Passport to America
On January 20, 2020, my husband and I started on an adventure of a lifetime. It was not some grand vacation, it was a restructuring of our life. We sold our home, most of our possessions, and uprooted from our hometown. We had decided to travel full-time. We wanted to travel and discover the United States on a deeper level. The National Park system would definitely be part of the journey.
We have been on the road for over two years. We have been north, south, east and west. By the end of July, we will have been in each of the lower 48 states. The journey has been amazing and humbling. We have gained a deep appreciation for the diversity America offers. We have discovered that every state, every area, is unique and beautiful in its own way. Nothing highlights this more than the different national parks. Each park calls attention to something special, usually spectacular. Also, we have found that diverting to visit a national park ends up being a catalyst for going somewhere where we might not have gone otherwise.
We have hiked through the depths of the Grand Canyon, waded through The Narrows of Zion, and tread by pueblos in the Canyons of the Ancients. We have been high in the sky on the New River Gorge Bridge and at the top of The Arch. We have wandered the parched trails of Badlands in the summer and the wintery trails of Bryce in the winter. We have traced the footsteps of the Civil War, seen the uncovering of Jamestowne, and stood where the Revolutionary War came to an end. We have explored Utah's Big 5 and Ohio's one and only. We have walked through the saguaro cacti, trudged up sand dunes, and waded through rivers. We explored deep into Carlsbad Cavern one day and hiked up Guadalupe Peak the next. We have climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, sat in solemn quiet at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and stared at the original Declaration of Independence. We have had bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and wild horses strut by our car. We have seen alligators in the south and have been eaten by giant bugs in the north. We have been stunned by the hoodoos of Chiricahua, the deep canyon views of Flaming Gorge, and the grandeur of Glacier. The list is never ending.
When asked which is our favorite national park, we cannot answer, for we love so many. Each time we visit any national lands or facilities we are grateful that there are organizations and individuals who have had the foresight of preservation, interpretation and protection. If you want to explore America, past or present, visit a national park, memorial, monument or seashore. It truly is a gift.