Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is
Mississippi
Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817. The capital is Jackson.
Our travels have taken us through Mississippi on two interstates and numerous state roads. Driving along the state roads we passed by the Jim Henson museum in his birthplace of Leland, B.B. King’s birthplace in Itta Bena, Tennessee Williams birthplace in Columbus, and many historic places along the Blues Trail,
Our wandering has taken us to Vicksburg twice. Both times we camped at the Ameristar Casino RV Park across the street from the Mississippi River. We enjoyed touring Vicksburg National Military Park and seeing the views of the Mississippi River.
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Cairo Museum at Vicksburg National Military Park
The mighty Mississippi River in Vicksburg, MississippiBarge on the Mississippi River in Vicksburg
Another one of our trips took us along I-10 through Mississippi. Buccaneer State Park was a great overnight stop. You can read more about our stay at A night on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Walking along the beach in Waveland, MississippiMajestic oaks in Buccaneer State Park
While staying in a campground across the Mississippi River in Arkansas we made a day trip to Greenville, Mississippi for some Tamales at Doe’s Eat Place. They were so delicious we made a return trip a couple of years later. More about the tamales at BBQ, Pie and Tamales.
Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, MississippiThree dozen Mississippi Delta hot tamales
We traveled to Oxford in the fall of 2016 for a football weekend at Ole Miss. Friday afternoon downtown and tailgating at the Grove were fun, the game not so much. I posted about our stay here.
Tailgaters in The Grove before a football gameSunset over Sardis Lake
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is the Bluegrass State –
Kentucky
Kentucky became the 15th state on June 1, 1792 and the capital is Frankfort.
When I think of the Bluegrass state I think of horses, bourbon, and Colonel Sanders famous Kentucky Fried Chicken. We never got a chance to visit the original Kentucky Fried Chicken but we did get to experience horses and bourbon and a whole lot more.
Late one fall we set up camp at the Kentucky Horse Park State Park near Lexington. Seeing these magnificent horses was the highlight of our visit to the area.
Kentucky Horse ParkKentucky Horse ParkOn the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
One very overcast day we left the horse park for a scenic drive by many beautiful horse farms and a tour of the Wild Turkey Distillery located right beside the Kentucky River.
Bridge over Kentucky River at the Wild Turkey DistilleryWild Turkey Bourbon is aged these barrels
Until we visited the Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes I never knew that bison once roamed in this area of the United States.
Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes
The Land Between the Lakes has been a perfect stop over for us several times in our wandering. It doesn’t get much better than camping near a body of water and Canal Campground in the Land Between the Lakes is one of our favorite Corps of Engineers park.
Sunrise over Lake Barkley, Kentucky from Canal Corps of Engineers CampgroundRushing Bay on Kentucky Lake
Located in central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system known in the world. There are many options for guided tours of the cave. Above ground the scenery is beautiful with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states we have visited alphabetically. If you are looking for Connecticut or Delaware, we’ve never been to either of those states (except to drive through the Delmarva Peninsula without stopping) so the next state is
Florida
Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. The capital is Tallahassee.
We started vacationing in Florida back in the 70’s and have traveled all around the state both before and after our RV travels began. For many years we traveled to the Florida Keys at least once a year. We’ve traveled all along the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, to small towns and big cities, gone scuba diving and snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs, caught many fish, boated to remote islands, visited museums and lighthouses, attended sporting events, tasted amazing seafood and key lime pie, explored two national parks and a national seashore, observed graceful birds and other wildlife, kayaked and canoed in the rivers, swam in the springs, watched many sunsets, and walked on some of America’s most beautiful beaches.
Florida is famous for it’s beautiful beaches and theme parks.
Gulf Islands National SeashoreMickey welcomes everyone to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World
There’s so much more to the Sunshine State than it’s beaches and theme parks.
With it’s many birds, wildlife, and beautiful landscapes, Everglades National Park is one of my favorite national parks.
Pa-Hay-Otee Overlook in Everglades National Park
The only way to get to Dry Tortugas National Park is to take a boat ride or seaplane trip from Key West.
Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park
Explore Fort Pickens and walk on miles of sugar white sand beaches in Gulf Islands National Seashore .
One of the cannons atop Fort Pickens
There are many small islands accessible only by boat. Picnic Island in the lower keys was one of our favorites.
Popular boating destination in the lower Florida Keys
Cedar Key is one of the small waterfront towns we love to visit.
Honeymoon Cottage, Cedar Key, Florida
I loved the Art Deco buildings in South Beach Miami.
South Beach, Miami, Florida
It’s always fun to stroll along the waterfronts.
Shrimp boats on the Appalachacola Waterfront
There are interesting structures to discover. The Perky Bat Tower on Sugarloaf Key was built in 1929 to house bats to help control the mosquito population. Unfortunately, the bats flew away and never returned.
The Perky Bat Tower, Sugarloaf Key was built in 1929
The Spring House in White Springs on the Suwanee River was a huge tourist destination in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Spring House at White Springs, Florida
There’s a famous headstone in the Key West Cemetery.
Famous headstone in the Key West Cemetery
U.S. Highway 1 goes from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West and we’ve been to both ends. The Southernmost Point in the continental United States is also in Key West.
Mile Marker Zero in Key West
The variety of birds never ceases to amaze me.
White Pelicans and Cormorants around Cedar KeyGreen Heron with fish in mouth Everglades National ParkRed Shouldered Hawk Big Cypress Preserve
Tiny key deer, endangered gopher tortoise, manatees, and of course alligators are some of the wildlife to be found.
The Key Deer located around Big Pine Key are just a little bit bigger than a Labrador RetrieverGopher Tortoise at our campsite Silver River State ParkAlligators along the Anhinga Trial, Everglades National Park 2012Manatee eating a carrot in Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Florida is home to beautiful springs and rivers.
Salt SpringsHillsborough RiverBig Shoals on the Suwanee River
Don’t forget the lighthouses.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
Nothing better than freshly caught fish for dinner! We cooked up this grouper after one of our most memorable fishing trips many years ago.
Henry with the biggest catch of the day!
Many Major League Baseball teams play their spring training games in Florida.
Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
The historic Fort Gates Ferry carries people and vehicles across the St. Johns River.
Waiting to cross the St. John’s River on the Fort Gates Ferry
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically and the next state is
Colorado
Colorado became the 38th state on August 1, 1876. Denver is the capital.
It’s easy to see why Colorado is such a popular destination. With it’s spectacular mountain scenery, ancient ruins to explore, breathtaking scenic drives, picturesque small towns, Pikes Peak, and wildlife there was beauty every where we went.
As we visited the ancient cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park I couldn’t help but wonder about the people that lived there so long ago.
Mesa Verde National ParkMesa Verde National ParkMesa Verde National Park
The San Juan Skyway through the San Juan mountains was one of the most beautiful scenic drives we’ve ever taken. Starting from Cortez, we took our time to enjoy the views from overlooks, stopped to stroll along the dog-friendly streets of Teluride and enjoyed lunch in Ouray before going by old mining camps around Silverton.
Waterfall beside the San Juan SkywayOurayOld Gold Mine along the San Juan SkywaySpectacular views along the San Juan Skyway
Our campsite at San Luis Lakes State Park had spectacular views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and was a good home base to explore Great Sand Dunes National Park.
View of the Sangre de Cristo mountains from our camp site at San Luis Lakes State Park.The people look tiny on the Great Sand DunesOn the trail to Zapata Falls near the Great Sand Dunes
In the Colorado Springs area we visited Garden of the Gods and drove as far as we could go on the Pikes Peak Highway.
Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the backgroundGarden of the GodsAt elevation 11,424 feet, we were as far as we could go on the Pikes Peak HighwayThe closest we could get to Pike’s Peak was six miles away but the view was still amazing
One of our favorite national parks is Rocky Mountain National Park. We love it so much we have been there twice. Our first visit was in the spring and even though there was a lot of snow we saw plenty of wildlife.
Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Young Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
That’s a lot of snow!At Rainbow Curve on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, about 11,000 feetA hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Our second visit was in August when the weather was perfect and again there was plenty of wildlife. We were finally able to drive to the Alpine Visitor’s Center on Trail Ridge Road.
Big Horn Sheep on Trail Ridge RoadThe Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National ParkAlpine Visitor’s Center View in Rocky Mountain National Park
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride! I will be featuring the states alphabetically and next up is
California
California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The capital is Sacramento. California is the most populous state and the third largest in area.
In 2007 we spent three weeks exploring California. It wasn’t nearly enough time to see the whole state but the Pacific Ocean, giant trees, five national parks, San Diego and everything else were all spectacular.
Our first views of California were along the Pacific Coast Highway as we drove south from Oregon. Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, Redwood National Park, and the beautiful vineyards were a few of the things we enjoyed in northern California.
Along the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California
Lighthouse near Crescent City, California
Pacific Ocean in Northern California
Pacific Ocean in Northern Califoronia
Redwoods National Park
We were tiny beside the Big Tree, Redwoods National Park, California
Redwood National Park, California
Elk Meadow in Redwoods National Park
Redwood National Park, California
One of the many vineyards in the California wine country
Our home base for exploring Yosemite National Park was the Wawona Campground inside the national park. We drove through Yosemite Valley, took a few short hikes, made the the drive to Glacier Point, had a delicious lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, and felt small as we walked through the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias.
Yosemite Falls
We took the trail to Lower Yosemite Falls
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View Overlook
Overhanging Rock with Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park
El Capitan
Dining Room at the Ahwahnee Hotel
Mariposa Grove of Sequoias in Yosemite National Park
There were many more of the magnificent giant trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We even spotted a bear in one of the meadows.
Sequoia National Park, California
General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park
General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park
Bear in Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park, California
After all that sightseeing we decided to take a couple of days to relax in a resort near Palm Springs and spent a day wandering through Joshua Tree National Park.
In the Mojave Desert
Joshua Tree National Park
Scull Rock in Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
An oasis in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree National Park
Our final stop was San Diego where we toured Cabrillo National Monument and the USS Midway. Our Labrador Retriever Blondie was in heaven when we took her to the dog beach near Coronado. As we drove east from San Diego we passed by the Imperial Sand Dunes and the Chocolate Mountains.
Cabrillo National Monument, California.
Point-Loma in Cabrillo National Monument, CA
Point-Loma in Cabrillo National Monument
Point Loma
USS Midway in San Diego
USS Midway in San Diego
Dog Beach in Coronado
Imperial Sand Dunes
Chocolate Mountains and Saguaro Cactus
To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama AlaskaArizonaArkansas
Wandering Dawgs 