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[Mesa Verde National Park, Sep 5, 2023] People love to hate Gateway Arch National Park because it’s a man-made structure. But they forget several other parks preserve man-made structures, such as Dry Tortugas and Mesa Verde. For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. The park protects what they built, including several spectacular cliff dwellings that are open to… Read More
While most people associate Oahu with beaches, hikes and Pearl Harbor, there are other spots you should not miss while on the island. These two attractions will provide equal parts culture and history with a little bit of architecture thrown in. Iolani Palace King Kalakaua built Iolani Palace in 1882. It served as home to Hawai’i’s last reigning monarchs. It is a National Historic Landmark and the only royal residence in the… Read More
[Rocky Mountain National Park, Jul 29, 2022] The crappy weather the day before turned our hiking plans around quite a bit. We did not intend to hike a strenuous 10.5-mile hike the day before our half marathon, but we didn’t have much of a choice. The hike to Sky Pond is one of the most popular ones in the park. Sky Pond is the ultimate destination but there are three more lakes… Read More
Big Bend National Park is in southwest Texas and includes the entire Chisos mountain range and a large swath of the Chihuahuan Desert. Due to the remote nature of Big Bend, two of the days are travel days and two of the days are fully spent in the park. Fear not, the two travel days allow you to explore plenty of things along the way! Should you have more time, consider adding… Read More
[Boise, ID, Sep 3, 2021] Despite Boise’s small size, there is plenty to do to fill a full day. Breakfast at Bacon We started our day with breakfast at Bacon (they’re only open for breakfast and lunch). As you’d expect, bacon features heavily on the menu. We couldn’t resist the bacon tasting, which came in these five tall shot glasses! I opted for the shrimp and grits, with a side of bacon…. Read More