In the spring of 2023, while making our way from Brownsville to Camp Cardinal, we had many short stops throughout the southeast. A lot of these stops were at Boondockers Welcome spots, and due to those being private property we don’t review them, but some were not. One of the most memorable stops, if only for the weather, was the Atchafalaya Welcome Center, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. The Atchafalaya Welcome
While touring national parks in Utah, we took the time to check out Zion National Park. Zion National Park has been the most difficult national park for us to access. This hasn’t been due to injury but a combination of popularity and designation. Getting into Zion National Park Zion National Park, for all its popularity, does not have parking available to handle all the visitors it sees day-to-day. While we
One of our destinations while we toured the Las Vegas area was the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Having toured several national parks at this point, we thought it would be an experience similar to what we’ve seen before. And in ways it was, and in others … not so much. Complaints and Concerns From the get-go, this looks like a “national park” experience. However, as soon as you
While staying at the Lake Mead Recreation Area, we were well-placed to spend some time in the nation’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas! While “Sin City” has traditionally been a playground for adults, we were surprised and elated to find just how accessible it was for families, especially those on a tight budget. So read on if you’re interested in tackling Vegas with kids! The Strip It’s hard not to imagine
A while back, we decided we wanted to experience Las Vegas, Nevada as a family. In our research, we found there were not a lot of good opportunities to boondock around the city. However, when we discovered our “Every Kid Outdoors” pass got us into not just national parks, but also into national recreation areas. This really opened up doors for us. The door that we were most excited about
Raising kids is challenging. No one can dispute that. Gallons of ink have been spilled on the internet and libraries on how-to articles, advice chats, and training videos. Through all of these resources and tricks, one of the most powerful tools I’ve come across and use is noticing out loud. What is noticing out loud? It is exactly what it sounds like: Noticing when your children, coworkers, friends, or others
Typically we try to avoid staying in parking lots when there is a nation of public lands to explore, but sometimes we don’t have much choice when we’re trying to keep our travel times manageable. The Morongo Casino was the 2nd or 3rd casino we’ve stayed at, depending on how you define them. Of the three, it was probably our best casino parking experience. Camping Accommodations at Morongo Casino While
When you’re living on the road, you occasionally need to pull off of the road to rest, eat, tend to acts of nature, etc. While exciting, and full of novel experiences, life on the road doesn’t tend to be a very lucrative lifestyle so free camping is one of the best ways to find success. Before you get too involved in looking for free camping sites, you’ll want to do
Apple Canyon Campground was our first experience with “Yellow Post” camping in California. Yellow post camping differs from traditional dispersed camping in that camping is restricted to designated sites, and the sites have minimal improvements in the form of fire rings and benches. The standard rules of dispersed camping still hold true. Stays are limited to 14 days and Leave No Trace is the expectation. Getting to (and leaving) the
It’s no secret that we love to visit national parks. It’s also no surprise that we love to camp for free. Lucky for us, so far we’ve been able to find dispersed camping on public land pretty close to every national park we’ve visited, and Joshua Tree National Park isn’t an exception. Just as Joshua Tree National Park can be split roughly into two areas, so can its dispersed camping