Glenwood Dunes Extension Trail

July 2, 2024.Reading time 11 minutes.

Trail #6 of the Indiana Dunes National Park 1966 Hiking Challenge is the Glenwood Dunes Extension Trail in Porter, Indiana. This trail is part of the larger Glenwood Dunes trail system but was added as a ranger-led tour for the challenge starting at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center parking lot. We went inside the center […]

Mount Baldy

July 1, 2024.Reading time 8 minutes.

Trail #5 of our Indiana Dunes National Park 1966 Hiking Challenge is the Mount Baldy Beach/Kintzle Ditch Trail in Michigan City, Indiana. The Mount Baldy trail is a short hike with a steep climb down loose sand on Indiana’s largest dune down to the beach. The dune and shoreline are in a constant state of […]

Miller Woods

June 30, 2024.Reading time 14 minutes.

Trail #4 of the Indiana Dunes National Park 1966 Hiking Challenge is the Paul H. Douglas Trail at Miller Woods in Gary, Indiana. Where eastern hardwood forests meet western tall grass prairies, there is a unique and endangered ecosystem- the black oak savanna. According to the National Park Service, less than 0.02% of oak savanna […]

Pinhook Bog

June 26, 2024.Reading time 8 minutes.

Trail #3 of the Indiana Dunes National Park 1966 Hiking Challenge is the Pinhook Bog in LaPorte, Indiana. The Upland Trail is a forest of Beech and Maple trees growing on top of a glacial moraine formed 15,000 years ago. The trail inside the bog itself was made from a depression in the moraine when […]

Hiking Beaverdam Park

July 14, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

At the top of our wish list for the River House trip was hiking with the family. Dale and Ginny are avid “nature people” and we wanted to trek a trail with them since we had never before explored the natural environment of Eastern Virginia. With much consideration for the hiking possibilities in the coastal […]

The Vermont Family Reunion for Grandma’s 85th Birthday

August 11, 2021.Reading time 14 minutes.

Long, long ago, so long ago that nobody knows just when or where it was given, the name “Green Mountains” was bestowed upon the range that extends through the State of Vermont…the origin of the state’s name that was given by the French, “Verd-Mont” …most likely by the explorer Samuel Champlain or more probable by […]

Bundled for Exploration

February 8, 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

Winter is upon us and the negative windchills could not be more frightening. However tempting it may be to bake the day away or curl up with hot beverages while binge-watching great television, the opportunity to experience adventure is missing. My lifelong partner in exploration devised a brilliant plan to tackle the winter terrain by […]

Chimney Rock State Park

July 19, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

After being on the road for roughly 5 hours from Lexington, KY to Asheville, NC, we were looking forward to stretching our legs. Chimney Rock State Park was recommended as a must-see hike in Asheville that could easily be accomplished in an hour or two. As we approached the gate entrance, we were told that […]