Two geeks, two cats in an airstream.

Posts for National Parks Category

Boston National Historical Park

Boston. Beantown. City on a Hill. The Athens of America. The Cradle of Liberty. So many nicknames for this one city in the state of…

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Hale Farm & Village

In 1810, Jonathan Hale arrived in Bath Township as the first legal settler on the Western Reserve. Like many settlers, he came to build a…

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

I've always believed that a fun way to learn history is through the experience of riding a train. There’s something antiquated yet charming about riding…

Driving Tour of Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Cuyahoga River burned 13 times since 1868. Before Cuyahoga Valley became a national park, numerous industrial plants occupied the area, and for a hundred…

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Near the junction Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee and within the Appalachian Mountains, lies an area well-traveled by Native Americans centuries before European settlers arrived in…

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Following part of the Lincoln Heritage Trail, we drive two hours to Abraham Lincoln's third home in Indiana. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial marks the…

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

When we're on the road our choice for entertainment isn't music, but history lessons from Audible.com. So when we visit a National Monument or National…

How to Visit Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park offers over 20 Ranger-led tours, most underground and a few above ground. Selecting which tour to go on can be a…

Stories of Mammoth Cave National Park

I must be honest although Mammoth Cave National Park holds the title of longest cave in the world, it is not as dramatic or as…

Easy Hikes of Great Smoky Mountains

During our stay in the Great Smoky Mountains, I had the unfortunate luck of getting sick with some kind of stomach bug. I was down…

Waterfalls of Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains is blessed with two essential ingredients for the creation of waterfalls: abundant rainfall and elevation gradient. An average of 85 inches…

Cades Cove of Great Smoky Mountains

Amid the Appalachian Mountian Chain and Blue Ridge Mountains area, we have decided to visit that famed region of America known as the Great Smoky…

Dry Tortugas National Park

When Juan Ponce de León landed at Dry Tortugas islands in 1513, he and his crew caught hundreds of giant sea turtles, in addition to…

Everglades National Park

If there was a tract of land in desperate need of protection, Everglades National Park is it. In 1947, that's what Congress did; by establishing…

Manatees of Crystal River, Florida

I could not leave Florida without seeing a wild manatee. From early November to late March, the West Indian Manatees gather in numbers when water…

Quiet Side of Acadia National Park

For our next foray into Acadia National Park, we set our sites to the west side of Mount Desert Island. Also appreciated as the Quiet…

Sailing in Biscayne National Park

One early morning in late March of 2017, I urge Hitch to wake up with a nudge, "Get up. It's sailing day!" My excitement feels…

Eastside of Acadia National Park

I once read a quote about Acadia National Park: "You can fish with one hand and sample blueberries from a wind-stunted bush with the other."…

Best Day Hikes of The Needles, Canyonlands National Park

When we last visited Canyonlands National Park some odd years ago, we mainly focused on a section of the park called the “Island in the…

Marsh – Billings – Rockefeller National Historical Park

All our knowledge of Vermont came from fleeting passages in a lengthy lecture series of American History. I think 30 minutes in total was covered…

I Fell Into a Waterfall in the Great Smokies

Sometimes you fall in love with nature, sometimes you just fall in nature, sometimes you do both at once. This story takes place in the…

Juniper Springs in Ocala National Forest

Take a moment and eyeball the cover picture on this article. Juniper Springs is seriously gorgeous. Of all the photographs I've taken so far on…

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Island National Seashore contains a set of barrier islands located both in Mississippi and Florida. The two districts contain a total collection of 12…

Cane River Creole National Historical Park

Cane River Creole National Historical Park was our first foray upon entering Louisiana. Right along Cane River Lake, reside two French Creole cotton plantations both…

Other Islands of Acadia National Park

I well knew Acadia National Park's core resided on Mount Desert Island through several travel articles and nature documentaries. I discovered the Schoodic Penninsula district…

Schoodic Peninsula of Acadia National Park

Before we arrived at Acadia National Park back in the Summer of 2017, I sat at a pretty little cafe just outside of Yarmouth researching…

Statue Of Liberty National Monument

In honor of the Union's defeat of slavery and the Confederate south, France gifted the United States with a colossal neoclassical statue. Her real name…

United States Supreme Court Building

Congress let 146 years pass before providing the US Supreme Court with its own building in 1935. Prior to its current location, the court moved…

Bandelier National Monument

For our first few days in New Mexico, we took a day to visit Bandelier National Monument, an amazing location. This historical site was designated…

Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Over the course of a few days in October, we set out to explore the San Luis Valley, an area of Colorado that also includes…

Great Sand Dunes National Park

After what seemed like a brief visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, we drove south and east, where we spent a little over a week…

6 Tips for Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park

I'm going to be up front about this: Rocky Mountain National Park is very very crowded. Over 4.5 million visitors flock to this incredible land…

Rocky Mountain: Bear Lake Corridor Hike

With only a week to spend in Rocky Mountain National Park, I wanted to get the best bang for my hike. After much planning, I…

Rocky Mountain National Park: Old Fall River Road

When I think of great American Icons, Rocky Mountain ranks pretty high on the list, right up there with Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. I picked…

Badlands National Park Secrets

Back in August, I remember my giddy school-girl excitement in the days leading up to our visit to South Dakota and Badlands National Park. I…

Badlands National Park: Castle & Medicine Root Trails

When we visit a national park I usually plan a few scenic drives and a few hiking trips. For Badlands National Park, I set my…

Badlands National Park Scenic Drive

On an early September morning, I roust my husband by frying bacon and brewing a pot of tea; that usually gets Hitch up from a…

Above Wind Cave National Park

I find it sad that a majority of people who visit Wind Cave miss out on half the park. They come for the caves, which…

Wind Cave National Park

Bison, elk, pronghorn, and prairie dogs frolic among the tall grass and rolling prairie coated hills, meanwhile below and hidden from the sun, a complex…

Black Hills National Forest

In the western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, there stands a forest covering over a 1.2 million acres of hills and mountain lands. Rugged rock…

Jewel Cave National Monument

Nestled within the Black Hills of South Dakota, hides a place of wonders deep within the dark bowels of the earth. Brilliant colored rocks and…

Minuteman Missile National Historic Park

Sometimes while traveling you find the side trips are just as amazing as the destination you had in mind. We decided to visit the Minuteman…

Devils Tower National Monument

Bear Lodge. Bear's Tipi. Tree Rock, Grey Butte. Aloft on a Rock. Bear's House. Bear's Lair. Home of the Bears. Mythic-owl Mountain. Ghost Mountian. Over…

Glacier National Park: Lake McDonald Valley

Many visitors to Glacier National Park use the Lake McDonald Valley as a hub of activity on the west side. Massive glaciers filled the area…

Mount Rushmore

On the whole, Mount Rushmore feels like some mix between a roadside tourist attraction and a national monument. Likely that is because it was first…

Glacier: Logan Pass

The bright afternoon sun shining over a glossy green field dotted with colorful wildflowers. Turning my head upward, I gape at dozens of craggy mountain…

Glacier National Park: Many Glacier

Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, feels like the Swiss alps. Extensive mountains, live glaciers, and crystal lakes provide a striking backdrop to any hike,…

Glacier National Park: Two Medicine

I regret not staying somewhere on the east side of Glacier National Park. Yes, there are a lot more a amenities on the west side,…

Glacier National Park: North Fork

I wanted seclusion. Guides and rangers told me that the uncrowded areas of the North Fork in Glacier National Park would be my best bet.…

Glacier: Going-To-The-Sun Road

Have you ever seen the 1980 film, The Shining? In the opening credits, we see the Torrance family car traveling northward along a lake and…