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Would you be up for the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents? The trip initially goes down the center of the US. Then, it turns west through Texas and New Mexico. After a side trip to Las Vegas, returning home includes more time in New Mexico and Oklahoma before visiting the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, KS, and returning to Missouri to take in the Truman Museum. The trip includes twelve US President sites, seven National Parks, and more. Of course, I’ll find a few quirky, unusual places, such as Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum! Follow along for me! Follow along with twice-weekly updates on my progress here, or get near-daily updates on my Premium channel!
If you want a general overview of US Presidents or National Parks, follow the links included in “US Presidents” and “National Parks.” Here’s a link to a blogger friend who also visits US Presidential sites and writes about them. Again, are you up to the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents?
My trip takes me to fourteen sites, including eleven presidents: Hoover, US Grant, Reagan, Lincoln, Clinton, Bush I, Bush II, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Truman. The trip includes two for Eisenhower, Grant, and Kennedy.
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And seven National Parks: Gateway Arch, Hot Springs, Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, and Great Basin! Of course, pending the Federal Government meandering through their “squabbles!”
In addition to Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum, I’ll visit the World’s Largest Fork, the Giant Budweiser Can, and more!
Here’s the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents
Presidential Libraries and Museums
- Herbert Hoover – West Branch, IA
- Abraham Lincoln – Springfield, IL
- William Jefferson Clinton – Little Rock, AR
- George W. Bush – Dallas, TX
- George H.W. Bush – College Station, TX
- Lyndon B. Johnson – Austin, TX
- Dwight Eisenhower – Abilene, KS
- Harry Truman – Independence, MO
Other Presidential sites
- Grant home (one of them) – Galena, IL
- Reagan’s birthplace – Dixon, IL
- Grant’s wife’s home and their residence – St. Louis, MO
- Kennedy Assassination Site – Dallas TX
- Eisenhower Birthplace – Denison, TX
- JFK Memorial – Texarkana, TX
National Parks in TX and NM (AR, MO, and NV!!)
- Gateway Arch, MO
- Hot Springs, AR
- Big Bend, TX
- Guadalupe Mountains, TX
- Carlsbad Caverns, NM
- White Sands, NM
- Great Basin, NV
I’ll provide more summary information and links to more detailed information and pictures about the trip sometime in the future. (But don’t hold your breath!)
Welcome! I want to read your comments about the trip or your questions about the places visited. And that’s a wrap of Challenge: National Parks & Presidents! But…. Hang on… Here’s some information from the trip.
People I met on the trip
Here’s a quick list of people I talked with on the trip. My wife says I’m the king of 10-minute relationships!
Want to see a shop for my road trip photos? You can have them printed as wall art or puzzles. They also work on coffee mugs, t-shirts and more! So, take a look. Maybe you'll see something you will like!
- “The couple near Hoover” – a local couple asked me about the car magnets that say “The Driveby Tourist.”
- “The Park Ranger at Hoover” – He told me that Carlsbad Caverns shut down all their cave tours during the Federal Government’s “foolishness.”
- “The road trip couple from Michigan at WL Truckstop.” – They were going through Illinois, Wisconsin, the UP, and back home in southeastern Michigan.
- “The volunteer at the Lincoln Museum” – I asked about my trip, and she gave me more information about the museum and how busy it gets. I wondered if there were specific times in the political cycle that attracted more or fewer visitors. She said it didn’t seem to change, that people liked and respected Lincoln in all seasons and cycles!
Classic Rock Recollection
“Saturday in the Park” by Chicago
Saturday in the park
I think it was the Fourth of July
People dancing, people laughing
A man selling ice cream
Singing Italian songs
Songwriters: Robert William Lamm
#thedrivebytourist #the.driveby.tourist #nationalparks #USpresidents
