Tag: national park

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That’s One Big Bend

This year for Mardi Gras, we decided to pull the trigger and head to the southern border, and visit Big Bend National Park. We had been hesitant about the time of year because Texas got a really bad snow storm over Mardi Gras a few years back. Thankfully, that is a rarity, and we had terrific weather (lows in the 50s, highs in the 80s).

We flew into Midland, which is a solid 3+ hour drive, but it is the closest major airport. Something to in mind is that there are plans to renovate the Chisos Basin area in the near future, which will shut down much of the park. Those plans have been pushed several times though, so check before making any plans. Something else to consider is that, evidently, Homeland Security has plans to build part of the border wall directly through the park.

Politics aside, I hope that this doesn’t come to fruition. It would mar much of the natural beauty and would render certain excursions no longer possible. This is not an area where illegal crossings occur, as there is nothing on either side of the border for several hundred miles. If it does come to pass, much of what we did might not be available, so keep that in mind.

What We Did

River Tour: We used a group called Big Bend Boating and Hiking, which offers all sorts of excursions, including several river tours. We did a half day tour that actually started in Big Bend State Park. We canoed through Dark Canyon for about two hours, bouncing back and forth between the US and Mexico side. It was a great time, and a great way to see a lot of the area.

Boquillas Mexico Tour: One of the best things to do is visit the small town of Boquillas just across the Rio Grande. You can do this on your own or go with a guide. We used the same company that took us boating. We first did a short 1.5 mile hike in Boquillas canyon, which was optional, but also a very nice introduction to the area. You get ferried across the river, which is only about two feet deep and then have the option to walk, ride a truck or ride a burrow about half a mile into town.

Once you get into town, there are plenty of little shops to buy souvenirs, a few restaurants and a couple of other touristy things. We ate at Jose Falcons (goat tacos), which was excellent. Our son took the opportunity to drive golf balls from the back of a small Mexican’s house into the desert.

I strongly recommend you take the donkeys, and don’t forget to bring a pretty decent amount of cash and your passports.

Hiking: There are all sorts of trails of various lengths, so I recommend doing a lot of research into what makes the most sense for you.

The Window Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park. You can start from the normal trailhead or the amphitheater trailhead, which has more parking. The amphitheater route is a bit shorter, but you end up walking from the lot about 3 tenths of a mile. The round trip, out and back is about 5 miles one way or the other. The payoff at the end is really interesting, but you should keep in mind that this a downhill out, so on the way back, be prepared to walk back up.

The Lost Mine Trail is another very popular trail, and probably the one with the most difficult parking. We went by at around 8:30 am, and the very small parking lot was already full. This was when we did the Window Trail, but on the way out, a spot opened up, so we decided to pull the trigger on the Lost Mine as well. This made our day of hiking over 10 miles, but it was worth it.

The Lost Mine Trail is great. It’s relatively strenuous on the way, but the payoff at the top is spectacular. While I enjoyed the Window, the windblown landscape at the top of the Lost Mine Trail is nothing short of spectacular.

Also in this area, Chisos Basin, is the Window View Trail. Be sure not to confuse these, as one is about 4 tenths of a mile and the other quite a bit more. We did both, just to knock everything in Chisos out. It’s an easy, paved loop, and we actually saw a small herd of deer, so for us, it was worth it.

The Grapevine Hill Trail is outside of Chisos off the main road, and requires that you have an adequate vehicle. We were in a Suburban, which was fine, and probably overkill. I am not sure a 4WD, high clearance vehicle is actually necessary, but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in a Honda Civic. The trail is pretty fun. It is a very graduate incline for the 1 mile way out, culminating in a rock scramble that leads to Balance Rock. If you’ve got a car that can handle it and enjoy a good climb, I definitely recommend it.

The Tuff Canyon Overlook really isn’t a hike, but a very short path with a few canyon overlooks. It is worth it if you’re taking the Ross Maxwell Drive, as the canyon is pretty cool

The same thing goes for the Mule Ears Overlook and the Sotol Vista Overlook. Neither is really a trail, but there are some really nice views. We weren’t there at the right time, but I think Sotol would be a great place to watch the sunset.

The Santa Elena Canyon trail was my favorite of the trip. At the end of the Ross Maxwell Drive, there’s a great trail with decent parking that takes you into the canyon itself. If you’re an All Trails user, keep your eyes open. For one, it is not 1.6 miles but more like 2.5, and two, the trail on the app isn’t super accurate.

You take the trail over the beach, then cross a rock bridge over an offshoot of the river and climb up a few switch backs. On the way back down, you go through several tunnels of tall grass that really block out any sound and are almost eerie. At the end, you can walk out onto several rock formations that give great views deep into the canyon. This trail is not to be missed.

Where We Stayed

Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa: I know this sounds fancy, and it kind of was, but we had a very nice experience. The positives are that the resort is well done, has a few restaurants, a pool, a bar and ice cream. The negative is that it’s a good 45 minutes to the park entrance. We looked at other options which I’ll discuss, but even with the distance, we found this worked best for us.

In the small town of Terlingua, there are a few motels and lodges, but none of them looked very nice. There are also several AirBnB options, like igloos and tent style tiny homes. The reason we passed on these is that most didn’t have their own restrooms. The ones that did were super expensive

There is also a lodge in Chisos Basin, which is open at the moment but is planned to be remodeled. They appears very rustic, but certainly would be the most convenient if you were willing to eat most of your meals in the park.

Where We Ate

Believe it or not, there are several really good restaurants in the Terlingua area, which as mentioned, is about halfway between Big Bend and Lajitas.

Upon arrival, we stopped at the Starlight Theater, by far the most popular restaurant in the area. It’s housed in a remodeled adobe building, and they have expanded to include a general store and an outdoor bar. It opens at 4:30 pm and evidently, if you want to eat right away, you need to get there at 4. When we arrived, we were told it would be an hour and half plus wait, so we visited the store, went to the bar and ordered a few drinks, along with chips and queso.

The wait turned out to be less than 45 minutes, so don’t be put off. The experience was incredible, 5 stars, but the food is probably only 3.5 stars or so. Everything was good, and they’ve got great local offerings like antelope and quail, but it wasn’t the best food of the trip.

Long Draw Pizza is probably the second busiest restaurant in the area, and is actually just a bit outside of Terlingua. It was mostly full when we arrived, and a lot of the seating is communal, but we did not have to wait long. This was my favorite meal of the trip. The pizza was great, the beer was cold, and we went after our 10 mile hike day. It’s hard to beat a pizza after a long day on the trails.

On our third night, we ate at High Sierra Bar and Grill. This is part of a hotel, and the food was good, but it was definitely the meal we enjoyed the least. It’s kind of an odd place staffed by odd people, but we had a nice experience.

DB’s Rustic BBQ was our last stop, and it was great. There was live music, the people were very friendly, and the food was classic Texas BBQ (don’t skip the sausage).

What We Didn’t Do

We had at one point booked a UTV tour of the area, but it was canceled for insurance reasons. Had we wanted, we could have booked with another company and fudged on Clara’s age, but we felt we were already pushing it to see everything within the park itself.

We were hoping to eat at Taqueria el Milago, the reportedly best Mexican restaurant in town, but when we arrived, we realized it was BYOB, and we didn’t bring any. I get this makes it seem like we might have a problem, but sometimes all you want after a long day of hiking is an ice cold beer.

The one trail that we didn’t get to, about which I’d heard great things, was the Upper Burro Mesa Trail. If we’d had one more day, it would have been a nice 3.6 mile hike, but we simply couldn’t find the right time.

If the mood strikes you to drive south into the desert, I strongly recommend you stop at Big Bend. It is really nothing short of spectacular and has something for everyone. Plan ahead, as you’ll want to know if Chisos is open or closed and if someone split the park in two with a huge wall. I think if Chisos had been closed, we would have waited, but even without it, there’s still a lot to do.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes is our annual Easter/baseball trip. We’ll be flying into Pittsburgh and out of Detroit, so stay tuned.

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In God’s Country (Joshua Tree)

To close out our California New Year’s trip, we left the Los Angeles area and head east towards a new National Park for us, Joshua Tree. If you are wondering where the name comes from, early Mormon settlers thought the trees resembled Joshua reaching out to the Lord.

Being honest, I went in with very low expectations. Research did not reveal a lot of amazing things to do, but it did seem like a park we could manage in a day. All that said, Joshua Tree over-delivered. For a family with kids our age (18, 14 and 5), it was basically an outdoor playground. I don’t think we took a hike longer than two miles, and that was only because we stopped and scrambled at every opportunity.

I’ll outline below what we did, where we stayed and where we ate, but Joshua Tree is an easy park with lots of places to rock climb, boulder and just enjoy the outdoors.

What We Did:

Visitors Centers: This is always an important stop. We got our books stamped and got some advice from the rangers as to what we shouldn’t miss. That said, we never made it to the Cottonwood Visitors Center. It’s a trek, and there wasn’t much there we wanted to see. If you come up from Palm Springs, that’s a good best, but if you’re entering from the North, it might not be worth the hour round-trip.

Hidden Valley: This is one of the most popular spots in JTNP, so get there early, as parking is pretty limited. There is a nice hike, under two miles, that takes you through the basics of the park. I thought it was cool and a great intro trail, but it was none of our favorites.

Arch Rock and Heart Rock: This is another very popular feature, so don’t be surprised when you struggle for parking. Once you find it though, and you will, as people are constantly coming and going, you’ll enjoy yourselves. It’s about a mile walk out. You’ll find Heart Rock to your left and Arch Rock to your right(ish). The paths are marked, kind of, but just follow the crowds; it’s worth it.

Skull Rock: This feature is super-cool and right off the road. You do not have to hike at all if don’t want to, but you will have to wait for a photo op. If you go beyond the rock just a bit, you’ll get to some of the best areas in the park for scrambling.

Hall of Horrors: This is an area just beyond Hidden Valley that has several small but fun rock clusters. If you want to find the ‘slot canyon’, you need to go back beyond the first cluster straight back from the parking lot and go to the one behind it. This whole area is fun to climb, but the slot canyon is not all that great and hard to find. It might not be worth looking if you can’t find it right away.

Cholla Cactus Garden: This is a nice area on the way to the south end of the park where it changes from the Mojave to the Colorado. It’s a unique geological distinction, and the Cholla cacti are really cool when the sunset hits.

Barker Dam: This was my favorite part of the park. About a 1.5 mile loop, this trail goes by an old dam, so there is scrambling, hiking and water. We were the during an unusually wet time of the year, so perhaps we were lucky, but I thought it was beautiful.

Where We Ate:

Joshua Tree Saloon: Great atmosphere, solid food, and we got in and out quite quickly. Very family friendly and open late enough

JT Country Kitchen: We had breakfast here on our way out. We were lucky to get five seats, as it was regularly busy. It’s basic breakfast food, and it is done really well.

Pappy and Harriet’s: This place is bananas. We tried to go on arrival from LA, at about 7:30, and were told it would be 2 hours and 45 minutes. We got there at 5:30 the next night and were told it would 1 hour and 15 minutes. We decided to stay, and it was really only like 40 minutes. It was an awesome experience, maybe my favorite part of our trip. The food is good, but the atmosphere is remarkable. Make the effort…

Where We Stayed:

AirBNB: We stayed in a fun place near the park. I think this is the way to go. It wasn’t super expensive and our host was very gracious.

Like I said, I went in with low expectations and was basically blown away. This is definitely a park that can be done in one day but don’t sleep on it. For older kids and younger adults, it is a great place to scramble.

Next up for us is Big Bend, and I couldn’t be more excited. Fingers-crossed about the weather in South Texas in February…

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Sleeping with a Bear

This year, for the annual Igoe Family Vacation, we met up with my parents and brothers in Arcadia, Michigan, which is about an hour south of Traverse City and in the general Sleeping Bear Dunes area. Michigan is always a relaxing trip, and there is a lot to do, but it does include a lot of driving. It is worth it though, the temperatures are moderate and there’s a lot to do.

What We Did

Sleeping Bear Dunes: This National Lakeshore offers a plethora of activities. Of places that we have visited recently, this one felt the most like it could or should be a National Park, not just a Lakeshore. There are lots of trails, lots of dunes, lots of lakes and a few associated satellite areas.

The first thing we did was take the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and stopped at marker #4 and hiked the Cottonwood Trail. This 1.5 mile lollipop loop takes you to the top of the large dune that’s part of the dune challenge without having to hike up it. The view point at the top is great, and it is doable for those less physically able to climb a vertical sand dune. We recommend taking the loop clockwise, and also recommend stopping at markers 3, 9 and 11, if you’ve got the time.

Later on, we walked the Empire Bluffs Trail, which offers great views of Lake Michigan and several surrounding lakes. It is an easy, 1.6 mile out-and-back. Honestly, it is not spectacular, but it was worth the drive.

Our favorite trail was Pyramid Point. This loop is just under 3 miles and offers a great variety of scenery: dunes, woods, meadows and lakes. It is not very strenuous if you go clockwise. That said, the best lake views are at the beginning, but you go down all the steep dunes climbs, instead of up.

Speaking of, we also recommend the Dune Climb. This steep dune is the start to the Dune Challenge, which we did not do, but is a fun trek in and of itself. The kids really enjoyed rolling around and getting all sandy.

Boat Glen Lake: We booked a pontoon boat that could hold 14 from the On the Narrows Marina. We spent four hours cruising around Big Glen and Little Glen, tubing and swimming at several different spots. It made for a really fun day that all the kids loved.

Swim at Crystal Lake: There is a great public beach with amenities in the Beulah area of Crystal Lake. The waters is chilly, but not so much as Lake Michigan. The big lake is almost too cold to swim, but the interior lakes are bit more moderate.

Tube the Platte River: We used Crystal Lake Outfitters to tube the Platte River, and we did the longer version, which took about 3 hours from arrival to leaving. The Platte River is great to float, and the outfitter was competent, but it did feel like it took a long time to get started.

Craig’s Cruisers: On morning, we went south towards Shelby, MI, where some of my family used to attend camp. On the way, the kids, Alyson and I stopped at Craig’s Cruisers. They’ve got go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, a zip line, a roller coaster and an arcade. The kids had a blast, and it was a lot less expensive than you expect those activities to be.

Mac Woods Dune Rides: Also south of Aracadia, this dune tour was way more fun than I thought it would be. It opens at 9:30, but we didn’t get there until about 2 pm, which was a mistake. The had to wait over an hour for the 40 minute ride, but it was totally worth it. You might think it’s not that exciting, since your basically in an open-air bus rather than a dune buggy, but the ride is great. There’s lots of up and downs, lots of great views and the guide was really informative.

E-Bike Tour: My son’s favorite activity was riding about 8 miles along the Leelanau Trail north of Traverse City. I was a little unsure as to whether or not I’d enjoy an e-bike, but it was a lot of fun, and it is still good exercise.

Brewery Tours: There are dozens of breweries in the general area, and it feels like we tried to hit them all. We’ll touch base more on this in the section below.

Where We Ate

Storm Cloud Brewing: This was the closest brewery to our house, it was good, but it wasn’t our favorite. The pizza was solid, and the beer was fine, but I didn’t love the atmosphere. It felt really crowded and touristy. It was still certainly worth the visit, and I’d go back, but it wasn’t #1.

Hop Lot Brewing: I think this was my favorite brewery. It has really good beer, solid food and fantastic outdoors space that the kids loved.

Boondocks: This restaurant in Glen Arbor gets really mediocre reviews, but I thought it was just fine. We were able to sit all 13 of us outside, the fried fish sandwich was good and the beer was cold.

Cherry Point Farm Market: This farmers market reportedly has good sandwiches, but I could not disagree more. The entire experience was terrible, including the service and the food. It is basically just a grilled cheese restaurant, but it takes forever, and it costs way too much.

North Channel Brewing: This brewery was a great place to stop on our back north from the dune rides. They were friendly, had good beer and had a pretzel, about which Jr was over the moon.

St. Ambrose Cellars/Brose Brewing: This stop actually started out as place that brews meads but has expanded, including beers and food. The mead was really interesting, and the outdoor space is wonderful. You can even get a close look at a commercial beehive, if so include.

Where We Stayed:

This year, we stayed at an AirBNB in Arcadia, Michigan, which is about half an hour south of Sleeping Bear and an hour south of Traverse City. The house was great, and right on Lake Michigan, but it was a trek to get to just about everywhere. Given the choice, I think we would stay in either Empire or Traverse City itself in the future.

This is the first time in quite some time that we don’t actually have anything planned. We’ll be meeting some friends in Gulf Shores for Labor Day and visiting St. Louis for Thanksgiving, but those are old hat. With Eileen starting at UK in the fall, and JR starting high school, our calendar is in limbo. We might try to take a short weekend to see a ball game, maybe somewhere like Pittsburgh. We also are considering a Christmas break trip, maybe someplace to the south. We’ll keep traveling and will keep you posted; thanks for listening.

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EuroTrip 2025

If you’ve been following along, you know that for our daughter’s high school graduation, we took the whole family across the pond for a road trip through Europe. We hit Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, and all were fantastic. If you want more details about the trip itself, please reference our three previous posts. This post is really going to speak more about what we learned, what surprised us and what we found out along the way.

Currency: Prior to heading over, we exchanged $615 for 500 Euros. I thought we would need more cash in some of the smaller towns, but we really didn’t, It was nice to have the cash, and since we had it, we used it, but we could have gone with less. That said, we didn’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees when we payed with Euros. Something else to keep in mind is that tipping is a relatively American creation. Eating out is a lot less expensive when you don’t have to add 15 to 25%.

Credit Card Fees: Unless you have a certain type of credit card, expect to pay foreign transactions fees on almost everything purchase you make. At the hotels, we put charges on our room, to minimize the fees, but there is only so much you can do.

Language Barrier: In Italy, almost everyone spoke English, if not fluently. This was not the case in Austria, Slovenia or Croatia. We never really struggled to communicate, as generally speaking, someone spoke English, but it was far more ubiquitous in Italy. If you’re linguistically gifted, you can download several languages on Google Translate, which will even pronounce most words for you. We had very little difficulty communicating, overall.

International Flights with Kids: Our kids are great at traveling, but an 8+ hour flight is a long one. British Airways does offer free drinks and food, so that’s something. About an hour into both the flight there and back, we gave the two younger kids melatonin gummies. I am not giving any type of medical advice, but this knocked them both out within minutes.

Driving: This was one of the more nerve-wracking parts of the trip, going in. It turned out not to be too bad. Much of the time, we were on smaller highways but had very little difficulty. It is worth keeping in mind that traffic, especially in Italy and Slovenia, can get really backed up. We used Google Maps, which allows one to download directions in advance. We also used Apple Maps from time-to-time, which was helpful. Waze is not nearly as helpful in Europe as it is in the U.S.

International Driving Permit: We got one of these from AAA prior to going. It only cost about $20, but I am not sure we needed it. No one asked for it, neither at the rental car pick up or any border crossings. Had we gotten into an accident or been pulled over, perhaps it would have been necessary.

Driving Vignettes: If you look online at the requirements needed to drive in countries like Slovenia and Croatia, you’ll get info stating that you need something called Vignettes in place of having to pay tolls. This was honestly not super clear. We bought one at a gas station after crossing into Slovenia, for like 10 euros, and got another for Croatia online. No one ever asked for them, but again, we weren’t really stopped, so it’s hard to say how necessary they are.

Border Crossings: We weren’t stopped at a single border crossing, as all the countries were visited are EU members. We did consider a quick hop into Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that is not a member country, and we were worried it would be too much of a hassle or that they might not actually let us in.

ETAs/ETIAS: Whilst researching our trip, we came across info that stated we would need Electronic Transit Authorizations for several areas in Europe. This is not yet the case, but evidently, will be in the future. Do not buy one from a third party website, like I did. There are already fake sites available, so be careful.

Housing: We found AirBNBs a lot easier than hotels. Europeans can be very fickle about the number of people staying in a room, so renting from individuals was easier. We were even quite late for several check-ins, but all of the hosts were very accommodating.

Our trip was amazing and exhausting, and I hope that it created great memories for our kids. We actually have plans to return to Europe next year for a river cruise out of Germany, but until then, we’ll be back to exploring our local 50.

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Croatia (Eurotrip Leg 3)

For the third and final leg of our European adventure, we moved south out of Slovenia and into the country that I had been anticipating the most, Croatia. Croatia has recently blown up as a tourist destination and is more able to handle it than was Slovenia, but it was still crowded. Compared to Italy, much like Slovenia, it was very affordable.

Most who visit Croatia go for the Mediterranean beaches, which are beautiful, but that was not our target. We did hit up Split for a few hours, but the majority of our time was spent visiting two of the most spectacular National Parks I have ever seen.

What We Did

Plitvice National Park: If you Google Croatia, images from Plitvice are some of the most frequent you will find. When traveling like this, it is always a worry that the real thing won’t live up to the social media hype. I was pleasantly surprised. I can safely say that Plitvice is one of the most spectacular places I have ever been, if not the most.

Plitvice is a waterfall lovers paradise. It is simply one spectacular fall after another, with beautiful greenery and strikingly blue lakes in between. We bought tickets in advance and arrived early, both a must, and set out from Entrance 1 (the north entrance) following the signs for Program C.

Program C is 3+ miles long, and kind of uphill, but the trek is mostly along well developed boardwalks. About halfway in, you’ll get to spot where you can either go left and walk around a lake or go right and take a boat. We went right and took the boat, but we had to wait over half an hour for the boat.

At the end, we took a shuttle back, but if we had more time, I would have wanted to walk back. It would have been another 3 or so miles, but would have been mostly downhill, and we’d have gotten to see everything again.

This park can definitely be done in less than a full day, but I could probably have spent a week there. Several of the features are closed, and don’t appear likely to re-open anytime soon, including the caves and the hike up to the Veliki Slap Viewpoint. You can drive to this locale, however, using the coordinates 44°54’9″ N 15°36’27” E.

If you get there early, you will have company, but for us, it was not terribly crowded. It is really hard to describe how wonderful is Plitvice; I should simply say that if you’re in the area, it should not be missed. If you are pressed for time, go north to south. Going the opposite direction will have you looking over your shoulder the whole time.

Krka National Park: Only slightly less amazing is Krka, the more southern of the two water wonderlands. Whilst Krka is not as vast as Plitvice, it has some equally spectacular areas and is more spread out.

Since we had our own car, we entered through the Lozovac entrance. To find this, just go to the city of Lozovac and follow the signs. This option allows you to bus or walk in, whereas the Skradin entrance requires a boat. The boat might actually be easier but allows far less flexibility.

At the Lozovac entrance, we took the bus, about a 10 minute ride in. At the bus stop, there are plenty of restrooms and restaurants. They were not open when we arrived at 8 (get there early), but they were on our way out. When we arrived, it was not crowded at all, but it was by the time we left this area.

From this entrance, we visited one of three major parts of the park, the Skradinski Slap. There is a great, mile or so hike that takes you through the park to a breathtaking view of the falls. It is not like Plitvice, where there are waterfalls everywhere, but the payoff is about as unreal as it gets. We hit all three major parts of the park, and I definitely recommend doing this one first, as it gets the most crowded.

Next, we drove up to Roski Slap, another beautiful but less grand waterfall. In this area, there are a few cute restaurants where you can sit and have a beer under a waterfall. I definitely recommend this. There is also a very strenuous hike of over 100 stairs up to a cave that claims tenants back over 5,000 years. The cave is cool, but the hike is really tough. That said, the view of Roski Slap from above is far more impressive than below, and totally worth it.

The last portion we visited was Visovac Island. Rather than take the boat from Skradin, which can be round trip upwards of four hours, we drove and parked at Stinice, which has a ferry every hour, a ferry that takes only a few minutes. We spent an hour touring the island, which is home to an active monastery. This was a great part of the trip and wonderful way to end our time in Krka.

Split: Even though we didn’t stay in Split, we did take an afternoon to drive in and check out the coastal town. It is very touristy, but also charming in a way very similar to Venice. It is a very old, winding city, and we had a great time exploring and grabbing dinner. If you’ve got the time, I would try not to miss it.

Zagreb: We stayed the capital city of Croatia on our last night. We didn’t have a ton of time there, but we did walk around the downtown area and had a very nice dinner. I can’t really give a great recommendation about it one way or the other, but I enjoyed it far more than I did Ljubljana. It looks like a city moving in the right direction.

Where We Stayed

We spent two nights in Croatia, in two different AirBNBs. Both were very accommodating and both far less expensive than would have been hotel rooms for the five of us. The locations were also only a few minutes drive from the two National Parks.

Where We Ate

Vila Velebita: On the way out of Plitvice, there are plenty of restaurants, we were lucky enough to pick this one. They have a great menu available in multiple languages. We were able to sit outside and have what felt like a very authentically Croatian meal.

Al Dente: This was a very versatile restaurant in Zagreb that had a great menu and great outdoor seating. It is in a really cool location downtown and felt very vibrant.

Croatia was the last leg and to me, most spectacular part of our trip. I know that Eileen and Alyson probably enjoyed Italy more, but I have fallen hard. I am not a fan of visiting places more than once, but if anyone ever wanted to go back, I’d be on the next plane over.

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Lake Bled (EuroTrip Stop 2)

The second leg of our European road trip took us from Northern Italy, through Austria, and into Slovenia. We could have gone straight from Italy into Slovenia, but why not tick Austria off the list. I understand what you’re saying, driving through Austria for a few hours might not really give one the full experience, but we stopped in Villach for about an hour and had a nice pretzel and beer (Charles IM Palais).

From there, we made our way to an AirBNB in Piškovca, just outside of the Lake Bled area. It appears that Slovenia is about to blow up, tourism-wise, similar to the current situation in Croatia, and deservedly so. The area is beautiful, accessible and inexpensive. That said, they are not all that well set up for the volume of people that are coming, and the amount of English spoken is still limited.

Lake Bled seems to be the nexus of the tourism boom in Slovenia, and there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Again, the English is limited, and so is the parking. When we first got to Bled, we spent at least 30 minutes driving around searching. We eventually found the Central Parking lot, which is walking distance to Bled, but it was frustrating. You may also find yourself frustrated that some of the things you want to do will be first come, first serve, and at the pleasure of the locals. A lot can be booked online, but a lot can’t.

Our two days in Slovenia were packed, and they were spectacular. We saw some great things, ate great food and met a lot of cool people. If you’re going this direction, don’t skip this former Yugoslavian state.

What We Did

Vingtar Gorge: When you look up Slovenia on social media, this is one of the first things that will come up. Similar to Watkins Glen, the Gorge is a 1.5 mile cavernous hike along boardwalks that crisscross the Radovna River. It is nothing short of spectacular. The water is a color rarely seen in nature, and the way it has been developed will take your breath away.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, and there is a satellite parking lot that offers free shuttles. I think if you get there early enough, you can park at the actual entrance, but I am not certain. We got to the satellite lot at 8 am and were able to get on the second bus (it should have been the first, but we got screwed).

I do recommend arriving early. For us, the walk was great, but there are a lot of tour groups, and boardwalks can get clogged. I understand that later in the day, it can feel like a bit of a conveyor belt.

Something else to keep in mind is that it’s only a 1.5 mile walk along the river, but it is one way, so you have to get back, either along the River of Trees or the King of Triglav trails. The River of Trees is shorter, and reportedly less scenic. King of Triglav was long and kind of strenuous (and at one point, we thought we were lost), but there are some really nice panoramic views of the area. If I could do it again, I’d take the River of Trees.

Raft the Sava River: Our AirBNB was actually right at the put-in for the rafting outfitters in the Bled area. Our first afternoon there, we took about a three hour total tour with Sava Rafting. The guides are great and a lot of fun with the kids. The river is great, too, with several significant rapids.

Our boat stayed fully intact, but another boat in our group, filled with 20-something Brits, flipped twice. The river is in no way dangerous, or anymore so than any other, but there were definitely some exciting rapids along the scenic route. Our four year old loved it.

Lake Bled: Our second day in Slovenia, we spent time on Lake Bled itself. We had figured out parking, so went to the lake to find a Pletna boat. These are hand-rowed boats that will take you our to Bled Island, evidently the only island in Slovenia.

The ride is fun, but monotonous. After the first few minutes, it’s pretty much the same thing over and over again. I recommend going to the area called ‘PLETNA TO THE ISLAND BLED’ which you can find on your phone. This one is very close to the island, and, at least when we were there, more punctual. We went to a different area, and the guy showed up 45 minutes late and took quite some time getting us there

The island itself is pretty cool. There’s a church with a wishing bell, a museum and a clock tower. It wasn’t my favorite part of our trip, but it is worth doing.

Ljubljana: We made an unplanned stop in the capital of Slovenia, due to some terrible traffic issues. We basically walked around the old parts of the city and got lunch. Frankly, it was my least favorite part of our trip, but it is probably not fair the the Slovenian’s. Had we planned something and not eaten at a tourist trap, we probably would have had a better experience.

Postojna Cave: This was another unplanned stop on our way our of Slovenia, one that I enjoyed much more. The cave tour starts and ends on a train, which is a lot of fun, and the cave has all the classics you could hope want (including what they call a live dragon). Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online and bring a jacket.

Where We Stayed

Piškovca: We staying in an AirBNB just outside of Bled, which was great, as it gave us easy access to the city but was outside of the tourist areas.

Where We Ate

Gostilna Kurej: This is clearly a favorite of locals that was near our AirBNB and was one of the top two meals I had all trip. It was very authentically Slovenian, the food was spectacular and the service couldn’t have been better.

Spica: This is definitely a touristy spot right on Lake Bled. The food was good, and the view was great, but it wasn’t spectacular.

Kavarna Park: This is another touristy spot on Lake Bled, but the view from the balcony is great. The food was fine, but this is where we got our first (and only) taste of Bled Cake. I don’t think it’s actually all that great, but if you’re in Slovenia, you’ve got to try it.

Slovenia was a great stop on our European road trip and really made it feel unique. Vintgar Gorge was definitely one of the top three places we visited, and it feels like it is still off the beaten path. The next and last destination of our trip took us south into Westeros, I mean Croatia.

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Venezia e le Dolomiti

This year, my eldest graduate from high school (a remarkable accomplishment completed by almost everyone). To celebrate, we decided to trade states for countries and set off on a road trip through Europe.

For the purposes of keeping this readable, I am going to break our trip into three different legs, the first of which began in Venice. We flew out of New Orleans on BA at almost 10 pm, landing the next day in London, and then the next night in Venice. This gave us two and half days to spend in Italy before we headed to out next stop, Slovenia.

What We Did:

St. Mark’s Basilica: We got into Venice early on Sunday. We drove in and parked at one of the lots right across the bridge from the mainland. St. Mark’s has a 10:00 AM service, which we attended. It is definitely High Mass, and my Italian was lacking, but it was a cool experience. The church is stunning, but it is not as restored as you might think. It feels like they are letting time run its course, whereas in the US, it feels like things would be brighter.

A few things to keep in mind. First, if you plan to get there for Church, get there early as it fills up fast. Second, you have to have your knees and shoulders covered. I thought Eileen was fine, but the attendant made her wrap a raincoat around her legs. It seemed very subjective, but it is something about which you should be aware. It is definitely worth it, if you get the chance.

Doge Palace: Our next stop was the Doge Palace, the traditional ruling seat of the Venetian government. We bought skip-the-line passes ahead of time, which is definitely the way to go. The Palace is cool, especially the upstairs, where there are multiple rooms covered with great artwork. The attached prison, including The Bridge of Sighs, is also a must-see. The Palace was a great experience, but if we’d missed it, I wouldn’t be losing any sleep.

Gondola Ride: You’d be crazy to go to Venice and not ride a Gondola. We booked ours ahead of time on Get Your Guide, which made things easy. It was fun, but it was also hot as can be, and it gets a bit monotonous.

Lago di Braies: This was our first stop in the Dolomites, the Italian portion of the Alps. You worry that stuff you see online won’t live up to the photos, but Lago di Braies did not disappoint. Get there early to get parking, get the row boat and spend an hour on the lake. It is beautiful, pristine and awe-inspiring. As you row around the lake, take it all in and don’t let the vibrant colors overwhelm you. Also, don’t spend all your time taking picture; just enjoy the moments.

Ortisei: From there, we drove to Ortisei and took two cable cars up to Secada. The ride up is a lot fun, and there is a cool restaurant at the top. Beyond that, there are several trails that lead to stunning views. You can do as much or as little as you like, but getting up into the clean, crisp air feels fantastic.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo: This was my favorite part of the Dolomites. We got up early and drove the Rifugio Auronzo, which requires prepaid parking. We set out from the Rifugio, counter-clockwise, on the 5+ mile hike around the three peaks. The views are breathtaking throughout, although the hike is no joke.

There are several huts along the way where you can stop, use restrooms and even buy food but not all of them were open when we were there. You also have to make the decision as to which direction to walk. There is one really strenuous park, regardless of which way you go. Clockwise, you go down a very steep hill and have to walk up the switch backs. If you go opposite, you go down the switch backs and up a very aggressive incline. I loathe switch backs, so we did the latter, but both seemed tough.

This is one of the most spectacular hikes I have ever taken, and I cannot recommend it more strongly.

Where We Stayed

Crown Plaza East: When we landed outside of Venice, we just got a hotel room in an IHG property near the airport. It was nothing special, but the people were really nice, the on-site restaurant was good and the drinks were cold.

Falzes: In the Dolomites, we stayed in a great AirBnB in the Falzes (Pfalzen). It was a great location, near several restaurants and close enough to what we wanted to do. Keep in mind, though, that when traveling in the Dolomites, nothing is all that close together.

Where We Ate

St. Mark’s Square: On our way into Venice, we passed like 100 restaurants, but we decided to eat in St. Mark’s Square itself. The are is really cool and vibrant, but the food and prices are very touristy. I can’t even remember the name of the actual restaurant.:

Ristourante Piazzale Platzl: This was in the Falzes area, about 15 minutes from our house, and was fantastic. We got three pastas and a pizza, and everyone was thrilled. The service was great, and the wine was cheap and fresh. I do not really enjoy wine, but in Italy, it is so inexpensive and so local, it is hard to pass.

Reinzbrau: This area has as many German speakers as it does Italian, so we found a lot of German food as well. This spot was ok, but honestly, was my least favorite meal of the whole trip. Everything was fine, but it was nothing special.

This was such an amazing start to our Eurotrip, and I feel like I am under-selling it. Venice was fun to see, but the Dolomites were the real star. What a spectacular place to spend a few days. We could have stayed a week and never gotten bored.

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Virgin Islands for Mardi Gras

This year, as the parades came to an end, the family and I decided head out of town and make it to one of the country’s least visited national parks, Virgin Islands National Park. Other than the Alaska parks, Hawai’i park and American Samoa, it is one of the most difficult to reach.

In order to get there, you actually have to fly into St. Thomas and then take a 30 minute ferry across to St. John’s, where the park is actually located. A few things to keep in mind, if you are planning this trip.

First, the Virgin Islands, despite being an American territory, drive on the left side of the road, but with steering wheels also on the left (don’t tell Trump). Two, even though they are an American territory, the VIs very much have the feel of a third world country, so do not expect a whole lot of amenities. Third, there is a National Park there, but if you are going, expect it to really be more of a beach trip than a traditional NP vacation.

What We Did

Ocean Surfari Snorkeling: We booked a tour with this group, who picked us up from St. John’s at around 9:30 am. My only real complaint is that they made us arrive like 45 minutes early to fill out two minutes worth of waivers, so it was a lot of unnecessary down time.

Once we were on the boat, the trip was great. Our first stop was Christmas Cove, which had several great areas to snorkel. The highlights were a family of sea turtles, the youngest of whom would surface on a regular basis, and several large sting rays. We made a second stop and honeymoon beach, which was cool to see but not that great of a snorkel location.

The guides were great, the ride was fun and they served cocktails after the snorkeling was finished. Overall, it was a really great experience.

Virgin Islands National Park: Much of St. John’s is actually part of the NP, so it is hard to identify exactly when we went in and out. The Visitors Center is in Cruz Bay, and looks like it is going to be huge, but isn’t. They only have a small gift shop and aren’t open on weekends, so be prepared. I’ll touch more on what we did in the park as I go on, but in terms of NPs, this one isn’t all that grand and impressive, it more serves to protect the natural beauty of the island.

Tree Limin’ Zip Line: On our second full day in the Virgin Islands, we actually took the ferry back to St. Thomas, the more developed island and went on a zip line tour with a great local group. There were six zips, two ladders, and they let the whole family go. Clara, 4, was technically too young, but they looked the other way and allowed her and I to go tandem. The views were beautiful, and the zips were a lot of fun.

Dockside Dinghy: This was my favorite part of our trip. On Friday morning, we rented a small dinghy from the above company and cruised through the waters, both National and non-National Park. We stopped at Hurricane Hole to swim, cruised around a bird sanctuary island and sidled up to Lime Out for lunch. You have to be willing to drive the boat yourself, but that’s not all the complex. This is also one of the only ways to get to Lime Out, where the food was great.

Paradise Point Skyride: On our way to the airport, back on St. Thomas, we had a few hours to kill, so we took a gondola up to Paradise Point. This area has great views, a gift shop and a decent restaurant. It is not worth going out of your way for, but if you’ve got time to kill, it is a fun experience.

Beaches: One of the main reasons to go to St. John’s is to hang out on the beaches. We visited Honeymoon Beach from the water, but didn’t spend a ton of time there. We spent an afternoon at Trunk Bay Beach, which is really popular and beautiful. It has all sorts of amenities, and there is an underwater snorkeling trail (although it is no different than just snorkeling). This was my son’s favorite beach, as it has the biggest waves.

Later in the week, we hit Cinnamon Beach and Maho Beach. Both offer a lot of amenities, food, drinks, bathrooms, beach rentals, but neither had waves as big as Trunk Bay. Maho was a favorite of Clara and Eileen. My favorite was Salt Pond Beach, on the other side of the island. It offers no amenities and requires a short, but kind of strenuous walk, but it is beautiful and serene

All of these beaches have very limited parking, so you either have to take a shuttle, get there early, or simply wait for something to come available.

Hikes: There are several hiking trails and ruins throughout the NP. We hit a few, but again, this isn’t really a classic hiking area. We did the Francis Bay trail and the Peace Hill trail, both of which are short but have pretty views.

Our two favorite trails were the Cinnamon Bay trail and the Rams Head trail. Both are longer and more strenuous. For Cinnamon Bay, I recommend taking the left fork of the trail up to American Hill, which is a great ruin and beautiful view. There really is no reason to hike all of Cinnamon Bay, as you just dead end at another street, but American Hill is great.

Rams Head starts at the Salt Pond beach and is an arduous walk across windswept hills and rocky beaches. It is great to combine with spending time at Salt Pond beach but should not be done in beach shoes, as we quickly discovered.

Annaberg Plantation is probably the most intact set of ruins and is worth a visit, but the Catherineberg Sugar Mill ruins were by far our favorite. They can be accessed by driving a very treacherous road, but when you reach them, it’ll likely be just you, and there is a lot to see. If you’ve got time and want to see more of the interior of the island, you shouldn’t miss it.

Where We Stayed

We booked an AirBnB in the Fish Bay area, which is on the south side of St. Johns. It had quite a nice view but was pretty rustic. There is a Westin on the island that I believe is quite nice, but it is also quite expensive. There were several AirBnB options, but you really have to pick and choose. We were happy with where we stayed, but I am not sure I would recommend it to someone with particularly high standards.

Where We Ate

Windmill Bar: This location was one of our favorites, right at the apex of the island with a great view of the sunset. That said, the food was our least favorite. It was very bland and uninspired. I should note, we ate there on Ash Wednesday, so ordered slightly different than we otherwise might have, but we definitely didn’t give up salt for lent. I would still recommend going for the views, but the food wasn’t the best.

Sea and Sun: This restaurant is part of a resort on St. Thomas; we ate there the day that we went zip lining. The restaurant primarily offers outdoor seating, right on the water where tarpons and other fishes come right up to the doc. The food was solid, and the experience was great.

Lime Out: This is a floating taco stand on the Cruz Bay side of the island. There are a few ways to get there, but none of them are easy (or cheap). Several tours stop there, and there is a water taxi available, but it won’t take kids Clara’s age. We rented a dinghy and at the end of our boating excursions stopped for lunch. You basically tie off to one of several buoys and swim over. There are seats in the water at the bar and floating lily pads to sit on. It is really unique, but what’s great is that the food is terrific. We got several different tacos and all were great.

St. John’s Brewers: This brewery is located on the island in the Mongoose Junction area. It is hard to find parking, and the area is very touristy, but the brewery is great. They’ve got multiple beer options, and the food is exactly what you’d want in terms of bar food. This was my favorite place we ate, and was a good place to get updates on college basketball tournaments.

What I Wish I’d Known

I was a little unprepared for how difficult it would be to drive on St. John’s. They drive on the left side of the road, but the steering wheels are normal. The lanes are very narrow and once you’re off the main roads, very steep. It was a lot of fun, but not super easy.

I wish I’d known that reef-safe sunscreen is not at all strong enough for the fair Igoe skin. We all burned, despite regular applications, myself by far the worst.

I wish that I’d known I was in for mostly a beach trip. I love the beach, but to me, it can become monotonous. In terms of National Parks, this one would stay low on my list. We had a lot of fun, and I would go back if someone else wanted to, but I doubt I would plan a second trip.

Next up for us is Toronto, Niagara Falls and three state parks in upstate New York. We’ll keep you posted.

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Great Basin, Great Vacation

This year for Fall Break, we decided to head back to Nevada (our third time this year) to explore one of the country’s lesser visited National Parks, Great Basin. The park is over four hours from Vegas and three hours from Salt Lake. Flights being what they were, we flew into LAS, rented a car and headed north.

Aside from the travel arrangements, another reason we flew into Las Vegas was that Cathedral Gorge State Park is on the drive up. In the west, one must keep in mind that there are a plethora of state parks, some as impressive as their National Park neighbors.

What We Did

Cathedral Gorge State Park: we drove up Friday night and hit the park the next morning. We only spent about four hours there, which was enough, and it was a great four hours.

The Juniper Draw Loop is just over 3 miles and is one of the most popular trails in the park. If you plan to do the whole thing, I recommend going clockwise, as this saves all the best parts for the end.

If you are not wanting to do the whole hike, you can go clockwise and just go up to Miller Point, which is a steep climb offering great views of the park. You can also drive straight to the overlook, if you are not interested in the walk.

I also recommend, on this end of the loop, Cathedral Caves. While the ‘caves’ in Cathedral Gorge are actually slot canyons, they are really cool, and our kids loved climbing through them.

If you liked the Cathedral Caves, I strongly recommend the Moon Caves. This is a slightly different area with equally impressive slot canyons. There were a few areas that only my kids could fit into, which they found really exciting (and Alyson and I found really nerve wracking). Both Eileen and JR said this was their favorite part of our entire trip.

Great Basin National Park

Visitors Center: Great Basin has two VCs, Lehman and GB, and I recommend visiting both. The Lehman VC has an attached cafe with a much better gift shop attached.

Astronomy Program: Great Basin is a certified dark sky park, so people flock from all around to check out the star. We went to a ranger led program that was great. The skies were amazing, and one of the telescopes showed Saturn clear to the point that the rings were actually visible through the lens. It is a later night, and it was hard for our four year-old to sit through, but it was worth it.

Wheeler Scenic Drive: This drive up the mountain takes you past several great overlooks, including one of Nevada’s only glacier, and goes by most of the trails you will want to hike. It is also a good way to see all the changing leaves if you are there at the right time.

Alpine Lakes Loop: This 3-ish mile loop is at the termination of Wheel Drive and is one of the park’s most popular. We went counterclockwise, but I didn’t really see a lot of advantages to one way or the other. Frankly, I wasn’t as impressed with this hike as I had hoped. It goes by two alpine lakes, but at this time of year, my daughter suggested they were more like alpine ponds. It was a good trek but not particularly mind blowing.

If you don’t have young kids and/or are feeling like you need more, the Bristlecone Pine and Glacier Trails branch of the loop, but they add a lot of extra mileage.

Lehman Caves: This was my favorite part of our trip. We took a guided, 60 minute tour that revealed all sorts of great features in this living cave. I love a good cave, and this might be my favorite that we’ve toured in a National Park.

Strawberry Creek Road: To access this, you have to leave the park and drive north, then follow a dirt road back in. We were the only people for miles, which was pretty fantastic. At the end of the road, we did a 1-mile loop that goes along Strawberry Creek. This was a nice trail, but again, not all that amazing, except that we saw a family of deer, including a 10-point buck, which made it all worthwhile.

Where We Stayed

Swallow Cove B&B: There aren’t a lot of options to stay near Cathedral Gorge, which is why this place was such a pleasant surprise. We had a great room with plenty of space for five, and homemade breakfast in the morning. One of the best amenities was the key-less entry. We arrive late, so the host simply texted us the instructions. We had a completely contact-free check-in and check-out.

Hidden Canyon Retreat: This place is fantastic. There are also few lodging options for Great Basin, and this one is actually the further of the two. That said, it appeared to be the far better choice. The approach is a 6-mile dirt road, but once you’ve done it once, it is far less daunting. The room was great with a fully functioning kitchen. We bought supplies and cooked dinner both nights in our room. There’s a heated pool, a hot tub, several grills, a convenience store and several friendly animals (including a 5-point buck). Recently, our best experiences have been the ones where we really liked our lodging, and Hidden Canyon did not disappoint.

Where We Ate

Historic Silver Cafe: On the way out of Cathedral Gorge, we stopped at the Silver Cafe, the older cafe in Nevada. The food was decent, and they were showing college football, so it was a good experience. If there were other options, and it wasn’t historic, I am not sure we would’ve stopped, but there was nothing significant about which to complain.

Sugar, Salt & Malt: We ate here for lunch on Saturday, and it was solid. We all got sandwiches that hit the spot, and everyone was very friendly. The dinner menu looked interesting, but due to staffing issues, they were only open for lunch during our stay. There was also a note about the owners selling the establishment, but it was not clear whether that is a recent development or has already happened. Whether or not it is there when you go, I can’t say for sure. There are not a lot of options for food in Great Basin, so do your research and plan ahead.

Able Baker Brewing: This brewery is actually in Vegas, and is where we stopped for lunch on Monday before boarding a plane. I thought it was great, one of my favorite recent breweries. There were several food options that the whole family loved, and a plethora of beers. Whether or not you’re going to Great Basin, if you want a break from the Strip part of Vegas, this is cool spot.

Overall, Great Basin was a great trip, and Cathedral Gorge was a great addition. That said, I do not think I would put it in my top 10 National Parks. If you are looking for stunning scenery, breathtaking waterfalls and great trails with hidden wonders, this probably isn’t the park for you. That said, I do think that of Mammoth Cave, Wind Cave and Carlsbad Caverns, GBNP has my favorite cave system. If you are looking for seclusion, wide open spaces and a crystal clear night sky, then look no further.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes, we’re headed to Dallas for Thanksgiving to see Alyson’s family. We were able to get tickets to the Cowboys game, and I couldn’t be more excited. Whether you’re a Dallas fan or not, if you’re a football fa, Cowboys on Thanksgiving should be on your bucket list.

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Into the Badlands (RV Days 7 & 8)

After leaving North Dakota, we made the long trek south towards Badlands National Park. This was the longest drive of our journey, about five hours, and we legitimately tried to find something to do along the way. It turns out that between Theodore Roosevelt NP and Badlands NP, there isn’t anything to do. It is a very scenic drive, but we found nowhere to stop.

We spend about a day and a half in the Badlands area, which was definitely enough to see what we wanted to see. The park is expansive and has multiple units, and much of it is under the care of a Native American nation. The area is very visitor friendly, but it can take quite some time to get from one end to the other.

What We Did

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: If you are in the area for more than half a day, it is worth it to stop at this NPS site. It memorializes the nuclear arms race that occurred during the Cold War. There is a lot of interesting history here, and you can actually visit a decommissioned nuclear launch silo. Especially if you are an NPS passport book holder, this site is worth your time.

Notch Trail: This is one of the most popular trails in the park, and when you get there, you’ll know why. It is at the same parking lot as the Door and Window trails, and it can get crowded. Take the path to the right for the Notch Trail, and about 10 minutes in, you’ll find a rope ladder ascending the topography. It can get backed up, which is a good reason to go early. The trail itself is about 1.5 miles out-and-back, and terminates with an expansive panorama. If you have time for only one trail in the Badlands, this should be it.

Castle, Medicine Root and Saddle Pass Trails: In terms of additional hiking, there are several trails that crisscross the Badlands, and you’ve got the option to choose your adventure. The Castle Trail moves east-west across the park but is a long way in one direction. Instead of hiking the entire route, we started at the Saddle Pass Trail Head.

This is less than half a mile, but you go straight up into the heart of the Badlands. It is more of a climb than a hike, but it is a lot of fun. At the top, you come to one of the intersections of the Castle Trail and Medicine Root Trail. If you combine these, you get a really nice loop.

We went counterclockwise along Medicine Root, which offered beautiful, expansive views. The way back along the Castle Trail takes you by the classic stony architecture of the Badlands. Combined, these three tails create about a 4.5-mile lollipop. It was a great way to see the park.

Sunset: One of the top things to do in the Badlands is to watch the sunset. In this park, it is not so much watching the sun drop below the hills that draws the crowds but watching the way the shadows envelop the stony outcroppings. The Pinnacles is one of the most popular spots, but evidently, gets quite crowded. At the suggestion of another blogger, we stopped at the Bigfoot Pass Overlook. We had it almost completely to ourselves, and the views were spectacular.

White River Visitors Center: This is the VC located in the southwest unit of the park. The drive to get there is scenic but time consuming. When we arrived, we found a trailer with two rangers who seemed annoyed to see us. Unless you are looking for a way to kill a few hours, this is probably not worth your time.

Where We Stayed

Badlands/White River KOA: While KOAs are not always the right choice, for us, on this trip, they were. This KOA is only a few miles from the south entrance to the main part of the park. It was nothing special, but the kids played on the playground and swam both nights, and the proprietors were quite friendly.

Where We Ate

Wagon Wheel: Aside from the RV itself, we had a great meal in a local bar in Interior, SD. This city has a population of only 91 but still has a fun bar and grill. When you go, get the beer and get the pizza. Everything else is frozen, but they make the pizza on-site. It might not be the best you have ever eaten, but it certainly hits the spot.

Wall Drugs: This was originally a drug store in the 1800s but has developed almost into a Buc-ee’s style venue. We got breakfast here, and a pair of socks, but could have gotten almost anything we wanted. There’s ice cream, shopping, a fudgery and multiple restaurants, all under the Wall umbrella. The food was good but the experience was superb.

This was the last stop on our 8 day RV trip. We made our way back the Rapid City and jumped on a flight back home. This was my second visit to the Badlands, and I am still quite awed. If all you have is one day, that’s probably enough. Unless you’re doing back country camping, three days is probably too much.

There is so much to do in South Dakota that it can be overwhelming, but if you are there, be sure to prioritize the Badlands; you won’t be disappointed.