Tag Archives: National Parks

What about Arkansas?

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What About Arkansas?

Next on the list is Arkansas. It’s on my primary list because we have a timeshare resort. We’ve got 1 choice here, Los Lagos at Hot Springs Village. Los Lagos is a four-season resort, nestled in the Ouachita Mountains, just 20 miles from Hot Springs National Park.

Obviously I’ll need to visit Hot Springs National Park. 

The Wild- New York 2020

Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park has a rich cultural past. The grand architecture of our historic bathhouses is equally matched by the natural curiosities that have been drawing people here for hundreds of years. Ancient thermal springs, mountain views, incredible geology, forested hikes, and abundant creeks – all in the middle of town – make Hot Springs National Park a unique and beautiful destination.

What about Arkansas?

 

Arkansas Alligator Farm

I’ll have to visit the Alligator Farm. I love going to Gatorland in Florida so I will want to compare this Alligator farm with what I’ve experienced in Florida. Baby alligators are so cute. I remember seeing them in the wild in Everglades National Park. I’ve also had the opportunity to hold them at Gatorland so although it won’t be a new experience I still want to do it. I can imagine all the photo ops here!

Make Way For Ducklings – Public Gardens Boston 2017

 

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

Situated at the pinnacle of Hot Springs Mountain overlooking the town, the tower was built in the early ‘80s. A view from the top will give guests an unobstructed view of the countryside. On a clear day, it’s possible to see more than 100 miles away according to locals.

Reachable by stairs and an elevator, there are observation scopes at the top if your eyes need a bit of help.

If you’re up for a physical challenge, it’s more than 300 steps to the top, but your effort will be rewarded with burned calories and breathtaking vistas. I think I’ll take the elevator please!

Covered Bridge Vermont 2017

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Colorado

What can I say about my Colorado vacation to sum it up? First off, Take time to adjust to the altitude. That I suffered from altitude sickness was a complete surprise to me. I grew up in mountains. Granted my childhood mountains were  a bit smaller than 10,000 ft but I still expected it to count. Plus I’ve been to Wyoming and at 8,000 ft I had no problems at all. Maybe age , overall health or just that extra 2,000-4,000 ft tacked on made a difference.

Mount Quandary 2022

Hiking, Skiing

Breckenridge is a beautiful little town but other than the quaintness there isn’t much to do except hike in the summer or ski in the winter. There are few roads and like any area with more winter than summer, road work has to be crammed into those few warm, storm free months. Getting anywhere required patience. The road construction had traffic tangled from just about every direction. 

Lake Dillon 2022

 

Wildlife

Friends who had been to Colorado told me about the abundant wildlife but I didn’t see much of it. Spotted the Moose family a couple of afternoons and there was a beaver lodge. After watching for the little rodents at various times without success I finally concluded the lodge was abandoned. The big horn sheep were no where to be found although I did see one deer and one pronghorn.  The most exciting moment was spotting that big white bird. (I still think it was a whooping crane) I love a mystery and think it would be great if whooping cranes were making their way back to Colorado. 

Colorado Moose 2022

I was warned about bear in the area, not sure if they were grizzly or black bears but I didn’t see any. The dumpsters were always chained shut to keep the animals out of the trash. 

Maybe the lack of wildlife was due to the heat. Temps were in the mid 80’s most days. I was told to expect low 70’s so that could have had the animals looking for shade.

What I missed

Colorado is now checked off my list of states that I’ve gone for vacation but I’m not done with the state yet. It’s huge and now that I know driving in the summer is not a viable option ( unless you like traffic jams)  I’ll need to consider short visits in different areas. 

Breckenridge Gondola 2022

I wasn’t able to get the web site for Rocky Mountain National Park to work. You have to have a reservation now to get in and you have to do it online so I still want to go there. Great Sand Dunes National Park was too far from Breckenridge so I will need a return trip for that. Heading to the south western corner of the state is the Durango and Silverton railroad. That’s a train ride I really want to take. Finally there is Mesa Verde National Park also in the southwestern part of the state.

Back near Denver a side trip to Colorado Springs will let me experience riding the Cog railway up Pike’s Peak. Then take time to visit Garden of the Gods. So much still to see!

So you see I’ve only just scratched the surface of what this state has to offer. 

 

Durango Colorado

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Where’s Durango Colorado?

Durango’s on my places to visit in Colorado but where is it? 

Durango is a small city in southwestern Colorado, near the New Mexico border.

In Durango you can hop a ride on the 19th-century Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad steam train that passes mountains and canyons.  Nothing like a ride on a federally designated National Historic Landmark! The train from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, it is one of the few places in the US which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives.

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Already I’m liking this. I love taking rides on vintage trains. Sandy and I had a great time taking an 1880’s train ride through the Black Mountains of South Dakota. 

Mesa Verde National Park

If taking a scenic and historic train ride doesn’t get you excited maybe exploring ancient ruins in Mesa Verde National Park will catch your interest. The entrance to Mesa Verde National Park is located about 35 miles west of Durango. Once you enter the park, the first view of a cliff dwelling is 21 miles along a steep, narrow, and winding road.  Ranger led tours  are recommended for some of the ruins. You can purchase tickets in person  at the Durango Welcome Center as well as in the park.  Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.

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Rafting on the Animas

Maybe a rafting trip down the Animus river would be more to our liking. I went white water rafting in Canada on the Rive Rouge (Red River) when I was much younger. It was great fun but these days I’d be afraid of getting my camera wet. Even if we didn’t flip a raft the water splashing in the rapids would make it hard to keep equipment dry. Still maybe the rafting company provides souvenir photos? 

The Animus River offers class 3 rapids so they aren’t too bad. Maybe I’ll give this some more thought.

 

Wild West?

I also ran across a tour that might be interesting. Horsefly History Tours tells the tales of the Wild West and the characters and events that have shaped this town since it was founded in 1880. You’ll hear stories of gunfights, ghosts, “soiled doves” and madams, outlaws, and the town’s one and only legal hanging. That sounds like fun. After all, why go to the west if you don’t learn about the history?

Rockin’ the Park

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Rock The Park

There’s a Saturday morning children’s show called Rock The Park that I just love. I’m just a kid at heart anyway. In this show Jack & Colton travel to different places and share their adventures. Most of the time the adventures are in a National Park. I love shows that either feature someplace I’ve been or someplace I want to go. I caught a double header the other day. The first episode was Yellowstone National Park and the 2nd episode was about The Big Island of Hawaii.

 

Akaka FallsAkaka Falls

The Hawaii Show caught my attention when I heard the stars mention Akaka Falls. I’ve been there on multiple trips. It is one of my favorite waterfalls. To reach the falls you have to either hike a loop trail or take the stairs.  The trail is only about .5 miles and takes you past 300 ft Kahuna Falls before ending at 442 ft Akaka falls. You can also take the stairs directly to Akaka Falls.This is one of the most beautiful Hawaiian waterfalls that I’ve seen and the easiest to see. 

Diving with Manta Rays

After visiting the falls Jack & Colton went on a night  scuba diving adventure  with Manta Rays. I am no longer certified so I haven’t been scuba diving but I did go on a night snorkel with Manta Rays on my last trip. That was pretty brave of me or maybe stupid because my left hip was pretty much useless but aside from the safety factor this was a pretty awesome experience. We took a boat out to about 40 ft of water. There the Captain launched a lighted raft to attract plankton. Once it began to work its  magic we entered the water.

Manta Ray

Just Floating with the Rays

Once in the water we held on to the raft and did a “dead man’s float”. It wasn’t long before graceful manta rays were approaching from the dark. They circled and swooped. One even swam up my body and flipped on its back. It was like being a part of a water ballet. The whole experience lasted about 45 minutes and then it was time to leave. That was when my hip became a liability. I was struggling to climb the ladder to get back on the boat. Our Captain rescued me. He simply reached down and gave me a tug. I popped out of the water and onto the deck in one easy pull. This was an amazing experience. One I highly recommend. My only regret is that I didn’t have a camera or “go-Pro” to capture the moments.

You’re off to Great Places!

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I Love your Great Ideas!

You had some great trips for me to consider. Thank you for sharing your suggestions. I have a lot to consider.  “Diane” suggested Glacier National Park. I must say that National Parks are always a super choice. I’ve been to many. I even have the “passport” books and collect the stamps. I thought that Glacier National Park was primarily a hiking destination and I’m not sure I’m up for much hiking. Time for me to do a little research.

Glacier National Park

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The first thing I found out when I searched Glacier National Park was Going-to-the-Sun Road. This drive connects the east and west sides of the park as it cuts through the middle. Going-to-the-Sun road is 50 miles of scenic wonder. I’ll need to plan this vacation in the summer. The road is often closed by snow in the winter. It’s wild country out there. Wildlife may be present anywhere along Going-to-the-Sun Road. As you know if you’ve read many of my posts, I’m a sucker for Wildlife. I can watch for mountain goats and Big Horn sheep.  You can even see a glacier from the road at Jackson Glacier Overlook. A bonus for me is that Glacier National Park is in Montana. I haven’t been to Montana yet!

Yosemite National Park

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Sticking with the National Park theme, my boss at work got in on the suggestions. She lobbied for Yosemite National Park. She and her family recently vacationed there and she came away quite impressed. Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famous for El Capitan and Half Dome, two iconic landmarks. Its also home to giant, ancient sequoia trees. When I think of Yosemite I think of waterfalls. I was concerned that this hiker’s paradise might be another place that would be beyond my skill set? I’m happy to report that many areas of the park can be reached by car and some places even have shuttle access! Sounds like a user friendly park to me!

Stay Tuned

There are more suggestions to come and they just keep getting better!