When Lemon begged to go to the Grand Canyon I was apprehensive and more than a little grumpy. It's a beautiful place, but it's kind of the Disneyland of National Parks and I thought that the kids aren't really a good age for hiking. Also I was terrified of Memorial day weekend. We were able … Continue reading Grand Canyon NP
Petrified Forest NP
Sometimes I get a little excited when I look at the map and I think WE ONLY HAVE FOUR HOURS to drive. And then I do things. Things like deciding to schedule two stops in 1 day, which is waaay more ambitious than it sounds. Of course, as adults, a two hour drive with a … Continue reading Petrified Forest NP
Great Smoky Mountains NP Pt. 2
Great Smoky is a stand out park for a few different reasons, one of which is that the money was raised by LOCAL PEOPLE. When the federal government approved the creation of the park they refused to fund it. It was funded with local citizen donations, school children, from all walks of life, collecting nickels … Continue reading Great Smoky Mountains NP Pt. 2
Great Smoky Mountains NP pt 1
When planning our eclipse viewing I tried to keep a couple things front and center in my mind. 1) It could be cloudy and 2) The kids may find this monumentally unimpressive. To mitigate both of these concerns it was really important that the focal point of the trip have something great to visit in … Continue reading Great Smoky Mountains NP pt 1
Cuyahoga NP
The National Park Service commissioned a series of videos in the eighties and I found the Cuyahoga video at our public library. I was so thankful I did because there is so much more to this park that I wouldn't have known about in advance. Firstly there is a scenic railroad that runs the entire … Continue reading Cuyahoga NP
Carlsbad Caverns NP 2016
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is really one of the crown jewels of the National Park system. Even though I have seen it many, many times I never fail to be enthralled. Plus I love the Bat Flight. There are two ways to get inside, one is the Natural Cave entrance, which is a steep but … Continue reading Carlsbad Caverns NP 2016
Free Rangering 