Cosmic Travels

Our latest adventure to Fool Hollow Lake on May 6-7, 2026, was one of many firsts. Mike and I had been to Fool Hollow before on a day trip on my birthday a couple of years before. At that time, we took many a day trip in the Avalanche daydreaming about adventures more like this. We participated in the Arizona State Parks Passport program they were running at the time. When you visit a state park, you get a stamp in your little passport book. It was great fun and we discovered many things. This was the first-ever camping experience for the dogs. This was our first overnight camping experience in the van. After much thought whilst staring at the floor, and as much physical preparation that could be done, I was confident we could handle nearly anything that would come at us on the road.  We learned of the typical overnight weather from friends who visited us from that general area, who came to warm themselves in the all-abundant heat of the valley. The overnight temperature was expect...

Tonto National Forest - Roosevelt Lake, Arizona March 11, 2026 I have never been a driver. My role on any adventure is navigation and logistics. These make much better use of my refined map reading skills and nearly obsessive attention to detail. I got a heavy dose of the GenX thirty-second attention span. With the privilege of being copilot comes the loss of some control of which route the driver may choose and when. In this case, this isn’t a bad thing. Mike is a great driver and I trust his judgement in this case. It’s our first proper day trip since we got the van. Our first few trips were glorified errand-running. Our errands happen to take us far. Over the river and through the woods, so to speak. Today’s trip marked the beginning of real-life maneuvers. This is not a drill. We started out about 9am and pointed the van toward Beeline Highway. The original plan was to switch back onto Globe-Roosevelt Highway to Tonto National Forest and Lake Roosevelt. Then head home via t...

  A dream came true on Sunday, February 1, 2026. For a couple of years, Mike and I have been planning to travel more and further. We talked about getting what we affectionately refer to as the Rolling Nap Wagon. Mike bought a fully equipped converted camper van from a random person on the other side of the valley on social media. A risk to be sure, but we can finally start to plan all of those adventures we talked about.  The van solves many of the issues we face that typically limit our ability to travel somewhat. We both have medical conditions where fatigue can come on fast and is most bothersome when one tries to relax and have a good time. Now technically we can nap anywhere.  Another issue we have are our adorable dogs, Wally and Tilly. Wally is a Jackadore and barks at most animals, noises, small children, and innocent passersby. Wally is also very large and can be as hyper as much as he can be vocal. Our little dog, Tilly, is much easier to manage. Part Chiuau...

  The first day of our trip to Bisbee and Tombstone, Arizona, 2022. Plans are being made to make another trip down by the end of this year. Honestly one of my favorite road trips. Unfortunately, some of the photographs have been lost through technical failure and corrupted transfers.  The day dawned with excitement. I got myself ready to check out of the hotel in Scottsdale. The plan was for Mike to come load out early in the morning. The earlier we got on the read, the better our adventure will be. We were headed to a yacht in Bisbee, about a three hour drive from the house in Queen Creek. He got there and we made our way to Queen Creek to drop off and pick up a few things for our adventure. The heap would still be there when we got back. After we unloaded, we got loaded. We smoked up, grabbed refreshed road bags, snacks, and more weed. We were on the road by around eight in the morning. The first destination was Boot Hill Cemetery.  One of the aspects of road-tripping I...

As a special summer treat, I've been revisiting some past adventures Mike and I have had over the past few years. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing our first road trips together in the summer of 2022. The first, to Bisbee and Tombstone, Arizona was taken in August, 2022. I met Mike a few months before this trip. He was just beginning his journey into the metaphysical realm. I consider it to be a privilege to assist another soul to progress on our collective journey through the Universe. Over the course of spending time together, we discovered we share the pleasure of life's more humble luxuries. Namely the summer vacation road trip. After juggling schedules, plans were finally solidified for our first road trip together. I was living hotel life in Scottsdale and sat and listened to an exquisite monsoon rage outside my hotel room window. I never tire of a good monsoon, and 2022 was a good season. The predawn storm was made more pleasant by my comped BBQ potato chips a...

Hello all! It's Paige from Cosmic Travels. This particular trip happened in September, 2024 . My partner Mike and I love road trips, and we were super excited to visit another Arizona State Park. Just as the heat was just starting to break, bringing much needed relief. We strongly believe in being tourist in the place where one lives. We have been using the Arizona State Parks Passport For Fun as a guide to our adventures in Arizona. This has turned us into the oldest 8 year-olds alive. We always enjoy getting out and exploring our local wonders. This trip we loaded up or two dogs for this adventure. Wally was an almost 2 year-old Jackadore. He is a large dog. Tilly was an almost 6 month old Minchi. She is a small dog. There is a distinct difference in their size, temperament, and care needs. Our destination took us south toward Tucson. The ultimate destination was Mt. Lemmon, Catalina State Park, Rose Canyon Lake, and finally to the Tom Mix memorial to once again pay our respec...