Cruisin' With the Cardinals

Exploring all this great world has to offer, one adventure at a time

Inspiration and Goals

“In every walk with nature one receives far more then he seeks”

John Muir

For the first real post on this blog I thought I would talk a little about what inspired us to create it in the first place. There have been many influences from across the spectrum that have let to this both personal and through various forms of media. The other thing that this blog will discuss is what our goals are for this site.

Amanda

The very first inspiration for this blog has to be Amanda. Without a doubt this blog would not be here if it weren’t for her. She has and continues to get me out of my comfort zone and push me to try different things. When the idea first came to be, she was the one who went out and created our Instagram account. She has been the one in the background pushing me to go ahead and create this site. But most importantly, she has been the best and most willing travel partner a husband could ask for! When a trip idea comes to my mind Amanda is always ready and willing to tag along.

Books

We all know that travel books have been done to death. However, there is one book that has stuck with me and continues to remind me that there are so many places that have a story in this world, especially in the United States.

Here is Where: Discovering America’s Great Forgotten History by Andrew Carroll http://<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/Here-Where-Discovering-Americas-Forgotten/dp/0307463982?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=cruisinwith02-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=8e53e1313981dc57217bb1021b2244e7&camp=1789&creative=9325″>Here is Where</a>

It was with this book here that opened my eyes and got me to see just how much is out there and that for every Washington Monument or Lincoln Memorial, there is a site out there that has had just as much an impact on history that isn’t as widely recognized.

Podcasts

There are three podcasts that have truly inspired us and have shown us that having a passion for travel and seeing what’s out there doesn’t have to be done by just the select few, but by anyone that puts there mind to it

Dear Bob and Sue: Created by Matt and Karen Smith, Authors of the Dear Bob and Sue book series. In this podcast they discuss their “Adventures and misadventures through the National Parks and other Public Lands”. We love this podcast for the excitement that these two bring to each episode. The two also have a wealth of knowledge after visiting all 63 of the National Parks in the United States. But what we think sets them apart from others is just how relatable they are and how that comes across in each episode that they come out with. https://www.thedearbobandsuepodcast.com/

Americas National Parks Podcast: This was the first podcast that We started listening to. What we really liked about this podcast is that it didn’t just focus on National Park Sites by just the numbers but instead on the stories that these sites have to offer. One episode might be about park rangers and what they have to do while others focus on the people responsible for getting some of these lands designated as National Parks or National Monuments, Memorials, etc. The other great thing about this podcast is that the episodes are not overly long each usually lasting 15-20 minutes.

Babes who Bookclub: While this podcast has nothing to do with travel, I included it as one of our inspirations for one reason. This podcast is put on by some friends of ours. What makes this podcast great though is that they put themselves out there. By know means is this a professional production but just some ladies that enjoying reading books and then talking about them. And, by watching our friends do that it showed to us that we can do the same thing especially if it’s something that we are passionate about (like travel)!!

Goals

So that brings us to our goals with our travel blog.

  1. Our number one goal when it comes to traveling in the United States is pretty simple. There are 424 sites run by the National Park Service ranging from the soaring Landscapes of Yellowstone National Park to a National Monument in Philadelphia that is only .02 acres. We want to see them all and we want to document our experiences at each place and share them with you guys!!

2. Other Misc. points of interest: Unfortunately after our first goal it gets much more vague for us. Take our home state of Minnesota. On top of the handful of NPS sites, Minnesota is also home to 67 State Parks and numerous other roadside attractions. Each state has its own list of unique areas that should be seen and experiences. Our goal is to share those experiences with you as we travel around.

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