Skyline Drive is a 105 mile stretch of two-lane that runs north to south, down the backbone of the very narrow Shenandoah National Park along the ridge line of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
The main feature of this National Park is the drive itself, with the over 500 miles of hiking trails appearing to take a back seat. I think it speaks the obvious about our society that Continue reading
I woke up Friday morning in Ohiopyle State Park to a half an inch of snow on the picnic table. SNOW??? Time to go! Continue reading
I’ve tried for three years to climb Mt. LeConte, “tallest” (not highest) mountain in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, with the tallest “face from base” east of the Mississippi. In this case, it wasn’t just about the journey. My destination was the remote, rustic Mt. LeConte Lodge.
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It’s not all about hiking at Acadia. Even the most avid of hikers needs a break occasionally to shift the nurturing from the soul to that of the soles!
Nice flat ride along Eagle Lake
My favorite way to air out the hiking boots is to rent a bike for the day and ride Acadia’s carriage roads,45 miles of broken-stone roads built between 1913 and 1940 as a gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr. Continue reading
My absolute favorite thing to do in Acadia National Park is hike the over 150 miles of hiking trails. There are so many choices!
Typical intersection of multiple hiking trails
Did you ever give any thought to your “death row meal?” What would you request as your “special meal” on your last day just prior to execution? Continue reading
View from “Great Head” hiking trail
In as much as San Miguel de Allende in Mexico feels like my “home away from home,” it has mostly been a winter destination for me, celebrating Thanksgiving or New Years with family there in years past. But as for a favorite summer destination, Acadia National Park could certainly qualify as “my summer home.” Continue reading
Excited to be on a field trip to Canon del Sumidero!
After having spent several chilly, gray rainy days in succession in San Cristobal, I was overly excited at the promise that a lower altitude destination might hold. Just the prospect of having shorts and sandals on was enough to thrill me like a school kid on a field trip! The trip to Sumidero Canyon National Park delivered all that and MORE! Continue reading
Entrance to Hot Springs National Park
Traveling to Arkansas over the New Year holiday afforded me three milestones – visiting a state I had never been to before, seeing the Clinton Presidential Center, and crossing off another one of our great National Parks! After a couple of days enjoying downtown Little Rock, I made the hour drive toward Hot Springs. Continue reading
My friend Brian recently challenged me to name how many of our 58 national parks I had visited thus far. As we compared our lists, Brian reminded me that one of our nation’s newest parks, Congaree National Park named for the Congaree Indians, was just over the border from me near Columbia, South Carolina. Continue reading