2015, 2016, 2017 Cincinnati, OH Historic Sites & Parks
Over-the-Rhine
Rhinegeist Brewery
Findlay Market
Taft’s Ale Haus
Old St Mary’s Church
Washington Park
Ohio River Trail
Eden Park Stand Pipe
John A Roebling Suspension Bridge
Purple People Pedestrian Bridge
Great American Ball Park
Taft Museum of Art
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Newport
Newport Aquarium
International Friendship Park
Riverview Park
Eden Park
Cincinnati Art Museum
Mt Adams
Firefighters Memorial
Fountain Square
Cincinnati Fire Museum
Cincinnati Music Hall
Aronoffs Center for the Arts
German Cemetery
Walnut Hills Cemetery
Licking Riverside
Devou Park
2017
On the way to Big Bend, I camped in Hot Springs National Park, stormed through endless logger roads of Mark Twain National Forest and camped there one night, enjoyed the Ozark NSR, Buffalo NR, Cane River Creole NHP, stormed through the Big Thicket N Res, backcountry hiked and camped in the wilderness of Pedernales Falls State Park during a thunderstorm, and marveled at the Lyndon B. Johnson NHP and the town of Fredericksburg. I thought that was a road trip, but it proved to be a small practice run for what was to come.
Once I headed for Sedona and entered Big Bend Country, I knew I had entered a different world. Far from the upper midwest surrounded by grass and pine trees. I was in the land of rolling desert, rumbling with severe thunderstorms and prickly desert plant life.
Fast forward 4 months to the moment I was leaving Big Bend National Park, a month long road trip began. For now, I’ll leave you with a list of most of the places I visited. Later I’ll elaborate in more detail of those that had the biggest impact on me.
Big Bend National Park
Black Gap Wildlife Mng Area
Split Rock
Green Mountain
Glass Mountains
Fort Stockton
Red Bluff L
Carlsbad National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Lincoln National Forest
White Sands National Monument
Apach Sitgreaves National Forest
Rainbow Forest Museum
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert
Painted Desert Inn
Route 66 Highway of Dreams
Meteor Crater National Landmark
Kaibab National Forest
Grand Canyon South Rim
Desert View
Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribe Park
Moenkopi Plateau
Dinosaur Tracks
Cedar Ridge
Echo Cliffs
Bitter Springs
Navajo Bridge
Marble Canyon
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Kaibab Plateau
Grand Canyon North Rim
Grand Canyon Lodge
Glen Canyon Dam
Paria Plateau
Big Water
Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument
Kanab
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Zion National Park
Dixie National Forest
Bryce Canyon National Park
Highway 12 National Scenic Route
Escalante Petrified Forest SP
Calf Creek Rec Area
Circle Cliffs
Capitol Reef National Park
Wayne
Henry Mountains
San Rafael Desert
Dirty Devil
Lake Mead
Glen Canyon National Rec Area
Cataract Canyon
Fry Canyon
Red Rock Plateau
San Juan
Natural Bridges National Monument
Manti La Sal National Forest
Bears Ears National Monument
Church Rock
The Needles
Canyonlands National Park
Wilson Arch
Canyon Rims BLM Rec Area
La Sal Junction
MOAB
Arches National Park
Canyonlands of the Ancients
Cortez
Mesa Verde National Park
La Plata Mountains
Rockwood Hermosa Trimble
San Juan National Forest
Weminuche Wilderness
Box Canyon Falls
Uncompahgre National Forest
Montrose
Curecante Needle
Blue Mesa Reservoir
Gunnison National Forest
Powder Horn Rec Area
Rio Grande
La Garita Mountains
UFO Watch Towers
Baca National Wildlife Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Preserve
Sangre De Cristo Mountains
Browns Canyon National Monument
Rocky Mountains
Colorado Springs
Castle Rock
Denver
Estes Park
Rocky Mountains National Park
Apapaho National Forest
Medicine Bow Routt National Forest
Apaho NWR
Medicine Bow Mountains
Roosevelt National Forest
Great Divide Basin
Rock Springs
White Mountains
Big Sandy Reserve
Sublette
Old Forte Bonneville
Shoshone National Forest
Upper Green BLM Rec Area
Gros Ventre Range
Snow King
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Jackson
Wind River Range
Grand Teton National Park
John D. Rockefeller JR Memorial Parkway
Yellowstone National Park
Absaroka Range
Gallatin National Forest
Pahaska Teepee
Old Trail Town
Cody
Bighorn Basin
Shell Falls
Bighorn National Forest
Granite Pass
Wolf Mountains
Buffalo
Johnson Campbell
Blackhills National Forest
Deadwood
Silver City
Mt. Rushmore
Crazy Horse Memorial
Jewel Cave National Monument
Wind Cave National Park
Rapid City
Badlands National Park
Buffalo Gap National Grasslands
Pinnacles Overlook
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Prairie Homestead Historic Site
Sturgis
Ft Meade BLM Rec Area
Whitewood
Rock Mountain Rec Area
South Fork Grande
Bowman Haley Res
White Butte
Billing Slope
White Lake NWR
Black Butte
Little Missouri National Grasslands
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Medora
From there I hopped on the highway and headed home. The drive from Medora was breath taking and worthy of photographing. North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the fall season are incredible and worth visiting. For me, I didn’t have the time available to explore these states more. I wish I had, but my trip had already given me much more than I ever expected. I went home a very happy man.
2018
Columbus Zoo and Botanical Gardens
St. Louis
Graham Cave State Park
Concordia Parks and Recreation
Kansas City
Topeka
Denver
Idaho Springs
Loveland Ski Area
Dillon
Silverthorne
Keystone Nordic Center
Frisco
Frisco Nordic Center
Dillion Reservoir
Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Vail
2019
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
Little Missouri National Grassland, ND
Billings, MT
Helena, MT
Butte, MT
Missoula, MT
Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest, MT
Kalispell, MT
Flathead National Forest, MT
Flathead Lake, MT
National Bison Range, MT
Hungry Horse Reservoir
Glacier National Park, MT
Whitefish, MT
Columbia Falls, MT
Essex, MT
Polebridge, MT
Upper Stillwater Lake, MT
Ashley Lake, MT
Eureka, MT
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, MT
Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, MT
Flathead State Park, MT
Wayfarers State Park, MT
Bigfork, MT
Somers, MT
Hot Springs, MT
Thompson River State Forest, MT
Saint Joe National Forest, MT
Bitterroot National Forest, MT
Ran out of thumb tacks, still more travels to mark down.