Independence Mine State Historical Site and Hatcher’s Pass, Alaska

In the Mat-Su valley of Alaska near Palmer and Wasilla is a beautiful mountain pass named after miner Robert Hatcher. Hatcher’s Pass is a great skiing destination for locals during the winter, but in the summer people come for the hiking and the history. For like I said, Hatcher’s Pass was named after a miner …

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Where We Get Our Food : Corn Harvest in the Texas Panhandle

I’ll admit it. I’m a city girl. That’s not something most Texans admit. There’s a lot of country pride in my state. But I grew up in a big city suburb and I’ve never lived in anything even remotely close to a town. I don’t know anything about farms. My husband is a farm boy. …

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Fort Worth Zoo – The Best Zoo in Texas

While we are lucky to live in Fort Worth for many reasons, a big one would have to be because of the Fort Worth Zoo. Routinely named in the top five zoos in America, the Fort Worth Zoo is a local attraction we head back to time and time again. Even Gary said he was “impressed,” …

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Photo Adventure : Wupatki National Monument, Arizona

When I was in Europe, it was amazing to me how much history was in every turn.  Churches were centuries old and some homes had been used for generations upon generations.  That is a very different experience than I have in America.  We’re a young country, and our history is young history.  Of course, our …

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How to Use Your Hand to Identify the Five Types of Alaskan Salmon

If you visit Alaska during the summer season there is a good chance you can find a creek or river to watch the salmon run.  Most salmon in Alaska live mostly in the saltwater ocean.  When they are mature and it is time for them to reproduce, they “run up” freshwater rivers in the salmon …

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Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Overview Kobuk Valley National Park is the most remote and least visited national park in the US National Park System. Official numbers claim that the park gets about 10,000 visitors per year, but this estimate includes native people who enter the park. The number of actual visitors to the park is probably less than 200 …

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Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

Overview Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of 2 national parks located above the Arctic Circle, and one of 8 national parks in Alaska. Like Kobuk Valley National Park, there are no roads leading to the park. The only way in or out is on foot, via a river, or by bush plane. …

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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Overview Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular parks in the US National Park System, due to is close proximity to the city of Denver. It is a great representation of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem which can be found throughout much of Western Colorado. Getting to the park is very straightforward. The …

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Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Overview The Great Sand Dunes National Park is a national park near Alamosa, Colorado and is one of 13 National Park Service sites in Colorado. The park covers 149,028 acres of land area and was established as a National Monument in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover, and was upgraded to National Park status in September …

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