On the return leg of the Monkey's 1995 cross-country trip he stopped for a photo at the peak point of Colorado's Loveland Pass through the Rocky Mountains. The mountain scenery was beautiful (see the Monkey's botched panoramic shot in the Worst Monkey Pictures section). Here, the Monkey perches on a sign marking the Continental Divide, which runs along the spine of the U.S. and Canadian Rockies and south into the Mexican Sierra Madre range. At 3,654 meters in altitude, the Monkey got to play in summer snow. And being on the Continental Divide, he was able to determine whether the snow he played with would melt and end up in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

Where's the wide angle lens when you need it? In 1995, the Monkey visited Arizona's Grand Canyon, aptly named considering it is the world's largest canyon. It truly is immense—over 1,500 meters deep, between 6 and 29 kilometers wide at the rims, and 350 kilometers long. The waters of the Colorado River churn through the base of the canyon, and remnants of indigenous civilizations are scattered throughout the area. Part of the canyon is still home to the Havasupai indigenous people.

The Grand Canyon became a U.S. National Park in 1919 and is one of the most popular natural attractions in the United States, if not the world. The day the Monkey dropped by he saw a heavy, fast-moving thunderstorm completely alter the hues and patterns of the multicolored walls of the canyon. It was a wondrous experience. You can see the storm approaching in his photo.

The Monkey frolics in the winter wonderland of Colorado's Rockies during his 2000 visit to the state. Nearby, world-class ski resorts like Vail, Aspen, Telluride, and Beaver Creek thrill visitors able to afford the $70+-per-day lift tickets with seemingly endless runs down the highest peaks in the contiguous states.

Much of the Southwest was part of Mexico until the 1846-1848 U.S.-Mexican War. With U.S. conquests of Mexican lands, a number of Mexican cultural traditions entered the U.S. vernacular. Not least of these were Mexican cuisine and adobe architecture, two things on display in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here, the Monkey savors the smack of jalapeño peppers on his lips after dining at Albuquerque's Fajita Factory, one of the yummiest restaurants you're ever likely to encounter. A fajita is prepared by taking a flattened flour or corn disc called a tortilla, then filling it with sautéed vegetables and (optionally) meats.

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