National Parks Archives

Halea and I climbed the Via Ferrara at Royal Gorge, Colorado last week. Not sure how high we climbed — 500’ or 600’ probably — and it was steep and exposed. Ultimately we had a high-anxiety blast.

I gotta say that my 14-year-old daughter proved something to me that day. I knew it was probably in there, but she’s a full-on bad-a— young woman with ice water in her veins. She showed zero signs of fear. Can’t say that about her father.

Royal Gorge is pretty awesome overall. If you’re headed there and you’ve got the guts, do the Via Ferrata. $150/person.
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#viaferrata #royalgorge #colorado #rockclimb #ironpath #familyadventures #familytravel #stronggirl #fearless #stateparks #rockymountains #rockymountainhigh #travelwithkids #getoutsidemore #growingolderbutnotup #ldsfamily #specialneedstravel #rvliving #fulltimerv #roadschoolers #travelnurse #ilovemountains #familytravels #travelbloggers #travelfun #adventurefamily #usatravel #roadtripusa

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We haven’t posted in a real long time. Just felt like putting this nice view of Garden of the Gods out there.
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#gardenofthegods #nationalparks #coloradosprings #coloradonature #redrocks #labordayweekend #naturebeauty #familytravel #lds #roadschooling #travelnurselife

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One of our bucket-list items has long been the Balloon Fest in New Mexico. We finally went last October and it did not disappoint (despite the bad weather). We stayed in Moriarty — the commute was about 30 minutes.
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Next time we’ll book a spot at the Festival about a year in advance.
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If you’re commuting to the festival be sure to get there early — very early — in the AM and bring cash for parking.
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#balloonfestival #balloonfest #newmexicoballoonfiesta #balloonfiesta #hotairballoon #hotairballoons #newmexico #albuquerque #bucketlist #bucketlisttravel #travelfamily #festivals #familytravel #familytravels #adventurewithkids #roadschooling #rvfamily #exploreusa #usaroadtrip #ldsfamily #internationalballoonfiesta

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We visited White Sands last October on a southwest national park blitz. We arrived at sunset and sunrise, and stayed 2 nights at the Alamogordo KOA (which was great). The sand is blinding when the set gets high, so early/late are best. Our best experiences were when we hiked out past the footprints, probably 6 or 7 dunes deep, toward the back of the park. Good times! Kids suffered a bit, but they ok.
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#newmexico #alamagordo #whitesandsnationalpark #whitesand #sunsetphotography #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice #nationalparksusa #hikenationalparks #usaadventures #southeastusa #familytravel #familyhike #familyroadtrip #roadtripfamily #lds #travelphotography #travelgram #travelalways #roadschoolers #rvfamily #cntraveler #patagonia #sandytoes

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The North Shore Scenic Drive runs from Duluth, MN along the west shore of Lake Superior to the Canadian border. There are 7 State Parks along the 140 mile highway. Gorgeous country up there.
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#northshore #northshorescenicdrive #lakesuperior #splitrocklighthouse #splitrockstatepark #minnesota #usaroadtrip #roadtripusa #seetheusa #travelfam #travelnurse #travelphotography #travelblogger #travelnursetakeover #minnesotastateparks #hikingfamily #hikewithkids #getoutside #hikingmom #motheranddaughter #lighthouse #lighthouses_around_the_world

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National Parks

South Dakota National Parks: Badlands

Wind Cave National Park: A Complete Guide

Things to See at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Sunrise at Devil’s Tower Wyoming

USA Travel: 25 Best Places We’ve Been