Matt and Karen

Other than snapping a pic of Bigfoot, scoring a permit to hike The Wave may have been one of the toughest items to do on our bucket list. I say this in past tense because, in mid-January, we checked it off, hiking to The Wave that is. We still need a pic of Bigfoot.

Only 20 people each day get the opportunity to visit The Wave, a unique land formation in a remote location near the Utah/Arizona border. Located in an area called Coyote Buttes North, it’s a small part of the 112,500-acre Paria Canyon Vermillion Cliff Wilderness, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. And it’s a spectacular natural wonder; well worth the effort to secure a permit.

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Growing up in Kansas, whenever my family’s summer vacations would take us east on I-70, it was always a thrill to spot the St. Louis Arch from the car. The tallest monument in the U.S., it stands prominently on the edge of downtown St. Louis, towering over the Mississippi River. Back then, the arch was called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, but in 2018 when it became our nation’s 60th national park, the name was changed to Gateway Arch National Park.

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The thrill at White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico is to see one of the most unique landscapes on the planet. Not only does the park protect a massive area of sand dunes, the dunes there are snow white. Made up of gypsum rather than quartz-based crystals, which is what most dunes are made from, the endless sea of white will trick you into thinking you’re at the North Pole rather than a remote desert setting.

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We’ve had the pleasure of visiting Glacier many times in the summer, but our mid-December trip was the first time we’ve seen it transformed into a winter wonderland. We didn’t think Glacier could be prettier until we saw it covered in snow. And the best part? Almost no one was in the park but us. There’s a lot to love about visiting Glacier in the wintertime, but because the Park Service closes most of the roads and services, there’s a lot you need to know as you plan your trip.

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Slot machines, high-rollers, and sold-out shows are the first thoughts that go through many people’s minds when the topic of Las Vegas comes up in conversation. It’s a town of secrets; what happens in Vegas, well, you know the rest, or do you? Maybe the best-kept secret of all is that Las Vegas is an excellent jumping off point for visiting some incredible outdoor venues.

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