Celebrating National Park Week 2018 ~ April 21st - April 29th!

The National Park Service (NPS) is celebrating National Park Week from April 21st through April 29th with FREE entrance to our National Parks on Saturday, April 21st.  If you miss your opportunity on April 21st, the NPS is offering two more fee-free days in 2018 – September 22nd (National Public Lands Day) and November 11th (Veterans Day).  Saturday, April 21st is National Junior Ranger Day and Volunteer Day, as well.

Our National Parks offer incredible scenery, attractions and opportunities related to education and outdoor recreation.  For more information about National Park Week, including a listing of events at all participating Parks, visit the NPS web site (link HERE).

This land IS your land, folks, so why not get out there and enjoy it?!  Explore amazing new places, go walk a trail, bike a scenic road or kayak on a pristine lake with your family and make some extraordinary memories that will remain in your hearts forever.  Find YOUR Park!

A Scavenger Hunt of the Most Unique Kind - West Yellowstone, Montana (National Parks Trip #1)

This post represents another installment in the series detailing the first of our three cross country National Parks camping trips with travel trailer in tow.

Alan and I had talked for years about re-creating our honeymoon trip during which we tent-camped our way across the country to visit a number of grand and glorious National Parks and Monuments in the west.  We wanted to share that same adventure with the kids and, in the summer of 2007, we did just that.  Instead of a two man mountain tent, we slept in our travel trailer, but aside from that concession to our formerly youthful bodies, the adventure was much the same.  We hit all the same National Parks – Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain - picnicked at mountain lakes, hiked some of the same trails we had taken 28 years ago and saw the awe on the faces of our children as we introduced them to America.

In my previous post in this series, I had mentioned a scavenger hunt on which we had dragged the kids along.  I wouldn’t be able to share this story with you if I didn’t take you back in time to a cold September night in West Yellowstone 28 years prior to this trip . . .

Today is Our 1st Anniversary! Here's the Story to Go Along With It!

Those of you who are astute and regular readers are remembering that Alan and I have two children who are young adults now and you’re probably figuring that, while there is a chance we were married just a year ago, it’s not likely.  Right you are!  Our first wedding anniversary was a moment in the rearview mirror of time many years ago and we’re currently working toward #39.  (Would you believe me if I told you I got married when I was 5 years old?  No?  I didn’t think so, but it was worth a shot.)  Today, though, we really are celebrating a 1^st anniversary.  The story’s a long one, so you might want to grab a fresh cup of coffee before you continue reading.

Registration Opens for New York's "I Love My Park Day!"

New York’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has announced that registration is open for anyone wishing to participate in this year’s I Love My Park Day which is scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2018.

I'll Bet You Never Took a Shower at a Flying J!

Please note that this post depicts our family’s experience with Flying J and Pilot travel plazas.  We like them and make a conscious effort to do business with them, but I am not affiliated with them in any way and I am not earning any type of compensation from this post. 

Last year, Alan and I, along with our 18 year old daughter, traveled cross country for nearly six weeks on our family’s third cross country National Parks camping trip.  Our son, who is now 23, “aged out” several years ago due to full time employment.  (Yes, this makes me very sad.)  This trip was, most likely, the last time our daughter would be able to road trip with us (and yes, this makes me very sad, too).  We packed up shortly after her high school graduation and hit the road.

The Mystical, Magical Landscape of Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (National Parks Trip #1)

This post represents another installment in the series detailing the first of our three cross country National Parks camping trips with travel trailer in tow.

More than 35 years ago, as young adults, Alan and I had honeymooned by tent camping across the United States visiting seven of the grand and glorious National Parks and Monuments in the west.  In 2007, we re-created that very same trip with our kids who were ages 13 and 8 at the time.  It would prove to be the first of three National Parks camping trips (so far!) we would take following the purchase of our first travel trailer in 2006.

 

One of Yellowstone National Park's many scenic rivers

While I do love ALL of our National Parks, the visit to Yellowstone proved to be the highlight of that first cross country trip.  Why?  The most obvious answer is because of the geothermal activity in the Park courtesy of the numerous geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles.

I Learned a New Word - "Anthropomorphic!"

Way back in my primary and secondary school years and on into college, the required list of compositions and term papers seemed downright endless.  I recall having a large, hardcover dictionary at home during the early grades which was followed by a smaller paperback edition when I was in high school.  It seems like there has always been a dictionary in our family bookcase and that’s still true today.  But now I find it much quicker and more convenient to access the Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus online (link HERE) and I often make use of the audio option when confronted with a word I’ve never heard pronounced.  (Just wait.  I really will tie this in to RV travel.)

New York State Parks Empire Pass - Act Quickly to Save $$$!

The Empire Pass, issued annually by the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, provides unlimited day use entry to 128 State Parks all across New York and 52 Parks operated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in the Adirondacks and the Catskills.   (Be aware that the Pass does not provide a discount on camping fees.)  A complete list of the State Parks that accept the Empire Pass can be found (HERE).  The DEC facilities that accept the Empire Pass include forest preserve areas, boat launch sites, arboretums and park preserves and a complete list can be found (HERE).  But wait!  There’s more!

A Camping Epiphany in Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (National Parks Trip #1)

This post represents another installment in the series detailing the first of our three cross country National Parks camping trips with our travel trailer in tow.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary uses the following phrases (among others) to define the word “epiphany”:  (1) a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something; (2) an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking; and (3) an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure; a revealing scene or moment.  Well, let me tell you, people, I had a camping epiphany in Yellowstone National Park and it happened in the Madison Campground.