Rangeley is not allowed on the islands, but if you asked him this was probably his favorite park visit to date. He swam in the Pacific by the visitor center and then again in Santa Barbara. Click the link below to see the pictures and read about the details of our fun day.
Joshua Tree
Rangeley’s Big Adventure – Round 2 is off and running. After lots of planning and a 2 week delay to get our second vaccinations we are off on the road again. We were hesitant at first what we could do with Rangeley since there are lots of dog restrictions. As usual the Park Ranger at the visitor center was super helpful and we had a great day exploring the park.
Click below to read Elizabeth’s narrative and see our many great pictures.
On the Road Again
We are planning to take off to visit the western parks in a few weeks. Elizabeth and I both have had the first COVID vaccine. We qualify for the second shot on April 2, so with any luck on April 3 we will be heading to California. On the map we plan to go clockwise, so Joshua Tree will be our first park and Death Valley our last on this trip. Yes, Rangeley will be joining us once again. He does restrict what we can do in the parks, but he is a great traveler. We do plan to rent a van again as that worked out really well last time.
When we return in mid May I will switch gears and head to Pennsylvania to hike the northern half of the Appalachian Trail. I will start where I left off in 2018. Elizabeth will meet me in Maine and we plan to visit Acadia. On the way home, we hope to go to Northern Minnesota to visit Isle Royale and Voyageurs. That will leave the new park (New River Gorge in West Virginia) and the Grand Canyon in the lower 48. We will then come up with a plan to visit Alaska and the 8 parks up there.
Saguaro
What a wonderful trip. I am sad it is over. Now to plan the next adventure. I have now visited 45 of the 50 states – missing Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Mississippi and Alabama. At some point I should visit them just to say I have been to all 50 states. Anyway, click below to visit our recap of Saguaro. Hopefully we will be adding to this blog soon.
White Sands
Another park that exceeded our expectations. Rangeley was able to go anywhere in the park, which always makes things easier. Click below for the recap.
Carlsbad Caverns
Forth time is a charm. This is the 4th park we have visited with caves, but the first time I was able to go inside. Great Basin in Nevada was closed due to Covid, Wind Cave (SD) was closed because of elevator problems and Mammoth Cave (KY) is where Elizabeth twisted her ankle. The wait was worth it, I thoroughly enjoyed these caves. Click below to read about our most recent adventures.
Guadalupe Mountains
The weather has been outstanding the past few days after about a week of rain. The sky sure is blue in the southwest. Elizabeth is back to needing her chapstick as well with the dry weather. Click the link below to read about our day. Tomorrow I will go explore 750 feet underground in Carlsbad Caverns.
Big Bend
Today was another great day. Not only a beautiful park, but again, many friendly travelers to chat with. Big Bend is a big park. We drove over 300 miles today. That’s a normal travel day for us. We didn’t even go to the east side of the park. Tomorrow we will pass 9,000 miles for this trip. Before we started we thought all the driving would get old fast, but it continues to be no big deal. We still love the adventure of exploring this wonderful country. When you click the link below remember to scroll down to get to what we added today. Thanks for travelling along with us.
Big Bend (travel)
We slowed down a bit today by staying in Fort Stockton an extra day. We took the day to catch up and to plan the remainder of the trip. We tend to make reservations just one step ahead. We now have reservations for the next 4 nights, but are already talking about changing day 4’s plan. We shall see where our journey takes us. Click below to read about our travels to Big Bend. Hopefully tomorrow night we will post our actual visit.
Hot Springs
Another fun park visit. Hot Springs was the first property managed by the National Park Service, therefore the first commemorative quarter in 2010. We have had cold wet weather for a week now, the last 3 parks. Now we head to southwest Texas, should be dryer and warmer. It is sad to think we only have 5 more parks on this trip. Click on the link below to read about our most recent adventures.
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 