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3 Embarrassing Travel Stories with a Point

Our Story 10 Mins Read
Silly Hot Springs National Park

While I’ve never been a prankster, I can appreciate a good joke and take the humor in stride.  That is why I am ok with sharing 3 embarrassing travel stories with you, and the lessons that go along with them. I definitely can laugh at myself… and by hitting “publish” on this post, perhaps share a couple of laughs and pass on a tip or two that will save you a few moments of embarrassment 😊.  Note: If you make a purchase through links in this post, I may get a commission – thanks for your help! Embarrassing Travel Story #1: Congaree National Park and the Bad Day for Photos Conagree National Park is Lovely! We loved our visit to Congaree National Park in Hopkins, South Carolina.  This park is one of the less well-known National Parks and is one of the smaller of the National Parks featuring old growth…

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Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park: How We Are Planning To Visit

Planning 7 Mins Read
Cedar Breaks and Bryce Canyon Road Trip Plan

We recently shared that we will be flying into Las Vegas to enjoy 11 days of adventure.  The second day of our journey will take us to Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park. This is the second post in a series that we are writing about what we plan to do during our Las Vegas road trip. We invite you to follow along on our journey!   Marching Downward in Elevation We recently shared our travel plans with Jason’s step-mother who worked out west for a number of years as a geologist.  She is a wealth of knowledge about the rocks and formations that we will see on our trip.  One visual that she gave us that I thought that I’d share for a little context for the Parks that we are going to visit is as follows: in Bryce Canyon, you will be in the rocks at…

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Great Basin National Park: How We Are Planning To Visit

Planning 7 Mins Read
Vegas Road Trip Planning: Part 1: Great Basin National Park

Want to see what we plan to do at Great Basin National Park?  This is the first post in a series that we are writing on what we plan to do during our Las Vegas road trip.  We invite you to follow along on our journey!  We recently shared that we will be flying into Las Vegas in the near future to enjoy 11 days of adventure.  Our trip is going to involve short visits to a number of parks and other places of interest.  The first of these visits will be to Great Basin National Park where we will visit via the town of Baker, Nevada. Getting to Great Basin National Park As the first stop on our fast-travel road trip, our time at Great Basin National Park will be somewhat limited.  The park is approximately a 4.5-hour drive from Las Vegas.  Because of this, we plan to hit…

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Explorer Edition Passports: A National Park Sub-Culture?

National Park Interest 5 Mins Read
Explorer Edition Passport

On more than one occasion, my National Park Passport Explorer Edition has opened up lines of communication with other park visitors. It is almost as if the act of possessing one of these over-sized binders gives you access to the back stage of the park goers attitude towards the passport program. Often friendly but always unsolicited opinions, questions and glances roll in. Before I get into the meeting with a stranger on public lands (this week’s #NatureWritingChallenge topic), I want to provide a little bit of background for those that might be unfamiliar with the Passport Program. National Park Passport Explorer Edition – A Little Background My husband, Jason, and I started our love of the passport program with basic passports celebrating the 25th anniversary of the passport program. This was in 2011. Even though the program was 25 years old at the time, it was new to us. Like…

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Driving the Skyline Drive at Shenandoah National Park

Travel Guide 5 Mins Read
views from the Skyline Drive at Shenandoah

#NatureWritingChallenge Topic: An underrated experience at a National Park, refuge or National Forest.  Check out the challenge here. (Note: Rules for this challenge include writing, unfiltered, on the topic for no more than one hour.  Please forgive typos and incomplete thoughts) After spending a couple of days in Charlottesville, VA (awesome!), we took a day to meander to visit my mom at her D.C. home.  We drew our route so that we could drive through Shenandoah National Park’s beautiful Skyline Drive.  To date, this has been one of the most underrated experiences in the parks that I have had. We drove the Skyline Drive as part of a week-long trip where Jason and I planned a route that took us through numerous National Park Units through the Virginias, D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania.  My mom had recently started working for the federal government after returning from a couple of years of service…

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Love Leaf Peeping? Check Out Fall Colors in Ohio!

Around Ohio 7 Mins Read
Enjoy leaf peeping? These great places to experience the fall colors in Ohio will make you fall in love with autumn! #LeafPeeping #ParkTripsAndMore #Autumn #Ohio

Autumn is officially here!  That means football, cooler weather, holidays, and… leaf peeping?!?  Yes. Leaf peeping! …and the fall colors in Ohio are top notch! What is leaf peeping? Leaf peeping is when you travel for the purpose of taking in the beautiful fall colors!  The oranges, yellows, and deep reds create a mosaic of wonder when you look across the beautiful landscapes!  Taking time to go on a scenic hike or drive enables you to enjoy the wonder of the natural cycle that nature undergoes as the days grow shorter, and the temperatures cool. Where can I see fall colors in Ohio? Ohio has a variety of places to fully enjoy the beauty of autumn.  Below, we outline 6 of our favorite spots along with some of our recommendations for what to do when you visit. 1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park There are several places to welcome fall…

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What is “Stamp Cramp”…? (Our National Park Passport Story)

NPS Site 6 Mins Read
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cancellation Stamps

As we start our journey with Park Trips and More, we thought that we would let you know right away what “Stamp Cramp” is, and why Jason and I have made it a part of the site. It all started with our very first National Park trip (yes, every great National Park addict story seems to begin this way)… Our first National Park trip together was to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2011. This park is consistently one of the most visited parks in the National Park Service (NPS) system. It is huge, spanning the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, and there is a ton to do there from hiking and fishing to scenic drives and historical tours. We stayed in Gatlinburg, TN, and enjoyed the charm of the town against the backdrop of unimaginable beauty! We were so excited to enter the park, but hardly knew anything…

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