This August, the U.S. National Park Service turns 100 years old. Did you know that the NPS oversees 410 sites, including parks, seashores, preserves, recreation areas, and more? We acknowledge RVers’ affection for these treasures with the following discussion:
What’s the most beautiful national park or other natural site you’ve visited?
We own a Born Free RSB-26 motorhome and have traveled mostly in the western part of this beautiful country: Mount Lassen, Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mount St. Helens, and more. However, our favorite park has to be Death Valley National Park. We just returned from a four-day 4×4 off-road outing, running many of the 4×4 trails in this beautiful park. They included Goler Canyon, a detour to the infamous Barker Ranch (Charles Manson was captured there), Mengel Pass, Saline Valley Road to Warm Springs and then over Steel Pass/Dedeckera Canyon, ending at 700-foot-high Eureka Sand Dunes. We covered some 300 miles of off-road trails.
Four weeks prior, we visited Death Valley for the beautiful wildflower bloom. Our favorite wildflower is the elusive desert five-spot. This spring was one of the rare “super bloom” years. Conditions are perfect for a super bloom only every eight to 10 years, so we went; we didn’t want to wait another 10 years. RV travel and off-roading are just perfect for us.
Detlef & Ursula Mews, F185548
Pleasanton, California
For glacier-chiseled mountain views and breathtaking vistas of the sea from rock-strewn beaches and granite cliffs, it’s tough to beat Maine’s Acadia National Park. Sensory feasts include domed Cadillac Mountain, the highest on our Atlantic coast, along with 120 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of biking trails, and lush stream-fed gardens. Fourteen campgrounds in the immediate area welcome motorhomes. Two primitive dry-camping facilities in the main park and a commercial campground with full hookups nearest the visitors center are served by free shuttle buses that travel through much of the park’s 47,000 acres. A third campground in the park is 60 minutes away from the visitors center, on the Schoodic Peninsula, and has hookups. Nearby Bar Harbor, Maine, offers fulfilling dining and shopping experiences. For me, snaking up Maine’s scenic coastal roads past historic lighthouses and seemingly endless lobster docks makes driving to Acadia National Park as pleasurable as our arrival.
Lewis A. Edge, F426797
Princeton, New Jersey
I’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world, but one of the most majestic views I’ve ever seen was watching the sun come up over the Grand Canyon. I think our daughter said it best: “God made this in seven days! It’s awesome! We’ve been a lot of places, and the best thing I’ve ever seen is right at home.” Eighteen years later, nothing has topped it.
Charlene Luney, F284402
Poinciana, Florida
Future questions:
1. FMCA’s next Family Reunion takes place August 3-6, 2016, in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Do you have a favorite New England attraction or travel stop to recommend?
2. What part of a motorhome trip do you like the best (driving, sight-seeing, relaxing at camp, meeting new people, etc.)? Please explain why.