For the uninitiated like me....

(07-01-2026 09:39 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 08:11 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 07:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  I've been trying since 1990 to eventually do all the continental national parks. I've done 34 since 1990 and 5 others before that (a half dozen I did before 1990 but have done again since then. The problem is they keep adding new parks! I've got 14 to go, but 10 of them are relatively new.

When you have time, could you give me a list of your favorites, and why? Not long ago, they were up to 63, but they have added some since then.

North Cascades 4

That's criminal

(07-02-2026 10:13 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 12:10 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I personally liked Rocky Mountain, but we didn't stop much. The Trail Ridge Road scared Edy so bad that I just needed to get her down off those mountains as quickly as possible. But now in an RV, even a small one, I still won't do Trail Ridge again, b/c I'm not yet familiar enough with driving an RV there.

I hated seeing RVs on that road! But it is a little wider than it was back in the 70s/80s. Still hated to see RVs.

One time a friend and I went camping. He had all the gear. We stayed near Bear Lake and it snowed overnight. Did a 7 mile round trip hike from the campground over to Dream Lake (there's a spot on the road to Bear Lake where you can park and do an easy mile round trip-best payoff for effort of any place in the national parks). There was only one set of footprints in the snow. After a while we passed the two girls, whose prints they were, coming back. Soon there were no tracks. It was beautiful and pristine. We had to turn around at Dream Lake because the snow was so deep, we had no idea where the trail was and where the lake was.

Hiking alone is something I need to pay attention to. I have never traveled alone anywhere much, other than tailgates. I have otherwise always been with my wife or other family members or friends.

I only plan to travel from about April through November, then go park somewhere warm Dec. through March. So I'm doing my best to avoid snow. The only exception might be Yellowstone in the winter. One time.

OTOH, I have been to Yellowstone twice, both in the middle of summer. It snowed on me both times, lol.

Hail will be an issue, too. That bothers me more than snow.

So either way, I know I will be a close watcher of the weather anywhere I am, anytime.

(07-02-2026 10:13 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 12:10 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I personally liked Rocky Mountain, but we didn't stop much. The Trail Ridge Road scared Edy so bad that I just needed to get her down off those mountains as quickly as possible. But now in an RV, even a small one, I still won't do Trail Ridge again, b/c I'm not yet familiar enough with driving an RV there.

I hated seeing RVs on that road! But it is a little wider than it was back in the 70s/80s. Still hated to see RVs.

One time a friend and I went camping. He had all the gear. We stayed near Bear Lake and it snowed overnight. Did a 7 mile round trip hike from the campground over to Dream Lake (there's a spot on the road to Bear Lake where you can park and do an easy mile round trip-best payoff for effort of any place in the national parks). There was only one set of footprints in the snow. After a while we passed the two girls, whose prints they were, coming back. Soon there were no tracks. It was beautiful and pristine. We had to turn around at Dream Lake because the snow was so deep, we had no idea where the trail was and where the lake was.

We snowshoed bear lake one winter about 20 years ago and it was awesome. Only time I’ve been to RMNP though, I need to go back.

(07-01-2026 09:09 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 08:09 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 07:15 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 11:16 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 11:02 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  If you're out that way, DO NOT miss going to Devil's Tower. It's the coolest place in America that I've ever visited. I went just before sundown and watched the setting sun behind it which was very cool and made for great photos. Since it was later in the day, there weren't many people there so it was incredibly serene. You could hear the wind blowing past it and it make a spiritual sound that filled me with an amazing peace. It was easy to see why the natives used it as a spiritual retreat.

That's definitely on my list, as is all of the Black Hills and Badlands NP. I am likely going to create my domicile in South Dakota, so that area will be the very first place I visit.

Its pretty cool.

Warning. Hail is common in South Dakota in the summer. We got in a big storm near Custer State Park, but didn't get the worst of it, merely about 5 minutes of golf ball size. The next town looked like it had snowed. We saw a couple cars in the parking lot at our hotel that looked like golf balls with all the dimples. There was a couple on motorcycles stopping in a tunnel and the woman looked pretty dazed.

Probably said this in the original thread, but Wind Caves NP and Custer State Park are really worth it for the buffalo herds. And if its hot, it will feel GREAT being in the cave. Don't miss Wall Drug Store when you go to Badlands. Its not possible to miss all the billboards! The MinuteMan Missile NHS near Badlands is also worth the stop.

We went in the summer of 2021 just after all the quarantines were lifted. We flew into Rapid City and rented a car and of course did Badlands and Mt. Rushmore. Didn't get to Crazy Horse. Didn't have time to do the Deadwood old West Town. Then we went on to Glacier NP and did Teddy Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Teddy Roosevelt was nice, but the buffalo herds paled in comparison to Wind Caves and Custer.

And in case you haven't already, you need to figure out the restrictions on the National Parks. We had to get into Glacier before 6 am. There were supposedly daily reservations freed every day at 8am, but we could never get through the phone line. It wasn't bad since it was less crowded. After we did Going to the Sun Road, we tried to enter the east side of the park in one of the unrestricted entrances. But it was closed for an undetermined amount of time because they had no parking. It was 4 or 5 at that point, so we headed back to Whitefish where we were staying. And if you are planning on eating out at a restaurant, Whitefish was completely booked up. We drove down to Kalispell to eat.

I haven't been anywhere near the Black Hills at all, so this visit will be great fun for me.

I worry about hail. Best action is to get under a roof or a giant tree, if possible. Hail that big would destroy my solar panels and the fiberglass roof. I would be SOL if I were in Badlands NP.

I'm on no schedule, other than dying, lol, so I will stay at each area location until I have seen all I want to see. As for restrictions, since the time you visited, almost all NPs have dropped restrictions, per my searches.

At Glacier, I plan to park my RV and ride one of the old motor cars across GTTS Road and back.

I will eat out now and then, but most of the time plan to grill outside the RV, so as not to stink up the joint. Anybody have suggestions for a grill? I would like a combo gas grill and griddle but haven't found one with the right price and reviews yet.

In my previous lifetime of travel, I find that I should aim for weeknights, and skip trying to eat out on weekends or holidays.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

The hail was in the hills near Mt. Rushmore. Shouldn't be an issue out in the Badlands.

I mentioned the Badlands b/c out there, if hail strikes, there are no big trees or roofs to get under.

(07-01-2026 07:21 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 04:40 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'll make it political..

You wouldn't dare try this in a democratic economy, ha..

Safe travels Trips. I look forward to seeing where your adventure takes you.

You guys are so bad. We actually put this up here so somebody wouldn't complain about the thread not being political.

But thanks. I'm certainly looking forward to it. Had my first showing today. They called within 30 minutes of the listing this morning. But my spidey senses say they're not a buyer. Stayed two hours. Good. Took lots of notes. Bad.

Another showing Friday. Bad weekend to list. July 4.

If it makes you feel any better, 6 years ago, we looked at a house that was listed the day after Memorial Day. We got in that day.. Looked at it.. Liked it.. Some realtors here had people they gave heads up on, and they had walk throughs starting at 9 that morning and had several that afternoon after us...

We made an offer that night.. Luckily the owner wanted a say.. He liked that we were a young family with a small child and that's what he wanted, a family to take over the house he raised his family in. He accepted the next morning.. We signed the papers the week after the 4th... We did some painting, new flooring, and painting.. Did this a week after we signed, moved in, and was living there by the end of July beginning of August.

You can come park in my pasture and go see Safari Wild with all the exotic animals about 5 miles away. It's truly the only cool thing to do in Mississippi.

And no I've never been there.

(07-02-2026 01:10 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  You can come park in my pasture and go see Safari Wild with all the exotic animals about 5 miles away. It's truly the only cool thing to do in Mississippi.

And no I've never been there.

The "only cool thing to do in Mississippi," and you've never been there.

So what does they say about you?

And no, I'm not about to drive my 12,500 pound GVWR RV into anybody's pasture, lol. That's over SIX TONS.

Hell, completely unloaded, without driver, it still weighs about 9,550 pounds. Almost 5 tons. It ain't no lightweight.

(07-02-2026 01:10 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  You can come park in my pasture and go see Safari Wild with all the exotic animals about 5 miles away. It's truly the only cool thing to do in Mississippi.

And no I've never been there.

So I looked it up on Google. Place is apparently permanently closed. Dang, I was so looking forward to that.

(07-02-2026 07:32 AM)mlb Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 10:42 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 07:53 AM)mlb Wrote:  Pinning this. Look forward to following along.

K
How do you “pin”?

I get what it is, how to?
Thx!

You have to have moderator powers to do it.

Wellllll, aren’t you the benevolent dictator?!?


K. Get it now, this will be fun to follow.

(07-02-2026 01:41 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 01:10 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  You can come park in my pasture and go see Safari Wild with all the exotic animals about 5 miles away. It's truly the only cool thing to do in Mississippi.

And no I've never been there.

So I looked it up on Google. Place is apparently permanently closed. Dang, I was so looking forward to that.

Wow. I wonder when they closed. I had no idea. I drive past it often.

Time is the most valuable thing we have and if the house doesnt sell as quick as you think. Might want to consider going ahead getting that RV, get your short trips in and get use to it. I assume you are waiting and paying cash after the house close....

60 to 90 days to a young fart is nothing that could be one more NP you get to check off before checking out.

get a note on the RV, pay it off after you close and you are ready to head out west that day. If that doesnt work I would waste a few hundred and rent one to make sure its the fit you want.

(07-02-2026 02:34 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 01:41 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-02-2026 01:10 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  You can come park in my pasture and go see Safari Wild with all the exotic animals about 5 miles away. It's truly the only cool thing to do in Mississippi.

And no I've never been there.

So I looked it up on Google. Place is apparently permanently closed. Dang, I was so looking forward to that.

Wow. I wonder when they closed. I had no idea. I drive past it often.

Aha, I saw on Google Maps that it was closed, which makes no sense for July, so I assumed it was permanent (but I also used the word "apparently.") So just now I did a search on Google (not Maps) asking if it closed permanently, when and why, and got this:

Quote:The Safari Wild Animal Park & Preserve in Como, Mississippi (just 40 miles south of Memphis) did not close permanently. It paused operations for a long-term renovation .The park is closed to visitors for upgrades and repairs. It is scheduled to reopen in Spring 2027...

Oh cool, I always meant to go there and thought my typical procrastination had doomed me to never see it.

And Andy, are you sure? My pasture rental rates are quite fair.

(07-02-2026 03:26 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  And Andy, are you sure? My pasture rental rates are quite fair.

Ok, I'll come, but only if you agree to pay the towing bill for that giant hunk of heavy metal, if I get stuck out there.

Deal?

Wait.....

(07-02-2026 03:54 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  Wait.....

Ya big sissy...a 5 or 6 ton towing charge should be a piece of cake...especially if you have a large pasture.

It’s full of hay rolls right now, might be crowded.

Yeah, that’s it.

(07-02-2026 04:28 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  It’s full of hay rolls right now, might be crowded.

Yeah, that’s it.

I understand. Just make sure you are keeping a close eye on all that hay, b/c it tends to become combustible in the summer, with sufficient internal microbial and chemical breakdown.