Many words and photos have been published in honor of the majestic Bryce Canyon, a strong contender in the Grand Circle’s showcase of nature. We wanted to do something different with our time at Bryce …
October 22, 2013
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Stories by Amy Beddows
Moonrise among the hoodoos
Kayaking Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon
I had wanted to visit Lake Powell ever since I saw Doctor Who breathe his last breath on the futuristic shores (British sci-fi, don’t worry about it), so as part of our Arizona-Utah road trip, …
Canyonlands: America’s most underrated national park?
After exploring the dizzy heights of the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce National Parks, we had low expectations for Utah’s lesser-known Canyonlands. One week on the road and landscape fatigue was starting to wear us …
July 18, 2013
At the World's End: Grand Canyon Caverns
After leaving the surreal and creepy ghost town of Chloride, AZ, we stopped for an obligatory chocolate malt at one of the many charming diners on Route 66 and considered the time. With five hours …
July 1, 2013
How to survive Yosemite in July
With limited free time and a bucket list growing by the day, a return trip to Yosemite National Park had been on the cards for a while, but sadly the only weekend we could spare …
June 18, 2013
Snoqualmie Falls
As a general rule, I am not interested in pampering weekends, over-indulgent spas or fancy hotels for the sake of fancy hotels. Accommodation choices are usually fixed around cost and convenience, and so far my …
April 30, 2013
At the World's End: Vulture City, AZ
There is no denying it; I am an apocalyte. A lover of all things bleak and transient, the beauty of decay is in my blood. Find me a ghost town, a derelict asylum, an abandoned …
April 18, 2013
Desert Inspiration in Palm Springs
Dreams. Patterns in the clouds. Drug-fueled hallucinations. A life thoroughly well-lived. There are many answers to the question: where does a writer find their inspiration? But for some, it's all about the location. Some places …
March 22, 2013
Last Stop: Rhyolite, NV
Rolling into the small town of Beatty, Nevada, is a strange experience. One of the few settlements on the edge of the brutal Death Valley, it appears as a welcome rise of gaudy lights after …
March 5, 2013
NOLA: Voodoo and the Spirit of the Hurricane
I’ll be honest – from my four-day weekend in NOLA, I wanted three things: voodoo, ghosts and Hurricanes. And I wasn’t disappointed. My first glimpse of Bourbon Street was a little disappointing – trashy bars, …
February 18, 2013
Borderlands: Two Days in Ensenada
We drove through downtown San Diego in a state of anxiety, paranoia and excitement. It’s hard not to be affected by the constant media deluge of horrors from south of the border: decapitated heads, mutilated …
January 27, 2013
Last Stop: Chloride, AZ
We were heading to the majestic Grand Canyon, surely America’s most famous crevasse, when we decided to stop off at the neat little ghost town of Chloride, AZ. Nestling halfway between Las Vegas and the …
January 15, 2013
At the World’s End: Ghost Mountain, Anza-Borrego
The majestic Anza-Borrego Desert never ceases to surprise me. It is an alien environment of ghostly, pale rocks and unforgiving heat. Ocotillo plants sprout like underwater coral from the barren sands that hide translucent scorpions …
August 16, 2012
At the World’s End: Centralia, the Burning Town
In May 1962, an ill-advised trash fire set light to the veins of coal running beneath the small mining town of Centralia, PA, and sparked a dangerous inferno that has raged ever since. Despite various …
July 30, 2012
At the World’s End: Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley
Death Valley must be seen to be believed. From the turquoise flats rolling out beneath lofty Dante’s View to the salty vertigo of Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, it is a place …
July 7, 2012
Fear and Loathing in L.A.: The Death Museums
Los Angeles is a city of divides: poverty and decadence, history and trend, life and death. And the city of angels has its share of death, as evident by two Hollywood attractions, the Museum of …
June 15, 2012
At the World’s End: Lake Tōya, Japan
Lake Tōya in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a small tourist resort nestled among mountains and active volcanoes. Known for its serene landscape and relaxing onsen spas, it also has a darker side; in 2000, the majestic …
June 5, 2012
Forks, WA – More Than Just a Vampire Weekend
Washington might be the most beautiful place on earth. I've been fortunate enough to visit the state twice in the last year (and am going again in the fall), and each time I have left …
May 29, 2012
At the World’s End: Bombay Beach and the Salton Sea
Three hours from San Diego, east of the Anza-Borrego desert, lies the Salton Sea. When stopped by border patrol on our first drive out to the sea, the officer seemed surprised by our destination. “You …
May 8, 2012
Last Stop: Pioneertown, CA
I am in love with the deserts of Southern California. There is no greater joy than leaving the ’burbs on a sunny Saturday, stocked up with water and sunscreen, and driving off into the beyond. …
April 10, 2012
At the World’s End: Hiroshima and Miyajima
The tragic events of 1945 can barely be appreciated without seeing the peaceful, dignified city of Hiroshima, Japan. Within minutes of stepping off the bullet train, a local resident offered us a free tour of …
At the World’s End: Chernobyl and Prypiat
I was two years old and living in the U.K. when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, on April 26, 1986. Naturally, I have no memory of the event, but my mother assures me that …
March 5, 2012