Mike Oswald
@StoneRoadPress
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National Park enthusiast/guidebook maker. Electrical engineer. UW Badger. Friend of prairie dogs. Aspiring horseman. Improving lives of others. Photos by me.
Branch, WI
Joined July 2011
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National Park Camping (and more info) spreadsheet!
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Cataract Falls and Shades State Parks! You're alright, Indiana!
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Make the most of your next National Park trip with any of these helpful books.
National Park Maps features large maps for all 63 parks, driving distance charts, favorite lists, and suggested itineraries.
The Dayhiker’s Guide to the National Parks includes 198 trail maps,…
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Was just scrolling pics and stumbled upon this classic! How can you not love prairie dogs!?!?
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@DrZedZha
What a story! This is the kind of thing journalists should be tracking down, rather than the typical divide and conquer rubbish. Thank you for sharing.
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This feels like a good time to repeat ...
1). Don't be afraid to be curious on the trails. Many of the best features are unmarked (and often intentionally hidden). Look for obvious trails. Don't make new ones. There are lots of fun spurs at Giant City!
2). Trails/destinations…
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Out with summer.
In with fall. Regardless the season, it's always a good time to explore your public lands.
Happy Public Lands day, everyone. It was fee free at all NPS units that charge an entry fee today.
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Happy Valentine's Day from me and this goose I met earlier today!
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Map Monday: Yellowstone! A lot of people have heard Yellowstone is a supervolcano (waiting to blow!--only kidding a little bit). But are you aware of its scale?
If you're admiring the early rays of light illuminating Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (or any time :), you're in the…
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Trail Tuesday: Badlands only has about 10 miles of official trails and a few of them converge at The Castle.
The Castle is a very prominent Badlands Landscape. And you can walk up its weathered spine to a stunning perch overlooking miles and miles of eroded rock and grasslands.…
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Trail Tuesday: Half Dome!!!
Among a great big playground of unreal rocks, Half Dome might just be the best of the bunch--especially if you want to play rock climber for a day.
Wood slats go up along the back of Half Dome, making it accessible to a wider range of visitors ... of…
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Trail Tuesday: Mount Rainier's Burroughs!
Mount Rainier is an imposing sight from many corners of Washington, but from the First or Second Burroughs in the park's Sunrise region, it feels like you can touch the massive volcano where the waters begin.
Burroughs isn't the only…
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Trail Tuesday: Delicate Arch (Arches National Park)!!!
This short, relatively easy hike leading to the iconic arch of Utah license plate fame is one of the better easy-ish national park trails.
There are arch-viewing alternatives--Lower and Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoints--but…
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Trail Tuesday:
#3
(Turkey Run State Park, Indiana)
Had a blast poking around this area! Covered bridges and narrow canyons.
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Map Monday: Mount Rainier!!
You can't tell from the map, but Mount Rainier is hard to miss ... it's 14,410 feet tall. What makes it stand out is its prominence. It towers 13,212 feet above its surroundings, more prominent than K2 (the world's second highest summit behind…
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Map Monday: Yosemite Valley!
Yosemite recently announced they'll be returning to a reservation system during peak visitation (between 5am and 4pm). That's weekends from April 13 through June 30. Daily from July 1 through August 16. And back to weekends from August 17 until…
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Trail Tuesday: Black Elk Peak!
Another CCC masterpiece! Little Devil's Tower, Needles, and Black Elk Peak.
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Map Monday: Arches National Park!
Arches is relatively small (70k acres), but in its boundary there are more than 2,000 sandstone arches.
Part of the appeal is there's a lot to see from the road, and the hiking trails are short, relatively easy, and packed with whacky rocks.…
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Trail Tuesday: Mauna Loa! The park calls it the World's Most Massive Mountain (when measuring from the ocean floor). Superlatives aside, it's pretty wild to find some snow in Hawaii!
You'll also find two unique restrooms. What this one lacks in privacy, it makes up in scenery.…
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Trail Tuesday: Big Plateau (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
Visitors love Theodore Roosevelt National Park for its small crowds, abundant wildlife, and colorful badlands. I love TR for its prairie dogs! TR moved to the Dakotas after his wife and mother died on the same day. He…
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Trail Tuesday (on a Wednesday): Hiked around Starved Rock State Park (Illinois) this morning.
Canyons galore! I feel like there's a story behind the name Starved Rock. It wasn't on the signage. The French called it "The Rock" and built a fort there. Did Americans cut off supply…
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Map Monday: Death Valley!!!
Death Valley recently reopened after flood damage from Tropical Storm Hilary ... and visitors will be rewarded with wildflowers and standing water in what's a typically stark desert.
What it lacks in habitability, Death Valley makes up for in…
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Trail Tuesday: Chimney Rock Canyon/Spring Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, Utah)
Small parking lot. Tall red cliffs. Great trail!
You can hike one-way through Chimney Rock and Lower Spring Canyons, getting picked up along SR-24 after about 9 miles of pure bliss. It requires…
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Trail Tuesday: Pipiwai Trail (Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii)
Sticking with the sun theme ... Haleakala means "house of the sun" but over on the cloudy side of the massive volcano, you'll find a lush jungle and more than 100s of waterfalls. The star of this hike is…
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Time to brag about how I rode the same horse as Time's Person of the Year in her Wildest Dreams video.
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Trail Tuesday: Golden Canyon (Death Valley)
Let's stay in Death Valley, since right now visitors are getting a real treat (a waterlogged and wildflowered valley) after the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Hillary.
Golden Canyon is one of the park's premier trails. It leads…
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Map Monday: Canyonlands National Park (Utah)!!!
I'm on the road so my image selection is much more limited, but I wanted to stick with Canyonlands/Arches. Within Two of the world's most scenic rivers converge in Canyonlands, the Green and Colorado.
You can drive (off-road) and…
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Trail Tuesday: Lake Solitude (Grand Teton National Park)!
For a park as popular as Grand Teton, you'd think there'd be more miles of hiking trails (< 100 miles total). Fortunately, the miles it has, are quite spectacular.
The loop to Lake Solitude has become a hiking classic…
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Map Monday: The Everglades!
The Everglades is an awfully unique place. It protects the longest continuous stretch of mangroves in the world. It's the only place alligators and crocodiles can be found side by side. And it's the most significant destination for tropical wading…
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Trail Tuesday: Old Man's Cave/Whispering Cave/Cedar Falls (Hocking Hills State Park)
The first word that comes to mind while hiking around the Old Man's Cave area is enchanting. There are waterfalls, tunnels, bridges, and an endless interaction of water and rock.
It's a popular…
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Save 25% at by using code Save25
These U.S. National Park guidebooks (and wool hats) make great gifts for anyone who loves the U.S. National Parks.
The code will work until the clock strikes 2024! Enjoy the winter holidays, everyone.
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Map Monday: Hocking Hills State Park!
Had a radio interview in Columbus, OH, and while I was cursing the rain on the drive there ... April showers bring April waterfalls!
Absolutely gorgeous park, with a variety of high reward, relatively low effort trails.
Had plenty of time…
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Trail Tuesday: Harding Icefield (Kenai Fjords National Park)!
It's a muddy mess here in Wisconsin right now, so let's go somewhere you'll find snow all year-round ... Alaska! The vast majority of Alaska is trailless wilderness, but there are a few fantastic maintained national…
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Trail Tuesday: Endless Wall at New River Gorge National Park, the most recent NPS unit redesignated to "National Park" status!
This wall is as endless as Olive Garden's breadsticks are bottomless, meaning there's plenty of wall for everyone to leave feeling satisfied. And it has…
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Map Monday: Shawnee National Forest
So, I had Jackson Falls, First Southern Descent, Devil's Backbone, and Natural Arch in mind ... I saw they were on gravel roads, I was pulling a trailer full of books.
It didn't work out well. Ended up backing into an empty campsite near…
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Trail Tuesday: Bryce Canyon's amphitheater loops!
Yesterday I talked about October being the perfect time to visit southern Utah. While that's true, unexpected things can happen ... like snow! Last time I was out there, I was enjoying 70-80 degree days at Capitol Reef, and then…
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Trail Tuesday (Happy Halloween!): Caprock Coulee (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
Caprock Coulee isn't a trail that's going to knock your socks off, but it is one where you can be pretty underwhelmed if you only do the short Nature Trail (out-and-back).
Complete the loop and…
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Trail Tuesday: Kilauea Iki!
Who doesn't want to walk on the floor of what once was a roiling lake of lava???
The only thing better is seeing a raucous lava lake!! Hawaii Volcanoes is said to be the
#1
most visited Hawaiian travel destination. And it's no slouch, but it's far…
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Happy Map Monday! The Teton Range provides one of the most recognizable skylines on the planet.
And there are famous sites like Moulton Barns.
Schwabacher Landing.
And less famous ones like Temple of the Transfiguration and Cunningham Cabin. They are all well-worth visiting…
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Give a man a jar of pickles and he'll eat pickles for a day. Teach a man to pickle and he'll eat pickles for life... since eating Cubans on a regular basis it was time to defray pickle $$ to pickling products.
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Hey writers of Twitter, if you think I'll love your book(s), message me about it (them). I'll buy a copy, read it, and if I love it I'll make a little display area for you at upcoming shows where it'll reach thousands of eyeballs. (If you want to send a carton of books, I'll sell…
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Trail Tuesday: Alkali Flat (White Sands National Park in New Mexico)!!!
White Sands is one of the more spectacular settings you'll find on this planet. Testament to its beauty and uniqueness is how many music videos/album covers/movies are shot here. But people have been…
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Trail Tuesday: Shark Valley (Everglades)!!!
Everglades isn't known for its hiking. Elevation peaks at eight feet. Most of the park is water, wet, or mangrove. But there a few trails (about 50 miles worth). The most notable are Anhinga (near Coe Visitor Center) and Shark Valley…
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Map Monday!
I spent the weekend at a camping and RV show in Detroit, so I was thinking about Isle Royale (in the Upper Peninsula) a great deal of the time.
Isle Royale is the largest island in Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world (by area). The water in Lake…
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@DrZedZha
Thanks for actually thinking (and caring) about people's circumstances. It feels like there should be a buffer between doctor and patient who sorts out the human side of things ... but that's just me and I've been wired to avoid hospitals unless absolutely necessary from…
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Nothing's more fulfilling than encountering a well-used and much-loved copy of your work and the people who put the miles on!
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Map Monday: Let's stay i Hawaii for a bit since it's FREEZING here with snow on the ground. Hawaii is often called the Big Island. Well, how big is it?
It's pretty big. Just about Rhode Island + Delaware big. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park alone is roughly the size of Kauai (the…
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After weeks of a little cat and mouse of someone trying to hack my Facebook account, they finally got in. Two interesting points:
1). They got in when I got sick of their nonsense and set up 2-factor authentication.
2). They hacked it, linked an Instagram page, and it…
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Map Monday!
National Park visitation varies year-to-year, park-to-park, but one thing remains the same ... Great Smoky Mountains receives the most visitors.
Last year: ~13M
2021: ~14M
2020:~12M
2019:~13M
2015-2018: ~11M
You get the idea. It receives a whole lot of visitors.…
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Map Monday: Flight 93 National Memorial (Shanksville, PA)
9/11 is one of those you-know-where-you-were-when days. Two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center. Another hit the Pentagon. Another crashed, inverted at a 45-degree angle, into an abandoned mine site in rural…
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Map Monday: This one isn't very interesting. I just wanted a reason to post a picture of my spirit animal, the Mighty Prairie Dog!!!
But there are many interesting facts about Theodore Roosevelt.
1). He remains the youngest president in history.
2). He set aside more than 200M…
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You can find Castle and nearly 300 more great National Park hiking trails in The Dayhiker's Guide to the National Parks. Available now wherever books are sold, or here's the link to Amazon:
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Map Monday: Isle Royale holds a few interesting titles among U.S. National Parks.
1). It's the only park that closes for winter (there are eight national parks in Alaska)!
2). It's the least visited park in the Lower 48!
3). It has the highest returning visitor rate of all the…
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Stack a cheese wheel, bratwurst, and Green Bay Packer on top of this six-pack, and that's pretty much Wisconsin.
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Map Monday: Middle-of-Nowhere Southeast Illinois!!
Took a little drive south to look at the sun!
1st mistake: looking for a good spot to set up, I thought "who needs 4 minutes of totality, when you can have 3 minutes on top of this hill?" 3 minutes flies by!
2nd and 3rd…
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Trail Tuesday: Sliding Sands Trail!!!
Even if the name intimidates you, I'd suggest walking over to the Sliding Sands trailhead (at the far end of the summit visitor center parking area) to at least check it out. Yes, there's a serious grade and lose gravel ... but it's truly…
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Nearly 300 more exceptional National Park hiking trails can be found in this brand new book!
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Map Monday: Arches & Canyonlands National Parks
October is just about the perfect time to explore Arches and Canyonlands (mountain biking White Rim Road pictured above). Crowds have thinned. Daytime highs typically reach into the 70s, perfect for hiking. Nights are cool, perfect…
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Map Monday: Left for a week and returned to more than a foot of snow and -4°F so we're back in Hawaii with something really warm ... Lava!
Recent eruptions have occurred in three locations:
Halemaumau (January 2023)
Mauna Loa (November 2022)
Puu Oo (April 2018)
Big Island…
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@DrZedZha
No stats to back it up, but I feel like the percentage of people who ridicule others for doing things that aren't hurting anyone is increasing while the percentage of people who defend others who are actively being abused (physically or mentally) is decreasing.
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Sunday Stats: 99 out of 100 prairie dogs fed by humans want to be fed by the next human. Please don't feed the wildlife.
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A9 - Last time in Utah it was 70 at Capitol Reef one day, high of 30 (with snow) the next so I hustled to Bryce Canyon ... one man was walking the amphitheater saying "it's a beautiful day in a beautiful place." Never saw so many smiling faces in a park at the same time!…
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Map Monday: Rumor has it Santa gets his reindeer from Alaska's Western Arctic region, home to two national parks (Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley) and maybe 150,000 caribou.
Here's wishing you much more than a merry Christmas and hopefully 2024 brings you plenty of laughs…
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@buitengebieden
Everyone's working on self-driving cars ... we should be working on dogs driving everything!
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Thick brisket Tuesday! One of the biggest joy boosts in my life was seasoning/marinating food and cooking to a specific temperature. The yum returns versus effort/cost are huge!
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I really need to dig a little deeper into the closet. We just realized I'm wearing the exact same thing right now and on this cover.
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Sunday Stats: A little Yellowstone Pie!
Much is made about ruining nature by pavement, parking areas, and trails.
Let's take a look at the first National Park, Yellowstone. It has 251 miles of roads. About 1,000 miles of trails. Let's assume the average road is 24 feet wide. A…
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Map Monday: Hawaii!!!
Visiting National Parks quickly makes you realize how incredible present-day transportation is and that the United States (and planet Earth) is (are) very big.
Hawaii is the most isolated island chain on the planet. It's about 2,400 miles from Channel…
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Map Monday: The United States!
First, I know, I'm not a big fan of Google Maps' new color scheme either.
Second, I've been reading about FDR and the CCC and I knew the New Deal shaped our country as we know it today, but I never really had a clue to what extent.
The Civilian…
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Map Monday: The Dust Bowl and Great Plains Shelterbelt!
The 20s were a time of ample rain and good farming across the Great Plains. The 30s were marked by severe drought and desperate farmers. Native grasses held moisture and protected the topsoil. They were removed to eek out a…
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Check out The Dayhiker's Guide to the National Parks () to learn more about Everglades and the other 62 National Parks in the United States.
I chose this as an example to show the Everglades section doesn't include any specific trail maps. They aren't…
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Map Monday (Friday Edition): Denali (20,310 ft elevation) is the highest peak in North America. It's the centerpiece of the park, but most visitors never get particularly close to it (many don't even see it--clouds form around the mighty mountain, especially on humid summer days…
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21 hours of driving means it's finally time to buy all the Hardcore History episodes!
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Q12
#ParkChat
– I loved chatting with all of you tonight. For any guidebook users out there, what would you love to see covered better? National Monuments? All NPS units? Alaska? Something else?
It's been fun, everyone! Time to catch up on some comments.
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Learn more about Bryce Canyon's trails and nearly 300 more in The Dayhiker's Guide to the National Parks ... released today, wherever books are sold.
Here's the amazon link:
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And here's a little bit of Kauai, home to one of the most beautiful coastlines on the planet, the Na Pali Coast. You may be tempted to take a big boat out here for a smoother ride, but smaller craft allow for sea cave exploration!!
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Trail Tuesday (Friday Edition): Joshua Tree is all kinds of fun. Funky trees and even funkier rocks.
Boy Scout Trail is fantastic! You're going to be best off if you can cache a car. I'd suggest starting at Indian Cove, so the highlight (Wonderland of Rocks) is closer to the…
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Lake Solitude and nearly 300 more amazing hikes are detailed in The Dayhiker's Guide to the National Parks!
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Map Monday (prairie dog edition): Wind Cave National Park, Badlands National Park, and Custer State Park
I think the only thing that's grown more than Moab is the prairie dog population in the Dakota!! These three parks are filled with them ... as a bonus of all the dogs, I saw…
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John Oliver knows a bird-loving community when he sees one! He wasn't the first and I'm sure he won't be the last to put up a bird-based billboard in this town.
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Thick Trail Thursday (Bunion Edition): Charlie's Bunion (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)!
Charlie's is the only celebrated bunion I know about in our public lands and it is absolutely glorious.
It's a relatively easy hike along the Appalachian Trail to this rocky…
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Found these earlier today ... bet the choice is a little like how Punxatawney Phil feels when he goes back in his hole.
Happy Groundhog Day! Let's do it again tomorrow.
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Sliding Sands and many more trails can be found in this book!
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Today I received a tent from
@SandSpokeStone
and I believe it's found the perfect home as the rain fly porthole on my current 2-person tent is a Ziploc bag!!! Thank you, Sand-Spoke-Stone!
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Sunday Stats: Here's a little pie for your Easter Sunday!
I've been looking at public land camping.
National Parks (All 429 NPS Units): 346 Campgrounds
National Forests: 5,083 Campgrounds
Of course, National Forest campgrounds aren't the monstrosities you'll find at the big…
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