In 2017, I got bored just hiking with my dog, Sissy . . . so I bought a kayak. Once I learned how to load it on top of my compact car (first with scratching the paint, then without scratching the paint), we began exploring all the nearby lakes and reservoirs. It was a glorious summer of early morning mist, baby eagles poking their heads above the nest, spotted fawns peering through the buck brush, and Canada geese echoing down the canyon walls. We topped off the season with a trip to Palisades Reservoir in Idaho, where we bobbed in the middle of the lake and watched the sun disappear during the solar eclipse.

This year, Sissy and I are ready to explore further afield to southern Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming and maybe Oregon. We'll tell you where we went, how we got there, and what we learned about, well, everything. This is going to be the greatest Summer ever - just as soon as the snow melts!