Our National Parks
Every National Park tells a story, from breathtaking landscapes and ancient forests to historic landmarks that preserve our shared past. Each visit offers a chance to pause and reflect, to feel gratitude for what endures and to witness how nature and history together remind us of the beauty worth protecting.
Recent Posts
Devils Tower – Wyoming
On our family road trip across the northern states, our westernmost destination was Devils Tower. Rising suddenly from the rolling prairie of northeastern Wyoming. The massive stone monolith looked unreal as we approached. This monument stands alone and detached from the surrounding hills. We circled the base watching climbers inch their way up the vertical columns. […]
Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska
Alaska is just a massive state, and it was on our second visit that we set our sights on traveling into Glacier Bay National Park. Stories of John Muir traversing the same area inspired us to want to journey where he also traveled, into the waters and fjords he once explored by canoe. It […]
Dry Tortugas National Park – Florida
What an adventure it was to reach Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. I made this journey with Erin in 2012, as a way to celebrate our birthdays. This was an unforgettable trip to one of the most remote places in the National Park System. Located about 70 miles west of Key West, the Dry Tortugas sit […]
Sitka National Historical Park – Alaska
On our second trip to Alaska, we made the effort to travel to Sitka, and this town did not disappoint. When the ferry glided into this quaint harbor town, it felt as though we had arrived somewhere different from anywhere else in the state. Walking its streets, we paused at shop windows filled with Russian icons and […]
Booker T. Washington’s Home – Hardy, Virginia
During our 1996 family road trip to Atlanta for the Olympic Games, one of the historic sites we stopped along the way was Booker T. Washington National Monument in rural southwestern Virginia. Tucked into the rolling countryside, the site preserves the birthplace and early childhood environment of one of the most influential African American leaders in […]
Scotts Bluff National Monument – Nebraska
Another memorable stop on our 1995 family cross-country road trip was Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska. Coming from the eastern part of the country, we wanted our daughters to see first-hand what life was like for families who traveled west by wagon train. Rising from the plans, Scotts Bluff was one of the […]
Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial – Ohio
As we continued driving west on our family road trip in 1995, we boarded a boat on Lake Erie and crossed the water to the Perry’s Victory and International Peak Memorial. Reaching this site by water made visiting it more intentional and part of the story. Rising from South Bass Island is this 352-foot granite column that […]
Pipestone National Monument – Minnesota
During our 1995 cross-country road trip, our route carried us through a part of Minnesota, where we stopped at one of the most remarkable sites: Pipestone National Monument. Here, the soft red stone, pipestone, has been quarried for centuries by Native people and carved into ceremonial pipes used in prayer and spiritual life. This is […]
Pecos National Historical Park – New Mexico
Set against the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Pecos National Historical Park is a palace where centuries of history unfold quietly across the land. This land was home to the Pecos Pueblo, one of the most influential pueblos in the Southwest. For hundreds of years, Pecos served as a vital crossroads of trade linking […]
Indiana Dunes National Park – Indiana
On our cross-country family road trip in 1995, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The massive sand dunes stretch along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and they are interwoven with wetlands and beaches. The dunes were formed over thousands of years as glaciers retreated in the wind and water shaped the sand into ridges […]
Obed WSR – Tennessee
When I traveled through Tennessee, I found myself moving through the landscape of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Unlike many places we visit and clearly arrive at, this was a landscape you enter without gates or formal entrances. At the Obed WSR there are miles of creeks and rivers. This remarkable river system came […]
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Carved into the granite face of the Black Hills are the towering likenesses of four of our presidential leaders. Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a ceremonial experience. Upon approaching the site, we walked the Avenue of Flags, with flags representing all U.S. states and territories. This walk takes us to the overlook where the […]
