On the Road Again
I woke up this morning to this lovely view from our campground at Fort Kearney State Recreation Area in Nebraska. Yes, Ken and I are on the road again! God willing, this will be our second longest trip since we started camping seven years ago!
We are wending our way northwest to Glacier National Park, then on to California to visit a whole bunch of National Parks we’ve never seen before. We’ll be gone for just over five weeks, and we’ll get to see family in California and Kansas along the way. This is roughly our route starting from home in Southeast Missouri:
And these are the National Parks on our list to visit. All but Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Grand Canyon are new to us!
Grand Tetons NP, Wyoming
Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
Glacier NP, Montana
North Cascades NP, Washington
Olympic NP, Washington
Mt. Ranier NP, Washington
Crater Lake NP, California
Redwood NP, California
Laasen Volcanic NP, California
Yosemite NP, California
Sequoia NP/Kings Canyon NP, California
Channel Islands NP, California
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Yesterday we made an unplanned stop at The Archway in Kearney, a wonderful museum of the history of the the people who shaped the Western Frontier and the Platte River Road, which became the Lincoln Highway, and is now Interstate 80. The museum looks like a huge covered bridge spanning all lanes of the Interstate. It was such a worthwhile stop! If you ever see it on your travels, be sure to stop!
Nearly always when we are traveling, it’s a working vacation. While we will definitely be keeping up with work, and I’ll be doing some writing and also research for my next novel, we both tried to clear our calendars off a bit more than usual so this could feel more like a real vacation. And so far it has definitely felt that way. I’ll share more in the weeks to come, and until then, you can follow our adventures on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/raneydaytrippin/
I’d love to hear in the comments about some of the places you’ve stopped that weren’t necessarily on your route, but that turned out to make great memories.
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This sounds like a grand adventure, Deb! Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite are some of my favorites. I grew up in California and was blessed to see these wonders several times. The Arches NP in Utah was a favorite unplanned stop of ours from a family vacation about 15 years ago. So many cool formations and not very many people. My kids loved that you could get out and climb on and around the rocks.
We discovered Arches in Utah the same way. Just came upon it and were amazed! We’ve been back there several times since! We’ve been in Redwood before, but Sequoia and Yosemite will be new for us! We’re excited!
I’ve hiked in Glacier National Park. It’s stunning. (The Canadian side of it is even better.) Enjoy!
Ken went to Glacier with his brother last year but I’ve never seen it and Ken thought it was worth going back to take me. 🙂
Quite a list, my friend! When you’re at Olympic NP, be sure to spend time at Hurricane Ridge. We took out Minnie up there and the views are spectacular. Side Note: if it’s cloudy, stay a while they’ll usually clear. It’s worth the time. Safe travels. 🤗♥️🥳
Thanks for the tip, Janetta! We’ll try to see it!
Sounds like an incredible trip! One July when our peeps were younger, we traveled up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. We’ll always remember the difference in temperature when we reached the observatory. Have fun!
Temperature is one of the things this trip is all about, Robin! We love going north when it’s still hot in Missouri, and South when it’s still cold in Missouri.
Deb, I’m happy to report that you will love all 3 Washington State parks – I’ve seen them all and can testify to the beauty. And you’ll be passing through Spokane so wave to the south – I’m sure I’ll see you! 😉 If you get a chance to stop here we have the gorgeous Riverfront Park, the remade site of the Expo 74. The best view is of the Spokane Falls from the gondola ride. Do I sound like a salesman for my City? You and Ken are going to have a great time on this trip and may even get a taste of Fall color along the way! Enjoy and Godspeed!
Oh, Lynne! Now I’m excited about the Washington parks! (Not that I wasn’t before, but I just didn’t know much about them!) I LOVE gondolas so hopefully, we can add that view to our trip! Thanks so much for all the good info. And yes, you are a GREAT salesman for your state.
Thanks for sharing your pictures and adventures. When we drove across country to visit our daughter in California, we visited Yellowstone, then headed south through Utah. Didn’t get to see Arches, but the topography we traveled was very interesting. Safe travels!
We love Yellowstone and have been there several times. Yosemite will be a new one for us. (I used to always get those two mixed up. 🙂 )
What a LOVELY view! I’m vicariously traveling with you guys and can’t wait to hear about all the adventures! 🤍🤗
I wish a real visit with you was on our route, but I’m happy to have you along vicariously. 🙂
Ooh, you’ll be in our neck of the woods at Mt. Rainier NP! It’s gorgeous! Hope you don’t get snow! Watch out for bears! And have fun!
Thanks, Angie! We haven’t seen much wildlife beyond one moose and 1,367 chipmunks. 😉 But we have bear spray and we’re prepared to use it!