Badlands NP

                                                                   

Good Times in the Badlands:

The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.

11 June 2026

spent a day doing the drive from Wall to the Visitor Center to pick up the new 250th American Revolution stamp. We then headed back to Wall taking in the overlooks and views going back. 

16 Sept 2024:

We did this return visit to take care of the must return list to get in a sunset and sunrise in the park. We spent the first day taking in the park loop road, but in the opposant way we did in 2016. Not much in wildlife except a couple of Buffalo and a bunch of Prairie Dogs. The turn outs offered breathtaking views that make this such a spectacular park, we took in most of the turnouts. We then spent the evening at the Big Foot Pass overlook for the sunset and was treated to an amazing sunset. Up early the next morning and a stop at the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail turnout for the sunrise. We got to watch this amazing sunrise lighting up the valley below and cliff walls around us. We then took in the Visitor Center to take in the exhibits and movie. Ensure to stop by the Paleontologists room to watch them working the fossils found in the park. We highly recommend this Park for a two-day visit and taking in a sunset and sunrise. 

8 July 2016:
This was our first visit to the park and with a name of Badlands we were curious and excited to see just what made this park so special and it only took a few moments of driving into the park to see this would be a great park, the views are amazing and stunning. We stopped at each turnout and was amazed how different each vista was. We have plans to go back for a sunrise or sunset (maybe both). Lots of wildlife to be seen, even Bighorn sheep. We were lucky to spot 3 sheep as we were leaving the Park. This is a park you can do in a few hours or a couple of days depending on how much you want to see. This Park will go on to the must return list.

Click here for photos of our visit of 2016

Click here for photos of our visit of 2024

Click here for photos of our visit of 2026

NPS Website

Our 118th NPS Unit and 17th National Park

Minuteman Missile NHS

 

Hidden in Plain Sight:

During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles was placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert; hundreds remain today. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal. It holds the power to destroy civilization but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site protects two facilities that were once part of a Minuteman Missile field that covered the far western portion of South Dakota from 1963 through the early 1990s. There were 15 Launch Control Facilities that commanded and controlled 150 Launch Facilities (Missile Silos) holding Minuteman ICBM's. The park preserves two of these facilities in their historic state—Launch Control Facility Delta-01 with its corresponding underground Launch Control Center and Launch Facility (Missile Silo) Delta-09. These two sites, along with the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center, comprise Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

11 June 2026

This was a very quick visit to get Daisy's sign picture and the new 250th American anniversary stamp.

17 Sept 2024

This is a great Park to double up with Badlands NP. We took in the Visitor Center first. The movie was well done and explained why sites like these had to exist and still do but now in much smaller numbers. After taking in the movie and exhibits at the Visitor Center we headed west to Delta 09. Delta 09 lies about 15 miles west of the Visitor Center and is a self-guided tour. We dialed the recorded program and listened to an informative nine-part description of what we were seeing around the Delta 09 site. We then stopped at Delta 01 to get pictures. We had missed out on getting tour tickets for the unground tour at Delta 01. This was a great unit to take in. Plan well ahead if you want to try and get tour tickets for Delta 01. We will have put this unit on our must return list when we get our tour tickets. You can do all three sites in a few hours and add an hour if you get tour tickets for Delta 01. Be mindful of hours and days closed for the unit, currently closed on Sundays and Mondays. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 179th NPS Unit

Effigy Mounds NM

Sacred Space

The mounds preserved here are considered sacred by many Americans, especially the Monument's 20 culturally associated American Indian tribes. A visit offers opportunities to contemplate the meanings of the mounds and the people who built them. The 200 plus American Indian mounds are located in one of the most picturesque sections of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.

June 08, 2026

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Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 188th NPS Unit 

Pullman NHP

 

A story of American opportunity.

In a growing Chicago neighborhood, diverse people and stories intertwined. All were seeking opportunity. Some succeeded. Others were limited—by race, gender, or economic status. Their stories came together in Pullman, a planned industrial community famed for its urban design and architecture.

June 4, 2026

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 186th NPS Unit

         

                     

Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley NM

The Catalyst of the Modern Civil Rights Movement

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled to Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered after reportedly whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral near their hometown of Chicago. Her brave decision let the world see the racist violence inflicted upon her son and set the Civil Rights Movement into motion.

2 June 2026

This is a new unit in the NPS system, established July 25, 2023. The monument includes three sites, one in Illinois and two in Mississippi. The Illinois site consists of the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville, Chicago. The church was the site where Mamie Till insisted on an open casket funeral service for her son to let the world see what had been done to her son. More than ten thousand attended the services for Emmett Till and this set in motion the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. There are currently no visitor services at the Church and only the exterior of the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ is open to visitors. Information is currently at the Pullman NHP. We picked up info on the unit at Pullman NHP, and we will pick up the Mississippi sites at a later date. 

NPS Website

Our 187th NPS Unit 

Indiana Dunes NP

Sand and Solitude: 

Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 15,000 acres will continually enchant you.  Hikers will enjoy 50 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers and peaceful forests.

 May 9, 2026

We made a return trip so Daisy could get her BARK Ranger tag. We stopped at the Visitor Center to pick up her tag and pamphlet. They have made major improvements since our last visit in 2019. We then headed to West Beach to let Daisy have a beach day and a good romp in lake Michigan. 

July 22, 2019

Got to take in this new National Park, the last time I was here it was only a National Lakeshore. We started at the Visitor Center and saw the movie then took in the displays that we thought was far less than expected of a National Park. We decide our best approach was to start in the South end of the park, so we headed to West Beach. We took in West Beach with a hike down to the Lakeshore. We headed North and made stops along the way to see the Century of progress Homes, these houses were built for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair to demonstrate modern architectural design, experimental materials, and new technologies. It was then on to Mount Baldy Beach and the star of the park, Mount Baldy. While you cannot climb it anymore, we did walk around it to the beach. This is a great Park to take in and we still have a few areas to see so we will be back. 

May 5, 2012

This was a Solo trip for me as the wife and dogs had already headed home. Walked the dunes and enjoyed an afternoon at the beach.

Click here for photos of our visit 2019

Click here for photos of our visit 2026

NPS Website

Our 72nd NPS Unit and 20th National Park

                                    

Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home NM

 

A Civil Rights Partnership

Medgar and Myrlie Evers were partners in the civil rights struggle. The assassination of Medgar Evers in the carport of their home on June 12, 1963, was the first murder of a nationally significant leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, and it became a catalyst for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Myrlie Evers continues to promote issues of racial equality and social justice. 

7 Feb 2026

This site is a relatively new unit established in 2020. The home was the site of the murder of Medgar Evers on June 11, 1963, and became one of the catalysts for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Seeing the home and taking a few moments to reflect on the events there only takes a short time, but none the less this is an important site to see to better understand one of many events that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Taking in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in conjunction with a visit here will explain the events that led up to that fateful day in 1963. We spent less than an hour here. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 185th NPS Unit

Fort Donelson NB

 

"Fort Donelson will hereafter be marked in Capitals on the maps of our United Country..."

Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union. 

19 Nov 2025

As we always do, we started this unit at the Visitor Center. They only have a small temporary trailer right now (since 2005) due to remodeling of the Visitor Center. Those that think our government works fast should do a study on that fiasco. We picked up our normal things but did not do the movie, we will watch it online later. We headed out on a 11-stop loop. The loop is well done and follows the battle well. We did not know much about the battle here, but we now have a clear understanding about how important this victory was for the Union and how it marked the start of beginning of the end of the Civil War. Daisy got her new BARK Ranger tag after doing the required three pictures with us and showing the Ranger. We spent three hours here on this visit. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 184th NPS Unit

   

Grand Teton NP

Mountains of the Imagination:

Rising above a scene rich with extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain, the Teton Range stands monument to the people who fought to protect it. These are mountains of the imagination. Mountains that led to the creation of Grand Teton National Park where you can explore over two hundred miles of trails, float the Snake River or enjoy the serenity of this remarkable place.

Aug 17, 2025

We decided to extend our yearly Yellowstone visit to Teton NP this year. We stopped at the Colter Bay visitors Center and the many turnouts between Colter Bay and The Craig Thomas Discovery Center and Visitor Center.  We stopped at the Chapel of the Transfiguration to take in one of the most spectacular views at any of the National Parks, maybe this is a bit biased but so far in our visits this sits in the top stop so far. We then headed over to a new part of the park we have not been to before, Mormon Row. this is a must do to take in the views and history of the area. After taking in all we could for the day we headed for home. This trip was a long day but well worth the extra time that we normally spend on our Yellowstone trips.

June 23, 2023

We made a short stop at the Colter Bay Visitor Center to take a break from the drive down to Salt Lake City. 

April 1993 Unknown Date
Karen and I took in a few more of the sites in the beautiful park. As always, we are wanting to make a return visit.

July 1990 Unknown Date
Us and our kids got to take in the granger of this park with a stop at the Colter Bay and Jenny Lake Visitor Centers. The views were amazing and I'm sure we will be making a return visit.

Click here for pictures of our visit 2025

NPS Website

Our 5th NPS Unit and 3rd National Park