Balabanova All Over
#TakeYourTimeOff
Top Posts
Archives
[Wind Cave National Park / Custer State Park, SD, Jun 18, 2025] Today was the longest day on the trip so far but also my favorite! We started out day in Wind Cave National Park. Our cave tour was at 10:40 a.m., but we entered early so we can squeeze in a hike. We stopped for a pic at the sign and saw a lone pronghorn crossing the field behind us. We… Read More
[TRNP, Jun 16, 2025] We managed to get out the door about an hour earlier than yesterday. However, that hour was eaten up by the fact that we had to drive that long to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. For some strange reason, the North Unit is on Central Time, not Mountain Time. So don’t freak out if your phone says it’s an hour later than it actually is…. Read More
[Last Updated June 25, 2025] Now that I’ve been to 52 of the 63 national parks, I’ve also covered all the different caves you can find! Here’s the run down on the 4 different types of caves you can see in 7 national parks. Be sure to read till the end for 3 bonus cave locations that are not national parks. Karst Caves Karst caves are usually formed through the dissolution of… Read More
[New River Gorge National Park, Apr 13, 2025] Today was the start of a warming trend that would continue into the next few days. It was too bad it was my last full day here! Nevertheless, I donned all the clothes I had plus a scarf I had picked up at Hawk’s Nest State Park the day before. It was going to be cold start (upper 30s/low 40s) for my New River… Read More
[Beckley, WV / New River Gorge National Park / Hawks Nest State Park, Apr 12, 2025] As forecasted, temps dipped into the mid 30s overnight! It was cold! I decided to spend the morning doing indoor touristy things in Beckley while waiting for the temps to rise in the afternoon. My first stop was the Exhibition Coal Mine. The mine opened about 1889 and operated until 1953, when the property sold to… Read More
