Accepting the Unexpected Journey

When bedtime stories were finally read and we were able to relax outside with the kids comfortably in bed, it was fair to say that even after a long day of driving for Jeff and a long day of sitting and waiting for the rest of us, we had made the most of our Missouri stop. If all Missouri State Parks were as good as Sam A. Baker, we were sold.

Arkansas is lovely, something we didn’t really discover until our spring break camping trip just months before, but the walk to the lake helped to highlight what stops at roadside RV parks never revealed: the natural beauty of the whole state. For three years we had questioned the nickname “The Natural State,” but once we were off of the interstate, we finally understood why people in Texas headed directly east for vacations: there is genuine natural beauty that rivaled what we had seen on trips through Tennessee and Kentucky. It was too overcast for a true sunset, but the mist hovered over the lake in wispy clouds that only slightly obscured the darkening pine-covered shoreline.

We looked across the expanse of sand and the kids took off down the dune, ready to explore the next one. We shortened the dogs’ leashes and let them take off after the kids, both of them happily running through the sand to protect their people. We spent the next hour waiting for the sunset, climbing to the top of the next dune and then sitting at the top while we watched our kids play and roll in the sand.

With that, I planned a trip to Arches National Park and back. So what has the last six months of planning looked like?

As we move into summer vacation, don’t forget the natural resources that we have available, often within an hour drive. Check out your state park website and see what the closest parks have available for you and your kids. And if you are hitting the road, don’t forget to check out the state parks along the way. You may discover cheaper lodgings that force your family to become one with nature instead of stuffed into a roadside hotel room hooked to electronics, and I think that’s a win.