We spent a day at Petrified Forest National Park, enjoying the sunshine and the beauty of the park. While the petrified trees did not show up very well in our photos, we were able to capture the painted deserts.  One of our favorites was and area called Blue Mesa.  Long ago, ancient waterways deposited clay, … More More Awesome Arizona, Starting with Petrified Forest & Saguaro National Parks

Our tour of amazing rock formations and canyons continued in Arizona, where we explored Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Antelope Canyon, and of course Grand Canyon National Park. First up was Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  While smaller and lesser known than the Grand Canyon, this place was absolutely stunning. There are so many overlooks … More Grand Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, & Antelope Canyon

They are called the big five, the mighty five, and the amazing five.  Do an online search of Utah’s national parks, and it is easy to see they are very popular.  We decided to adjust our schedule to see them earlier than originally planned.  Our goal was to check them out before summer break started … More Utah’s National Parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, & Zion.

The Gateway Arch was recently designated as a national park.  Most National Parks are in a natural and recreational setting, not in the middle of a busy city.  This is the only park where we were surrounded by homeless people as soon as we parked our rig.  The arch is an important monument, but we … More Gateway Arch National Park & Route 66

On our way to Mammoth Cave National Park, we had to make a detour and have lunch at the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  At one time, there was a motel there, but that portion of the Saunders court and cafe is just a distant memory.  There is a nice little museum in the restaurant … More Mammoth Cave National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park was next on our list, and we were able to explore Georgia along the way.  A favorite highlight from the journey was the little town Juliette, where we dined on fried green tomatoes at the Whistle stop café, and enjoyed a stroll through town with the mayor, Otis the rooster. … More Great Smoky Mountains National Park

As we made our way to Everglades National Park, in addition to visiting more friends and family, we stayed at many of Florida’s amazing state parks and explored as many springs as we could.  Here are some of our favorite highlights. The parks in Florida have signage that proudly say they are the best in … More Everglades National Park