of Piracy. I won’t lie… I’m pretty sure the fascination was sparked as a 5-year old on the Pirates of … Continue reading Plundering Charleston
New Orleans Day 3: I am never drinking again. I spent the morning reading Faulkner on my balcony and chugging coffee, because it was noon before my hangover finally dissipated sufficiently (fyi, here’s what I got up to last night) that I was able to venture out into the 30 degree heat and do some more exploring. I couldn’t start the day’s adventuring without some more classic … Continue reading NoLa SoLo
I didn’t cry at O’Hare. This airport can drive people to tears at the best of times, so you’d forgive a girl for shedding one or two as she says a final farewell to the city she’s called home for the last 55 weeks. But, as the two main men in my life dropped me at departures, I somehow managed to maintain some sort of facial … Continue reading Banter in the Big Easy
I’m nearing the end of my 54 weeks in Chicago and there’s somewhere on my Midwest Hotspots list I haven’t yet been. If i’m honest, I think I’ve been pretty good at scouting out the surrounding area. I’ve checked out multiple locations in Wisconsin, explored the tantalising Gary, Indiana not once, but twice, and been to more Chicago suburbs than you can shake a stick at. But one place managed to elude … Continue reading A Hot Second in St. Louis
If you just want to read about my recent trip to Gary, Indiana, please scroll down to Part 2. If you want to know about the origins of my pseudo-obsession with the city, please start with Part 1. If you do nothing else, please check out the galleries towards the end for some great scenes of general abandonment and dereliction. Part One: Genesis Everybody knows … Continue reading Indiana Dreaming
the lost scot 