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Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Our Favorite Things and Our Biggest Regrets

Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Our Favorite Things and Our Biggest Regrets

How’s that for a dramatic click-bait title? Don’t worry this isn’t click-bait—I wouldn’t do that do you. I fully intend to share (and likely over-share) just that: our favorite things to do in Carlsbad Caverns National Park and our biggest regrets from our time there earlier this year. How Was Carlsbad Caverns National Park Formed? Let’s start with a little history about how the cave was formed—or as I like to call it, “Liana’s geology geek-out time.” If you’ve read…

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Dawson City, Yukon: The Heart of the Klondike Gold Rush

Dawson City, Yukon: The Heart of the Klondike Gold Rush

Dawson City, a small town in the northern reaches of Canada, celebrates its history perhaps more than any other place we’ve been. In fact, many aspects of the Klondike Gold Rush era are still alive and well today—dirt roads edged by wooden plank walkways, vaudeville shows, sultry saloons, a bath house in lieu of showers, and even rowdy gold miners. As irony goes, my favorite town so far on our “Alaska” road trip isn’t in Alaska (or even the US)…

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Exploring Glacier Bay National Park by Land (and Sea Kayak)

Exploring Glacier Bay National Park by Land (and Sea Kayak)

Where are the glaciers? That was our first question when we arrived at Glacier Bay National Park. As it turns out we didn’t have the typical experience here. In fact, we’re part of the 10% of park visitors that set foot on land in Glacier Bay National Park. The other 90% see the park from the deck of an Alaska cruise ship and spend just 8-10 hours in the park. Glacier Bay National Park is the first official national park…

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24 Hours in Petrified Forest National Park

24 Hours in Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is a place where you can travel through time and literally see layers of earth’s geological and human history. The petrified wood of the park’s namesake are actually fossils from the Triassic Period—225 million years ago. Traces of human habitation here can be dated back over 13,000 years. And within the last hundred years there’s a rich history of our modern society’s interest in the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Before I get into the details…

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What to do in Big Bend National Park in a Week

What to do in Big Bend National Park in a Week

I’m not sure if it’s the honeymoon period of the first couple weeks back on the road, but it’s safe to say I’m obsessed with Big Bend National Park. In fact, it quickly earned a spot on my list of top 5 favorite national parks. I’m sure the folks at Big Bend will be thrilled—after all, it’s a very prestigious list 😉 Pin this post for later > “Big Bend” refers to the 90 degree turn that the Rio Grande…

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Best Ways to Find Free Camping

Best Ways to Find Free Camping

How We Find Free Campsites Across the US When we hit the road in Stan the Tan Van a few years ago our biggest goal was budget travel— how to explore the beauty of the US inexpensively. One of our top money saving tips while traveling is—free camping. When we say free camping we don’t mean truck stops, Wal-Mart, or street overnight parking. We’re talking about awesome campsites in nature. We’ve found two easy-to-use, and free resources that help us…

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The Essential Road Trip Checklist

The Essential Road Trip Checklist

Get Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready It’s that time again. Time to get ready for road trip season! The awesome feeling of hitting the road and exploring new exciting places—like South Dakota’s Corn Palace (hey, don’t knock it)—is just around the corner. Make sure your vehicle is road trip ready with this essential road trip checklist. It’s safe to say everyone wants their road trip to be problem free, however if your vehicle isn’t prepared for a long journey, car…

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How to Plan a Trip to Alaska

How to Plan a Trip to Alaska

Ultimate Alaska Road Trip Planning Checklist Like many outdoor and nature enthusiasts, a trip to Alaska has been a dream of ours for a long time. We’re finally embarking on a 3-month road trip to the Last Frontier this summer. When you start to plan a trip to Alaska, it can be a daunting task. What areas should you visit? How much time do you need? How much will all this cost? What’s the best way to get around the…

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Alaska Road Trip Route and Timeline

Alaska Road Trip Route and Timeline

What’s this Journey to Alaska all About? If you missed last week’s post here’s a quick summary of what this is all about. We’re planning a 3-month road trip to Alaska this summer in our self-converted camper van—Stan the Tan Van. The state known as the Last Frontier boasts 6,640 miles of coastline, the tallest mountain in North America, 100,000 glaciers, and over 322 million acres of public lands. While Alaska is a dream destination for many outdoor enthusiasts, planning…

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You’re Invited: Join us on the Road to Alaska!

You’re Invited: Join us on the Road to Alaska!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this excited to share a blog post with you all! I mentioned this trip in our 2019 Travel Plans and Goals, but now it’s official—we’re journeying to Alaska this summer. And you’re invited! Since the cat’s out of the bag (which is a very weird saying IMHO) let’s jump right into all the juicy Alaska details, shall we? What Exactly is the Journey to Alaska all About? Alaska has been one of our…

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