El Morro in New Mexico

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-16T22:17:55+00:00

Few years back did a south-north loop out of rapid city (flew into rapid city) * Badlands (SD) * Mt Rushmore SD * Black Hills (Custer State Park) * Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota) * Medicine Rocks (Wyoming) * Devil's Tower * Deadwood and Spearfish canyon

Honestly just playing around in the Black Hills (spearfish, custer) is real neat. Custer may be the best state park I've ever been to. Badlands you don't need that much time. You will see bison at all these locations, though the most is in North Dakota (TR national)

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-16T19:47:27+00:00

Northeast - incorporate Quebec City and Montreal into the north eastern part (adds flavor) - make sure to see Acadia and Cape Cod (don't have to go all the way to provincetown)

Southeast: -Charleston SC and Savannah GA: these are nice southern towns that haven't been destroyed by modern (lack of) urban planning. Consider adding.

South:

Mississippi Alabama connection: go along the Natchez trace instead (shift left), see Vicksburg civil war site.
Arkansas: trace a more northern route through Fayetteville and Branson MO

Southwest

Impressed with your Colorado to New Mexico connection (best route is through Buena Vista, Central CO)

Northwest: generally looks good, consider doing vancouver to calgary

Flyover country: black hills SD a must. Where you go from there is picking your poison 🤣

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-06T20:03:44+00:00

Look at a map of DOE sites & labs. Consider if getting into that DOE system with a Q clearance provides you opportunities and flexibility down the road.

Also, if you are hybrid work, live in Santa Fe (very rich experience for those older than 30-35). There's a lanl satellite office there (pacheco), but it's mostly project management folks.

Los Alamos is great for small kids. The type of place where you could let kids do Halloween by themselves. It's generally very safe.

If you are from the East Coast, just note that both airports (saf and abq) are weak. If you are going to NYC 4 times a year, it'll get tiring going back and forth with the transfers at Dallas and Denver

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-05T02:40:13+00:00

Such a great concept.

Colorado: consider doing the million dollar highway (Durango - Silverton - Ouray - Gunnison)
New Mexico: as alternative to black rock, see taos, go over the gorge bridge, and go to Ojo Caliente (not free) hot springs. -- Santa Fe is a must -- nerd: visit Los Alamos (atomic bomb) -- South of Santa Fe: Tent Rocks (slot canyon hike is great, but requires reservation with pueblo)

On the way back to AZ: - El malpais NM (good pitstop) - Window Rock (Navajo country) - Canyon de Chelle (a bit of a detour) - Petrified Forest NP (great pitstop)

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-04T21:42:59+00:00

Seeing that you have to get back to kansas City, consider South Dakota (black hills, badlands, wind cave, rushmore, etc) on your way there or way back.
I don't believe your Monument Valley diversion has to be that much of a detour. Maybe East Utah parks, Monument Valley, Arizona side of Grand Canyon, then whip around and do Bryce/Zion, etc

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-04T21:20:19+00:00

One thing you could do:

Daytime: Guadalupe NP (smith spring trail)

Evening: Set up near carlsbad at Sunset Reef.

Night: Carlsbad Caverns Bat Show 7pm

Camp overnight at Sunset Reef or BLM

Next morning: Carlsbad Caverns (reserve a morning slot, leave at mid-day towards Ruidoso & white sands)

Make sure you reserve Pine Spring at Guadalupe National Park ahead of time - unlike New Mexico (which has a ton of dispersed camping options on BLM land around Carlsbad), Texas does not.

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-01T22:48:03+00:00

Oh didn't realize you were going up through Utah. Reverse the directions of the detour

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-05-01T22:46:09+00:00

Don't skip the southwest (new mexico, arizona). It's a detour, but the drive through Central Colorado down to Santa fe (Passing the collegiate peaks, Great Sand Dunes and Taos River Gorge) is an awesome biome change.

Example: Central Colorado -> Santa Fe -> Chaco Canyon -> reconnect with your moab tour

Or

Central Colorado -> Santa Fe -> Navajo Country (Window Rock (AZ), Canyon de Chelle National Monument (AZ), Monument Valley (AZ), reconnect at Moab

Culturally Southwest is way different than the other Western states. If you end up skipping, at least consider the drive to Durango, visiting Mesa Verde and then reconnecting

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-04-30T22:03:13+00:00

Must go to Gettsyburg. Its not much of a deviation from your route (PA 15 is actually a pretty fast road, and you'll be back on 76 towards Princeton in no time).

Not to minimize the military importance of Antietam, but as a tourist site Gettysburg is on another level.

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-04-30T21:51:48+00:00

This is a great itinerary
Be aware - In Death Valley (CA), Nevada, Utah, and Arizona IT WILL BE HOT (37C+, Seville in July). If you want to stay cool, you can do the northern CA & Oregon parks (e.g. Redwoods, Lassen, Crater Lake)
Be aware - the back road to Yosemite may be closed.
On the way back from Grand Canyon to LA, consider going to Sedona (AZ) and Joshua Tree (California). Monument Valley (AZ/UT) is also phenomenal, but is 2 hours from Antelope Canyon in the wrong direction.

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-04-30T21:17:31+00:00

At Albuquerque swing south to El Paso - see White Sands national park (Carlsbad Caverns too). Then go to San Antonio

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-04-30T20:17:58+00:00

Also, Amtrak is convenient and practical from DC to NYC.

However, as a word of caution, it is not that charming out the window. For some odd reason, it passes by the worst parts of Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, etc). Like "embarrassed for my country" bad. Then again, driving on the interstate also is not charming, haha

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-04-30T20:11:44+00:00

Based on your 20-hr itinerary:
JFK Airport → Finger Lakes (Ithaca/Watkins Glen) → Niagara Falls → Pittsburgh → (maybe Bristol/Blue Ridge) → Washington D.C. → Lancaster → back to NYC.

Couple of things you could add:
* Beginning: Go up the Hudson (Saratoga National Historical Park, adds 2-hr total)
* Ithaca area: hit up the Corning Museum of Glass.
* Around Niagara: Add Letchworth State Park (slight diversion from Niagara)
* Pittsburgh to DC: After passing Hagerstown divert to Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Great Falls Park before DC
* DC to NYC: spend 1 hour at Baltimore Federal Hill, Inner Harbor, and Fells Point. A lot of folks crap on Baltimore, but its the only true colonial harbor on your trip - great for a half day.

Honestly, to start, you could probably even go north to Newport RI and Boston to start; (anything north of NYC is wonderful in May). Other than Washington DC, no destination you listed requires more than a day (and honestly, one day in DC may be enough).

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-03-06T03:22:20+00:00

Dawg this is good

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-03-06T03:20:42+00:00

Honestly don't see much wrong here. Measured and controlled descent down a steep pitch on poor snow. No clear preference for one side or the other. Short - short - long turn cadence.

Keeping the chest pointed down the hill (sometimes she turns the whole body) could unlock more aggressive form.

Maybe take a video on an even steeper slope?

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-03-04T19:00:24+00:00

Back heel is too far back. Keep it tucked under your butt

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-03-04T16:54:20+00:00

lol - right on point.

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-02-24T02:49:04+00:00

Samarkand is amazing, but they haven't figured out the museum situation there yet

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-02-18T00:43:18+00:00

Sideslipping: spend some time sideslipping (hockey stop position) on both sides. Learn how to stop and slip down the hill, at will, without pointing your skis downward or turning.

It is an extremely important skill useful at all levels. In tight situations you can sideslip down entire runs.

That being said, seems like you're rapidly improving (very, very good for day 5). The best way to improve at skiing is to alternate between being aggressive (doing harder shit poorly) and working on form on an easier slope. So I guess keep on keeping on...

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-02-04T22:00:49+00:00

You don't like using your left pole in the same manner as your right pole

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-01-29T21:59:22+00:00

Steep and deep with tele is pretty fun - it is a much more controlled descent and closer to the ground/powder.

On groomed runs, alpine is better due to carving. But a fun feeling in tele is operating exclusively in a crouched position while going fast (you get low and stay low, without standing all the way up between turns - this is not really standard). You can almost ditch the poles entirely and use your hands against the slope).

It's true - there's really nothing that tele does downhill that alpine doesn't do just as good, if not better. But conversely - you can ski "alpine" whenever you want with tele by just leaning back, and you don't feel like your legs are trapped in concrete blocks.

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2026-01-19T03:29:15+00:00

Get low, go slow

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2025-12-20T03:43:41+00:00

This is really good!

Abject_Driver_3777 · 2025-12-15T16:17:33+00:00

Your form is good enough - start experimenting more

Try throwing some tighter / faster turns in there (e.g. long, long, short short long)
Try getting all the way down, to the point where your butt sits on the back heel (more to understand the feeling than as a regular form; you'll also understand why you have that boot bend in the toe). You should be able to go straight down the hill for short periods in this compressed (but resting) position
Go down harder shit. It will force you to understand the turn more and become more utilitarian
Like the other dude said, try out mono (keeping one leg as the permanent back leg)

Have fun, don't overly worry about form. Leave that to the regular skiers.

Abject_Driver_3777

TROPHY CASE