In Northeast Washington DC, right before the Maryland border, sits a 7.5 acre sanctuary. Lotuses. Lilies. Turtles. Dragonflies. Bees. Life is everywhere. Colors explode across the quiet, wet landscape. Green leaves and lily pads are flanked by yellow, purple, white, and pink flowers. Out here, along the banks of the […]
100
18 posts
My time at Yosemite National Park was a whirlwind. Four days was not enough time to explore the park, but I imagine that a lifetime would not be enough time. Yosemite is probably one of the most talked about and photographed parks in our national park system, but there is […]
Four Mile Trail is a misleading name. It sounds easy. Four miles isn’t that far. In reality, it’s a 4 mile hike each way with 3,200 feet in elevation gain. Four Mile Trail connects the valley floor to Glacier Point. Along the way you get full views of both the […]
I didn’t have too much prior knowledge about Yosemite National Park, but as I was preparing to go a friend said “Be sure to hike the Mist Trail. You’ll be surrounded by rainbows.” I did a little more research and I wasn’t looking forward to the 600+ granite steps that […]
The Cascade Mountain Range is an icon of the Pacific Northwest. Stretching from Canada through Oregon, the Cascades parallel the coast and are responsible for the wet weather this area is known for. The Cascades are also known for creating beautiful vistas of snow capped peaks. While I was familiar […]
As part of the National Park Service Centennial Celebration, the National Mall and Memorial Parks organized a scavenger hunt to lesser visited sites throughout the National Mall area. I love games and parks and learning (#nerd) so I was excited for this. But I was also thinking it was probably […]
Since starting my #100by100 quest over 2 years ago, I often thought about where I would celebrate the Centennial. Yosemite is iconic. Maybe I should hike Half Dome? Most people don’t get out to American Samoa enough. Maybe I should book a flight? If it’s too expensive, how about Hawaii? […]
A Camper Minivan? I was intrigued when I saw it in an email from Groupon. I’d always wanted to go RVing, but didn’t want to drive a big rig around. But I’d driven a minivan before; this I could handle. Ultimately the Groupon deal dates didn’t work for me, but […]
Visiting the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit from the North Unit also involves a bit of time travel. The Units are an hour apart. The North Unit operates on Mountain Time. The South Unit operates on Central Time. I arrived the same time I left. Whoa. Mind blown! Theodore […]
I went hiking in Mount Rainier National Park a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t in a good place. Physically, I was in a good place, a great one even. Mentally and emotionally I was in a dark place. I was dealing with a lot of uncertainties and inner turmoil. To […]
It’s been a year since my National Parks project began. For those of you new to the blog, I’m attempting to see 100 sites managed by the National Park Service before the Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. I devised this challenge when I planned a birthday trip […]
Last Saturday I visited my 67th National Park – Olympic National Park! I wasn’t sure what to expect. Visiting the Olympic peninsula in February could have been a terrible choice. To be on the safe side I rented a four-wheel drive vehicle and was mentally preparing for the worst. I […]