Call of the Parks Let's Go Exploring

01/21/2025

We made it!

01/21/2025

01/20/2025

When we are visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park we always stay at Sand Dunes Recreation. As you enter the San Luis Valley and the little town of Hooper you come across a "Pool" sign in the middle of nowhere sandwiched between the massive Colorado mountains and in the middle of the dessert. At Sand Dunes Recreation there is a large family friendly geothermal pool with spectacular views of the mountains and an adult greenhouse area with five different hot springs. The water is pumped in to the pools from 100 to 106°. The waters are full of minerals and for ages have been healing traveler's ailments. The amazing thing about this small RV park is on-site there are two restaurants including a tapas counter built from an old shipping container. For my foodie friends .... it has items like fresh Chilean Seabass, seared Ahi Tuna, and Bone Broth marinated Tenderloin. There is also a container bar with local beer and wine! The RV park is small with only 10 sites that have full hook ups and the water coming into your RV is from the Hot Springs so there is no need to worry about pipes freezing in January! There are also dry sites available and a couple modest Airbnb rentals onsite. This is the perfect place to stay after hiking in the area. Be sure to check out Zapata Falls which we visited last January and did a post on if you look back. This trip we tried another really cool place Colorado Gator Farm that is an animal rescue and fish farm in the middle of the dessert. The gators, fish, and other reptiles and amphibians LOVE their hot spring's habitats. They even have the Gator there from the movie Happy Gilmore! This is an awesome educational experience for the kids and fun for the whole family. The San Luis Valley gets better and better every year and we basically have it to ourselves in January! Be sure to check out the kids You Tube video at Colorado Gators https://youtu.be/9Yu1Ik1neuI?si=2-4XTKX9j0tUui4g

01/18/2025

We love Great Sand Dunes National Park . . . this was our third time visiting the dunes. At each visit there is always something different to do because the areas within the park are so unique and just outside the park there are also so many recreational activities in the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness. This trip we focused on really climbing to the top of the dunes. . . which is soooo exhausting but the views are spectacular! We quickly learned that next time we need to rent "sand" sleds as snow sleds just aren't fast enough! The cool thing about this park is after you are sweating and exhausted from climbing the dry dunes you can literally walk across the street and once you hit the Montville Nature area you are in a wet snow covered winter wonderful! These trails wrap through the mountains over creeks and past the most beautiful rocks and pinion pines. To see the beauty live don't forget to click on the kid's You Tube video below on the park and subscribe to keep up with our adventures ....

https://youtu.be/e8wiQbrauT0?si=pOLhb93Gz170UGHh

01/05/2025

2025 marks our 5th January trip cross country! This year we we brought Liam's best friend Jake along for part of the ride! Every year when we hit the road I'm reminded of how horrible aspects of Covid were at both work and home, but then I'm reminded that it was Covid that pushed us to make our first trek out West and pushed us to homeschool the kids. ❤️ I am eternally grateful for these experiences and this time together! Our first stop this year was the Ozarks. We camped on a lake at Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas and it was extraordinary. Of course we had to start off with an easy 5 miles 🥴 on Seven Hollows Trail that afforded amazing views and The Grotto. After the hike we checked out Mather Lodge and ate in the historic adirondack inspired dining room built by the CCC from all locally harvested materials with an amazing view of the plateau. Everyone calls the area the "Ozark mountains" but we learned they are actually a plateau. We also explored the petroglyphs at Bear Cave, hiked to the Natural Bridge double arch, and did the Cedar Falls Trail which had the largest and most powerful waterfall. These pictures do NOT do the falls justice so be sure to check out the kid's videos on their You Tube channel "Call of the Parks" . . . and subscribe to follow along with our advertures! https://www.youtube.com/
So, if you are heading West from the East Coast this crew highly recommends a stop over in the Ozarks!

06/12/2024

Hey Call of the Parkers'… We have so missed y'all… We have been busy with our "normal" life but today we are getting back to nature in the Blue Ridge!