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We took an American Cruise Lines adventure on the American West riverboat on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Our adventure started in Portland, OR on the Columbia River and ended on the Snake River at Clarkston, WA.
From Portland, we proceeded west to Astoria, OR stopping to visit the Mount St. Helens area which experienced a huge volcanic eruption in 1980. After visiting Astoria, we followed the Lewis and Clark Trail traveling east on their return route back to St. Louis, MO. Lewis and Clark began the return to St. Louis from a point east of Astoria on 23 March 1806, and we followed their journey up the Columbia River to our final destination on the Snake River at Clarkston, WA where they passed through on 27-29 April 1806. Being able to experience traveling the river that they were on and seeing the views they saw was amazing. On the Columbia River we passed several large cities and on both sides of the river were highways providing a good view of the river but we had a great view by being on the river. While cruising on the Snake River you felt like you were on the expedition. Lewis or Clark would typically walk along the bank and hunt on their way to the next site. On the Snake River, it is possible to visualize them hunting big game. We spotted deer and goats on our adventure. Check out the photos of our adventure: https://www.NationalParkPlanningGuides.com/photos.html
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We enjoyed our winter in Flagler Beach and can’t believe we have been here six months! It is time to move on and head back to cooler weather for the summer months.
We will be tour guides for Acadia National Park Tours this year and here is the link: https://www.acadiatours.com/. We will be driving 12-28 passenger tour buses. Yes, both of us will be driving and guiding. We are excited to go back to Maine this summer and enjoy this beautiful park and share with guests all the things we love about it. While working in Florida, Ken published his Acadia National Park Planning Guide! Ken’s author page on Amazon has more information, and has all the current titles available at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/mv698x3t Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C. National Parks is back from the editor and will be available on Amazon shortly. While in Florida, we completed our last visit to Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park to gather the final pieces of information for the next book which will be available in late summer 2022. Photos: https://www.NationalParkPlanningGuides.com/photos.html Well it has been a while since we updated our blog and so here goes.
We had a great summer working in Acadia National Park for Island Explorer. Ken drove the busses and Cindy answered questions for passengers, assisted drivers and even drove a little. We worked 4 days a week and explored areas of Acadia we had not seen before. We left Maine on 10/12 and headed to Washington DC for a week. While we were in DC, we explored 20+ National Park sites mostly on foot. Ken kept Cindy on the move as we gathered photos and park stamps! Check out all the cool photos with the link below. At the end of the week, Ken flew Cindy’s mom and sister in so we could all head to North Carolina to visit our niece and her family. Jess and Jon live in Swansboro, NC and we had a great weekend together. Lots of laughs, bike rides with the girls, farmers market and just hanging out at their new house. On October 25th, we dropped Vickie off at the airport EARLY in the morning and then continued south to Flagler Beach, FL. We brought Nana back to Brooksville the next day. We are staying at Bulow RV Resort again this winter. It feels so good to be back in sunny, warm Florida. We have a different site site this year and it is all set up with patio mat, grills and solar powered torches. Cindy has reconnected with her bicycle buddies and she is happy to be back cycling. Ken is working on his books and keeps looking for updates to work at Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. He will be VERY happy if he gets a position there for the winter. What are we doing next summer? Well, we haven’t figured that out yet. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://goo.gl/maps/88xU3KJEXB22rcK98 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 NPS Stop 47-Adams National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/adam/index.htm
NPS has a very nice introduction to this site: “Adams National Historical Park was designated as part of the National Park Service in 1946 to commemorate the distinguished men and women of the Adams family who dedicated their lives to the development and service of the United States.” The buildings were closed but we did see the beautiful garden coming to life and the stone library covered in vines. NPS Stop 48-Boston African American National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/boaf/index.htm The more we learn about the history of this country, the more we know about the history of African Americans in this country. There are many pieces of history tied together to make up this site. One of the items we wanted to see was the Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Memorial located on Boston Common. We visited the home of the artist, Augustus Saint-Gaudens a few weeks ago and viewed a smaller replica of it on the property. The memorial was undergoing restoration so we didn’t get to see it up close but it is a beautiful monument with great detail and shows the first regiment of black soldiers on their way to fight for freedom during the American Civil War. Walking in Boston Common is always a treat. Lots of people to watch, multiple monuments to read about, Frog Pond and green space. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 NPS Stop 45-New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm
Like all ports on the east coast, this one was a very busy one as well. Some of the streets are still cobblestone and folks are still working on the docks. The Visitors Center was partially open with a ranger who answered our questions and suggested things we could do and see. We visited this site on a Sunday and it was pretty quiet. NPS Stop 46-Cape Cod National Seashore: https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm Cape Cod is a special place and some of the seashore is now protected and will be preserved as part of the National Park Service mission. There are many things to see and do along the seashore, I don’t even know where to begin. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 Boston NHP, Longfellow House NHS, Frederick Law Olmsted NHS, John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS, MA5/22/2021 NPS Stop 41-Boston National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm
There is so much history in the Boston area. This park attempts to share some of that history and the stories that go along with it. Most of the park includes items of historical significance along the Freedom Trail such as the USS Constitution, the Old North Church and the Paul Revere House. We were able to tour the USS Constitution and the Old North Church and spoke with active Navy personnel and interpreters. We enjoyed multiple stories on the USS Constitution. NPS Stop 42-Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/long/index.htm This is the house where famous poet Henry W. Longfellow lived but did you know that it also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston, July 1775 - April 1776? The house was closed during our visit but the garden was starting to pop with color. NPS Stop 43-Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/frla/index.htm Frederick Law Olmsted was a well known landscape architect and you might be familiar with some of his designs. Olmsted designed Central Park, the US Capital Grounds and the carriage roads in Acadia National Park. The house/office was closed and we plan to come back and visit it after it reopens. NPS Stop 44-John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/jofi/index.htm John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in this house in Brookline, MA. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 5/18
NPS Stop 40-Minute Man National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm Minute Man National Historical Park is where the first shot of American Revolution was fired. Our forefathers had very strong beliefs in defending this new area and breaking away from the king. They believed we could govern this new land without the king’s laws and taxes from ‘across the pond’. Many men gave the ultimate price to establish our freedom as a new country during the 8 years of battles with Britain. We learned that Paul Revere was captured and released a few hours later without his horse during his famous ride. Luckily for us, Samuel Prescott made it through the ambush and delivered the alarm to Concord. Source: NPS Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 NPS Stop 38-Site: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/sair/index.htm
Saugus Iron Works was interesting to visit. They have a number of original buildings and as you walk around the property you can almost image them in operation. When they are fully open, they have demonstrations and interpretive programs. I would love to come back here and watch the process of turning raw materials into iron. NPS Stop 39-Site: Salem Maritime National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/sama/index.htm Salem, Massachusetts was one of the early ports where goods were imported and exported. The ‘Custom House’ still stands at the site but was closed during our visit. We wandered around and read the story boards and viewed the replica of the Friendship merchant vessel docked in the harbor. There is a lot of history in this port including the Salem witch trials. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 Weather: High 63/Low 39, Sunny
NPS Stop 37-Springfield Armory National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm The Springfield Armory was the first national armory and began manufacturing muskets in 1794. We were able to walk the property and read the story boards and one of the rangers gave us a brief tour of the various buildings and pointed out several features. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 Weather: High 63/Low 45, Clouds gave way to Sunshine
NPS Stop 35-Site: https://www.nps.gov/mabi/index.htm This site is made up of three different areas; Marsh, Billings, and Rockefeller believed in conservation and stewardship of the land. After the American Revolution, massive logging was done to build houses and ships. Marsh saw first hand how humans can damage an environment when he visited other countries. He decided to take care of his farm and replant trees to help the environment get back to what it was. Billings bought the property from Marsh and his goal was to create a farm that would serve future generations. His beautiful farm was maintained for three generations. Laurance Rockefeller married Billings’ granddaughter, Mary French, and together they continued taking care of the land. Out of the efforts of all three families and other groups, this became the first national park site in Vermont. NPS Stop 36-Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park: https://www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a well known sculptor who purchased a property in Cornish, NH in the late 1880s. His sculptures range in size from small coins and cameos to huge public statues. The Visitors Center was closed but there are a few statues located on the property for viewing. Photos: https://www.nationalparkplanningguides.com/photos.html Current location: https://trackmytour.com/5pTZ3 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kencindy.perry.3 |
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April 2022
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