Yet another park that is on the list of the least visited National Parks that shouldn’t be! We definitely lucked out with the weather but no matter what, people are missing out if they don’t visit this place. After we drove up from Big Bend, we stopped into Carlsbad to order some parts for the van. We then got to the Guadalupe Mountains campground and set up shop. It’s only $8 a night to camp here! Despite…
This one….was an adventure. We should have known that something would happen here. We had stopped at a couple Autozones on the way to this park for various things… and where else better for things to go wrong than a remote desert? Anyway, we arrived in the late afternoon to Big Bend National Park in the southwest part of Texas after a super fun drive. This park has five Visitor Centers, but since it’s the slow season for them, only…
Hot Springs National Park is extremely unique. It was the smallest National Park at 5,500 acres, until the St Louis Arch was upgraded to Gateway Arch National Park a couple months ago. These two are pretty similar in their qualities that make them unique from other Parks; small, nestled in the middle of an urban area, and not what comes to mind when you think “National Park.” Normally I love parks for having lots of great hiking and…
Dear Diary, Now that we’ve left Florida, I get so much more outdoor time again! Yippee! We visited Mom’s friend Kitty in Baton Rouge and she has lots of room to play… and little lobsters for me to eat. Then we made it to Arkansas Hot Springs National Park. I was allowed everywhere except in the bathhouses. But who cares about those?! It gets the good smells of mud and dirt off you. Mom was especially in love with the…
I’ve started to see why people visit Florida for spring break, and why snowbirds GTFO of Florida in the summer…. it’s only early May and I don’t know if I’ve ever sweat more. And that’s saying a hell of a lot since I’m a sweat monster. Despite all this, Mike and I continued our journey to south Florida to visit the three national parks in this state. (Spoiler alert – we only made it to this one before I…
What a hidden gem! Congaree National Park in South Carolina was recently established in 2003, but had been protected still as a national monument the past few decades. It is one of the least visited parks in the country with approximately 110,000 visitors a year (Smoky Mountains is most visited with 9 million annual visitors). I read somewhere that this park boasts one of the biggest varieties of mosquitoes and poison ivy! How exciting, right? I don’t know if that’s…
Dear Diary, Anytime I’m stuck in Big Red for too long, I’ll think of these James Taylor lyrics… In my mind, I’m gone to Carolina Can’t you see the sunshine? Can’t you just feel the moonshine? After that horrible Smoky Mountains park, we went to North Carolina to visit Dad’s uncle, Russ. He had a great big home for me to explore… plus two cats to terrorize befriend. Mom and Dad complained because the weather wasn’t great (humans are such…
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited National Park in the country with over 9 million visitors a year. It’s not hard to see why – this vast park has incredible diversity in it’s flora, fauna, weather, and activities to suit all ages, interests, and fitness. And bonus – it’s FREE to get into this park. I think that is actually a mistake on their part, but what do I know. The only negative to this park…
Dear Diary, We are in the “Great” Smoky Mountains. Pssh, someone should change the name to LAME Smoky Mountains. I never get to leave the van! Apppppparently these rangers said I couldn’t play outside or go on the trails because I could make some other animals upset. I get that most animals don’t like me when they first meet me, but they usually warm up to me. I’m so offended. The only good thing is that now I can get…
We arrived to Mammoth Cave after checking out two more wonderful distilleries; Willitt and Makers Mark. Both beautiful and delicious. Shoutout to my friend Clare for the perfect recommendations – woman, you know your bourbon trail. If I had to sum up this park with one word: underrated! I had never really heard much about this park but it is a must see! First, this park is technically free. Anything above ground is open to anyone (including dogs!) and the…