Arboretums are fickle places to visit. They can be very interesting, or very boring, depending on the upkeep, the flowers, and what’s in season at the moment. I’m glad to say that I’ve been treated to several arboretums that were…
Camp Cannonville: A Free Campsite with a View
What’s better: A free campsite, or a paid campsite with a view? Or, are you like me, and would say, “Why not both?” However, free campsites with views are difficult to find, so when you find a good one, you…
Free Soak in a Hot Spring: Hot Springs State Park, WY
Ever dreamed of swimming in a thermal hot spring? Feel that it’s just too expensive to go to one of the commercial thermal swimming areas? The answer to your dilemma can be found in central Wyoming at Hot Springs State…
Da Beau’s: Lovely Retreat on Holden Beach (Review)
In early January of this year (2013) we returned to Holden Beach. However, because of some restraints/properties already being booked/price hikes/the need for internet access/etc., we decided to rent a house we’d never been to before: Da Beau’s, 936 Ocean…
Free Ride to NYC: The Staten Island Ferry
I enjoy ferries. There’s something fun about breaking up a trip by driving onto a ferry and taking it to a destination—it sure beats driving around the lake or other water passageway! However, ferries tend to be very expensive, especially…
Campgrounds at Badlands – Sage Creek Campground
If you’ve ever read the Ideas on Free Camping page of my website, you know that I much prefer free campgrounds to campgrounds that charge a fee. Part of this is due to the size of my group (many campgrounds…
Backcountry Car Camping in Big Bend pt 3
In my last two posts (Part 1 and Part 2), I talked about the “primitive roadside campsites” in Big Bend National Park that are (mostly) along the paved park roads and that are along dirt roads in the southern section…
Backcountry Car Camping in Big Bend pt 2
In my last post (Part 1), I talked about the “primitive roadside campsites” in Big Bend National Park that are (mostly) along the paved park roads. Today, I’d like to continue this discussion of “primitive roadside campsites” by talking about…
Backcountry Car Camping in Big Bend pt 1
Several times during the last several weeks I’ve posted information about trails in Big Bend National Park (Emory Peak, Big Balancing Rock, The Den, and the Oak Springs Trail). Today, I’d like to tell you about one of the great…
Holden Beach: The Carolina’s Best Family Beach
We first started vacationing on the North Carolina coast in the mid-1980s, but it would be many years before we found a family friendly, southern-hospitality-flavored beach that we could really enjoy. So many of the beaches in both South Carolina…