Home Sweet Home at the Spiral Jetty and Great Salt Lake
Over the past fifteen years my dogs and I have crossed the country fourteen times, taken dozens of regional road trips, hiked thousands of miles in all 50 states and lived in ten states on both coasts. I’ve even fled the country a few times and logged some miles on foreign lands. Along the way I’ve written over 500 (!) blog posts and my Archives are getting pretty unruly. If you’re new to the Blonde Coyote or just looking for a great read check out these Greatest Hits!
Back to the Turquoise Trail * Freshly Pressed
Boondocking 101: How to Camp For Free in Beautiful Places
Boondocking Part 2: How To Find A Sweet Free Campsite
Boondocking Part 3: Leave No Trace!
Crossing Paths: Bobcat! * Freshly Pressed
Dead Horses of Dead Horse Point * Freshly Pressed
Desert Treasure: Tres Pietras Cabins
Explosions in the Sky: Pawnee National Grasslands
Grand Canyon: Day 1- Hermit Trail
Grand Canyon: Day 2- Monument Creek to the Colorado River
Grand Canyon: Day 3- The Tonto Bench & the Weight of Water
Grand Canyon: Day 4- Plateau Point
Grand Canyon: Day 5- Bright Angel Snowstorm!
How To Plan A Killer Roadtrip Part 2: $$$
How To Plan A Killer Roadtrip Part 3: Copilots
How To Plan A Killer Roadtrip Part 4: Packing
How To Plan A Killer Roadtrip Part 5: Tips & Tricks
Lessons Learned from a 99 Cent Poncho
May Your Boulders Be Your Blessings
Mount Saint Helens By Moonlight
Oh Canada: Friends in High Places
Playing Nice At (Not So) Delicate Arch
Professional Housesitter, At Your Service
Rodeo Americana * Freshly Pressed
Trespassing in Canyon de Chelley
Urban Petroglyphs & Geologic Unrest
The Weight of Water * Freshly Pressed
Where Warm Waters Halt…On the Trail of Treasure in the Rocky Mountains
Wonderful Life: Hike to the Burgess Shale
Writing on the Wall: San Francisco vs. MOMA
Writing on the Wall: Navajoland
Follow the Blonde Coyote and see more of the world…
Travels with the Blonde Coyote 
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Hey Mary,
I just stumbled into your blog quite by accident. I was looking for information on Bisti, Angel Peak and also Ojito. I love Ojito and have spent many a winter day there… My favorite time to visit. Too damn hot in summer.
I am a traveler too but I am leashed to the corporate world. I do get to see amazing places. I am an adult educator for a software company. I teach my clients how to get the most out of their very expensive purchases. This has led me to work in Moscow, Berlin, London, Paris and Hong Kong in the last 2 years in addition to many locations in the US. All great cities in their own respects.
I live in Albuquerque and have a passion for the landscapes and vast terrain of our state. I love hiking with my little pack, two Labradors, Jakk and Jill. I enjoyed your writing and will spent many hours lost in your words and photos.
Is there a chronological view so I can see your progression?
Mary…why are the pictures in the archives not available anymore? I love looking at your photos!
Yes, I know! It’s very frustrating. Some of the pix in some of my posts were erased by a glitch. I’ve been working on restoring them but it’s very time consuming. Gah technology! I’d so much rather be outside, taking new photos! 😉
I was bouncing around trying to find info on this Forrest fenn charactor and you pop up,and I’m like I know her…and I start remembering a story I read some time ago about lookin for a treasure somewhere, anyhow thought it was pretty neat so thought I’d say hi and you have an amazing job as I’m sure you know….
Super fun blog. Thank you!
I have an idea but I am a single mom in Texas and can’t get to search.
Yes traveling is great. I use to move every 6 months or more. I have traveled to different countries as well. I am an animal rescuer and my 6 year old is wonderful with animals as well. He has school and so that has stopped my traveling
Hi Mary,
I recently read (and really enjoyed) your article about the 10 best national and state parks in NM. You have a great choice in there. I’m a native New Mexican, so I know! I just have one critique, and it is the National Park Service employee in me that couldn’t just let it pass. The words National Park, National Monument, State Park, etc., should always be capitalized. They are part of the proper name of the parks and monuments.
I do really enjoy your blog though and will continue to read it!
Amberleigh
I am so envious of you lol have a great time this summer. I will try to remember your blog Love he teardrop. I am curious, is the interior photo side to side or front to back. Can you set up comfortably inside while working on the computer? Just seemed to me there is more room than I can picture. Thanks and safe happy travels.
Very inspiring travel log. Growing up in NM I have several great memories of camping from Carlsbad to Fenton lake and everywhere in between. We converted from tent to teardrop two years ago and have never looked back. We are busy wearing out Arizona these days. Love your positive attitude.
Hey, blonde coyote!
When are you going to write a book? Love your blog and am eager to hear longer stories.
Working on it! Thanks for the encouragement! 🙂
I also travelled all over the USA/Canada for about 7 years. Sold jewelery and minerals, etc enroute. Loved it and miss it still. Rescued some dogs enroute, then settled down in NM in a place called Bent, NM(by Mescalero/Ruidoso area) for awhile to rescue more animals primarily, (was the reason I stopped the travels full time.) Now in Washington, which I love exploring with my 2 dogs. Really enjoy your blog and pictures, we are kindred spirits. I am also a blonde adventuress! Would be cool if I ever ran into you out exploring, You are a cool brave adventurous lady also, as people have described me too. I used to think there were not many l;adies travelling alone, but discovered there were some here and there that I met. Namaste ,Ambery Wolf
Hi Blonde Coyote,
I saw your amazing pics on Earth.
Great work, well done !! …
“… The Road Runner Cannot Harm The Coyote Except by Going Beep-Beep!!”
ACME Production
Hi BlondeCoyote, can’t wait to read thru your blog and enjoy your pictures. I wanted to ask who built your teardrop trailer, does he still make them? I love the design. Got the name of your blog from tinyhouse email & doityourselfRV sites.
What website do you recommend to follow seismic activity along the western coast of the united states? It’s been eerily quiet on the national site and I’m concerned they are not sharing their data – for whatever reason.
i think i know where to start the quest for forrest fenn’s treasure hunt. I’m trying to solve the other parts of the puzzle but i’m not really aware of the geography of the region. All comments i heard start the quest in the wrong place. My english is not to good to understand the tricky parts of the poem. But i’m working on it! 🙂
Hi Great Adventurers:
Am I crazy to head to Yellowstone this year during the last week in June with my self-contained Roadtrek and not-so-contained 9-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Edie? 100-year celebration may be just lines and crowds. Where would you camp for short day hikes and great off-leash dog-break campsites with clear night skies? I like Old Faithful but hate crowds! Any ideas how to do this…from Alaska and don’t know the surrounding areas.
I agree the T Rex track at Tuba City is out of the time sequence, but it is big. What conclusion did you reach about what it is?
Am really curious,if your trailer builder is in business and how one could contact him…like the look of your teardrop.
I absolutely love to travel. I am taking my son, Ethan on trips as I did at his age so he can appreciate what the world has to offer. The beauty of every place we go….Bryce, Zion, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Black Hills, etc. Next summer we are off to Lassen Volcanic & Redwood National Forest, then up to Crater Lake. I just happen to srumble across the Blonde Coyote while reading an aritcle on my Travel app. This is nice to see someone else whom appreciates traveling, hiking & photography. My camera goes everywhere.
You are my hero, hope to someday do a fraction of what you have done,
Where have you gone blonde coyote?
Hi Luke, Thanks for checking in. I’m currently on Martha’s Vineyard for a few days, spending time with the fam. I’ll be flying back to Montana next week and then driving down to the desert for a few weeks. I’m way overdue for an updated post, I know! But I have a decent excuse for not writing much on this blog in the past year: I’ve been writing a book! I can’t reveal much about it yet but I’m working with a publisher and it’s slated for publication next summer! Stay tuned! 🙂
That’s great news Mary. I check your site from time to time and have wondered myself how things are. This is Lawrence from Colorado. If you ever drive by the shop on your travels to the desert this winter, stop by, we’d love to see you again. Take Care.
Hello Mary, love your lifestyle and story about Fenn’s treasure. !st about me I have only 1 lung-cancer and copd to boot-this caused problems looking for fenn’s treasure-I found the poem 4 months ago then bought the book and did what FF said to do and the 2nd time I read it I found 90% of the clues and was pretty sure of the area as I had worked a wildcat oil well close to it in 1976-so with time running out before the snow I made a dash to the area and was able to drive to within 50 feet of the blaze-what I thought was the blaze was just a dirt road but was really surprised to find a blaze on a tree exactly where he said in his clues in the book.
My problem was I drove from a altitude of 750 feet to 8500 feet and I couldn’t walk 10 feet and couldn’t think right same problem-I didn’t give my self time to get used to the alt.
I did find 2 real old graves within throwing distance of the blaze-over 100 yrs old-the type you would see in western movies with rocks on top of them and 1 old wooden broken cross on 1.
I gave up and returned home and read the book again and found 2 more clues but could not get back up there because of the snow-so have to wait till next May for the next try
I am glad you went out to try! Wait for snow to pass, keep reading and then give it another go. Keep us posted
I enjoyed your peopling of the americas article that inckudes work frim several coastal sites I have worked on. Well done!
I enjoyed your peopling of the americas article that includes work from several coastal sites I have worked on. Well done!
Great article on migration routes. In one photo caption the channel is named Georgia Straight. That’s the name of a local newspaper. The water is Georgia Strait. Sorry to nitpick but it was amusing. Keep up the good work.
You mention lots of beautiful places, but I see no mention of Antelope Canyon in Arizona. While it’s not a National Park (it should be) it is perhaps the most beautiful spot under Earth. Natural sunlight protrudes from above to create mystical images. I have photos to share.
Nice work on the paleomigration article. Look me up on YouTube and say hello if you’re traveling through Moab. 435 260 8496
What a unique and inspirational travel log. Some images are really awe-inspiring. I can imagine long term travel would change you in unexpected ways.
You and the dogs have covered a lot of magnificent ground! Thanks for sharing your wanderings. The West has more spectacular scenery, so that’s a magnet. Considering your degrees in biology and geology, I might suggest you head to the SouthEast and explore some of the enigmatic Carolina Bays.
Good day Ms. Caperton. I came across your twitter account looking about for other Caperton’s out there. I was thrilled to see someone from Montana. My wife and I visited a few years ago and fell in love with the state. I took the liberty to read your blogs and found them fascinating Wanted to say hello.
Regards
Charlie
Mary,
As a fellow geologist also searching for the Fenn treasure I have some comments and suggestions to add. 1) WWWH could refer to streams rather than warm or hot springs, as “warm waters” is an informal term used by hydrologists, 2) If this assumption is true, I have surmised that his clue refers to a drainage divide or high plateau, possibly even the Continental Divide (the plural form of waters in the poem implies multiple drainage sources, not a single source), 3) The clue referring to “take it in the canyon down” is possibly a major canyon in the Rocky Mts. Some hunters have assumed this to be either the Grand Canyon (impossible because it’s in Arizona) or the Rio Grande Gorge near Santa Fe (unlikely and dangerous). However, what about other possibilities such as Gunnison Canyon or Yellowstone Canyon or even dozens of lesser canyons near the Continental Divide ? This just gets you into a general area, not the specific location. Just food for thought.
David
Canada celebrates 150 years since Confederation in 2017. The entrance to all national parks is free. It’s a great reason to go over all your Canadian blog posts and plan a trip.
I discovered something in one of your photos that may help you find what you had once mentioned you’d been looking for. I was looking for the same thing for a while. Once I began researching this area, I came across one of your photos.
Although I have made a trip near this location once before, it was more of an excuse to pic up my dog Ginger, who I had left behind with a friend. Not to mention, I needed to better understand the terrain. However, once I arrived I knew that this secret spot we both had been looking for, was not far from where I stopped. So, I returned home and did more research until I could confirm.
You have a great story and many of them, this one might just top them all if you were to return. You and my daughter are very much alike. I raised her well and in the great outdoors.
I’ve already made the decision that your story will fit much better than mine and I would feel good just reading about it and imagining it were me. After all, I might not have tried so hard to find it had it not been for your photo. Besides, nobody on my end believes me anyway. Just think of it as a gift of appreciation for helping me accomplish something that nobody else has been able too as of yet. So far, I think you are the only one to get this close but hadn’t realize it. Great view of the stars from there too. You have my email.
Just found ur site, very interesting, Love it, how do I subscribe to ur follows, I’m not to tech savvy,
B.C., I came across your blog earlier in the week. Well done n I enjoy seeing our world thru your eyes. I’ve just turned 65, and live in my diy “Towed Hut” as I call it in Las Vegas, NM. I’ve hiked n camped all over the Colorado Plateau. What a treasure it is. Hope we cross trails one day. Take care, JP
Really enjoyed your Arial Geology book. A friend turned me onto it and I have done the same others. Likewise with the Blog. Lots to look at and enjoy. Thanks for alll of that. Np
The things that you do! Incredible! Keep sharing!
Love, Elna
Hi I am a teacher in Newark, New Jersey. I really liked your article for Earth on tectonic plates from May 22, 2017. Is there any way you could send me part 2 about the effect of the plate movement on the atmosphere? From June 2017 or around then? My email is afreund@nps.k12.nj.us. I am looking forward to exporing your site more. You are an incredible lady!
Yes I’ll email it to you! That was one of my favorite features I wrote in 11 years at EARTH. 🙂
I was befriended by the pipe carrier of Wounded Knee. She was reviving the sweat lodge/ sacred space. I use to hitchhike the Rez from Rapid City. Fortunately I was oblivious of the danger and a 6′ 2″ European. I refused to be called a wasitchu- a stealer of the day of the land, the Lakotah name for Europeans. I was there finding myself and name calling and subservience to associative guilt was not helpful.
I actually was looking you up to ask about the Mid Continent Rift. Hoka hey.
I found you online and I love your travels. Are you still traveling in 2021 ?? I am going to start my traveling through out the US in 2023 when I re t ire at 70. I can’t wait to begin, I go to National Parks and see state parks now. Oh how I wish I had discovered camping and exploring when I was younger. I am going to see all I can before I leave this world.
I so wish I had the time and energy to do what you do. I love reading your stories and following you. You inspired me to go tent camping 4 years ago by myself at 64 years old. Loved it and go several times each year and going full time van life in the Spring of 2023 I will be 70 and fully retired. Can’t hardly wait. Thank you for all your Boondocking advice and stories.
I found you…again! I started following you in the 2000s. Each time I got a new “flip phone” I’d need a new email and had to find you. My daughter got me an Android which I again had to get a new email-I never remember my passwords.
I’m 67 now and my phone is my only internet. I remember one of my 1st posts to you was how could a woman alone still be alive the way you live. You gave me a great answer but I live with too much fear. I’m happy to see brave women like you living the dream.
God bless you. I have a lot of blogs to catch up on and see who your furbabies are now.
Joni
Hi Joni, Glad to have you back! Happy reading! Cheers, M
Loved meeting you. Vicariously wanting you know what you’re visiting and learning.
Great meeting you too Jodie! You can follow my travels on Instagram @theblondecoyote.
V cool and more than a little bit inspiring