National Parks
The Beauty of Cades Cove…
OUR LAST DAY AT THE PARK. Today was our last day in Gatlinburg so we had to choose between many places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to visit. We chose Cades Cove, on the advice of several locals whom we met at breakfast the other day. There are so many things to see … Continue reading
The Mountains are Calling…
GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE. You’re going to like it here! This small mountain town is home to less than 4,000 folks but it attracts more than 11 million visitors a year and can grow to a population of 40,000 on any given night. It’s nestled at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited … Continue reading
North America’s Oldest City, Part 2…
PLAN FOR THE DAY. It was bright and beautiful this morning, but there was also a brisk, chilly wind. We decided to visit a national monument in the colonial district and then take a look at Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Park. I was pretty sure that if I could consume a pint of … Continue reading
Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola…
Pensacola, Florida. April 18, 2016 A “MUST SEE” ATTRACTION. If your travels ever take you even close to the Florida panhandle, you simply must find time to visit the Naval Aviation Museum, located on base at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As I’ve told you in the past, lots of museums leave me flat…but not this one! … Continue reading
New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway…
AUGUST 28, 2015 WE’RE NOW IN NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. It’s distinctly different here than in the southern part of the state. It’s cooler. It’s mountainous. Alpine-like. We’re staying in a tiny village called Twin Mountain. It’s surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest. Stunning mountain vistas, vintage trains, majestic waterfalls, trout streams hissing along country roads, … Continue reading
Arriving on Cape Cod…
JULY 1, 2015 CAPE COD CAMPRESORT. Our home right now is Cape Cod Campresort, in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. We’ve been here about five days. The resort’s motto is: There is no place like this place near this place, so this must be “the place.” I hope so, because it’s costing us $100 a … Continue reading
Acadia National Park…
JUNE 11, 2015 A SPECTACULAR DESTINATION. Located on the rock-bound Maine island of Mount Desert lies Acadia National Park, one of the most spectacular destinations in the State of Maine. Visiting it was one of the primary reasons for our visit to Bar Harbor. Soaring granite cliffs butt up against sand and cobblestone beaches. Glacier-carved … Continue reading
LBJ National Historical Park…
JANUARY 16, 2015. LYNDON B. JOHNSON RANCH, TEXAS. It’s bright and sunny this morning at Buckhorn Lake. Recent rain makes the great outdoors look clean and crisp…the lake sparkles as if covered with diamonds. A perfect day to saddle up and take a ride to the LBJ National Historical Park. Located just an hour’s drive … Continue reading
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico…
OCTOBER 15, 2014: “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” CARLSBAD CAVERNS. As we began our final approach to the Texas Hill Country for the winter, we stopped … Continue reading
White Sands: Serene, stark, vast and unique…
OCTOBER 11, 2014. WHITE SANDS, NEW MEXICO. Only one word in the English language describes this place. The word is “unbelievable.” It doesn’t matter how long you stand atop these glistening white hills, staring infinitely beyond the white abyss with the craggy dark mountains in the distance…the only word that describes it is “unbelievable.” Located … Continue reading
Glacier National Park, Montana…
SEPTEMBER 17, 2014. GOING-TO-THE-SUN ROAD. One of the main attractions at Glacier National Park is the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which spans 53 miles across the width of the Park in Montana, going over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, elevation 6,650 feet. It passes through almost every type of terrain in the park, from large glacial lakes … Continue reading
Kalispell, Montana: Gateway to Glacier National Park…
SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 KALISPELL, MONTANA is a quiet town of about 20,000 people, located in the heart of the magnificent Rocky Mountains, poised in the northwest corner of Montana and about an hour south of the Canadian border. As Montana’s seventh largest city and the seat of Flathead County, it’s a progressive, thriving community; the … Continue reading
Glacier National Park, Montana…
SEPTEMBER 13, 2014. LEAVING SANDPOINT. Today we put Sandpoint in our rear-view mirror and drove about 200 miles northeast to Kalispell, a small town just outside the west entrance to Glacier National Park. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Sandpoint and in fact we stayed a full three weeks, rather than the three days we’d … Continue reading
Palouse Scenic Byway and Top Notch Cafe…
JULY 29, 2014. A PATCHWORK OF ROLLING FARMLAND. The drive from Lewiston, Idaho to Newport, Washington via Spokane turned out to be a memorable one. State Route 195. True rural America. It took us almost 100 miles along the Palouse Scenic Byway, which is a spectacular drive through a patchwork quilt of rolling hills, celebrated … Continue reading
Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area…
JULY 15, 2014 WE’RE HEADED TO SOME REMOTE AREAS. Our Great American Adventure is about to get kicked up a notch! Some pretty exciting country lies just ahead. We’re going to stay here in Boise until Friday and then head to Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area in northern Idaho. We’ve talked to some locals and … Continue reading
Mt. Rainier, Washington…
JUNE 1, 2014 Our stay in Washington with John and Jude is about to end. We decided to take a day trip to Mr. Rainier. I’ve been wanting to go there for years. Ever since I took Steph to the University of Puget Sound many years ago for her first year at college and saw … Continue reading
Mt. St. Helens, Washington…
MAY 30, 2014 Today dawned warm and sunny…a perfect day for a trip to Mt. St. Helens to witness the beauty of the snow capped mountain and see the devastation still remaining from the volcanic eruption which occurred there in May of 1980. Mt. St. Helens is an active volcano located in Washington state about … Continue reading
