Almost 70 miles  west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands.  Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the park is known the world over as the home of magnificent Fort Jefferson and for its picturesque blue waters, superlative coral reefs and marine life, and the vast assortment of bird life that frequents the area. Dry Tortugas National Park is a bucket list adventure for many of the visitors who make it there.  We camped for two nights and would highly recommend it but take any opportunity yo ..read more

Linda Mohammad, better known as @thebucketlisttraveler on social media, is originally from Malaysia.  She moved to the U.S. to study in Colorado, then to Texas for her first job and has been living in California since 2012 where she works as an engineer.  A few day trips to NPS sites in California led to her bucket list ambition of visiting all National Parks, which she accomplished in 2019.  In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPIHM), we organized a special session on Clubhouse in the National Parks and WH Sites club. This episode feat ..read more

On May 17, 2021, the American Legation building in Tangier celebrates its bicentennial. A U.S. National Historical Landmark (NHL) since 1982, Sultan Moulay Suliman presented the building, now part of a larger complex, to the United States in 1821. The building is a powerful symbol of the long-standing and strong historical, cultural, and diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Morocco.  While it no longer serves a diplomatic purpose, it is still owned by the U.S. Government and is occupied by the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), which comprises ..read more

April is Jazz Appreciation Month and April 30 is UNESCO’s International Jazz Day.  So designated to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people around the world, International Jazz Day is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021.  Not only is jazz an art form that comes from the United States, it was born in New Orleans, the Crescent City.  In recognition of the important history of this uniquely American musical art form, both nationally and internationally, Congress authorized the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park in 1994.  Congress created the park t ..read more

We first learned about the important work First Lady Lady Bird Johnson did for the United States while at the visitor center of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.  Given our podcast’s focus on national parks, we were especially interested in her work on  conservation and beautification. With March being Women’s History Month, we wanted to further explore her accomplishments.  This episode focuses on the First Lady’s accomplishments as a conservationist--referred to as “Shadow Secretary of the Interior” by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt--in her own words, using exc ..read more

During this month celebrating Women’s History, we want to focus on the important role Maxine Johnston played in the fight to preserve the Big Thicket, the nation’s first (alongside Big Cypress) National Preserve and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country.  In our travels, we have always been impressed by the tenacity and dedication of so many volunteers and citizen groups - true democracy in action. We all owe them so much. One such citizen and conservationist champion is Maxine Johnston, who was recently featured in a National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) blog ..read more

Torbjørn C. Pedersen, known online as Once Upon A Saga,  has visited 203 countries and is on the verge of setting a world record… he is short just nine countries to gain the title of traveling to all countries in the world in a single journey without taking an airplane: the ultimate global expedition.  We were lucky to speak to him about his 7 year odyssey which he chronicles on his blog and social media channels as Once Upon A Saga. Once Upon a Saga website: bit.ly/Sagablog Outdoor Organization feature: Syatt was founded by a mother and two daughters—TeamHood: Marcia, Erika, and Ebo ..read more

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (NHP&P) is comprised of six sites.  These sites are spread over a large area across south Louisiana so it is essential to plan out your trip carefully.  We visited in January 2020 but currently most of the sites are closed or with limited access because of Covid-19 restrictions. In this episode, we describe the six different sites that comprise the NHP&P but also speak to Ranger Briana to learn about the history and context of the NPS unit as well as the history of the people.  She also explains the story behind the park ..read more

David Kroese is a true National Park fanatic.  He has visited over 1500 parks and his attempt to visit all 400+ sites in 2016, the NPS Centennial year, led him to write The Centennial: A Journey Through America’s National Park System. In this episode, he describes what motivates him to visit the parks, particularly what fueled his desire to visit all of them in 2016.  He offers tips on how to get the most out of a park visit, the important role of the National Park Travelers Club, and how there is no “right” way to visit a park.  He is currently at work on his second book which ..read more

While we are not particular fans of winter, a friend told us that visiting Yellowstone in winter was like being in a snow globe.  After hearing that, we knew we had to visit.  And while we expected to be disappointed as our expectations were so high, the trip was absolutely magical.  It was a trip of firsts for us, including traveling on the Snowcoach that our friend likened to a “people mover out of Star Wars.”  We cross country skied around the Geyser Basin and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, as well as Lone Star Geyser.  We were afraid of the cold but it wasn’t ..read more