HOME SWEET HOME… So, what was our favorite?

Jules’ Journal:

By: Julianne Lillie, 8/20/23

It felt SO good to step foot into our house! There truly is no place like home. By now we’ve managed to hug and see some of our family and close friends. We’ve got several family get-togethers and church get-togethers coming up, so we’ll get to make our rounds!

We came home to some fun signs – thanks to our precious life group!

And I was so surprised to see thriving plants and flowers in my pots in the backyard – thanks to Marla & Grandmother! They both know how much I love my flower garden in the backyard!

By Day 4 we’ve managed to move out of our RV (took us 3 whole days) so we can get her in to the shop in Tulsa for some much-needed TLC maintenance. (She needs to be ready for OU tailgating season 1st of September!) However, even though we are out of the RV, we are not quite moved back into the house yet. Apparently when you have a Christmas season without cleaning out and then travel the US for a year you accumulate all sorts of STUFF! Every closet, drawer, nook, and cranny are already full. So, we’re all having to first clean out a space before we can move back into it. Which is ultimately a good thing… just makes for a very slow process.

Now that we are home from our EPIC adventure around the US, we’re all 4 reminiscing on our travels. It’s been a beautiful season for our family as we’ve fully had to rely on God and turn inward toward each other cultivating our family relationships. This time has been precious. We’ve overcome many challenges as a family and have been able to firsthand show our kids what it looks like to have faith, fully rely on God, and persevere through some very tough challenges. This trip has been a blessing in so many ways. But after a total of 339 days living a nomadic life in a cramped trailer with an extremely fast paced agenda, we are exhausted and ready to come home! Claremore here we come!

The reminiscing has been sweet. We are laughing about the silly times, recalling the sad times when we were homesick, shuddering at our scary times when we were on the side of the road or in the ER, remembering the exciting adventures and trying to decide what was our favorite place! We’ve experienced and seen so much, there just is no possible way to pick one place. So…. We’ve decided to compile a top 3 list for the EASTERN half and the WESTERN half. We’ve also compiled a silly list of our “4 Js Adventure Awards” which shares the best and worst things we encountered across the US… think the Grammy’s but for road tripping instead of music! And then we’ve listed out our favorite National Parks to round it out. Ready, set, go!

TOP 3 WESTERN DESTINATIONS:

#1 – Entire State of Utah – This state has very diverse landscapes and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring them all! Even though Salt Lake City is a beautiful mountain town, the Big 5 National Parks in this state were what captured our hearts. From Zion’s majestic mountains and waterfalls to Bryce Canyon’s red sandstone Hoodoos. We took a helicopter Ride through Zion and did a Jeep tour around the rim of Bryce Canyon. From Capitol Reef’s geological and historical wonders to Canyonland’s vast rugged wilderness and to Arch’s beautifully crafted sandstone arches and windows that dot the landscape. One of our highlights was taking a Ranger-led Full Moon hike through the Canyonlands. The full moon was so bright once our eyes adjusted none of us needed our red-light headlamps to hike. And the canyon underneath the vast stars was just spectacular!

#2 – Glacier National Park in Montana – The “Going to the Sun” Road in and of itself was a historic marvel! How they built this road in the early 1900s winding through the side of the mountains capturing picturesque waterfall after waterfall was mind-blowing! We thoroughly enjoyed getting snowed on at the peak in June! (6/21 – summer solstice to be exact!) In addition, the wildlife was out and showing off for us! We had numerous sightings of Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep. And our favorite sighting was a Mama Grizzly Bear and her 3 cubs poking out of a bush. We enjoyed horseback riding in the park as well as the historic Red Bus Tour.

#3 – Black Hills of South Dakota – This is one of our all-time favorite places to visit and of course we did all the things like Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, etc. It wasn’t our first time here, but something special happened to us this time! During a hike on Castle Trail in Badlands National Park, my son, Jett, and I discovered a fossil! We found a jawbone with about 10 teeth sockets and several fossilized teeth (brown & shiny) lying around it. We took lots of photos and GPS’d its location then reported it to the park rangers at the Visitor Center. We filled out a Press Release approval form, fossil find record, and got our photos taken. They also gave us patches for doing the right thing! The paleontologists were super excited about our find and plan to go excavate that area and collect the samples. They will contact us once they discover the animal it belongs to and determine how much more of the animal, they are able to excavate in the dig area. From our pictures they suspect it might be an Oreodont. They also shared that the saber tooth cat discovery was made by a 9-year-old park visitor who spotted just a piece of it on the surface back in 2009. Who knows, we could’ve discovered the location of an entire fossilized skeleton!? Pretty cool!

Honorable mentions (or what would be #4 and #5) would be Page, Arizona with its beautifully swept rock forming Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. And the state of Washington with its diverse ecosystems ranging from Rainforests to Alpine forest to the Coastline. Phenomenal hiking and weather in Washington!

TOP 3 EASTERN DESTINATIONS:

So, this was a bit harder as none of us really could agree… so here’s our top 3 by person.

Jason - Baltimore, MD, Tennessee, & Michigan. In Baltimore, MD we visited Fort McHenry and just happen to be there for Defender’s Day. This is an annual celebration which commemorates the War of 1812 when the British Navy bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours straight. And “in the dawn’s early light” Francis Scott Key was watching from a boat in the harbor to see whose flag was raised… and it was ours! This inspired him to write a poem titled, “Star Spangled Banner” which later was adopted as our national anthem. At Defender’s Day we got to watch the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps, US Army Drill Team, & fireworks to reenact the “bombs bursting in air.” Tennessee’s Nashville & Gatlinburg gave us some black bear sightings and one close encounter in our RV park! In Michigan I enjoyed seeing Isle Royale National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Mackinac Island & the Henry Ford Center/ Ford Truck Factory.

Julianne - Maine, Washington D.C., & the Outer Banks of North Carolina! Maine was breathtakingly beautiful with its rocky coastline and pristine lighthouses. I loved exploring Acadia National Park and venturing out on sandbars at low tide. Washington D.C. offered a ton of history which I found fascinating. Highlights from D.C. included touring the White House, the Pentagon, and also observing a Senate meeting in the U.S. Capitol’s Senate Chamber. The Outer Banks of North Carolina had some amazing beach views and sunsets! At Cape Hatteras National Seashore I cherish the day when my daughter, Jaycie, and I collected sea shells together for crafting projects. Cape Hatteras lighthouse was pretty special, too! We also got to see where The Wright Brothers flew their first flyer at Kitty Hawk. It was pretty surreal walking those grounds where such history took place!

Jaycie - Tennessee, Vermont, & Washington D.C.! I enjoyed Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains because we were there in the fall and the colors of the trees were beautiful. Vermont was also very beautiful with its rolling mountains and hills! The July weather in Vermont was perfect and they had the best fruits and bread. I loved Washington D.C.’s many monuments and museums… especially the monuments lit up at night!

Jett - Maine, New York, & Tennessee! I loved Maine because we went to Acadia National Park and I enjoyed bouldering. I also had the best putt-putt game of my life and beat my dad! I picked New York because of Niagra Falls, Boldt Castle, & NYC. And Tennessee was cool because of the Great Smoky Mountains and also Cumberland Gap where I could be in 3 states at once.

4 JS ADVENTURE AWARDS:

Worst state roads: Rhode Island tied with California & Colorado

Nicest state roads: Maine/Alabama & Utah

Weirdest speed limits: Ohio, they had variable speed limits with digital signs that would change based on the day, time, traffic flow, weather, etc.

Best scooped Ice cream: Mackinaw City, Michigan

Best soft serve ice cream: Roaring River, MO

Best Pizza: Tamarack Farms in Hayward, Wisconsin

Most remote place visited: Isle Royale NP, Michigan

Coolest lighthouse: Rock Island lighthouse in 1000 Islands, NY on St Lawrence River

Most beautiful state: Vermont tied with NW part of Montana

Most diverse landscape: Utah

Best RV Parks on Eastern half: Hayward KOA Holiday in Hayward, WI, Cherry Hill Park in DC, and Carolina Pines RV Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC

Worst RV Park on Eastern half: Montgomery KOA Journey - it was a mud pit with hardly any hookups.

Best RV Parks on Western Half: West Glacier KOA in MT & Santa Margarita KOA in CA & Redwoods KOA (logging outside) & Page, AZ

Worst RV Parks on Western Half: San Francisco RV Resort by Thousand Trails & Woody’s Round up campground in Tucson, AZ

Best French fries: Table 33 in Dayton, Ohio

Most cornfields seen: Ohio! (Not Iowa!!!)

Most manicured flower gardens: Mackinac Island, MI & Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

Best mini golf course $$: Pirate course in Maine

Best mini golf course at campground: Cherry Hill Park in DC

Worst golf course at campground: Jacksonville KOA tied with St George/Hurricane KOA

Highest diesel price paid on Eastern half: $6.05/gallon in Indiana

Cheapest diesel price paid on Eastern half: $3.99/gallon in Arkansas on 12/7/22

Highest diesel price paid on Western half: Santa Barbara, CA $6.95/gallon

Cheapest diesel price paid on Western half: $3.49/gallon in Colorado Springs, CO

Worst mosquitos/flies: Upper Peninsula of MI

Best Sandwich: Turkey Gobbler in Plymouth, MA

Best fish tacos: Cod fish tacos in Cape Cod, MA

Best Beach day: Island Beach State Park, NJ

Best Aquarium: Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT tied with Seattle, WA

Best overall fruit (especially mangos) - New Jersey! “The garden state”

Most steps in 1 day: Washington DC National Mall day! Over 22k steps. (2nd was 19k steps tied with NYC & Zion NP, 3rd was Arches NP with 18,634 steps, 4th with Dollywood with 17.8k steps, 5th in Grand Tetons with 16,955 steps)

Worst Weather: Weathered Hurricane Nicole in Orlando - in our camper over 24 hours!

Weathered Tornado watches/warnings in Montgomery, AL

Snowed nearly every day on us in Arizona!

Best BBQ: Vernon’s at Graceland

Lowest & Driest Point: Death Valley, 300 below sea level

Highest Peak: Pikes Peak in CO, 14,115 ft

Best waterfalls: Yosemite, Zion, & Waterfall highway in Oregon

Highest Winds: San Francisco RV Resort (up to 60mph gusts with no windbreak… 4 nights in a row), close 2nd was Page, AZ

Most homeless: San Francisco, CA

Best Meal Ever: Cappuro’s in San Fran at Pier 39 - we ate there twice!

Coolest Cave Ever: Lehman’s Caves at Great Basin NP (even cooler than Wind cave & Mammoth cave!)

Loneliest Road in America: Hwy 50 across Nevada/Utah

Best stargazing: Death Valley, NV

Most unique hike: Full moon hike in Canyonlands

Largest living thing we saw: General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon NP

Most & deepest snow: Kings Canyon NP

Best Gardens: San Francisco Gardens (Flower Gardens, Botanical Garden, & Japanese Tea Garden) tied with Buchardt Gardens in Victoria, Vancouver Island Canada

Best Zoo: San Diego Zoo

Most Unusual Mansion: Winchester Mystery House

Most “Old Western” town: Ely, NV

Prettiest outdoor lights: Paso Robles, CA

Best wine: Nickel Nickel Winery in Napa, CA

Stinkiest City: Las Vegas, NV

Most consecutive days of precipitation: Arizona! It snowed in us 11 days in a row!

Funniest (Most embarrassing) moment: Tucson, AZ with Aunt Suzy and her coyote noises at the Sonoran Desert Museum

Most surprising moment: Meeting up with the Louderback’s in Vegas

Most disappointing experience: Ghirardelli’s Chocolate experience in San Francisco

Scariest Experience: Side of the road in Merced, CA tied with Jett’s finger ER visit in Lake Tahoe

Saddest experience: Our Grand Canyon Helicopter tour was cancelled minutes before our departure

Coolest Campground of the Eastern half: Hayward KOA in Hayward, WI

Coolest Campground of the Western half: The Canyons RV Resort in Page, AZ

Sketchiest Campground of the Eastern half: Lakeshore Camp Resort in Portage, Indiana

Sketchiest Campground of the Western half: Woody’s Round Up RV Campground in Tucson, AZ

Dirtiest & Dustiest Campground: Ely, NV KOA

Most expensive pizza: Bluff, Utah. Supreme pizza (8 slices) for $40!

Longest travel day was 11 hours: South Ogden, UT to Tahoe, CA

Longest bike trail: Route to Hiawatha in ID/MT, 15 miles

Most wildlife seen in a park: Glacier NP

Biggest adrenaline rush: Whitewater rafting the Snake River tied with Paragliding in Jackson Hole Valley

Most peaceful adventure: Hot air balloon ride in South Dakota ties with Zion Helicopter and landing on top of the butte

Weirdest terrain: Lava Beds National Monument in CA

Most surprising thing to happen: Fossil Discovery in Badlands National Park

Top 10 National Parks

We’ve only visited 44 out of the 63 major National Parks in the US. And let me preface… weather & time of year visited played a HUGE factor in our ratings. But out of the 44 we have visited, here’s our top 10 list so far!

1. Glacier National Park – We visited in late June, and it was still pretty chilly! There was so much wildlife and so many things to do! The “Going to the Sun” road was simply an engineering marvel in and of itself! And every view from the drive was spectacular with waterfalls cascading down the cliffside as you drive by. (We even got wet a couple times!) We drove it several times each direction at different times of the day and saw so many different views! We got to see so much wildlife: Mountain goats, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Mule Deer, Grizzly Bears, prairie dogs, fox, and bald eagles! It snowed on us at Logan’s Pass on the summer solstice as a huge herd of Bighorn Sheep crossed the parking lot – so wild! Highly recommend the historic Red Bus Tour so the driver in your family can also relax and enjoy the amazing views! (*Note: This park made the top because you could actually drive to the top of the mountain and experience it all rather than just view the mountains from the valleys below like the Tetons.)

2. Bryce Canyon National Park -We hiked down into the canyon to hike amongst the “hoodoos” and it was a geological wonderland! We had a day and a half here, not near enough! We visited in April and there was still snow on the ground and many areas closed. So, we would love to go back in late May, late enough for the snow to melt but not too hot yet!

3. Death Valley National Park – We visited in early March, such diverse landscape and SO much to see and do. The heat wasn’t too bad as we walked the salt flats, but then as we climbed the higher elevations in the park, we needed to pull on coats, gloves, and hats! You definitely need at least 2-3 days to see it all since the park is SO HUGE and the different areas are spread out.

4. Yellowstone National Park – This park we visited about 6 years ago, so we didn’t visit it during this trip. However it still ranks high up! We visited in late July and the weather was very hot. The park was very crowded, but not unbearable. There is just nothing like the Grand Prismatic Springs and Old Faithful! The landscape reminds you of something out of Star Wars, while also you see Bison, Moose, and Deer everywhere! You also have the historic places to explore as well. The driving, hiking, and biking in the park are phenomenal. There literally is something for everyone! We spent a full week there and we were SO glad we did. We still weren’t able to see it all!

5. Rocky Mountain National Park – And again, this park we visited about 4 years ago, so we didn’t hit it up on our trip this time. However it still ranks in the top! The wildlife here is abundant – we saw 2 moose and tons of Elk! The mountains views are just breathtaking and there are many great drives, hikes, and historical structures to check out. We went over July 4th and it was packed… but also the weather was PERFECT!

6. Grand Tetons National Park – We visited early July and it was pretty hot and crowded. We were just in awe of the sheer height and majesty of these gorgeous mountains! The mountain lakes and overlooks were glorious! The hiking was great and close to beautiful waterfalls which cooled and refreshed us.

7. Great Smoky Mountain National Park – We visited in the Fall and the colors of the trees were absolutely breathtaking! I would say this park is similar to Rocky Mountain National Park in that there is so much to do and see. Neat historical structures to visit and explore. And we even had a couple black bear encounters in our campground which gave us all sorts of excitement.

8. Acadia National Park – We visited this park in mid-August and it was perfect weather! Still chilly on the coast, but a light jacket was enough to break the cold wind. We spent 2 days in the park exploring which wasn’t enough. We devoted 1 day to exploration on land and made sure to time our hikes just right to travel across the sandbars and back so as to not get stranded with the tides. Our 2nd day we devoted to exploring the park from the water and took a private boat tour all around and through the different islands. We got to see 3 lighthouses and so many playful harbour seals. We even got a rare sighting of a Mola-Mola! My kid’s favorite part was bouldering around the large rocks and watching all the critters in the tide pools. We saw sea cucumbers, starfish, shrimp, and all sorts of anemones.

9. Zion National Park – We visited in late March and it was busy! The weather was perfect and all the magnificent waterfalls were gushing. So many waterfalls! It was a wet winter and the Narrows were much too full with rushing water that it was closed to hikers/waders. But we did some amazing hikes and saw Bighorn Sheep. I will say the shuttle buses were a life saver! You could get dropped off at 1 trailhead and get picked up from the end point and ride to another trailhead. Very hiker friendly!

10. Yosemite National Park – We visited in early spring (late March) and the waterfalls were GUSHING! It wasn’t too crowded yet but there were still a lot of people. We only had 1 day in the park and wished we had several more! There was so much to do that we couldn’t fit in.

Thanks so much for following along our EPIC adventure! We’ll probably pick up the blog again once we make up Louisiana and all the places we missed in Texas & New Mexico. More to come in a year or so. Meanwhile, we’ll be re-growing roots in our favorite place of all… Claremore, Oklahoma!