NPS#134 Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. While surveyors have recognized the importance of the gap in the Appalachian Mountain chain since 1650, Daniel Boone and his Wilderness Trail made it a major thoroughfare for pioneers heading west. I completed the Bluegrass State, too!

NPS #133 - Manhattan Project - Oak Ridge

The history of the secret city is told throughout 30 signs/stops in Oak Ridge. I've been to a few now and got my stamp today and talked to the Rangers, I'm counting it.
2 museums in town - Children's Museum and the American Museum of Science and Energy.

NPS#132 Saint-Gaudens NHS in New Hampshire an enchanting place of sculpture, gardens, and the history of Augustus Saint Gaudens. The light and space of the numerous studios are beautiful, but far surpassed by the magnificent sculptures. I confess i prefer his females to his extensive civil war men.

NPS #131 Marah-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Site. A groundbreaking experiment in conservationism, that spread across multiple generations and families. Beautiful property in the 💚 Green Mountains of Vermont!!

NPS #130 Tallgrass Prarie National Preseve was a beautiful hike in the great state of Kansas. Unfortunately the Bison 🦬 did not make an appearance. The smaller wildlife did and wildflowers were beautiful.

NPS#129 : Indiana Dunes National Park. Trails, dunes, beaches, tons of wildflowers and a bevy of bird sightings are making our trip memorable. Oh, and Bark Ranger tags!

NPS#128: River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Second Michigan Passport symptoms and a battlecry older than Remember the Alamo...REMEMBER THE RAISIN!

A fun tour of yet another Frank Lloyd Wright house, this time Pope-Leighey, a usonion house originally built in Falls Church and moved in 194 to its current site in Woodlawn to make way for I-66.

Fur babies make me happy!

You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Maya Angelou

Many of us can use a little more Maya Angelou in our days.

Spring Break, Eat Tennessee was a relaxing time - hiking, botanical gardens, more hiking, off-roading in the baby Jeep (oh my!) and a fun time with family and friends. 🧡

Bluebells are in bloom! No matter what changes year over year with the rest of the world, the bluebells are a predictable and happy!

Trailday at Great Plains Nature Preserve

Long day on the trail with first signs of spring!

"It's easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than 98% of the time. If you give in 'just this once' based on marginal cost analysis, you'll regret where you end up." ~HBR, 2010

From Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, 2010.

Cover of the book Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Suess.

This is a book that is 75 years old in 2025, but as timely as ever. And, yes, it has been on banned lists. Be a Mack when you are presented with Turtle Kings.

President's Day! Time to remind ourselves of the Presidents who created the amazing NPS sites and sign petitions and donate money to help protect our greatest natioal treasure!

It's Rodeo Time...

Happy Valentine's Day. Love is love. I choose love over hate. I choose inclusion over division. I choose Human Rights for all. Thinking back to my Stonewall NM visit as haters are rewriting websites in their efforts to divide and ostracize.

Started out my weekend by making 2 donations - one to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the other to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Happy way to start my weekend!

Sun setting behind trees on a frozen lake.

Sun setting behind trees on a mostly frozen lake.

While the early sunsets make a winter after-work walk short, they are definitely worth the effort!

A woman in a green coat and a miniature schnauzer in a blue outfit next to the NPS sign for Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.

A miniature schnauzer in a pink coat in front of the NPS sign for Monocacy National Battlefield.

January was a bit of a hibernation month with the snow...New visit (#127) to Andrew Johnson NHS and repeat visit (#4) to Monocacy NB.