National Parks...as a vacation??

Hi! Thank you for visiting this blog! I will be periodically posting information about the national parks that I have visited along with pictures and stories about what you might find if you were to visit. First, a little background about me and how I came to love the park system and all that it has to offer. The national parks were not always a priority for my vacations. As a child, my family vacationed at the beach and that was my idea of a perfect vacation. I lived between Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, TN, at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so I visited there also, but never for more than a day at a time, and I had limited interest in any of the other parks. Then I married a man (John) whose family had driven across the country several times and seen many of the national parks. When Annie,our daughter, was born, he insisted on showing her some of these parks, and I finally agreed as long as I got to take my yearly beach vacation as well. (My idea of the perfect vacation did not include a two to three week road trip cooped up in a car for hours every day for days at a time.) However, I thought it only fair that I give it a try....for John and for Annie. With some substantial planning, we drove across the United States from Knoxville, TN to Salt Lake City, UT and beyond, eventually seeing nine national parks and one national monument that trip. It was so much fun that I was hooked. We have made it a priority to see national parks every summer since and this led to my goal of seeing all fifty-eight. They are all different and all have something to tell us about conservation, our world, our blessings, and ourselves if we will just be still and listen. Please join me as I continue on this journey of exploration and discovery. Hopefully you will be encouraged to explore and discover some of them for yourself. There are many wonders available. The official website for the national park system is www.nps.gov. Please feel free to comment on parks that you would recommend, tips and/or experiences from your visits, or request information about a park you are considering visiting. Together I know that we can make visiting the parks more enjoyable for us all through sharing information and ideas.