The Badlands National Park is what I affectionately like to call a “flyover park”. It’s actually one of my favorite Midwestern parks but it gets constantly overlooked due to its location in relation to the more popular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks! While it’s technically possible to do all three of these parks as … More What’s So Bad About Badlands National Park?
Anyone who has been on a roadtrip of the American Midwest has surely seen the billboards advertising free iced water at Wall Drug and after a few dozen signs, one can’t help but wonder- what’s that all about? Originally purchased in 1931, the Wall Drug Store made its claim to fame when the owner’s wife … More What the Heck is Wall Drug?
New Zealand tourism in no small part has been dramatically affected by the hugely popular Lord of the Rings films. Although the films were shot all over the country, one of the most popular sites for Tolkien Tourism remains the still-standing set of Hobbiton. Located in Matamata, New Zealand, the set is situated on the … More Visiting Hobbiton
Jackson Hole is a fairly touristy city, popular mostly for its proximity to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks as well as several ski resorts in the area. I used this city as a launching point for my visit to Grand Teton National Park, but there are plenty of points of interest within the city … More Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Valley of Fire State Park is one of my favorite excursions out of Las Vegas. Just about an hour outside the city strip, Valley of Fire features some incredible red rock formations- and I say this as someone who’s spent a significant amount of time around red rocks! We made a quick cell service-related pit … More Valley of Fire State Park
Boondocking, or dispersed camping, refers to free off-grid camping without any hookups to water or electricity. “Electricity?”, I hear you ask- that’s right, these terms are specific to RVs and vans rather than tents and hammocks. Backpackers, avert your eyes! With the recent COVID surges- and the surges in “Van Life” influencers, boondocking in primitive … More What the heck is Boondocking?
Regular readers of my blog can probably take a guess that I’m not much of a city person. As much as I enjoyed my visit to Savannah, Georgia, I did make sure to take the opportunity to get out of the city to explore the surrounding areas. Skidaway Island State Park is just about a … More Skidaway Island State Park
As it gets colder and colder, more people turn to travel to escape the dark winter nights at home. While some migrate further south to warmer climates, other people have more unique experiences in mind. The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights draw more people North every year. They are typically visible through … More Experiencing the Northern Lights
Smack in between New York and Chicago, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the most bizarrely designed National Parks I’ve ever been to. Perhaps it is because the park was originally a National Recreation area, but the fact that it features natural, man-made, and private attractions is fairly unique to the park. Residential areas … More Cuyahoga Valley- Ohio’s Backyard National Park
While perfectly able to host a multi-day adventure, the Petrified Forest National Park’s relatively small size and prime location smack in the middle between Interstate 40 and Highway 180 in Arizona makes it the perfect drive through park. A straight drive through the park takes about an hour, end to end, but obviously stopping points … More A Shortcut Through Petrified Forest National Park