On our way up to Isle Royale, the 11th park on our journey, we decided to take a little detour through the state that had been my home for 7 years as I completed both medical school and residency there. Wisconsin is a good state and I feel both at home and comfortable there. We … Continue reading At Home with my Cheeseheads →

We've finally reached my comfort zone of the Midwest. This past week we've visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland and Indiana Dunes National Park (the newest of the national parks established in February of this year) just east of Gary. The lush green trails were highlighted by sparks of colorful wildflowers which were a … Continue reading Summer Blooms in the Valley and Dunes →

I know this is a blog primarily about our national park experiences (let's be real, it's about our dog), but Niagara deserves its own post. I thought we would only spend 1-2 hours here on our way from Fort Ticonderoga to Cuyahoga Valley. Try 8. There are only 2 things in the U.S. that I've … Continue reading “At Last, Fortissimo!” →

There's just something so magical about the Northeast. Even now as we're driving through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont, my husband and I are dreaming of retiring here. The lakes are pristine, the rolling hills calming, and the forests ethereal. This was our second trip to Acadia National … Continue reading Acadia with my Maine Squeeze →

We just had a fantastic time in the Big Apple and Beantown. It's hard to drive up the east coast and not make a stop in these 2 iconic cities. They made for nice breaks in travel on our way to Acadia National Park in Maine. For our visit to New York, we stayed in … Continue reading Little Dog in a Big City →

After a fun whirlwind of a week back in Minnesota visiting relatives and friends, attending 2 weddings, and finding an apartment in Minneapolis to live in, we found ourselves yearning to get back on the road and continue our exploration of America. Rocky did awesome on the flight there and back and the lady sitting … Continue reading Back at it! →

Florida boasts 3 National Parks: Biscayne, Everglades and the Dry Tortugas. Despite the crazy hot weather (we're from Iowa OK?) and the start of hurricane season, we were still able to enjoy a good taste of all of them. We stayed at a Harvest Host location on the way down from South Carolina, our first … Continue reading Fun in the Sunshine State →

"Never heard of it" is the response I'd get when I told people this was my 3rd stop on our journey. Established as a national park in 2003, Congaree is one of the newer parks and is home to some of the highest concentration of trees of record height - there is a loblolly pine … Continue reading Calming Congaree →

Today marks one week of the RV life! I'm loving it so far! The flexibility and the convenience of having your own place wherever you go is awesome. I'm vacationing yet I don't feel like I'm living out of a suitcase. We spent 4 nights in Pigeon Forge near the most visited national park in … Continue reading The Okie Dokie Smokies →

1 down. 48 to go! We made it down to Cave City, KY from Dubuque, IA......14 hrs later. Our super long day started at 4 am when our carbon monoxide detector started chirping. I was sleeping above the cab and my husband on the converted table bed. Our battery died so we didn't operate the … Continue reading Cave Crickets and Mammoth Memories →