Majority of Americans Favor Mask Mandate On Public Transportation

Above, on board an Amtrak train two years ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A survey of Americans purportedly shows that a majority favors a mask mandate on public transportation such as planes and trains. I'm not one of them after having to endure wearing a mask on planes and trains.

A federal judge this week voided the mask mandate on public transportation.

Travel Awaits reported:

A majority of Americans favor a mask mandate on airplanes and other forms of public transportation despite a federal judge ending the policy this week.

A survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 56 percent of Americans believe the policy should remain in place.

Just 24 percent are opposed to the policy, and 20 percent are neither in favor nor opposed.

To read more, go here. 

Best National Park Gift Ideas

Above, I picked up this blanket for my RV bed in Yellowstone National Park in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Part of the fun when traveling whether to a foreign country or to a national park is to pick up souvenirs for yourself or for family and friends.

Travel Awaits posted an article on 21 unique national park gifts one can buy.

They start it off with:

From Acadia to Zion, our 63 national parks can only truly be appreciated in person. As a love letter to our natural treasures and the U.S. National Parks Service, we’re celebrating National Park Week with national park-themed presents that are perfect for any national park enthusiast. Plus, a portion of many of these purchases goes to preserving our parks, promoting park programs, and protecting these destinations for future generations to enjoy.

Get a gift for the national park lover in your life, or look for a souvenir for yourself. We promise these presents are much cooler than a keychain and probably less expensive than what you’ll find at the gift shop!

To read more, go here. 

Things To Know Before Extended RV Trip

Above, at the Route 66 RV Resort in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that it is winter and many of us are holed up inside the house (it is snowing outside my home as I am writing this), it is a good time to plan next year's RV vacation.

If one is new to the RV lifestyle, the following will be useful enough to include in the departure checklist. After a while, these will be second nature.

TravelAwaits posted 10 things to know before hitting the road on an extended RV trip. 

They begin it with:

The anticipation and excitement are palpable. You’re planning an extended RV trip to a bucket list location, a family reunion, or an odyssey that you’ve dreamt of doing. Wherever you’re going on your extended RV trip, be sure to plan ahead and be prepared. I know there are people who drive by the seat of their pants and let the road take them wherever it leads. That’s a fine way to travel. Being prepared is not about having reservations, though in these crowded RV days it’s not a bad idea. Preparation will minimize unexpected problems, expenses, and delays. No one wants to be on a three-month journey and get sidelined. Here are my tips for what you need to know to make your trip memorable, manageable, and meaningful. 

To see what they are, go here. 

Travel Awaits: 12 Outdoor Experiences From Key Largo To Key West

Above, Mile Marker 0 in Key West. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two years ago, a friend and I took a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Havana, Cuba. Along the way, we made a stop for a day in Key West. I found the town to be an interesting and fun place to visit. 

I was contemplating a return visit there last year for a few days, but the pandemic nixed that idea.

Travel Awaits has posted an article on 12 amazing outdoor experiences along the Florida Keys. One of these days, I will make that return visit to Key West and possibly check out some of the places the article mentions.

They begin the article with:

Florida is great for finding outdoors, back-to-nature adventures. Despite the explosive growth in recent years, there are still plenty of wilderness areas to explore. None more so than in the Florida Keys … from Key Largo to Key West eco-travel adventures abound. The Keys are also known as the Conch Republic because, in a not-so-serious attempt, they seceded from the United States for a couple of days in 1982. There is even a flag.

Naturally, in an area surrounded by water, adventures out on the water are available all along the Keys. Kayaking, stand-up paddle boards, fishing charters, and kayak fishing, diving on the reefs, are all readily available in the Keys. If you’re a cyclist there is the Overseas Heritage bike trail, a paved trail that runs over 90 miles, following the route of the old rail line that connected Miami to Key West.

Everything in the Keys is measured by mile markers along U.S. Highway 1, so follow along as we take you from Mile Marker 106 in Key Largo, to Mile Marker 0 in Key West.

To read more, go here. 

Travel Awaits: Cheap Homes Near National Parks

Above, affordable homes can be found near Petrified Forest National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With the red rock mesas across the valley from where I live in New Mexico, it seems like almost living near a national park.

This isn't the case as the red rock mesas are in the Navajo Nation. Parts of the Nation are checkered across Interstate 40 from me.

But living near a national park does sound great, though. The nearest national park to me is Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It is about 105 miles away.

Travel Awaits has posted an article (with prices) on 10 most affordable places to live near national parks. Petrified Forest National Park is one that is mentioned.

The article starts with:

If you love national parks, chances are you’ve thought of buying a house near one. After all, that way you could quickly make your way into the park for the day; and if you’re retired, having a house near a national park means you could visit that park whenever you want.

Of course, there’s just one problem: Paying for that house.

To read more, go here. 

Explore Along Route 66 In Tulsa, Oklahoma

Above, The Beast at the Elk City/Clinton KOA on Route 66 in Elk City, Oklahoma. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Five years ago, I took a three-week vacation trip to Metropolis, Illinois (the home of Superman) to attend a memorial service for actress Noel Neill.

The route generally took me along Interstate 40 until I reached Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to get on Interstate 44 to Tulsa. Before heading to Tulsa, I spent a night at the Elk City/Clinton (Oklahoma) KOA Kampground which is on Route 66 in Elk City. There's a Route 66 museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, but I left the area before it opened.

Historic Route 66 cuts through Tulsa and the city is active paying homage to the "Mother Road" with historic and new attractions. 

Travel Awaits has an article on the Route 66 things to see and do in Tulsa.  

They begin it with:

Whether you use a nickname — like the Mother Road or Main Street of America — or refer to it by its given name, Route 66 is arguably the most famous highway in the United States. One of the nation’s first interstate roads, Route 66 arced southward through eight states and crossed three time zones connecting Chicago and Santa Monica.

In Oklahoma, Route 66 enters the Sooner State in its upper northeastern corner near Joplin, Missouri. Stretching more than 400 miles, the route divides the Cherokee Nation from the Osage Reservation as it races through the heavily wooded Ozark mountains toward tallgrass prairies and the Texas Panhandle, connecting Tulsa and Oklahoma City. But Oklahoma is more than roughly the midpoint of the journey along Route 66. It is also where Oklahoma businessman Cy Avery (also known as the Father of Route 66) conjured up the concept of the Main Street of America. 

While many sites along Route 66 have long been abandoned, Tulsa has worked hard to restore historical gems as well as to build new sites that pay homage to the Mother Road. These are the can’t-miss places you’ll want to explore along Route 66 in Tulsa.

To see what Tulsa has to offer on Route 66, go here. 

Grand Teton National Park Essential Ranger Tips

Above, a herd of elk group together in a meadow for safety as a bear was nearby. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If a vacation trip this summer includes the state of Wyoming, a visit to Grand Teton National Park should be a part of the itinerary.

It is situated in northwest Wyoming, just below Yellowstone National Park.

If a visit is part of the itinerary, Travel Awaits has "10 essential ranger tips" for visiting the park.

They begin with:

Grand Teton National Park, located in the Rocky Mountains’ Teton Range, has more than 300,000 acres of valleys, mountain meadows, lakes, and rugged mountain peaks – and 200 miles of trails. The park, located in northwest Wyoming south of Yellowstone National Park, is also known for being home to large numbers of bears, elk, bison, mule deer, and pronghorn.

It’s no surprise then that the park is exceptionally popular. Indeed, in 2020, Grand Teton drew 3.3 million visitors — making it the country’s 5th-most-visited national park. Record numbers of people have been visiting the park this year as well. 

Those crowds don’t mean you should forget about visiting Grand Teton, however. In fact, the National Park Service (NPS) recently released its “Top 10 Tips for Visiting Grand Teton National Park” — written by park rangers — to help you plan a memorable vacation even if the park is crowded.

“Grand Teton looks forward to welcoming visitors this summer,” NPS explains. “The 2021 season is BUSY, so make sure to plan ahead, recreate responsibly, and help ensure this iconic landscape may be enjoyed by future generations.”

So let’s get right to it. Here’s what rangers want you to know before you visit Grand Teton National Park.

To read more, go here. 

Along Yosemite's Tioga Road

Above, an early morning view of Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Five years ago, I took a "little" trip up the Owens Valley on U.S. 395 in California.

I stayed one night in Bishop and a couple of nights in Mammoth Lakes. Along the way, I stopped at Manzanar and Devil's Postpole National Monument. After this, I headed a little further north up 395 to Tioga Pass Road into Yosemite National Park.

This was the first time I have ever been in this part of Yosemite and it was well worth a road trip.

Travel Awaits has an article on the seven best experiences along Tioga Road.

They begin it with:

During the hottest days of summer, the best way to enjoy Yosemite National Park is to spend most of your time in the higher elevations, in the eastern side of the park, along Tioga Road. The area is open only in the summer, but when it is, it offers breathtaking views of the High Sierras and the High Country of Yosemite National Park. 

I visited the park with my family during the first week of June, just a few days after Tioga Pass opened. Since we ended up in the park during some of the hottest days of the early summer, Yosemite Valley proved too hot for us to spend much time in. So we spent most of our time in the High Country of Yosemite National Park, along the Tioga Pass Road. 

The scenery was just as stunning as in the more famous areas of the park, and the lower temperatures made our visit more enjoyable. The following are only a few of the many things to do in Yosemite’s High Country along Tioga Road. 

 To read more, go here.

Things To Do In Grand Teton National Park

Above, the Grand Tetons are reflected on Jackson Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park's next-door neighbor to the south, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, is an interesting place in its own right. It is different than Yellowstone in many respects and there are plenty of things to see and do.

Another thing that's different about Grand Teton National Park from Yellowstone: it is a lot less crowded!

TravelAwaits has posted an article on the nine best things to do in Grand Teton National Park.

They begin it with:

Founded in 1929, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park is named for the Teton Mountain Range that formed when tectonic plates collided 100 million years ago. The mountains are newer than that though, having risen from the valley floor about 10 million years ago after massive earthquakes caused the mountains to rise and the valley to fall. 

Two million years ago, glaciers etched and eroded the mountains leaving the jagged peaks you see today — 40 miles of them along the park’s western border. The mountains alone are worth the trip. 

But wait, there’s more! The valley, called Jackson Hole, is surrounded by the Teton and Gros Ventre Mountains and is home to wildlife and remnants left from homesteader days. The Snake River winds its way through the park and its floodplain is home to wildlife as well. As a bonus, moraines — the sediment and rocks pushed around by glaciers — dammed streams and rivers creating alpine lakes that are nestled in the Tetons. 

Many people visit the park in conjunction with a trip to Yellowstone National Park, located just 6.8 miles north via U.S. Highway 89/191. I made it my primary destination on a recent road trip, spending two days exploring the park.

If you opt to fly to Grand Teton National Park, the Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport in the area. It is located within the national park boundary, 7 miles north of the town of Jackson. Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, and United Airlines are the major carriers that service the area. 

Here are the nine best experiences in gorgeous Grand Teton National Park and the reasons I can’t wait to go back.

To read more, go here. 

Things To Know Before Visiting A National Park

Above, a view from Jackson Lake at Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

School is about to end its spring semester and that means the summer vacation season is beginning.

Many are shunning air and cruise ship travel and opting instead to take road trips in the family car or by RV to our national parks.

There are some things that people need to know before visiting a national park as things are a bit different this year.

Travel Awaits has six things one needs to know before making a national park visit.

They begin with:

It’s shaping up to be another busy summer at America’s national parks. In fact, a couple of the country’s most popular parks have already seen record visits this spring. 

Even though Europe is opening its borders to Americans, and it looks like cruise ships will soon head to Alaska, the great American road trip continues to reign. 

A recent national survey by Priceline found that seven out of 10 Americans would like to take a road trip this summer. Meanwhile, a national survey by the RV Industry Association reports that national parks are a top vacation destination for both leisure travelers and RVers alike.

Combine an interest in recreating in the great outdoors with some lingering COVID-19 capacity restrictions, and you’ve got a recipe for a potentially crowded visitor experience at national parks from June through September, and even into October.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! With a little patience and a lot of planning, you can certainly have a satisfying trip to one of the 63 national parks in the United States in the coming months. 

Below, FAQ-style, we’ll answer some key questions about visiting national parks this summer.

To read more, go here. 

Best Things To Do In Arizona

Above, yours truly at the Standin' On A Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona. Photo by Russell Azbill.

Over the years and, more recently (since I live next door), I have visited a number of Arizona's unique spots. I still have several left to visit.

Travel Awaits has posted a list of Arizona's ten unique spots.

They begin with:

From giant saguaro cacti to the deep Grand Canyon, Arizona is full of natural wonders and beauty that can’t be experienced anywhere else in the United States. Add a shout-out to a popular Eagles song, the vision of a world-renowned architect, a massive ecological experiment, and more, and you have these 10 unique spots that can only be experienced in Arizona.

 

Above, Meteor Crater is only a few miles off Interstate 40. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To see what they are, go here.

Cliff Dwellings of the Southwest

Above, Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For some ideas on places to visit during future summer vacations, a visit to the Southwest U.S. to see ancient cliff dwellings is one that should be considered.

Travel Awaits has an article featuring "5 amazing cliff dwellings to explore." Some are in national parks, others are preserved in tribal reservations.

They begin with:

Cliff dwellings, many protected as part of the U.S. National Park System, are ancient homes built in recesses of cliffs and canyon walls. They are prevalent in the Southwest, yet they’re found nowhere else in the U.S. The high deserts here are home to gorgeous canyons and stand-alone sandstone cliffs. Peppered by crevices of all shapes and sizes, these sandstone walls offered the perfect environment for cliff dwellings.

But the ingenuity of the ancient people of the high desert made the crevices inhabitable. Depending on the size of the recesses, they built single homes, neighborhoods, even large villages, sometimes housing over a hundred people. Where possible, they dug further into the cliff recesses for larger establishments.

The resulting buildings were sometimes several stories high, with strong roofs between stories made of wood and plaster. Their inhabitants accessed the rooms by ladders through openings from the rooftops, or through small doorways from neighboring rooms. In larger crevices, they also constructed kivas, circular ceremonial centers.

The National Park Service incorporated many of these cliff dwellings to protect them while also allowing us to visit and enjoy them. My family and I visited them often, and over time, we found a few we keep returning to. The following are some of our favorites.

 To read more, go here.

National Parks of Ancient Ruins

Above, Square Tower House at Mesa Verde National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Travel Awaits has an article on seven national parks that focus on ancient ruins.

Most, as the article states, are in the Southwest U.S. Last September, a friend and I visited one of the parks featured.

They begin with:

Originally established to conserve and preserve some of the most beautiful and unusual wilderness places in America, the National Park System soon grew to include archaeological and historic sites. The first park to preserve “the works of men,” as President Theodore Roosevelt put it, was Mesa Verde, established in 1906. Others followed, preserving and showcasing ancient ruins and archaeological sites throughout the country. Most of them are in the Southwest. And for good reason.

People of the Southwest built their homes and cities in stone, carving them in soft sandstone crevices or building structures up to four stories high from clay and mud bricks. In the bone-dry environment of the desert, these ancient structures baked in the sun but stayed preserved. Visible for miles in the wide-open spaces, they were easy to find, and as settlers moved into the area, they started visiting them -- with no regard to their preservation. Vandalism threatened to destroy structures that stood centuries in the desert sun, and the NPS incorporated them to help preserve them.

Having lived in the Southwest for a few decades, I’ve visited these national parks, and over time a few of them became my favorites, where my family returns year after year -- always finding something new. We’ve taken ranger-led tours through some and explored others on our own. The following are only a few of our favorite national parks preserving ancient ruins in the Southwest.

To read more, go here. 

Travel Awaits: 10 Most Visited National Parks In 2020

Above, as one might expect, Yellowstone National Park made the list. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to you-know-what, visitation numbers for the U.S. national parks were down last year from 2019. That said, they still had a lot of people showing up.

Travel Awaits has posed a list of the ten most visited national parks in 2020. There's really no surprises on which parks are on the list as they consistently are on these lists.

They begin with:

According to numbers just released by the National Park Service (NPS), 237 million visitors went to America’s national parks in 2020. It’s actually 28 percent lower than 2019 because parks were closed part of last year. That said, let’s face it: 237 million people is still a lot of visitors.

“This past year has reminded us how important national parks and public lands are to overall well being,” National Park Service Deputy Director Shawn Benge said in a statement. “Throughout the country, national parks provided close-to-home opportunities for people to spend much needed time outdoors for their physical and psychological health.”

Let’s take a closer look at the most-visited national parks last year. In the format David Letterman used for his Top 10 lists, we’ll count down to the most visited national park.

To see the list, go here. 

Scenic National Park RV Campgrounds

Above, Grand Canyon's Trailer Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Everyone should camp in a national park campground one in their lives. I have camped at several of them over the years.

Travel Awaits has listed the nine most scenic RV national park campgrounds. Of the nine on the list, I have camped at three of them: Bryce Canyon North Campground, Watchman Campground at Zion National Park and Trailer Village at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

One national park campground that should be on the list, but isn't, is Manzanita Lake Campground at Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is in a beautiful forested setting.

They wrote:

National parks offer beautiful experiences, including camping. My home is in the midwest, and I have found several scenic campgrounds through the years. Many of these campgrounds are in national parks and offer views that you will not find elsewhere. If you are new to camping or an experienced camper, I hope you will book a stay at one of these scenic RV campgrounds within national parks. Each of these campgrounds offers a picturesque view that you will find yourself staring at over and over. All of these campgrounds provide captivating experiences and perspectives.

 To read more, go here.

Travel Awaits: Tips For Finding Free Camping

Above, The Beast at the dispersed camping area at Ashurst Lake in Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With more people buying and renting RVs, campgrounds will be getting booked up earlier in the year. 

There are some options for camping inexpensively or free. 

Travel Awaits has nine tips for finding free camping.

They begin with:

The open road beckons with the promise of an exciting adventure. It’s time to get out and explore America. Road tripping is the new vacation craze. Camper rentals are up, families are spending time together outdoors, and the options for parking your RV for free are extensive.

Free camping, also known as dispersed camping, boondocking, going off the grid, and dry-docking are essentially parking your self-contained, self-sufficient camper or tent in that perfect, free camping spot. With the growing interest in hitting the road, options for free camping are gaining traction across the country. With a few simple tools and some planning, your overnight accommodations can be inexpensive and many times free.

 To read more, go here.

Things To Know About Devil's Tower

Above, Devil's Tower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Devil's Tower in eastern Wyoming gained international attention in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But it actually was the nation's first national monument.

Travel Awaits has posted an article on seven interesting things to know about Devil's Tower.

They begin with:

Long before Hollywood aliens visited, Devils Tower stood as both a beautiful and cultural icon in eastern Wyoming. Named the nation’s first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Devils Tower National Monument has been around for thousands of years. Native Americans such as the Lakota (Sioux) once regarded it as a religious and cultural symbol. As Americans made their way westward in 1875, an interpreter for a military expedition misunderstood the Native American name and referred to the landmark as “Devils Tower.”

Standing nearly 900 feet tall from base to summit, Devils Tower -- called Mato Tipila (“Bear Lodge”) by the Lakota -- is a popular tourist destination as well as a major climbing attraction.

A KOA Kampground near the monument's entrance shows Close Encounters of the Third Kind nightly to camping guests.

To read more, go here. 

5 Best National Parks For RV Camping

Above, The Beast at Grand Canyon National Park's Trailer Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Being cooped up for months at home makes people want to get out and hit the road. The national parks are places where they want to head to.

Since the pandemic has made people fearful of traveling by plane or ships, recreational vehicles are seeing a major boom in sales and rentals.

Travel Awaits has an article on the top five national parks people must visit, according to RVers. I have camped in four of them at one time or another, in a tent or RV.

They begin it with:

With social distancing and wide-open spaces a must in 2020, RVing emerged as a favorite way to safely travel. From newbies to experienced travelers, many tried RVing for the first time. And of course we love our national parks, so it makes sense that RV renters headed to National Park Service (NPS) gems near home and across the country this year.

RVShare, which facilitates RV rentals and conducts industry research, released a list of the top five national park destinations for RV travelers this year. We were inspired by their picks -- and even a bit surprised by the beautiful park that came in at number five! With so many beautiful parks from which to choose, it’s difficult to pick only five, but these are the parks RVers visited and enjoyed most in 2020.

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone In The Fall

Above, Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Funny thing, Yellowstone National Park saw more visitors last month than it did the same time last year, even though we're supposed to be in a pandemic.

If one is not enamoured with crowds, perhaps an autumn visit would be more satisfying.

There are many reasons why a fall visit to Yellowstone would be better for some. Travel Awaits gives seven of them.

They begin with:

Due to changing advisories, please check local travel guidelines before visiting.

Yellowstone National Park, our nation’s first national park, is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. More than half of the world’s active geysers lie within the park’s 2.2 million acres. And the greatest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states calls Yellowstone home.

Until recently, Yellowstone was less than 3 hours from my house -- a drive I took so many times I lost count. I went with friends, family, out-of-town visitors, and if I had no takers, I went by myself. Living so close, I had my pick of times to visit Yellowstone. The sweet spot is the last week of September or the first week of October.

To read more, go here.

RV Renting: 21 Things To Know For First Timers

Above, a RV rental agency lot in California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Sooner or later, we're all going to resume normal life after the lockdown/stay-at-home mode we are in now.

That means many people will want to hit the road. Some in their RVs and some renting one.

There are those who have never rented a RV before and TravelAwaits has an article on 21 things people need to know before renting one for the first time.

They begin with:

We confess: The entire TravelAwaits team enjoys daydreaming about amazing North American RV trips. But a few of us have never rented a rig before. 

While we’ve got the skinny on picking the best RV and campground for your trip and are eager to put our RV renter’s checklist to good use, we decided we needed to ask seasoned RVers for their hard-earned lessons on the things you really need to know before renting an RV for the first time. The insights they share do not disappoint.

To read more, go here.