Category: State & National Parks
De Soto National Memorial, Florida…
February 13, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
Just yesterday, the kids and I took a little drive and spent the day at a wonderful National Park! Located just south of Tampa, FL, the De Soto National Memorial is a beautiful location to spend an afternoon! While the park does not cover a large acreage, the grounds are beautiful, and offer a lovely walking path (which is wheel-chair and stroller friendly). De Soto National Memorial is a park dedicated to educating the public about, and preserving the details of, Hernado De Soto’s 4 year, 4 thousand mile trek on a quest for fame and fortune. Because De Soto NM’s peak tourist time is snowbird season, right now is the perfect time to visit! The park offers 10 different ranger-led talks, featuring a different topic each hour, on the hour. While we were at the park for 5 hours, we were only able to attend 2 talks, and wish that we would have had time to listen to more! The first ranger program that we attended was on diseases, and why the Indians were decimated by European... [Read more...]
Moundville Archaeological Park, near Tuscaloosa, AL…
January 31, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
We recently spent 2 weeks near Tuscaloosa, AL, volunteering with a Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief build. While we were there, we stayed at the Moundville Archaeological Park, in Moundville, AR; about 20 minutes south of Tuscaloosa. The MAP is a small park, about 26 acres, that consists of a museum, ancient Indian mounds, replica Indian huts, beautiful walking paths, and a small campground. At the entrance to the park is a Orientation building, where you can speak with a park ranger, find park information, and watch a well-done, informative film on the park and surrounding area’s history. We really appreciated the film as we knew nothing about the area before we watched it. We found the staff here to be very informative and education oriented - when they found out that we homeschool, they gave us some information on the park, including some activity sheets for the kids, that made our stay much more interesting! The grounds contain over a dozen Indian mounds, built around... [Read more...]
Vicksburg National Military Park, MS…
January 29, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · 1 Comment
We recently had the opportunity to visit Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and while the cold, wet weather did dampen our visit a bit, we still thought the park was intriguing and beautiful. Vicksburg was an important location in the Civil War; the army that controlled Vicksburg pretty much controlled the Mississippi River and it’s important role as a vital supply route for the Confederacy. Located high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, Vicksburg had a commanding control over the ships passing beneath, all in gun range from the bluffs. Both the North and the South desperately wanted/needed to control Vicksburg, and the result was one of the bloodiest campaigns, and one of the most decisive turning points in the Civil War. Vicksburg was not an easy quest – it took her being under attack and then seige, from April of 1862 to July 4th, of 1863, before the Union could claim her as under Union control. While we were at VNMP, we chose... [Read more...]
Arkansas Post National Monument, AR…
January 16, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
This year, in our annual winter trek across the southern states, we decided to take a new route between Texas and Florida. For this stretch, we usually take I-10 along the Gulf, but we decided that this year we needed some new stops – to see a few new destinations that we had not had a chance to visit before. So, we ventured a bit more north, into Arkansas, and stopped at a few fun, new-to-us places! One of the stops we did in Arkansas, was to visit the Arkansas Post National Monument. This park has some serious history going on! It played a key role in the exploration and settlement of the surrounding area, has been a military and fur trading fort, saw Civil War combat, and is the location of the remains of a 19th century town. The site is currently preserved as a National Park, and is a beautiful one at that! We arrived around lunch time last Friday, and after grabbing some lunch in the parking lot (I LOVE traveling with my home!), we toured the visitor’s center where the... [Read more...]
Camping Goals for 2013!
December 30, 2012 by Diane Berry · 4 Comments
It’s that time of year again; time to lay out our goals for the New Year. As many of you know, every year my family and I look back at our accomplishments of the year past, then focus forward and set some goals for the New Year. As I sit here at my computer, I am looking out and watching the snow fall, covering the ground with its glistening white magic. Even our little camper is covered, which brings me to some of the goals we have not met for the year. As I do every year, in this post, I would like to set some camping and RVing goals for the new year to give use something to “shoot for”, as it were. Our “Big Move” Last year, as some of you may know, our goals included selling our home in Wisconsin, closing the mental health clinic we have run for more than ten years and moving ourselves and all of our worldly good to the home we purchased in New Mexico. Another goal was to continue teaching college classes online at Kaplan University. I am happy to say, we accomplished... [Read more...]
Devil’s Tower National Monument, Wyoming…
December 27, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 4 Comments
We are so incredibly blessed to be able to travel with our family during the winter. This fall, after leaving our home state of Montana, we took our time getting down to Texas, where we spent much of December. On our way south, we stopped at a few National Parks; NPs are kind of our ‘thing’. We are trying to stop at as many National Parks as we can; at each park the kids complete the educational Jr. Ranger program, and collect the badges they earn as we go (they are small and don’t weigh much at all!). So far, we have been to over 6 dozen of our NPs! This past fall, we came south out of Billings via I-90, and spent the night in Gillette, WY (we like short driving days!). We decided that we couldn’t be so close to Devil’s Tower, located in the upmost NE corner of WY, and not take the opportunity to check it off our long list of parks still to visit! It was about an hour drive (each way) from Gillette. On the way out there, one of the littles asked what it was;... [Read more...]
Start the New Year Off on the Right Foot with a First Day Hike
December 27, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
With New Year’s Day just around the corner, people everywhere are zeroing in on their new year’s resolutions for 2013. Some will vow to add more exercise into their routines, and others will promise not to stay indoors as much. You can start the New Year off on the right foot, the left foot, or any foot by tackling both those resolutions at once and at the same time create a new family tradition by participating in a “First Day Hike” at a park near you, and together start off your year in a new direction. America’s State Parks announces that all 50 state park systems will sponsor guided First Day Hike Programs on New Year’s Day 2013. First Day Hikes originated over 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Massachusetts. The program was launched to promote both healthy lifestyles throughout the year and year round recreation at state parks. State involvement has grown to the point where, for the first time in 2012, all 50 state park systems joined... [Read more...]
Some Days Are Diamond: Florida Man Finds 1.95 ct. Brown Diamond
December 9, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The second-largest diamond found so far this year at Crater of Diamonds State Park was certified on the afternoon of November 28. Doug Lay holds his newly found 1.95-carat dark brown diamond. (Credit: Crater of Diamonds State Park) The 1.95-carat dark brown gem is about the size of an English pea, with a round shape and a pitted surface. 40-year-old Doug Lay, a certified nursing assistant from Hernando, Florida, discovered the coffee-colored gem around 1:00 p.m. while wet sifting in the East Drain, a trench along the east side of the park’s 37 ½-acre diamond search area. Lay is no stranger to diamond finds; he has found more than 30 over the past four years, but this is his largest find yet! Lay first learned about Crater of Diamonds State Park from his father, one of the park’s longtime diamond miners. “Dad’s been coming to the Crater of Diamonds off and on for about 17 years. Whenever I’m on vacation, I like coming to Arkansas to spend time with him, and we enjoy searching... [Read more...]
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks
December 7, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks By Erin McHugh Published at Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers About the book “During National Parks Week, we reaffirm our need to maintain connections to the natural world.” —President Barack Obama President Obama has shared his views that it’s important for all of our country’s citizens to acknowledge the value of the natural world around us. National Parks helps families explore that world—the diversity, beauty, and history found in our national park system. Arranged alphabetically by state, this fun-filled book tours more than 75 U.S. parks, monuments, and landmarks, from the rocky shores of Maine’s Acadia National Park to the ancient redwood groves of Northern California. Also included is a removable, fold-out collector map to house the 56 America the Beautiful commemorative quarters! Through fascinating text and hundreds of vintage-style illustrations and photographs, ranging from digitally... [Read more...]
Henry Horton S.P., Tennessee
November 30, 2012 by Traveler8343 · 2 Comments
As winter approached and sub-freezing temperatures were just around the corner, I still had some winterizing left to do with my Fun Finder trailer. After flushing the tanks as we left Top Sail RV Park in Santa Rosa, Florida months ago, we ended up having to use the toilet on the way home. When it came time to winterize I was not going to do it if there was any waste in the system. So-o, we needed to find a dump site and clean out the tanks properly. We decided that it was a good time to check Tennessee’s state park system, which is purported to offer full facilities at their campsites. Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill, Tennessee is only 27 miles from our new home. We headed there one cloudy afternoon, planning on an open-ended stay at the campsite (a benefit of retirement) and a thorough cleaning of our black and gray water tanks before we left. Henry Horton is a 1,532-acre state park named after Governor Horton (1927-1933), 36th governor of Tennessee. The park features... [Read more...]
