Tag: nature

Visiting Valley Forge National Historical Park-Pennsylvania

I breathe in the scent of the freshly printed page. Ink, just off of the copier, used to have a smell. Our teacher’s footsteps tap on the cheap linoleum, as she walks up and down the aisles of desks. Eagar hands grab for the coveted blank permission slips. Our class is taking a field-trip, to…
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

National Recreation Areas can be tricky to plan. They encompass numerous acres, and the Visitor’sCenter can be far from the area’s activities. This is our experience visiting the Mississippi NationalRiver and Recreation Area, in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, includes 72 miles of river, perfect for paddling. Our visit starts…
Hiking to the M*A*S*H TV Set-Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

We’re exhausted. The pre-dawn flight from the East to West Coast, is catching up with us, but we are determined to go hiking, to the M*A*S*H TV Set. Not always jetsetters, once upon a time, we are newly married, fresh out of college kids, intent, above all else, to pay off debt. This means, for…
Visiting Channel Islands National Park-California

“That was a great day!” Announces the tousled haired young man. He claims a chair on the boat, preparing to leave Channel Islands National Park. “It was a hellah great day!” Agrees the young man in the backwards hat. The group settle into the row behind us. They take turns visiting the downstairs snack counter,…
Things To Do in Cocoa Beach-Florida

Adjacent to one of the busiest pleasure cruise ports in the United States, Cocoa Beach is a popular,Florida City. Aside from a Spring Break Destination, most people enjoy the activities in Cocoa Beach, preor post cruise. But what are the things to do in Cocoa Beach? Cocoa Beach PierDuring our visit, the Coca Beach Pier…
Kehena Black Sand Beach-Big Island-Hawaii

Atop the overlook, I gaze down at Kehena Black Sand Beach. The green of the trees and the blue of the sky, vibrantly shout against the volcanic rock and sand. It begs to be photographed. Snap, snap, snap. After climbing down, my bare feet sink into the sand. I scan the beach, searching for more…
Sleeping on a Lava Field-Open Gate Hostel-Hawaii

The paved road gives way to dirt and rocks. There are no street lights. The shapes of houses reveal themselves in our headlights. We ride toward a building in the distance that is brighter and larger than the others. The assumption is that the building is our destination. A sign with an arrow tells us…
Seminole Rest National Historic Site-Florida

National Park designations can be confusing. There are 16 different designations and as we learn upon arriving at Seminole Rest, there are sites within sites. As we acquire our Canaveral National Seashore, Eldora, stamp, the Park Ranger asks if we stamped our book at Seminole Rest. Though I thoroughly researched the seashore, this additional park…
Visiting Canaveral National Seashore-Florida

Large branches, adorned in bright green foliage, stretch across the trail, in Canaveral National Seashore. The trees look as if they desire to create a work of art. Our attention is focused on the beauty of the silent, still, trail. Then we hear the sound. Grunt-grunt-snort. Grunt-grunt-snort. We make eye contact, turn around, and power-walk…