I find it interesting to look back through history and see all that's been done. It's easy to take for granted the things we have and not put much thought into the work and time that went in to making those things. A great example of this is found in the history of the national parks. They didn't just show up over night! Today, I've written a list of all the national parks in date order of when they were established. I also have included a Q&A section underneath where you can learn some interesting trivia facts and commonly asked questions about the national parks. National Parks in Order ..read more

If I had to sum up the month of January in one word, I would choose the word exciting. We've gotten so much progress done on the bus and it seems like more finishing touches are being added everyday. We've still got some work ahead of us, don't get me wrong! But this month has done a great job at refreshing us and getting us hyped for hitting the road sometime soon. I'm so excited to show you what we got done! Nearly Finished the Bathroom Paint We were finally in a position to paint the bathroom this month. All the wood-puttying was done, the cabinets were built in, and the trim was added. We ..read more

Adding a tow hitch receiver to our skoolie was a must and turned out to be a lot easier than we expected. Here is what we chose to go with and a couple tips for you. What We Chose We bought an adjustable Reese tow hitch receiver with a 2" receiver opening from their Heavy Duty line. It has a gross weight towing capacity of 5,000 to 8,000 pounds. This puts it as a bridge between class three and class four. Below, I have included a chart that explains the different tow rating so you can see what class will be your best match. In additional to getting good reviews, it has a great price. We were ..read more

Throughout the country, there are approximately 17,000 caves. Some are much larger than others, some have features that puzzle scientists, and some are still being discovered to this day. Nearly every state is home to at least one cave. Delaware, however, has long been known as the "caveless state". If you count a 56 ft long hole in a rock that is too small to be in after only a few paces as a cave, then technically Delaware has one cave. Rhode Island is another state that the number of caves they have is debatable. The few caves they have are rather small and many are along the coast formed b ..read more

This trip was planned last minute on a spur of the moment itch to get outdoors. With so much going on, we really needed some quiet time away from all distractions to recharge. Little did we know, this was a very challenging trail (for this time of year at least) and not the easy walk in the park we expected. We had a blast, and the views were totally worth it, but this trail is definitely for dedicated backpackers who aren't afraid of obstacles or getting dirty. For optimal conditions, visit between June and September. Note: Matthew and I did this trip in February which is definitely not peak ..read more

Growing up with my parents, it was pretty common to go on a family road trip for Christmas break. This was a fun opportunity to spend quality time with my family while enjoying God's creation. My family loves the outdoors, so naturally National Parks were regular stops for us on family trips any time of the year. Of course, winter isn't the ideal time to visit a majority of the parks. There are, however, several parks that are worth making a trip to this holiday season. Whether you're looking for a winter wonderland or somewhere to escape the cold, the National Parks System has lots to offer t ..read more

A quick explanation on two important types of protected lands that are often confused. As many of you know, Matthew and I will be visiting all 63 National Parks across the US over the next several years. Once we finish the skoolie, that is. There are a lot of other places that seem amazing and we'd love to see them eventually, but we are just focusing on the National Parks for now. We'll save State Parks, memorials, and many other beautiful places for later. National Forests are among that list of places we'll skip over for now. While they provide great hiking, they are quite a bit different ..read more

The best thing about the National Parks is the diverse landscapes that you'll find. Each park is so different and has a unique experience to offer. Something that I didn't expect there to be so much of through the country is sand dunes. When I think sand dunes, I immediately think Death Valley. But it turns out that there are more dunes throughout the country than I thought and some are in places I would not have expected. Today, I'd like to share with you five different sand dunes you can explore throughout the National Parks. A Dune of a Different Color White Sands National Park, New Mexico ..read more

Since Matthew and I are planning to spend about five years visiting all the National Parks, we figured we should get to reading up on them. It has been really interesting learning the history of the parks and seeing which parks we are the most excited for. During my "research" of these parks, I've realized that some are super overrated and rarely talked about. Did you even know there is a National Park in America Samoa? Or one named after Theodore Roosevelt? I'm guessing not. Today, I'm going to share with you five of the most unappreciated National Parks and why you should put them on your bu ..read more

With our future travels bringing us to National Parks like Death Valley and Arches, having AC is a must. We are from Washington after all and consider the mid 70s to be hot. We did a lot of thinking about which option we should go with and where we would even put it. We went with a fairly unconventional route and chose to use a window AC unit and retrofit it to be installed without a window. We're happy with our choice and love how well hidden it is. Most AC options require some tacky looking white box hanging around somewhere or taking up roof space. Ours does neither! Disclaimer: This post c ..read more