Wayne | August 31, 2009
Every summer I read about someone hiking in the Grand Canyon and becoming disoriented or worse dying from heat stroke and dehydration. Just this month a young college student doing a solo backpacking trip from a remote part of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was found dead and the Coconino County Medical Examiner [...]
Wayne | August 30, 2009
One of my favorite bike trail rides is the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota. A couple of summers ago my wife and I traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a trip to our family cabin in Wisconsin. We had heard stories about a great Rail Trail in the Black Hills and decided [...]
Travel to the West is the place for great travel tips about the Western U.S.
Travel to the West blog is my way of sharing 45 years of travel expertise and enthusiasm about the breathtaking places to visit in the Western U.S. if you want great advice on where to go and what to do, be sure to check back often!
My love of travel goes back many years. I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota's School of Business. I was active in music and was a member of the University of Minnesota marching band as well as a jazz band that played locally and in Chicago and New Orleans. During my youth, my parents traveled extensively between Minneapolis and Los Angeles on road trips, stopping along the way at scenic attractions to learn about the areas they traveled.
After college I had jobs that kept me on the road as well. On all of my trips I would blend business with exploring each destination. One job ended up transferring me from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Arizona. It was from, here that I began traveling throughout the beautiful and intriguing West. This began a long love affair with the West that continues today. As an avocation, I began running -- 10Ks which then developed into half-marathons, full marathons and ultra marathons. Running became a second love to travel and I combined the two by putting together running trips for my friends and acquaintances.
On a marathon run from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim, I met my future wife at Ribbon Falls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Certainly, there was no better career for the two of us than travel! Over twenty years ago, we founded a tour company providing adventure and sightseeing tours of the Southwest. As the business grew, so did my knowledge of the West. Our groups kept coming back, some year after year, requesting new and exciting areas for them to visit. Now, I've decided to share my knowledge of the West with you via my blog. Be sure to check back regularly for great travel ideas!!
