Since 2003, we have actively toured the United States and paid particular attention to the National Parks (http://www.nps.gov/). The National Parks are treasures of the country and cannot be appreciated without going there yourself. They are affordable vacations and easily reached by driving (from home or nearby airports). If you want to see the parks in number like we have, the Annual Interagency Pass from the park service (store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html) pays for itself in no time. Additionally, the parks all offer kids programs (www.nps.gov/kidszone/) like the Junior Ranger (www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.htm)program that provide information and entertainment at their level.
Each of the following is a separate trip we managed to do since the summer of 2003. Each is a separate story like the Griswold's National Lampoon Vacation movie (www.amazon.com/National-Lampoons-Vacation-Anniversary-Special/dp/B00009NHC9) - all the fun, all the sights, ALL the drama.
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Following each headlined trip below is a website with itineraries, routes, photos, lodging, lessons learned, notes on how to plan your trip. I am still creating some of the sites so be patient with me.
July 2003: THE UPPER MIDWEST - To view details of this trip, follow this link: (http://kimbasfam-familyroadtrip.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-07-08T19%3A17%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7)
Parks & Sites visited:
Badlands National Park (www.nps.gov/badl/), Mt. Rushmore National Memorial (www.nps.gov/moru/), Crazy Horse memorial (www.crazyhorsememorial.org/), Devils Tower National Monument (www.nps.gov/deto/), Yellowstone National Park (www.nps.gov/yell/), Grand Tetons National Park (www.nps.gov/grte/), Scotts Bluff National Monument (www.nps.gov/scbl/), Chimney Rock (www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock/), and more:
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June 2004: CALIFORNIA - To view details on this trip, follow this link: (http://californiaparks.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-08-02T13%3A22%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7)
Parks & Sites visited:
Death Valley National Park (www.nps.gov/deva/), Alabama Hills (www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/scenic_byways/alabamas.html), Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park (www.nps.gov/seki/), Yosemite National Park (www.nps.gov/yose/), Sacramento, Redwood National Park (www.nps.gov/redw/), San Francisco, and more:
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June 2005: FOUR CORNERS ("GRAND CIRCLE TOUR") - To view details on this trip, follow this link: (http://fourcornersroadtrip.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-06-27T04%3A18%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7)
Parks & Sites visited:
Zion National Park (www.nps.gov/zion/), Bryce Canyon National Park (www.nps.gov/brca/), Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (www.utah.com/stateparks/coral_pink.htm), Capitol Reef National Park (www.nps.gov/care/), Goblin Valley State Park (www.utah.com/stateparks/goblin_valley.htm), Arches National Park (www.nps.gov/arch/), Canyonlands National Park (www.nps.gov/cany/), Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov/meve/), Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park (www.utah.com/stateparks/goosenecks.htm), Four Corners Monument (www.navajonationparks.org/htm/fourcorners.htm), Grand Canyon National Park (www.nps.gov/grca/), Hoover Dam (www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (www.nps.gov/lame/), Las Vegas, NV, and more:
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June 2006: NEW ENGLAND - To view details on this trip, follow this link: (http://seenewengland.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-07-20T11%3A05%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7)
Parks & Sites visited:
Boston National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/bost/), Plimouth Plantation / Plymouth Rock (www.plimoth.org/plan/), Minuteman National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/mima/), Acadia National Park (www.nps.gov/acad/), Mt. Washington Hotel, Mt. Washington Observatory, Franconia State Park (The Flume Gorge) (www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/franconia-notch-state-park/), Lake Bomoseen, and more:
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July 2006: HAWAII [Under Construction - I have not documented this trip yet]
Parks & Sites visited:
Multi-Island cruise on the Pride of America (www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/shipInformation.html?shipCode=PRIDE%20AMER) from Norwegian Cruise Lines (http://www.ncl.com/), and visited Volcanoes National Park (www.nps.gov/havo/), Pu'uhonua O Honokohau (www.nps.gov/puho/), Kaloko-Honokohau (www.nps.gov/kaho/), Haleakala (www.nps.gov/hale/), and the USS Arizona memorial (www.nps.gov/usar/), Diamond Head Volcano, Waikiki beaches, and more:
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July 2007: ALASKA & WESTERN CANADA - To view details on this trip, follow this link: (http://kimbasfamily.blogspot.com/2007/07/thursday-july-5th-2007-limo-arrives-at.html)
Parks & Sites visited:
The Alaskan Highway (Alcan), Banff, Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise, Columbia Icefields (www.explorerockies.com/columbia-icefield/), The Alaskan Marine Highway System (www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml), The Alaskan Railroad (www.akrr.com/), Denali National Park (www.nps.gov/dena/), Glacier National Park (www.nps.gov/glba/) and more:
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July 2008: MONTANA - To view details on this trip, follow this link: (http://montanasbigskycountry.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html)
our trip this year included 4 days in Glacier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/glac/) staying in Apgar on the west side near Lake McDonald, on the north east side in the Many Glacier Hotel near Lake Josephine, and on the east in St. Mary's. These four days were followed by a week at the Triple J Wilderness Ranch (http://www.triplejranch.com/) near Augusta, MT - one of the Montana Dude Ranch Assoc ranches (http://www.montanadra.com/).
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ABOUT THE PICTURES: The camera used for most of the pictures is a Canon 20d. The lenses are a 10-22mm and a 28-300 L series IS (3.5-5.8). All of my equipment has been purchased from B & H Photo (http://www.bhphoto.com/). They offer top quality equipment, competitive prices, and excellent service.
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