Cabrillo National Monument

West of downtown San Diego, on the tip of a narrow peninsula jutting out into the Pacific, lies another amazing national park that most people have probably never heard of: Cabrillo National Monument. We discovered it as we were looking for a way to spend a day in San Diego, and after visiting the famous zoo we were in search……

Sonoran Desert Adventures: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

If you’ve never heard of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, you’re not alone. We hadn’t either. In fact, we had never even heard of an organ pipe cactus. We were looking for things to do as we crossed through Arizona and there it was on the map. Since we’re huge fans of the National Park Service, we figured that there……

Fossil Studies: Dinosaur National Monument

Not far from Red Fleet State Park, in the northeastern part of Utah referred to as Dinosaurland, is Dinosaur National Monument. This amazing national park was the climax of our fossil studies and a dream come true for our dinosaur loving kids. We parked for three nights at the Outlaw Trail RV Park in Jensen, UT and spent several days……

Fossil Studies: Agate Fossil Beds

Before we left Nebraska, while staying at Scotts Bluff, we took a day trip up to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Parallel to our studies of the Oregon Trail, the kids were also learning about fossils as we anticipated traveling through some of the most fossil-rich areas of the country. Just as the Oregon Trail and the adventures of the……

Along the Oregon Trail: Scotts Bluff, Nebraska

After Chimney Rock, our trusty steed Herb towed our “covered wagon” along the Oregon Trail, west to Scotts Bluff. We pulled in to the Robidoux RV park, run by the city of Gering, Nebraska and located beautifully at the base of the bluff. That first evening, as we watched the sun set behind the beautiful Scotts Bluff National Monument, I……

The Wright Place at the Right Time

If mention of the Wright brothers makes you think of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, you’re not alone. In the excitement about their first successful flight taking place there, I seemed to have missed that the Wrights were actually from Dayton, Ohio. Orville and Wilbur’s bike shop and newspaper offices remain in downtown Dayton, and the National Park Service operates them……

Gettysburg Farm

When you think of a farm, lots of images come to mind… barns and tractors, rows of corn swaying in the breeze, grassy pastures full of animals. You can almost hear the mooing of cows, the bleating of goats or the crow of a rooster. You can almost smell the… well, never mind the smells. It is rare that one……

Mammoth Cave: Caves, Camping, Community

After our misadventures in Tennessee, we were really looking forward to a good week visiting Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. And we got it! The Caves Visiting the caves can only be done as part of a tour. There are a large variety of different tours available, with varying lengths, levels of difficulty and costs. We were lucky enough……

Hot Springs National Park

Our kids have a couple of those laminated map placemats. One is a world map and one is a map of the United States. They fight over who gets to eat with which one (siblings!) and most recently the world map has been the coveted mat. We love them. They inspire spontaneous learning, memories of places we’ve traveled, and imagining……

Exploring the Everglades

  The Everglades region in southern Florida is a place we’ve always wanted to visit. The nature and ecosystem of the southern tip of the Florida peninsula is so unique and important that most of the land area down there is protected by two national parks and a national preserve. We spent four nights in the area and were able……

A Day in DC

Just outside of Washington DC, in Greenbelt, Maryland is a small national park that many people have never heard of. We hadn’t until recently. Greenbelt National Park doesn’t boast thousands of acres, dramatic vistas, or unique natural phenomena like some of the better known parks. This pretty wooded area, just 12 miles from the White House, is little more than……