Durango

Since we always head east to see family for Christmas, Thanksgiving became our time to travel wherever we want (just the five of us). Initially we took beach vacations to islands, but then we decided it was time to start exploring the different areas within the United States, more specifically the National Parks.

For this trip, we didn’t have a full week, so we decided to start with three parks that were relatively close to each other.

Also, since my youngest was in fourth grade, we wanted to take advantage of the US Government’s Every Kid Outdoors (everykidoutdoors.gov) program, which provides all fourth graders and their families free access to national parks, lands, and waters for a full year! This is an amazing program—increasing access to outdoor recreation for everyone!

Surprise 65 birthday present to my mother from my brother and I. It’s been her dream since our family dates back to Cork County Ireland

My cousin was playing professional American Football in Aix En Provence, France and so I went to visit him and took a small trip to Paris beforehand.