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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
We haven’t been everywhere yet, but it’s on our list! Meanwhile, you can read about the places we have been, what we thought, learned, and did, as well as more practical tips like campground reviews. So please, explore!
US Roadtrip 2012 National Parks Campground Reviews
After walking in pioneer footsteps at the Guernsey wagon ruts, our next stop was in northeast Utah in search of slightly older footsteps. Flaming Gorge We exited the interstate and drove the beautiful Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway (US Highway 191). Sections of this road were steeper than we are accustomed to towing, but it was manageable with smart driving techniques…….
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……
Months before our travels along the Oregon Trail, during our summer visit to Sweden, I was on a walk with the kids and we were talking about the pioneers of the 1840s and 50s. It’s a time in American history that easily captures a child’s imagination and the questions came in rapid-fire fashion. But the height of their excitement came……
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……
After week upon week of flat, open landscapes, its appearance is startling and unmistakable. Chimney Rock rises out of the prairie like the tall spire of a hidden cathedral, a landmark unchanged since the days of the pioneers in covered wagons. Its message to us was the same as to them: the landscape is changing. There are mountains ahead. We’d……
Continuing west after our visit to Omaha, we met up with friends in central Nebraska and spent a couple of days with them there. These are friends that we met through Full-time Families and camped beside in Florida last winter. In the spring, we met up with them to explore Mammoth Cave. This time, our itineraries didn’t sync quite as……
There aren’t too many states left where we can say it’s a new state for all 5 of us. Iowa was one. Nebraska was another. I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about Nebraska before we started planning our fall itinerary. After spending more than two weeks there, we can now say that it is so much more than a “fly-over……
Most people who know us know that Staffan and I met while working at Kirkwood Camp in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. If you haven’t heard it, the story is equal parts funny and sweet – and long, so we’ll save that for another time. The summers we spent at Kirkwood were and are an important part of our……
Homecoming wasn’t really a thing in my high school. I guess we had a thing that we called Homecoming, but it was on Thanksgiving Day and since my family generally traveled for Thanksgiving, I usually missed it. One year, because I was in the marching band, I was there for the football game in the morning but my family was……
After our amazing weekend diving into the world of modern farming, our next stop was to learn more about farming the way it used to be done. Before the climate controlled tractors and combines that harvest 12 rows at a time, like those we experienced in Stratford, people were farming land in central Iowa by much more simple means. A……
Our kids went through a phase – a relatively long phase – during which every time we sat down to eat, they wanted to know where all their food came from. They were not satisfied with “the egg came from a chicken” or “meatballs come from cows” but wanted to know how on earth a macaroni could come from a……
After visiting the Wright brothers’ old stomping grounds in Ohio, we headed for Iowa. Yes, I know there are two states between Ohio and Iowa. Indiana and Illinois both have plenty to offer, but we’re learning that we can’t do everything. At least not all at once. So with a series of long driving days and short stops, we found……
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……
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……
Life’s a beach. While I can’t say I ever really understood this expression, lately it has felt relevant in my life. I’m not sure, though, if the meaning I’m attaching to it is quite what anyone originally intended. Change is a normal part of life for everyone. Some resist it while others crave it. It will surprise no one when……
