Utah is known for its magnificent red rocks and is home to the Big 5 National Parks. But… in Southern Utah you will find a small, hidden gem that my kids and I loved. Cedar Breaks National Monument. A. Maz. Ing. Cedar Breaks is an easy 30 miles from the I-15 interstate so you really…
Day 1 Big Trip 15 has begun and we kicked it off with a marathon day… almost 13 hours on the road! (Our daily videos are back… one-two second clips to make a full day’s journey in less than 60 seconds!) Coffee Pot building Built in 1927, the Coffee Pot in Bedford, PA is an…
Death Valley is the hottest place on earth so definitely not where you would expect to see snow but I’ve been there twice in my life and I’ve seen snow both times. What’s the secret? Visit in the winter! Furnace Creek We checked in at the Furnace Creek visitor center (home to the famous…
Another summer, another Big Trip… Here’s a brief rundown of where we went this year and a return of the daily videos. (Don’t worry – each video is less than a minute long!) Day 1 We didn’t even leave the state of Virginia on Day 1. The beauty of a shorter distance to cover in…
Did you know the World’s Largest Slinky used to be displayed in Richmond, Virginia? Alas, it has moved to Pennsylvania. While I was initially quite disappointed to be missing the giant slinky, I ended up discovering something even more amazing on my afternoon tour of Richmond. There are a plethora of interesting outdoor activities and…
What is it about President Abe Lincoln that fascinates so many people? Why are so many locations and events in his life commemorated in historic sites still today? Perhaps it is his rise from poverty in his younger years to a man of such great character who became President. As an Illinois native I have…
The White House is a six-story, 55,000 square foot house located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washinton, DC. The house has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, twenty-eight fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater (officially called the White House Family Theater), a…
They say road trips are good for conversation. You’re in the car for hours, watching the world go by. You have to talk about something with your fellow passengers, right? Today’s post topic came up on my recent road trip from Salt Lake City back to New Mexico. On our way home from dropping Ryan…
This summer saw us hit the road in our trusty minivan (it’s the same one we started with back in 2006!) for Big Trip Lucky 13. Here’s a quick rundown of the points of interest along the way. As I get any corresponding posts written for various locations, a link will be added to this…
Once upon a time, long long ago, I decided that it would be fun for our family to have a travel mascot join our trips. I’m not sure where I got the idea originally but I’m sure I saw it somewhere and thought it was a great idea. I chose Vacation Mouse (more commonly known…
As I was building my National Park System page, I decided to add a picture of my park passport. Once I opened it up and started looking through it again I thought maybe you’d also enjoy a virtual tour of my book. Where it all started… I bought my passport book at Petroglyph National Monument…
We live about 15 miles from Manassas National Battlefield Park and have been there several times over the past 17 years. My most recent visit was in March. I took a few pictures to share with you. (I should mention that Felisa asked me why I was taking so many pictures when I had already…