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Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde, CO, USA

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Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde, CO, USA

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Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde, CO, USA

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1. Mesa Verde became a national park in 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt created the park to preserve the iconic cliff dwellings. It remains the only cultural park in the National Park System.

2. The Mesa Verde National Park is home to numerous ruins of villages and dwellings built by the Ancient Pueblo peoples, sometimes called the Anasazi. The lived in the dwellings at Mesa Verde from approximately 600 to 1300 AD.

3. There are over 4000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings of the Pueblo people at the site.

4. Descendants of Mesa Verde Ancestral Pueblo people spread out far and wide, and include the Hopi in Arizona and the T19 Rio Grande pueblos of New Mexico: aos, Picuris, Sandia, Isleta, San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Nambe, Tesuque, Jemez, Cochiti, Pojoaque, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Zia, Laguna, Acoma and Zuni.

5. The most famous Mesa Verde dwelling is the Cliff Palace. It dates back more than 700 years and was likely once painted with bright colors. It is constructed from sandstone, wooden beams and mortar.

6. Henry William Jackson first photographed Mesa Verde and the cliff dwellings in 1874. He later went on to create “Uncle Sam.”

7. What’s in a name? “Mesa Verde” is Spanish for “green table.” The name comes from the juniper trees and other foliage in the area.

8. Mesa Verde became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1978.

9. Scientists once thought the “Mummy Lake” at Mesa Verde was a reservoir. However, more recent research suggests that the body was actually used as a ceremonial structure. Guess that means the old theory no longer holds water.

10. Mesa Verde was likely deserted by 1300. No one is quite sure why. Some researchers blame crop failures.

11. In addition to building their dwellings, the Pueblo people who lived at Mesa Verde made high-quality baskets and pottery. These items were likely passed down from mother to daughter.

12. The people of Mesa Verde were farmers who grew beans, corn and squash. They supplemented their diet by gathering other edible plants and hunting deer, squirrels, rabbits and other animals.

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White Sands National Monument Historic District, New Mexico, USA

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White Sands National Monument Historic District, New Mexico, USA

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White Sands National Monument Historic District, New Mexico, USA

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A favorite of mine.  We had a blast renting sleds and sliding down the sand.  Less cold and wet than snow!

https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm

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Camp Nelson National Monument, Danville Road, Nicholasville, KY, USA

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Camp Nelson National Monument, Danville Road, Nicholasville, KY, USA

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Camp Nelson National Monument, Danville Road, Nicholasville, KY, USA

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Go to one of the newest national parks! Est. 10/2018

Camp Nelson was Established as a supply depot and hospital during the Civil War for the U.S. Army, Camp Nelson became a large recruitment and training center for African American soldiers (USCTs), and a refugee camp for their wives and children. Thousands of enslaved people escaped to this site with the hope of securing freedom and ultimately controlling their futures by aiding in the destruction of slavery.

A lot of other Civil War monuments and sites are near if you wanted to continue this journey.

https://www.nps.gov/cane/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/cane/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

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"When I was about 13 my Dad took myself and my 8yr old brother to the park for a winter weekend. The evening we arrived was due to snow. We work to a fresh fallen snow over the canyon…….a spectacular sight. Our prior plan was to do a day hike down to the floor and back up again. We had no cold weather gear, no water bottles, no gloves (an extra pair of socks covered out hands ) or hats etc. ( That was how my old man rolled …) . The hike down was slow going, but gorgeous. Fresh snow turned quickly to dirty slush beneath our feet. My brother and dad wore sneakers, I had on shoes called Wallabees popular at the time ( plastic soled with no arch support blah blah ) We got to a landmark about 80% down canyon and decided against going all the way to the floor.  It was Winter, so the sun sets earlier, furthermore once the sun set over the rim of the canyon the temp dropped rapidly. Our day hike’ now morphed into a forced march for survival to reach the rim before we succumbed to Hypothermia. We saw no others on the trail, they had either stayed on the canyon floor or passed us to the rim. The slush on the trail now froze to ice making it even more difficult. We could only walk as fast as my younger brother could go, he seemed to slip every other step.  We reached the summit about 7pm, 3-4 hours  after full sunset. Air temp was hovering near 0. We hurried to our room, took hot showers and passed out.

It makes for a good story now, but we all knew it was a life or death moment.  Despite this, I have returned to the GC and still enjoy it’s beauty"

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Construction started on your birthday; Feb. 12, 1963 (took 2 years to complete) and currently is the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere.  There is a tram (small little egg-like  car that holds up to 4 people at a time) that you can take to go to the top of the 630 ft. structure which is about 63 stories high and look out tiny little windows up to 30 miles to the east and west.  The arch actually sways if there are extreme winds!!!  The Gateway Arch celebrates the westward expansion of the United States and the pioneers who made it possible.

"Happy Birthday Rosella!

The Gateway Arch National Park  represents the opening to a new adventure!

I know  you are always on board for a great experience!

When I was a little girl my Grandfather took me to see the Arch being built. We were there the day the last brick was laided.

When I had my own little girls we visited the arch and went to the top…. There is  a story that I will share….

I hope you have an opportunity take your RV on route 66 see the Arch,  then take a riverboat on the Mississippi, visit Grants Farm, see the  Clydesdales and drink a beer…. Then as the Shenanigan’s begin…. Have an IMO pizza and experience  a Ted Drews Concrete! And finish the day at the Muny Opera .

St Louis is Must see-

Happy Birthday!"

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It was originally called Mukuntuweap National Monument by President Howard Taft but went through a name change due to the fact that it was difficult to pronounce and the National Park Service was worried that if people couldn't pronounce the name then they wouldn't visit the park.

"There is a Quality Inn in Springdale that has an RV park next to it. What’s nice about this RV park is that it is right on the Virgin River where you can swim and float. Bring innertubes for the kids I highly recommend for your RV. " - Blythe

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"The pictures don’t even do it justice- it is that gorgeous.  I spent 2 weeks hiking throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.  The most majestic rock formations and pure beauty was Southern Utah- whether it be Moab, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce or just being in the car (or RV)driving.  In Bryce, you hike into the canyon and walk through the gigantic pillars made from earth and it makes you realize how long this earth has been around and what a tiny part of all of it you are. " - Deb

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Glacier National Park has long been home to Wolves. By 1910 there were only three or four packs remaining in the United States—all in Glacier National Park, which was established that year. Sadly, all wolves were eliminated from the park by 1936. The park was wolf-free for about 50 years until the 1980s when members of the Magic Pack, from Canada, denned and birthed a litter of five pups in the North Fork area. Due to changing public values and attitudes, the wolf population within the park has prospered and today there are six to eight packs.