We just finished another great trip hitting 18 National Park Service Sites along the way, bringing our grand total up to 28 so far this year. The kids have been troopers earning as many Jr. Rangers as they can along the way.  Not going to lie, they still have a stack to finish up and mail back in once they are complete.

Just a quick summary of where we have been, more info on our trips as well as info on individual parks and video’s will be added soon.

100 National Parks and Monuments Tally

1. Arches National Park
2. Canyonlands National Park
3. Hovenweep (with a stop at Mesa Verde but it was snowed in so we hit that park at another date.)
4. Navajo National Monument
5. Wupatki National Monument
6. Sunset Crater National Monument
7. Grand Canyon National Park
8. Zion National Park (we drove by and saw Bryce in the snowy starlight, but will count it on our tally once we can actually go and truly experience it.)
9. Golden Spike National Monument
10. Pony Express National Historic Trail
11. Natural Bridges National Monument
12. Yucca House National Monument
13. Mesa Verde National Park (finally made it up to the ruins)
14. Aztec Ruins National Monument
15. Old Spanish National Historic Trail (Also learned about and experienced this trail at Navajo National Monument)
16. Chaco Culture National Monument
17. Valles Caldera National Monument (Just joined the Park Service in fall of 2015)
18. Manhattan Project National Monument – Los Alamos (Another newbie for the Park Service in the fall of 2016)
19. Bandelier National Monument
20. Pecos National Monument
21. Sante Fe National Historic Trail
22. Petroglyph National Monument
23. El Moro National Monument
24. El Malpais National Monument
25. Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
26. Petrified National Park
27. Canyon De Chelley National Monument
28. Hubble Trading Post National Monument

This has been an incredible experience getting to explore all so many places that have been set aside for us and our future generation.  We have met amazing people, seen beautiful landscapes, experienced extreme weather, and are beginning to understand the grandeur of what the National Parks Service is providing for all of us.

Each site is unique and has its own reasons for being saved. From the humblest of monuments like Hovenweep, were you have to drive through private property to get to and there are no rangers stationed there to the hustle and  bustle that is the Grand Canyon.  To have an entity that preserves so much.  Some one to be a steward over the land and ensure that this beautiful, historic and nature preserves will be forever there.

As a parent and a teacher, there is no where that will teach a child who they are more then being in nature.  The opportunities to learn where we come from and that there are things greater then ourselves speaks to my soul as well and gives me a sense of purpose as well.  I know we are only scratching the surface so far…I stand ready to continue to EMBARK on this great journey.