Our arrival into southeast Utah was greeted by large red rock formations on either side of the road with bright blue skies. The contrast was obvious and was a welcome change from the large prairie lands that we had driven…
Tips for Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park is our nation’s first national park and is popular for good reason. The geothermal features found throughout the park are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. We spent 4 nights at Canyon Campground, sleeping in a tent.…
Happy 100 Year Anniversary NPS!
August 25, 2016 marked the 100 year anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) in the United States. President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the NPS, a new arm of the government established to manage and protect the national…
Typical Tuesday: August 23, 2016
This is a series in which I describe a typical Tuesday during our travels. This will give you an idea of what we do on an average day – sometimes exciting and sometimes mundane. Tuesday, August 23, 2016: Yellowstone National…
Bull Ridin’ and Barrel Racin’
4.2 seconds. 8 seconds. 15.4 seconds. At the rodeo, the clock is king, differentiating between winners and losers. For each event, cowboys and cowgirls are racing either to come in with the lowest time on the clock or to ride…
Deadwood: Bars, Brothels, and Gambling
There are few entire cities that are listed on the list of national historic landmark within the USA. One of these is Deadwood, South Dakota. You may have heard of Deadwood as the place where Wild Bill Hickok was shot…
The Wildlife Loop
It’s 5:30am and our alarm goes off. We pull on some warm clothes, since the temperature has fallen to the low 60’s in the evening. Jon heats up some water for instant coffee, while I get out a couple of…
Fundamental Forefathers
When we were first planning our big trip and had the idea to road trip around the USA for our first leg, we initially thought of driving south and then west – visiting friends and family along the way. We…
Traveling Through Time in Independence
In 97°F heat, we spent a day sightseeing in Independence, Missouri. A small town just a few miles from Kansas City, Independence had no shortage of history and sites to see. We rushed outside in the heat from one to…
Cholera and Dysentery: The Oregon Trail
2,000 miles away lies the promised land: Oregon. But before you can reach Oregon, you must first survive five months of hardship, disease, death, fatigue, and hunger. Those who lived in the 1800’s were no stranger to adversity, but those…