Backpacking Rock Island State Park: Day 3

After a chilly second night, my watch beeped me awake a little after seven.  I began boiling water for a hearty warm meal of dehydrated spicy southwest breakfast hash. Getting up to stretch, slip on my pair of cold hiking boots, a bald eagle flew just feet above the fence of cedars that surrounded my cliffside campsite…

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Backpacking Rock Island State Park: Day 2

My beloved Eureka Taron2 backpacking tent stakes its claim at what I'm confident is the most incredible, jaw-dropping primitive wilderness site to call home in the entire state.  Waking up on an early Saturday morning to blue skies, an eerily calm lake, and pristine fall weather. Remind me next time to bring coffee…

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Backpacking Rock Island State Park: Day 1

Rock Island is the crown jewel of Wisconsin's state park system.  It's also the most remote, hardest to access, and desolate. Gray skies and cold rain couldn't dampen the smile I had hopping off the second ferry at Rock Island State Park, the 40th state park I've traveled to. When I sat down last Octo…

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Exploring the high peaks of Pinnacles National Park

Originally one of the first national monuments set aside to be protected by Teddy Roosevelt, Pinnacles became our 59th national park in 2013 thanks to former President Barack Obama. In all of my travels, I've never been to any national park properties west of the Rocky Mountains. But that changed when I was able t…

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A November update

Thanksgiving was yesterday, today I sincerely hope you take time to opt outside. The past few weeks we've all been bombarded with commercials and ads about flashy "Black Friday" sales, deals, and discounts. While lower numbers next to dollar signs and special financing offers might seem attractive, in rea…

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The National Park Service offers free admission on these days for 2019

Every year, the National Park Service waives entry admission into all of its 418 national monuments, parks, historic sites, memorials and more.  This is always a great way to get out and explore your nearest public lands if you don't have an annual pass or are testing the waters when it comes to buying one. Of th…

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Tapping into New Jersey's industrial past at Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park

Less than an hour drive from the Big Apple sits a weathered city along the Passaic River, that played an integral role in the early development of American history. It's now a National Park. Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park pays tribute to Paterson, America's first planned city of industry and innov…

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The low-down on camping at Buffalo Gap National Grassland

The greatest, best, and most beautiful place I've ever car camped was on top of a cliff in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Here's what you need to know. Over the past few years, I've been ever so grateful to cross-off several national parks, state parks, national monuments, national historic parks and…

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An October update

Greetings and happy Thursday, fall is here and it's time for a little life update.  During my lunch hour today, I felt like doing a bit of travel blogging because in just six hours I'm hopping on a Southwest Airlines flight to Denver. I'm taking a break from my jam-packed schedule of visiting all the Wisco…

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Every adventure vehicle needs a Yakima SlimShady

Will the real slim shady, please stand up. You cannot have a station wagon without a roof rack. Well, at least that's my mantra. Roof racks are a mandatory feature, an imperative must-have for me when it comes to car shopping.  Sure, you can open the liftgate on a station wagon and fold down its seats to create a ca…

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The current status of our public lands

September 22 marks both the first day of fall and  National Public Lands Day , a day to recognize the importance and value of our vast web of open public lands from coast to coast, set aside for conservation and recreation.  In an effort to encourage people to get outside and explore these great places of natural and h…

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A September update

Greetings and raise a glass of your best Oktoberfest beer to the (almost) start of fall! The trees here in Wisconsin are slowly starting to transform into glowing art pieces of copper, crimson, red, orange and sulfur as the temperatures also begin to plunge ever so slightly. I just returned from a trip out west to Ba…

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