In the days to come we will posting more about our adventures in American Samoa, but we wanted to let our readers know that we made it to our 59th and final [at the time of this post] national park! We just got back stateside this afternoon, and as you might imagine, we have hundreds of (more than 1,000, actually) photos to sort through, and some sleep to catch up on after 12+ hours in the air, but as soon as we get the chance, we’ll be sharing more about our absolutely fabulous journey to and week in American Samoa. 59 parks — we made it!
We are so excited for you. We met Fred early June of 2015 while we were strolling around a lake at Lassen Volcanic NP. My husband was deployed, so my 2 girls & I hit the road on a cross-country trip. My mom & my aunt joined us for part of our journey. We visited 11 NP & over 50 NM , battlefield , historic sites, birthplaces, cemeteries , historic sites, trails, military parks & state parks that summer. We have since added 7 more NPs to our list. We were probably at Death Valley in March at the same time. Maybe one day we will be able to say “We did it! all 59 NPs.” Your trip is deffinatly an inspiration. We have so enjoyed following you.
Hi, Karla,
Thank you so much for your nice note- it was great to hear from you! Yes, we have finally visited our last of the 59 NP’s, and choosing National Park of American Samoa as our last one was a great choice. What a beautiful place, but the most wonderful thing about the park and the area was the people of American Samoa. They were so friendly, generous, courteous and giving. It has been one grand adventure and while we are sorry to see the odyssey end, it will be nice to be off of the road for a bit and closer to our daughter and her husband in the Midwest. With that said, we are already planning our next trip, probably heading north to see the beauty of Canada.
But enough about our travels, it is so wonderful that you and your girls have been Out There yourselves seeing as many of the national parks as you have. As I said when I met all of you in Lassen, you are to be commended for exposing your kids to the extraordinary wonders that are our national parks. It is something that they will never forget and such a wonderful experience to share as a family. I also hope that for your next trip your husband will have returned safely from his deployment and can join the rest of the family on your own grand adventure.
All the best with your future travels and perhaps our paths will cross again when we are both Out There!
Fred