Today is the last day of this year and 2020 is waiting for a warm welcome from us. So I was thinking How was 2019 for us (Me & My wife) as far as our Travel desires were concerned.
Last year was very much productive in terms of Travel. We covered 4 national parks, 1 national monument, 1 tiger sanctuary, 8 US states and collected beautiful memories. All were road trips excluding just one for which we had to do Air travel which we are not very fond of.
Remembering all those beautiful trips and memories here as a tribute to 2019 🙂
Branson, Missouri – After spending New year’s eve of 2018 in Puerto Rico, we came back to home in January first week and spent whole month with office work and thinking about beautiful time spent in Puerto Rico (roughly 10 days) until Travel craving started. So we visited Branson, a beautiful town of Missouri in Feb mid, which was first road trip of the year. Branson was not that crowded during this time due to cold and most of the outdoor attractions were closed but still we managed to have great time there with indoor activities, yes they have so many of them. We visited Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe it of not, Titanic Museum, Butterfly Palace and famous Branson Landing (uff that was so cold). It was a short trip of 3 days but with sweet memories.
South Dakota – I invited my sister in March end to accompany us for a trip to SD which was in our Bucket list for a long time. I wanted to see Mount Rushmore in real as opposed to movies 🙂 . We put our small world inside car and started journey from Omaha to SD and first point was Badlands National Park (first park of the year), still can’t forget the natural beauty of those rocks. We halted for nearly 2-3 hours in Wall Drug store (Very famous in Wall) and then drove to Mount Rushmore. Due to shortage of time, could cover only Rushmore and Reptile Garden. We need one more trip to the place as there are still so many attractions to see there, hopefully that will happen soon 🙂
Colorado – This name itself brings smile on our faces. I just love this place, if you are nature lover, this is the perfect place. We been there last year too, this year we covered 2 national parks and 1 National Natural Landmark. It was a long trip of 5-6 days in May end, again road trip. We halted at Denver and visited Black Canyon National park in Montrose which was our first Canyon, experience was amazing, never saw such narrow cliffs before. From there we went to Great sand Dunes National Park which was also one of the Nature’s wonder. I never found trekking so hard but on the dunes i was walking dead. Our Last halt was in Colorado Springs in which we covered Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls, each one of them truly amazing and mesmerizing. At Pikes peak we had to wear Jackets and Gloves and it was snow everywhere in the month of May, while Garden of the Gods was little hot with good hiking and Segway experience. Overall it was unforgettable trip and as I said Colorado never disappoints.
Chicago, Illinois – I have been to Chicago 2 times before but my wife never been there. Also I got 3 week forced leaves in June Mid, so as you might have already guessed, I decided to use these leaves for Travel. We planned to go for road trip from Omaha to New Jersey via Chicago to meet our family. We spent 4 days in Chicago and covered the core of the city along with spending time with few friends there. Millennium Park, Bean, Linkoln Park Zoo and Bicycle City tour just to name few. Skydeck couldn’t cover due to low visibility caused by Fog. It was a relaxing trip overall.
Niagara Falls, New York – After spending time with Family, We drove directly to Niagara Falls in June end and stayed there for 2 days. We have been there earlier too, but this this time crowd was less somehow so we got chance to enjoy each attraction like Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist, Discovery center, Aquarium etc. Hiking in the state park was also fun and who can forget delicious authentic Indian food in the vicinity. After this we headed back to our home town.
Branson, Missouri – Yes, I already covered Branson before, but this one was our second trip to the place and this time being there in Summer(August) gave us too much to do. This was also a road trip but with family (We two and my parents), this time Branson was very crowded and there were so many attractions there. We covered museums again for parents along with White Tiger Sanctuary, Promised Land Zoo, Ferries Wheel, White Water and played 3D game, go karting, bumper car and lot many. Branson is totally different in Summer and is heaven for Kids :). For entertainment and relax, this is the best place to visit.
Montana – So this one was the biggest trip of the year and was actually a whole family trip (We, my parents and both sisters). Trip was of 6 days(in September start) and we all met at Cody airport, took rental car and started for Gardiner, Montana to visit Yellowstone National Park which was on our list for couple of years. This trip was truly amazing and full of Nature’s Wonders. We stayed in a big Cabin, watched geysers, volcanic eruptions, mud pots and hiked in the park. Who can forgot beautiful sky filled with stars in the night and the moments we shared sitting around the grill. This experience was kind of spiritual for me and I never felt so close to beautiful nature before. We will definitely visit again Yellowstone.
Chicago , Illinois – So year’s last trip ended in Chicago in Mid September and as we already covered this before in June, this time we visited the same places again along with Skydeck, Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium. We also did City Architecture tour which is highly recommended, due to rain we couldn’t do much in this trip and also duration was short, just 2 days. Overall it was good experience and my parents liked the place, that’s all what mattered 😉
Remaining 3 months we traveled locally only and tried to complete our Book reading goals. She completed hers and I did more than 50%. Now 2020 is here, We hope to have a great year, full of travel and trips and lot many memories to collect. We wish same to you. Have a year full of trips.
Happy New Year !
HarPiyTravel 