Rene Cizio's Blog, page 21

Why Arches is the Disneyland-like National Park

When I showed up at Arches National Park in Utah at 8:30 a.m. on Memorial Day, the park was already closed to further visitors. I joined the massive line of people turning around to find something else to do. Holiday crowds are expected, but the crowded at Arches has been reported as commonplace. When I returned that evening, I entered after waiting in line for about 20 minutes with many other hopefuls I was eventually granted entry. But to what? I wondered nervously. Crowds Galore I try to avoid malls, festivals and other places people gather in large crowds. Disneyland is a place I hope to never go. Waiting in line and jostling for position does not appeal to me. I’ll deal with it when I must, but a national park is not and should not be one of those places. Maybe I’m crazy. Arches National Park receives more than 1.5 million visitors each year. By comparison, Yellowstone had 3.8 million visitors in 2020. Zion had 3.6 million and that was a low year due to COVID. All the rangers I’ve spoken with at Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, and Zion, say they’re already seeing record numbers of visitors in 2021. Excitement […]

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Angel’s Landing and the One Thing I Learned Solo Hiking Zion National Park

I hiked Angel’s Landing which is the most of the most strenuous trail in Zion National Park in Utah after deciding not to, but accidentally stumbling upon it and thinking, “Oh hell, why not.” Which is how I do most things in life. Angel’s Landing is only 5.4 miles long, but it has an elevation gain of 1,500 feet with long cliffside drop-offs. It is not for the faint of heart. I firmly decided I wouldn’t even try and skipped past it over several trips to the park. However, a trail called “Rim Trail” looked like it led to the Angel’s Landing trail. I had a few hours to kill, and it was the only hike at that stop I hadn’t done yet, so I figured I would hike Rim Trail until it got to the Angel’s Landing trail, and then I’d turn around. The problem was, Rim Trail never technically ended. Rim Trail Or perhaps Rim Trail is just very short because it starts as a flat and easy path along the rim, but not far along the incline becomes noticeable steeper. At one point, I made a left turn and around the bend was the rock face. I […]

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Tips for Hiking Tsankawi Trail at Bandelier National Monument

I stumbled upon the Tsankawi section of Bandelier National Monument by accident and it’s my new favorite hiking trail in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area. It’s just off State Highway 4, about a dozen miles from the main park entrance. I spotted it because there were about 10 cars parked on the side of the road, which is a sure sign that there’s a good trail nearby. I was right. Tsankawi Trail At Tsankawi, you take a 1.5-mile loop hike along a mesa top. There you’ll find the remains of an ancient, abandoned pueblo. Along the hike, you’ll see blooming cactus, cavate cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and the abandoned kiva remains. You’ll have to climb their ladders and squeeze through a series of slot-like trail areas. The entire area is a former pueblo with over 300 dwellings, but much of it is overgrown and only the keenest eye can decipher which rocks are ruins. Mini Bandelier The Tsankawi site is essentially a miniature similar to what you will find at Bandelier National Monument but less trafficked. When I hiked the trail, there were less than 6 other people on the mesa with me. I began my hike like everyone on […]

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5 Things to Do Around the Rio Grande Gorge

I stayed a few miles from the Rio Grande Gorge and spent a lot of time in it. It turns out, for only being gorge, which essentially is just. a big hole in the ground, there’s quite a bit to do around it. I’ve hiked it many times, rafted through it, and even had a few relaxing spa days at the hot springs. There’s also a lot of just staring at the Gorge. It’s spectacular and a New Mexico character in its own right. The Rio Grande Gorge is 50 miles of fun trailing its way through New Mexico. The gorge offers a bevy of summer delight with a variety of different views and things to do. Here’s what you need to know. The Gorge The Rio Grande Gorge begins near Colorado. It runs from northwest to southeast of Taos, New Mexico. The Rio Grande River runs through the bottom. There are dozens of hiking trails in and around the gorge. They offer mild to challenging treks but have one thing in common: gorgeous views. I use AllTrails app to find the best hikes. You can get the best view of the gorge and the river via the sidewalk observation […]

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New Mexico Gift Set Giveaway

Because I loved New Mexico let’s do a giveaway! Enter by: First – thanks to everyone who follows on Instagram and my other channels. My favorite part of having this blog is the community we’re creating and being able to chat with you! Sign up for my Email (counts for 5 entries!) Share a Middle Journey post on any social channel (2 entries! —- tag @renecizio or Middle Journey, so I see it) Follow @renecizio on Instagram or Twitter (1 entry) I spent the entire month of May in New Mexico traveling corner to corner meeting some amazing people and having great adventures. Along the way, I found a few lovely, handcrafted items in little local shops (and on one street corner) from people that I wanted to support. You know I’m a minimalist, so I’m giving these items away. The throw blanket is from a small shop in Taos, New Mexico. It is SO SOFT I could not leave it behind. The woman who makes them told me it is so soft because it is made with alpaca hair. This is not a standard “Mexican-style” blanket, it’s a luxury textile. *No alpaca were harmed in the making of this […]

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Climb into Cliff Dwellings at Bandelier National Monument

Imagine if you could go back in time and see the way that ancient people lived. Pretend you could even go into their homes, see where they planted their food, learn about how they survived. You can, at Bandelier National Monument. I recently spent a day hiking around the park, climbing ladders, and exploring these ancient homes. All of it was amazing and some parts were easier to get to than others. Regardless, it is a one-of-a-kind experience that everyone interested in hiking and history should try. Bandelier National Monument The Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico has some of the most curious ancient cliff dwellings in the Southwest. There are also petroglyphs and pictographs, steep and narrow canyon trails and elevations up to 10,200 feet. At  33,677-acres, Bandelier National Monument is a showcase to has one of the most extensive Ancestral Puebloans populations of the Southwest. While the park is massive, most dwellings are concentrated at the bottom of a 400-foot deep, sheer-walled gorge called Frijoles Canyon. There, they have built a visitor center, café and gift shop too. For $2, you can buy a map with information about the Pueblo people and markers that tell you about the […]

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Reasons Traveling Helps Me Find Who I Am and it Can for You Too

Traveling is the only way I know how to become who I am meant to be. I haven’t always loved traveling. Growing up my family didn’t travel. I can count on one hand the number of times my mom went 50 miles further than the city she lived in her entire life. My first travel experience happened against my will when I was 11 years old. My dad’s family was from Hungary, and he took my younger brother and me to meet them. As a child of my mom, to say that I didn’t want to go was an understatement. I was too young then to appreciate what I saw in Europe. Still, it taught me one valuable thing: the world contained much more than I previously believed. I’d always thought everything in the world was like where I lived “downriver” in southeastern Michigan. But I’d been wrong. What else was I wrong about? High School Travel The only other family trip I recall was camping at a site half an hour from our home. Mom complained the entire time and vowed never to do it again. We didn’t. In high school, I didn’t have money to go on any […]

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Seeking Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico

I knew I’d write this post about Georgia O’Keeffe after leaving New Mexico. In it, I thought I’d say I figured her out while traveling through “her” New Mexico. But, after a month, she is still as elusive as a ghost. Previously, the extent of what I knew about O’Keeffe hung above the stairs of the Modern Wing at the Chicago Art Institute. “Sky Above Clouds IV” is a massive cloudscape. It’s eight feet high and twenty-four feet wide. She created it as a part of her airline passenger series. Scenes she saw from the window of airplanes. It’s one of those artworks that you look at and immediately think, “That’s art? I could do that.” But then you stand there for a moment, trying to figure out what makes it art. The realization you come to that even though it’s simple, you couldn’t do it because you don’t see the world that way. She didn’t just look. She saw. “Take time to look.” As a modern art lover, I’ve been aware of her work. The flowers didn’t interest me much – even though they were interesting. Maybe it was because she was American that I gave her less regard […]

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Hiking Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico

They say that the petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument may be hard to see at certain times of the day because of the glare from the sun. But Pueblo elders believe it’s more than that. They believe the petroglyphs choose when and to whom they will reveal themselves. Hiking through the parks is an easy and enjoyable morning or afternoon that most people can accomplish. It’s a great beginner’s hike or for kids as it’s quite easy and a hunt to find the symbols. Petroglyphs are designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish people from 400 to 700 years ago. Archaeologists estimate there are over 25,000 petroglyph images along the 17 miles within the park. This makes the Petroglyph National Monument one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. Petroglyphs, Pictographs, or Hieroglyphics? These drawings are now considered valuable art and hold profound spiritual significance for Native Americans and the world. But, petroglyphs are mysterious and still not very well understood today. For example, we know that hieroglyphics are symbols used to represent words, but Petroglyphs are not as easily readable. These symbols are not paintings, but rock carvings (rock paintings are called pictographs […]

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15 Travel Quotes for the Soulful Journey

I have always been an avid reader, and nothing resonates with me more than a good quote. Here are my 15 favorite quotes for the soulful journey – for those of us who are always seeking and finding bits of ourselves in places we’ve never been before. “For the blue is not in the place those miles away at the horizon, but in the atmospheric distance between you and the mountains. ‘Longing,’ says the poet Robert Hass, ‘because desire is full of endless distances.’” Rebecca Solnit “Only some radical change can divert the downward course of my spirit, some startling new place or people to arrest the drift, the drag.” Tennessee Williams “… the farther I got from home, the more interesting and unusual my thoughts became.” Richard Russo “At the end of the day it isn’t where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I’m going and have never been before.” Warsan Shire “There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.”  Orson Welles “I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand.”  Leonardo da Vinci “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” Winston Churchill “One does not discover new lands […]

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