We have traveled so much during this past few years we have “lost track” of where we visited. We thought we would collect posts based on a common their common themes.
- Badlands National Park
Located in southwest South Dakota, the Badlands National Park is comprised of 379 square miles of stunningly beautiful rock formations and protected grasslands. The area was first designated as a National Monument in 1939 and re-designated as a National Park in 1978. To learn the difference between a Park and Monument read this. The Park is co-managed… Read more: Badlands National Park - Redwoods: The World’s Tallest Living Trees
Our trip to the Pacific Coast included a visit to the Redwood forests of Northern California where we camped amongst these stately, towering giants. Our souls were never more at peace than in the dark and stillness of the California Redwood forest. Redwood National Park was established in 1968 and is designated a World Heritage Site, reflecting… Read more: Redwoods: The World’s Tallest Living Trees - Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake was formed in the Caldera of a volcano that erupted on Mount Mazama more than 7,000 years ago. The lake is a breath-taking sight with the water a deep blue. The color in our photographs is not enhanced except for the use of a circular-polarizing filter to eliminate glare. It was early July when we… Read more: Crater Lake National Park - Back in the Badlands – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP), located in western North Dakota, was the 40th location in the United States to receive designation as a National Park. Park status was first proposed in 1919 and Jimmy Carter finally designated TR as a National Park along with the Badlands in 1978. If you are interested in why it took so… Read more: Back in the Badlands – Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Deep Under the Chihuahuan Desert
The Carlsbad Caverns is located 754 feet below the surface of the desert. Discovered by Jim White in 1882, the limestone cave was formed not by water erosion but by sulfuric acid corrosion. Deep below the limestone cavern are petroleum reserves. As hydrogen sulfide seeped up through the earth it reacted with dissolved oxygen in the ground… Read more: Deep Under the Chihuahuan Desert - Great Views, Sand and Pistachios
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park is a New Mexico state park located at the foot of the Sacramento Mountains. The park is 4,400 feet above sea level. The Sacramento Mountains, which border the park and show in the background of the photo below, reach an elevation of 6,700 feet. This shot was taken from the park campground.… Read more: Great Views, Sand and Pistachios - Mesa Verde National Park
Established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Mesa Verde National Park encompasses over 52,000 acres near the Four Corners region. Designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, it preserves more than 600 cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people. The first people settled in Mesa Verde in AD 550. Their homes were “pit houses“, sunken rooms with pole walls… Read more: Mesa Verde National Park - Arches and Canyons
We arrived in Utah on the thirty-second day of our travels; a first visit to the state for us both. We had a five-night stay planned in Moab, because we wanted to visit both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. A visit to Arches requires some advanced planning as from April 1 to October 31, the park is… Read more: Arches and Canyons - Zion Canyon
First established in 1909 as Mukuntuweap National Monument, the Monument was renamed Zion in 1909 by the Acting Director of the newly established National Park Service due to concerns that the original Native American name would deter visitors who might have difficulty pronouncing its name. Zion National Monument became a National Park on November 19, 1919. Mukuntuweap,… Read more: Zion Canyon - The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert
We visited the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert almost four weeks ago. At the time of this posting we are heading east and visiting friends and family as we continue toward home. Hope the smoke from the fire in Canada was not as bad as the news makes it appear. This was our second… Read more: The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert - Gateway Arch National Park
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was established by executive order in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. An architectural competition was held in 1945 to choose the design of the memorial which would celebrate the westward expansion of the United States championed by President Thomas Jefferson. Eero Saarinen’s design for the memorial was selected in 1947. The… Read more: Gateway Arch National Park - Grand Teton National Park
With 46.7% of Wyoming falling under federal management (Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service), there are two remarkable national parks in northwest Wyoming worth visiting: The Grand Teton National Park with 300,000 acres, and Yellowstone National Park, with 2.2 million acres spanning three states (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho).… Read more: Grand Teton National Park - Bryce Canyon National Park
Last year, we visited Zion and Canyonlands but skipped Bryce Canyon due to anticipated crowds, so we made a point to visit this summer. This beautiful and special place is sure to mesmerize and inspire even the most hardened of souls. Bryce Canyon National Park lies on the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in south central… Read more: Bryce Canyon National Park - Acadia: “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic”
Acadia National Park was established in 1916 with land donated by local citizens who valued and wanted to preserve the mountains, woodlands and ocean shoreline in perpetuity. Their dedication and foresight continue to inspire and benefit all Americans to this day. We enjoyed our hikes through the forest, and stunning views along the coastline. This National Park… Read more: Acadia: “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic”