September 2022

I have visited 123 NPS Units, including 34 National Parks.

September is always my favorite month. It kicks off with a family beach weekend to Neskowin to celebrate Papa’s birthday. Then it is back to school time for the boys, which is a gift to mothers. For my awesome birthday adventure, we went to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a first for me and my third Oregon NPS Unit! I love celebrating being alive after battling cancer, and welcomed my 52nd birthday with open arms and many horseback rides! Lola and I celebrated my birthday by going horseback riding in wine country and staying at the Atticus Hotel in McMinnville. Then we went to Vail to celebrate Nona’s birthday and we loved being back there in beautiful Colorado at 8,150 feet after so many years.

Next I attempted my goal of visiting 13 Units near Boston, MA, and was very fortunate to explore 9 in total, making it to 125 NPS Units!

On our first day, we toured Boston African American National Historical Site, Boston National Historical Park, Boston Harbor Island National Recreation Area. The next day, I picked up a car and we went to Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, where we discovered more Winthrop history for James and then to Salem Maritime National Historic Site, a first for me … a girl from Salem, OR visiting Salem, MA, a lifelong dream for me! And the following day, while James was at the gym, I visited Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historical Site in Cambridge. When we were off to catch the Hyannis Ferry to Nantucket, I added the stop to Adams National Historical Park and we were in awe of the tree that John Quincy Adams planted hundreds of year ago. All in all, so much history and so much fun!

Not everyone travels like me and most of my family … we like to get up at the crack of dawn and get out the door to start the day early! Then we rest in the afternoon, if possible, before dinner. James likes to have a leisurely morning and leisurely afternoons, so I was lucky to get in as many parks as I did amongst our other activities like visiting the MFA Boston to see the Obama Portraits and to tour the museum. I did a few solo visits during the mornings when I was free, so that worked out great for me! Contrary to my mother’s worries, I always feel safe when touring NPS sites solo. The Rangers are so friendly and informative, and they are almost always out front to greet visitors.

Another wonderful adventure for our trip was both of our first times to Nantucket! It was actually the cornerstone of the trip and we had planned to meet up with Nona and Papa and our dear family friends Bob and Sue Wesson to enjoy their beautiful boat. Due to motor issues and bad weather, we all realized a few days before that we wouldn’t be able to connect. That said, We fell in love with Nantucket … it is so quaint and classic. The food is delicious, the shops are fun, and the beaches are even stunning during Hurricane Ian. We did get stuck there for an extra day, but happily spent that day-drinking at CRU and enjoying the White Elephant. We did finally make it back to Hyannis on the Slow-Boat ferry which was not my cup of tea with choppy waters and high seas. Hurricanes aside, we are already excited to take the kids back next summer.

Here are some of my favorite photos from September …

And Scott got married to Beth …