I read a book last week by a man who visited all of the National Parks in one year. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book. It wasn’t what I expected though as it was more about him and less about the parks, and I was struck by how different my own travel experiences are. In retrospect, that shouldn’t have surprised me. And of course, his experience as a man traveling is very different than the experience as a woman traveling. Women have to worry about personal safety in a way that no man will ever have to, even when you are traveling with a man, but especially if you aren’t. So reading any travel book by a man, oh, and there are so many, is different than reading a book by a woman, such as Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

However, I was thinking about travel itself, and why I travel, and what traveling has taught me. One of my favorite things to do with Louie is go on a road trip and visit parks and other sites. We love loading up the car and hitting the road, being dirty for a few days, hiking a lot, taking tons of pictures, and finally being grateful to return home. So while visiting National Parks is wonderful, more of our life is spent at home, so how does that affect it?

Caption: Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, going up to the Loch from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Summer 2015

The National Parks Service has this “Find Your Park” campaign, and truthfully, my park is Forest Park, which is a huge park near my home in St Louis. I love traveling, and I especially love the mountains. I love seeing wildlife, and getting out into terrain and parts of the country that are very different than where I live, but I don’t want one park. I want them all, and not in a bucket list way, but in the way that I want to experience different places. I have enjoyed returning to places like Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park, but I also have enjoyed seeing new places like Jasper National Park, Colorado National Monument, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Caption: The Colorado River. I swear there’s a picture somewhere in Louie’s albums of me by the River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but I don’t have it. This is a picture I took at the bottom. Spoiler: going down is the easy part. May 2016

The crowds can be an issue. Everybody loves the National Parks! Camping reservations can be hard to get. So another part of the Find Your Park idea can be to find somewhere less popular that may have a more quiet beauty. This summer I am hoping we can travel some, but I’m looking at more off-the-beaten path places that won’t attract the same crowds, but more importantly, don’t require as much advance planning. I just looked at Rocky Mountain NP camping reservations and they are nearly full at my favorite campground for the summer. Not surprising, but we can’t plan a trip until we are vaccinated, and we have no idea when that will be.

Caption: Great Smoky Mountains, and you can just see how damp it was there. This was walking around an area near Gatlinburg where the fires had burned quite a lot. Our wettest camping trip ever! Summer 2017.

Normally by this time of the year I would have my summer at least mapped out. That may sound crazy to some of you (and it may sound a bit crazy in general) but it was fairly necessary in order to make sure we could fit in various family visits and stuff. It’s all up in the air now, and I hope I get to see my family as well as do a little random traveling.

Caption: Glacier National Park, our first views after driving all day from Yellowstone. Each place is new and wonderful, even when the one you left may still be your favorite place. Summer 2019.

Caption: Standing on a rock at Colorado National Monument, Summer 2016.

But I’ve gotten off topic from my thoughts on the National Parks. Everybody has their own travel style: some like to rough it, others prefer middle-of-the-road comfort, others high end luxury. Some people like to go for a long weekend or a week, others have more time off in a row and can get away longer. Some love flying, others love hitting the open road. Some people like to picnic and cook, others prefer to buy all their food ready-made. Everybody has their own travel style, and of course each trip might be different. I love planning trips almost as much as I love taking them so for me the advance planning is half the fun. Other people hate planning and prefer just to show up. Where am I going with this? Nowhere, it’s my blog But maybe just to say, I want to read the book about somebody who didn’t just hit the road. I want to read the book by somebody who spent as much time planning their trip as doing it! I’m sure that book exists (and I’d like it to be by a woman so I can relate more) or I guess I should write it, ha. If I wrote a book I’d have to edit though, rather than with my blog. (I’m aware people DO edit their blogs, it’s just not something I want to spend a lot of time doing. Yes, I’d probably have more followers.)

Caption: On top of Mt. Washburn. Summer 2019.

Caption: Louie in Bryce Canyon, Summer 2016.

I went down a bit of a memory lane the past hour here, looking at old photos, remembering where we had been, remembering how it felt, remembering arguments we had and remembering wonderful experiences we shared. I recall my wonderment and amazement on the hike in Bryce Canyon. I recall feeling scared on a hike in Zion National Park, and feeling like I’d never be dry again in the Great Smokies. I recall being blown away by Colorado National Monument’s beauty, and also feeling incredibly dirty from not showering for days and being relieved we were out of bear country. I remember enjoying taking the bus out to Athabasca Glacier and feeling sick to my stomach now knowing that there was a horrible accident there last summer in which many people lost their lives. I remember hard work putting up our tent, putting away our tent, and everything that goes with camping, and each night I get into bed here I am grateful for how easy my regular life is.

Caption: Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah, Summer 2016

I suppose traveling is never actually about where you go. I mean, it IS, but it’s really about leaving your everyday life to do something special, and try to bring a bit of it back. It’s about finding the special in the mundane as well, and being grateful for the conveniences you have at home, and being more aware of all that you have to feel grateful for.

Caption: Canary Springs, Mammoth, Yellowstone Summer 2019

As we hope to see the beginning of the end of COVID, we will see how travel has changed, and how COVID has changed us. I don’t see trying to make a big plan for this summer, but there will be a summer soon when Louie has finished his doctorate as well, and I would love for us to hit the road for 3 weeks or so. The cats miss us while we are gone of course, and we miss them, but it’s just so nice to be immersed in not being at home, and so worth it. It does change you, though nobody stays the same anyway, travel or not.