A Half-Day in Dinosaur National Monument

As we were creating our driving route from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to West Haven, Utah, to visit our friends, we thought we'd make a loop across eastern Utah, catch up with our friends, and then circle back across Wyoming on our way home. Along our path we discovered Dinosaur National Monument, which straddles the border of …

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Hiking in Arches National Park

We recently enjoyed two days in Arches National Park, opting to visit in March ahead of the summer heat and timed entry reservations that are require from April 1 to October 31. Despite visiting during the off-season, the park was relatively busy the second day of our trip because spring break had kicked off. Note …

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Hiking in Canyonlands National Park

We spent several days in Moab, Utah, so we'd have easy access to two new-to-us national parks - Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. Despite being across the street from one another, significantly fewer people visit Canyonlands than Arches each year. I'm guessing it's because Canyonlands requires you to get out of your vehicle …

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A Day at Petrified Forest National Park

We recently spent a day exploring Petrified Forest National Park, which was the final national park in Arizona left on our list. We drove from Albuquerque, New Mexico, into northeast Arizona, following our GPS instructions to the park entrance. Pro tip: there is both a north and south entrance to this park with a single …

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Things to Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico

We wrapped up our time in New Mexico with a couple days in Albuquerque. Brian had visited several years ago for the Balloon Fiesta as part of a work trip, but our recent trip together was my first time. We arrived in the mid-morning just as a crazy wind storm was picking up. There was …

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Exploring Great Sand Dunes National Park

We finally explored Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado, which was the only national park in that state left on our list. We stayed a couple nights in nearby Alamosa, which was a perfect jumping off point for our day in the park. Like other national parks, the approach is quite impressive as …

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How to Spend a Morning in Kansas City

As it turned out, one morning wasn't nearly sufficient to explore Kansas City, Missouri. Although our decision to reroute our road trip through Missouri was relatively last minute, it took no time at all to research and compile an extensive list of things to do and places to eat in this new-to-me city. While we …

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