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Would you be up for the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents? The trip initially goes down the center of the US to Arkansas. Then, it makes a right turn through Texas and New Mexico. Following my plans, I take a “side trip” to Las Vegas, which includes Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. Then, returning home includes more time in New Mexico and Oklahoma before visiting Missouri to take in the Truman Museum and the World War I museum. I go into Kansas believing the Eisenhower Museum in Abileneis my last place before heading home. However, I decide to drive through Omaha to see the Gerald R. Ford birthsite. The trip includes twenty US presidential sites, nine National Parks, points along Route 66, and more. Of course, I found a few quirky, unusual places, such as Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum! Follow along with me! Get updates on posts and notifications of new posts here, with updates on my progress toward completing all the posts to come.
After completing the trip, I continued to update this post as a “cornerstone” for other posts. I updated the places as I saw a dozen presidential sites besides the eight presidential museums. By the way, I also visited places along Route 66. I’ll include a few of my experiences on that route.
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 U.S. presidential sites and writes about them. Again, are you up to the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents?
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Again, my trip takes me to twenty sites, including twelve presidents: Hoover, US Grant, Reagan, Lincoln, Clinton, Bush I, Bush II, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman, and Ford. The trip includes two each for Eisenhower, Grant, Reagan, Truman, and Kennedy. And three for LBJ and Clinton.
And nine National Parks: Gateway Arch, Hot Springs, Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Great Basin, Arches, and Mesa Verde! Check for hours and activities at a park before you visit.
In addition to Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum, I visited the World’s Largest Fork, the Giant Budweiser Can, and more!
States visited on the trip.
This map gives a clearer picture of the states visited on the trip. However, it does not indicate how much time or how many places were visited. For example, I just barely crossed into Wisconsin on this trip. I spent an overnight in Needles, CA, while heading to the Navy Reunion. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska are the only states I didn’t spend a night in. Not that it matters!
Here’s the Challenge: National Parks & Presidents
Overall, the trip was educational, thought-provoking, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, and fun!
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!
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 – Tampico, IL
- Reagan Boyhood Home – Dixon, IL
- Grant’s wife’s home and their residence – St. Louis, MO
- Clinton Boyhood Home – Hot Springs, AR
- Clinton Birthplace – Hope, AR
- LBJ Ranch – Johnson City, TX
- LBJ Boyhood Home – Johnson City, TX
- Kennedy Assassination Site – Dallas, TX
- Eisenhower Birthplace – Denison, TX
- JFK Memorial – Texarkana, TX
- Gerald R. Ford Birthplace – Omaha, NE
National Parks in MO, AR, TX, NM, NV, UT, and CO!!
- Gateway Arch, MO
- Hot Springs, AR
- Big Bend, TX
- Guadalupe Mountains, TX
- Carlsbad Caverns, NM
- White Sands, NM
- Great Basin, NV
- Arches, UT
- Mesa Verde, CO
National Park Sites
The National Park Service operates 63 National Parks and many other sites. Currently, they operate 433 sites. There are many categories, such as National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Battlefields, and National Seashores.
I’m still working through the places I visited, so there are more, but here’s what I have so far:
- Wilson Creek National Battlefield – MO
- Fort Smith National Historic Site – AR
- El Malpais National Monument – NM
- El Morro National Monument – NM
- William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace – AR
- Little Rock Central High School – AR
- Harry S. Truman Home – MO
- Blackwell School – TX
- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park – TX
- San Antonio Missions National Historic Site – TX
- Fort Davis National Historic Site – TX
My trip included other places as one would expect from such a long trip through so many states. I drove along Historic Route 66 for part of the trip. In Kansas, near the end of the trip, I continued my quest to visit the Gunsmoke Trail.
Visit the Gunsmoke Trail locations.
Abilene, KS, is the home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower museum and one of four cities on the Gunsmoke Trail. The “Trail” includes the cities prominently mentioned in the Gunsmoke TV series: Abilene, Wichita, Hays, and Dodge City!
Galena, Kansas, on Route 66
While on Route 66, stopping at Gearhead Curios in Galena, KS, is a must! There are lots of choices for buying souvenirs from the trip. And don’t forget to ask for a tour of the “I hit the funnel” bathroom tour! (It’s world famous!). Aaron and his family and friends are very welcoming, and it’s a fun stop. Here’s a link to Gearhead Curios.
Galena, KS, will soon host a new themed motel. Here’s a link to this soon-to-be-available place. Here’s a photo I pulled from the Facebook page. I hope to make it back here soon to see it completed.
I have to come back to have a real-life photo of this place! Galena celebrates Route 66’s presence in Kansas. Each cabin will be based on a service station from the past, and the furnishings will look like those in the stations. They hope to build two or three cabins by the Route 66 Centennial in 2026.
Summary of the trip
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!)
Here are a few numbers for you to consider and comment on.
Days on the road: 42
States Visited: 16
Miles traveled: 8,906
Presidential Museums: 8
Other Presidential sites: 12
National Parks: 9
Other NPS sites: 10
Highest price for gas: $4.89 at Border Inn Casino & Motel, NV
Lowest price for gas: $2.55, Texas
Times I’m glad to get home: 1!!!
Value of the journey: Priceless!
I visited two national parks that I’d visited on previous occasions. Gateway Arch and Arches.
I drove on the Loneliest Road in America. US Highway 50. It runs from Maryland to California, but Nevada designates their section for this honor. There are sections with nearly 100 miles with no services. Very scenic, however. And there is another 80-mile stretch from the Nevada border to the first services in Utah.
After driving on several different roads, US Highway 50 and Interstate 70 ran concurrently in Utah. There were another 112 miles without any services. At this point, the interstate included occasional stopping points to view the scenery. If you drive here, make sure you’ve filled your tank and are ready for the drive. Enjoy the scenic trip!
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 about 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!
- “The couple near Hoover” – a local couple asked me about the car magnets that say “The Driveby Tourist.”
- “The Park Ranger at Hoover” told me that Carlsbad Caverns shut down all their cave tours during the Federal Government’s “foolishness.”
- The woman at the US Grant museum in Galena, IL.
- “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!
- “The staff member at the Clinton Museum & Library” – She told me the history of why the museum has a mockup of the Cabinet meeting room. Clinton wanted to emphasize using his cabinet to make the best decisions.
- “The couple from Michigan at Big Bend NP” – met up with them three times at various venues, including at Carlsbad Caverns the following day.
- “The grad students” at Big Bend from Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX, seemed interested in my trip. (Or maybe they were just humoring an old man’s ramblings!)
- “Hope and Charles” at Mesa Verde – They’ve visited all 50 states! Now they are visiting National Parks!
- The German couple at Arches National Park. They took my picture! And I saw them again at the “Delicate Arch.” (Many of you have likely seen that picture (below), as it’s widely published.)
- And many others for a 10 to 15-minute conversation about trips, sights, etc.!
Ok, let’s move on to my standard ending to posts.
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
