Senior Life
Living Life to the Fullest

We Have Been Hiking the USA


We talk to many of our new neighbors (also retired) and many of them have RV's Campers and monster homes on wheels they use to travel.  It is fun to exchange, "Have you been to..." questions with them.  Many have enjoyed the same natural wonders we have.  Others have been to places we have yet to visit.  Others, sadly, have not taken advantage of this new life to travel and See the USA.  Still other take cruises, some every month it seems!

What to do in Retirement?

There is entire Country out there that most of you haven’t seen or visited.  SO Much to see right here in the USA and North America!  Easy to reach and you can tour much of the country for less than the cost (often much less) than the cost of that cruise and you don’t need a passport.  The cost of that one cruise could pay for numerous Road Trips across the USA.

From Mount McKinley in Denali National Park Alaska to Mount Rainier in Washington State to Glacier National Park in Montana the mountains of America are awesome.  Visiting Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota is inspiring and the Crazy Horse Monument nearby is an amazing feat of mountain sculpture that is still in progress.  The State of Utah holds some of the most wondrous National and State parks in the USA; just waiting to be explored.  From the wonderful Root Beer offered in the Moab Brewery to Arches and Canyonlands National parks to Dead Horse State Park, Moab Utah offers splendors to behold.  Zion national Park just outside of Hurricane Utah is just 127 miles NNE from Las Vegas and offers amazing vistas, water falls and hiking trails.

Venturing a bit south to Sedona Arizona offers some amazing vortex trails to explore and vistas to behold.  The fresh desert air and the starlit skies in the night, Sedona offers all the pleasures and adventures you could wish to enjoy.  Venturing a bit into New Mexico, Santa Fe offers such wonderful things from the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the continental USA to the miraculous staircase at Loretto Chapple just down the street on the plaza.  Strolling down Canyon Road, you can see and even purchase some of the most wonderful American art.  Just a short drive North and you can visit Taos in the summer or ski in the winter.  On the way back down to Santa Fe from Taos, driving through the forests on highway 75 will take you to Chimayo where you can enjoy wonderful food and visit El Santuario de Chimayó, called a miraculous place by many, built in 1810.

I have just scratched the surface of many of the wonders the USA offers.  Road Tripping is an adventure in so many ways.  From camping in the National Parks to, as we prefer, staying in pleasant hotels along the way (often with kitchenettes to save on meal exposes).  You don’t have to give up an of the pleasures that a cruise offers because there are wonderful resorts near most of our National Parks.  For the more adventurous, there is even luxurious Glamping for those who want to camp under the star filled sky but not sacrifice creature comforts of room service!  And we haven’t even touched on the wonders of Yellowstone or the Great Smoky Mountains.

Road Tripping is the Way to Go

For Nancy and me, we just love the freedom of the open road, traveling mostly backroads and highways across the USA.  While some roads are in need of repair, we found most were excellent.  I love driving in Texas and New Mexico where the speed limit is 85!  While we now use a Garmin Car Based GPS/Navigation System, early on, we only used our Cell Phones.  Boy is that a MISTAKE.  While most of us are spoiled with great cell phone service, oftentimes in the hinterlands of the West, not so much.  So we have gotten lost a few times before we invested in a Garmin!  Now I also carry a hand-held unit in my backpack not dependent on cell service!

Back to my point.  If you have not traveled by car/RV or whatever across Our Great Land, you should consider doing so. Flying to a big city airport bypasses the Natural Beauty and Wonder of Our Country.  Many of our National Parks are tucked away off minor (sometimes dirt road access) roadways.  Some we have just stumbled upon going from place to place. One of those was Great Sand Dunes National Park.  We were driving the back roads from Denver to Santa Fe and just saw this little sign and said "what the hell" and turned down this road and This is what we found:


So the adventure awaits at every road and turn.  If you get lost, don't worry, enjoy the sites.

This brings up another point.  Try not to over-Plan your trip.  Yes, have your destinations mapped out (Garmin had great tools), but don't book too far in advance. We tried that and it was a disaster.  We found that often the prices were better if you just use the hotel/motel booking site a day or so in advance.  All these travel apps are great for planning but often you don't really save that much money and many force you to pay in advance or pay a penalty.  When doing road trips, flexibility is a key.  

How We Travel

We have visited and hiked in many of the USA National/State Parks and Treasures as well as other interesting sites. Besides the challenges of traveling, we are also living a Plant Based Lifestyle, so have surmounted some challenges when it comes to dining, restaurants and hotel/motel accommodations.

Nancy and I have traveled extensively all over this wonderful Planet, mostly for business. Nancy flew for Delta Airlines and I had my own company and traveled as an IT Consultant.  We have ventured to many places from the USA to Hong Kong, throughout Europe and more.  We always stayed in major cities and seldom had the opportunity to explore the local regions. 

Our plans are to visit as many of the USA National/State Parks and Treasures as we can as well as other interesting sites. Besides the challenges of traveling, we are also Nutritional Vegans, living a Plant-Based Lifestyle, so have surmounted some challenges when it comes to dining, restaurants and hotel/motel accommodations.
Join Us As We Continue our
Hiking/Travel Adventures
Road Tripping

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures we have!