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Natural Bridges National Monument: Hiking and a Snake
Last Updated: November 19th 2025. On a road trip through the southwest USA Paul and I made a stop at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. Not one of the large famous parks in the state, such as Arches or Zion, but none the less beautiful and worth a stop on a Utah road trip. Definitely one of Southern Utah’s Hidden Gems. Where is Natural Bridges National Monument? Natural Bridges National Monument is located in the southeast of the state of Utah. On the place where the White Canyon and the Armstrong Canyon meet. It’s located south of Moab and east of the Glen Canyon. Some Facts About Natural Bridges…
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Natural Bridge State Park: Butterflies and Hiking
Last Updated: November 12th 2025. In 2015 we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and made a small detour to Natural Bridge. We loved exploring Natural Bridge, it was one of the many cool things we did on our 6 week road trip through the USA, and a perfect stop on road trips. Where is Natural Bridge State Park? Natural Bridge State Park is only 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the Blue Ridge Parkway. An approximately 30 minute detour. Natural Bridge is located in Rockbridge County in the state of Virginia. Some Facts about Natural Bridge State Park The natural bridge is a geological formation carved out in the surrounding limestone…
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Fog and Lots of Rain
Last Updated: April 13th 2024. We visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015 on our 6 week road trip through the USA. Sadly, we couldn’t admire the Smoky Mountains that much, since we had rain and fog all day. Just before this we had driven the Blue Ridge Parkway. Where is Great Smoky Mountains National Park? The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. It’s roughly between Cherokee in North Carolina and Gatlinburg and Townsend in Tennessee. Some facts about Great Smoky Mountains National Park The Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers some 521.490 acres and protects a great part of…
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Shenandoah National Park: bears and endless views
Last Updated: March 30th 2024. Back in 2015 we did a road trip through the USA, we drove from New York to San Francisco in 6 weeks. On that road trip we stopped at Shenandoah National Park. It was our first acquaintance with the Blue Ridge Mountains. They’re so beautiful! Where is Shenandoah National Park? Shenandoah National Park is in the Northwestern Part of the state of Virginia. Its located on a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park starts in the Northeast at the town of Front Royal and runs all the way to Waynesboro in the Southwest. Some facts about Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park…
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Grandfather Mountain: Climbing Rocks and a Swinging Bridge
Last Updated: October 22nd 2025. Back in 2015 we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was simply beautiful. During our drive we stopped at several attractions just off the parkway. Grandfather Mountain was one of them, and was well worth our time. Yuri loved climbing the rocks and we enjoyed the grand views on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Where is Grandfather Mountain? Grandfather Mountain is located close to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It’s in the vicinity of the town of Linville. The detour is about 3.3 mile or 5.3 kilometers, which is approximately an 18 minute drive from the parkway. Some Facts About Grandfather Mountain The elevation…
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Finding Peace As a Family
Last Updated: October 7th 2025. My husband was driving on highway 1, we had to be on time at San Francisco airport to catch our flight back home. Home being Utrecht in The Netherlands. Far away from the beach and rolling waves I was seeing out of our car window. Yuri was asking why we had to go home, why couldn’t we keep on driving, he didn’t want to go home. Paul said shall we drive on? We all wanted to go further north on highway 1, was what was going through my mind. why don’t we? Half a half year before driving on highway 1 Paul, my husband, was…
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Where to Eat in Granbury Texas
Last Updated: September 11th 2025. Granbury is a town close to Tolar, Texas. About an hour south of Fort Worth. When we stayed with friends on our Orlando to San Francisco road trip, who live in Tolar, we went out for dinner a few times in Granbury. This ais the restaurant to eat in Granbury. There used to be 2 on the list, sadly one has closed its doors. Stumpy’s Well we went twice here. Our friends took us here at the beginning of our stay with them and we loved it. Their fried catfish is the best. Don’t take our word for it, take it from our friends who…
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What to Do in Fort Worth with Kids
Last Updated: August 28th 2025. Fort Worth in Texas is a fun city to visit with kids, there’s plenty to do, so getting bored isn’t an option. This blog gives a list of things to do in Fort Worth with kids. We visited Fort Worth a few times while staying with friends who lived an hour away, during our Orlando to San Francisco road trip. We stayed at a small town called Tolar. Which is a perfect base for exploring Texas. Going the other way hiking in Austin is perfect. Fort Worth with Kids Fort Worth is a city in Texas, it’s adjacent to Dallas. It’s the 5th in population,…
