Category: National Parks

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California National Parks

John Muir National Historic Site in the Bay Area, California

Visit the John Muir National Historic Site to learn more about this amazing man who helped preserve our National Parks!
After visiting the Muir Woods last time we were in the Bay Area, I knew I wanted to visit the site that John Muir called home. About 30 minutes outside the downtown area, I was surprised at this oasis tucked in off a busy road.

When We Visited: July 2014
Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 4
How long: We spent about an hour and a half and my kids felt super rushed. Its quite a peaceful places and there are plenty of picnic tables!

Our deal was they had to earn a Jr. Ranger badge this week in order to skip school completely while we were out camping with the cousins. I thought I would have more complaining, but the kids actually seemed to really enjoy visiting this Historic Site.

It helps that John Muir had a pretty cool house.

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We spent quite a bit of time exploring the house. The Jr. Ranger Book has a scavenger hunt to find objects in the house, plus Rachel and Andrew enjoyed climbing up to the bell tower (Cara had a panic attack at the top and almost refused to climb down the steep stairs!).

My favorite was John Muir’s “Scribble Room”. It seemed to be his private sanctuary and a room where he could pen his thoughts without reservation. Muir spent quite a bit of his early life wandering the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and quite a bit of his later life writing about them to sway public opinion in favor of preserving these beautiful places.

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The National Park Service was officially created two years after his death, but was influenced largely by Muir and his constant advocacy for preserving natural wilderness areas.

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One voice really can make a difference. As we visit many of these National Parks during our travels, I’m grateful for those who saw beauty and strive to preserve it so that others may enjoy as well!

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Categories
California National Parks

We Get Soaked at Muir Woods National Monument, California

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The skies looked threatening. My sister-in-law and I kept looking at each thinking “Should we go?” “Should we stay home?” I’m not one to call it until its raining cats and dogs, so with just a possibility of rain, we packed our kids into two cars (would have been so much more fun had we fit in one!) and drove the hour from Green Valley, CA to Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, CA.

When We Visited: March 2014

Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3

Tips: This monument is tucked into a valley outside of San Francisco. The drive is steep and windy but worth it!

We got lost on the way there – turns out this one is pretty hard to find if you don’t trust Google Nav. After a false turn or two, we got back on track and finally made it only to discover pouring rain and a parking lot full of cars! In addition to being a premier tourist destination due to its proximity to SF it was also Spring Break for the local schools. The perfect combination to make the Monument a popular spot despite the weather. Once we got there, we piled into the back of Jaime’s mini-van to eat lunch before setting out to explore.

The ranger at the front desk wasn’t the most…. helpful. She wasn’t going to give our 3 year olds their own Junior Ranger books (something about “We try to conserve paper here at this park”) and that didn’t go over well, especially for Cara who is used to doing her own. Somehow Jaime managed to talk her into it though. Maybe the ranger became tired of dealing with us? Who knows. In addition to the Jr. Ranger program, Muir Woods has a shorter fill-in-the-blank-from-different-signs scavenger hunt that we also did. Both were great.

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My kids loved hanging out with their cousins, and although we got pretty wet, the towering Redwood Trees were a beautiful sight. There is basically a paved walkway throughout the trees with information about the forest, when it became a National Monument, and details about the Redwoods themselves. We also learned how to tell the age of a redwood branch (or spray) by the number of nodes on it.Very cool. There also seemed to be a few trails leading elsewhere, but we weren’t exactly in the extreme exploring mood.

The best part about this particular Jr. Ranger program is the badge! Carved out of redwood, each badge is individual and unique. We love them!

IMG_20140325_133115_1Muir Woods is definitely a beautiful place. I can’t wait until we can go back and spend a bit more time exploring!

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California Featured Destination National Parks

They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To – Point Reyes National Seashore Lighthouse

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Imagine yourself out at sea on a small boat. Suddenly dark clouds gather on the horizon and the wind starts to whip your hair around your face. Moving too fast, the storm envelopes you and suddenly you aren’t sure which way is the shore. Then, a beam of light from the nearby lighthouse cuts through the storm giving you direction and guidance back to safety.

American lighthouses are iconic. From the sweeping coasts of New England, to the rocky shores of California, lighthouses have saved hundreds of lives as they’ve warned sailors of dangerous shores. Point Reyes is no exception. Jutting out on a peninsula just 10 miles from San Francisco Bay, Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest on the North American continent. It is also my favorite lighthouse we’ve visited to date.

When we visited: March 2014

Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3

Tips: The drive out to the lighthouse is not a short one (40 min to an hour depending on where you are staying), but is beautiful nearly any time of year. The road can be a little rough, though any standard passenger car should be able to make it, and certainly any tow vehicle. While there always seems to be an RV parked out there, I would advise against it. The weather can be rough as well. If the winds are strong enough, they close the stairway down to the lighthouse. Even when it’s open, it is worth bringing jackets to survive the weather.

Because there wasn’t a good location for a lighthouse on top of the bluff, engineers blasted a level spot 300 feet below the top of the cliff. This put the lighthouse below the level of the fog, making the light more effective as a warning system for ships. Supplies and materials for construction took 6 weeks to lower down from the top. Luckily, we didn’t have to be lowered by rope. Long ago, stairs were built into the side of the cliff, allowing visitors to travel down to see it.

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Retired in 1975, the National Park Service maintains the historic building and surrounding area and even has a ranger on site (and inside) the main room. Andrew was insistent he wanted to go inside, only when we arrived the door was very visibly locked. As we wandered around, ate our snacks, and generally tried not to get blown out to see by the gusty wind we noticed just as we were about to leave that the door was open! Andrew raced excitedly raced ahead only to find a room crowded with people and a ranger given a “tour”. Much to his disappointment he had to be quiet and not step on anyone else in the room. Poor kid.

We loved hearing the ranger talk about the lonely and secluded life of the lighthouse keepers, the operation of the lighthouse, how the Fresnel (frey-nel) lens was made in France and then brought over, transferred ships, and then brought by ox cart overland. We learned that the lighthouse and all of its parts are original. Many retired lighthouses have been converted into museums, have replicated parts, or are now restaurants. This one is completely original which adds to the romanticism of it all.

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Keeping up with safety and technology, the Coast Guard eventually automated the light, and then later decommissioned the lighthouse entirely and  installed an LED light on top of the nearby generator shed. Yup, that’s it. That tiny thing poking up from the roof with the solar panels attached. For me, having lighthouses reduced to small blinking lights makes original lighthouses like this one a real treat! If you are a lighthouse person, you’ll love it. If you are not, you might just become one during your visit!

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In addition to the lighthouse, the view out at Point Reyes is simply fantastic. After our climb back up the stairs, we took a small trail at the top to look out over the ocean and bluffs. Despite the wind and the cold it was a great day!

 

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Categories
Featured Destination National Parks New Mexico

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

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Layer upon layer of gypsum sand scattered across miles of sweeping dunes. With promises of sledding and fun we excitedly geared up for an afternoon of exploring.

When we visited: January 23, 2014

Ages of kids: 8, 6, 3

Tips: Plastic bottomed boogie boards work really well as sleds.

“Mom? Is that snow?” One of the kids called from the back seat. “It sure looks like it!”

And it did. There was a even a plow.

The kids had begged and begged all winter to go someplace with snow. This was their first year away from Utah’s snowy, wintery, weather and I think they were feeling the lack of powdery goodness. However, with a promise of  “sanding” at White Sands National Monument, I think we kept them more or less at bay.

When we arrived mid-morning, it was cold enough outside that we bundled up. Coats, scarves, hats, and even gloves were employed to combat the New Mexico chill. Once the kids stepped out onto the crisp, white, sand however, all thoughts of shoes were forgotten. The ranger had even told us to make sure we took our shoes off to feel how delicate, fine, and soft the sand felt compared to the beach. Having just come from Florida a few months earlier we definitely wanted to make that comparison. The shoes never made it back on.

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Cara was content to sit and play with her sand toys, not really interested in the activities of her older siblings. Somehow Rachel became determined that Cara needed the experience of coasting down the white dunes, and gently prodded, coached, and enticed her on to the front of her boogie board turned sled. And then halfway down, Andrew had to jump on the back as well.

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After a few minutes of play, I retreated to the Airstream to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch while watching the kids out the kitchen window and listening to their screams of delight through the cracked door.

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Although we did one short hike, earned a Jr. Ranger Badge, and even met up with the coolest British traveling family, sanding was definitely the highlight of our visit.

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Arizona Featured Destination National Parks

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Arizona

The Casa Grande Ruins (Great House) has been standing for more than 650 years as a monument to the Sonoran Desert People and their way of life. Not a lot is known about the purpose of the house, but the mystery is part of the appeal.

When We Visited: February 1, 2014

Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3

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Plenty of trailer parking so we planned this one as through day trip as we traveled from Tuscon, Arizona up to the Phoenix area. We pulled up, parked, had lunch, and then set about exploring and earning our Jr. Ranger Badges.

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We watched the short video at the Visitor Center and then explored the ruins on our own. Historians hypothesize that the Great House was the center of a much larger farming complex. The ancient Sonoran Desert people had no written language so the interpretation of events comes largely from journal entries and writings of those who visited the area.

The kid’s favorite part was finding the “secret room” and sitting down with dad to work on their booklets.

Casa Grande Ruins_006Although a short day trip (2 hours tops) the Casa Grande Ruins are definitely worth stopping to see. We enjoyed learning more about the ancient culture, as well as the kids adding another Jr. Ranger Badge to their hats!