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Bison Quest Join our family en route to every
National Park Site in the United States! Fifteen Cents 🦬 433 Parks 🦬 One Epic Adventure

Happy birthday to our National Park Service: to sheltered beaches, mountain streams, and wild creatures living free; to ...
08/25/2026

Happy birthday to our National Park Service: to sheltered beaches, mountain streams, and wild creatures living free; to sacred ground, virgin forests, and ancient stories still being written.

Happy birthday to the bold and enduring idea that wild habitats and hallowed places are worth preserving; that human beings are not the only lives that matter; and that some treasures belong not to any one of us, but to all of us, and to generations yet to come.

May we care for this inheritance well, defend it when necessary, and pass it on.

07/07/2026

If you only have time to visit one National Park in Alaska, make it Kenai Fjords.

Our favorite experience was the Exit Glacier area. The hike to the Harding Icefield has become my new favorite hike in the entire National Park System. Every switchback revealed another breathtaking view until we were standing above one of the largest ice fields in the United States. The changing landscape, from forest to alpine tundra to endless ice, was unforgettable. The nature center here has science and art backpacks you can sign out that earn a patch for this area of the park.

We spent eight incredible hours on the water with Major Marine Tours, exploring the park’s rugged coastline. Massive tidewater glaciers calved into the sea, orca and humpback whales surfaced nearby, sea otters floated on their backs, a porpoise raced the wake of our ship, puffins darted across the water, Steller sea lions crowded rocky haul-outs, and mountain goats clung impossibly high on the cliffs. It felt like every turn revealed another wildlife documentary moment. You can also earn a junior deckhand badge here!

Back in Seward, we enjoyed strolling the beautiful waterfront, watching fishing boats come and go with the mountains rising straight out of Resurrection Bay. The visitor center in town has science backpacks you can sign out that come with a special patch when completed.

For Junior Rangers, the site badge can be earned at either visitor center, along with the separate explorer pin for completing the Explorer’s Journal.

We stayed for 5 days and could have easily spent another week here, but if you’re budgeting your travel time, I would say three full days is the bare minimum. Get out on the water, visit Exit Glacier, and don’t miss the sea life center!

4th of July bonus: The fireworks from Resurrection Bay were pretty spectacular, even with the incomplete darkness.

Pictures coming soon.

The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park tells the story of one of the most ambitious (and desperate) mass migrat...
06/22/2026

The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park tells the story of one of the most ambitious (and desperate) mass migrations in North American history. We’ve now visited both park sites in Seattle and Skagway, bookends of this historic journey.

In Skagway, we spent time exploring the remarkably preserved historic district, where false-front buildings, boardwalks, and restored storefronts make it easy to imagine the boomtown chaos of 1898. Thousands of stampeders poured into town hoping to strike it rich, only to discover that the real challenge was still ahead of them.

We also walked a portion of the Chilkoot Trail, the famous route miners climbed carrying nearly a ton of supplies required by Canadian authorities before they could enter the Yukon. Standing on the trail, surrounded by mountains, it was hard to imagine hauling hundreds of pounds over these steep passes, often making dozens of trips back and forth.

The adventure continued into the Yukon, following the stampeders’ route toward Dawson City. Along the way we stopped at a summer dog-mushing camp. Since we’ve been reading The Call of the Wild, riding behind a team of sled dogs (on wheeled carts this time of year) was a highlight for the Junior Rangers.

One of the most fascinating stories we learned was what happened after the miners crossed the mountains. Reaching Lake Bennett was only the beginning. Prospectors spent the winter cutting trees and building an astonishing assortment of boats, everything from sturdy river craft to questionable floating contraptions, before launching themselves down hundreds of miles of wilderness rivers toward the gold fields. We crossed the mighty Klondike River and gained a new appreciation for just how far these dreamers were willing to go.

Excellent Junior Ranger program, historic buildings throughout town, and countless opportunities to connect literature, history, and the rugged landscape that shaped both.

Glacier Bay National Park is truly spectacular! We explored the bay from the Ruby Princess on a day of nearly perfect we...
06/21/2026

Glacier Bay National Park is truly spectacular! We explored the bay from the Ruby Princess on a day of nearly perfect weather, with calm seas, sunshine, and incredible visibility stretching from snow-covered peaks to tidewater glaciers.

Three National Park Service rangers boarded the ship for the day, providing commentary from the bridge and offering ranger talks on topics ranging from salmon to ravens. One of the most interesting themes they emphasized was the human history of Glacier Bay. Many of the glaciers, mountains, and coves are named after explorers, politicians, and scientists who spent little time here, while the Tlingit people lived in and cared for this landscape for generations. Centuries ago, a massive glacier advance forced Tlingit communities from the bay. Their descendants eventually established villages around Hoonah and continue to maintain deep cultural ties to Glacier Bay, partnering with the National Park Service in stewardship of this remarkable place.

There was so much ice floating in the water that our ship was unable to reach Margerie Glacier. Instead, the captain navigated farther into the bay for extraordinary views of Johns Hopkins Glacier, a detour that felt like a special bonus rather than a disappointment. Along the way we spotted numerous harbor seals resting on ice floes and several sea otters floating among the bergy bits.

Junior Rangers were able to earn both a Glacier Bay Junior Ranger badge and a Glacier Bay patch. The ranger programs were excellent, and simply standing on deck watching mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and ice drift past was unforgettable. A truly extraordinary National Park experience.

Mom gets a Bison list too! (It’s really the whole reason we have the lists to begin with… so the twinadoes agree to do m...
05/25/2026

Mom gets a Bison list too! (It’s really the whole reason we have the lists to begin with… so the twinadoes agree to do my quests without a single whine!)

Isaiah‘s summer ‘26 Alaska Bison List is in! 19 days and counting.
05/25/2026

Isaiah‘s summer ‘26 Alaska Bison List is in! 19 days and counting.

Ella's Alaska Bison list is here! This summer, we each get 11 quests (to match the twin's age). If you're new to this tr...
05/25/2026

Ella's Alaska Bison list is here! This summer, we each get 11 quests (to match the twin's age). If you're new to this tradition, here's our five-cent plan:

1. Every Nichols gets their five cents (This year: 11 pre-planned quests plus one wildcard)
2. Every list gets the same budget.
3. All Fifteen Cents must be physically able to do every quest.
4. Your family joins your quests, and you join theirs. Them’s the rules. No whining. No sabotage. And absolutely no choosing quests someone else will hate on purpose.
5. Repeats are allowed. Duplicates are not. (You can both choose a zipline… but not the SAME zipline. This is a strictly No Double Zipping household.)

What will Isaiah pick for his list? Stay tuned!

Shouts of joy and quaking junipers, the North Rim has finally reopened. Are you planning a trip to Grand Canyon National...
05/16/2026

Shouts of joy and quaking junipers, the North Rim has finally reopened. Are you planning a trip to Grand Canyon National Park this summer? The park has three junior ranger programs (North Rim, South Rim, and an elusive patch for hiking to the canyon floor). Print your books in advance, because the park has a short supply! And don't miss these five epic parks close enough for a road trip:

1. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (dark, rugged lava flow and cinder cones)
2. Wupatki National Monument (red-rock pueblos and ancient ruins built by the Sinagua people over 800 years ago.)
3. Walnut Canyon National Monument (dramatic cliff dwellings nestled into the steep canyon walls, and you can hike down to them!)
4. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (A massive outdoor playground that include Lake Powell, deep red rock slot canyons, and the famous Horseshoe Bend overlook.)
5. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (Hard to reach but worth the hype and a high-clearance 4x4)

Wildcard: The Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center en route to the North Rim has been known to offer the elusive Wilderness Ranger patch, and you might even catch a glimpse of the park's freeloading Bison herd! I heard around the campfire that their ancestors were abandoned by a rancher after a failed attempt at a bison burger dynasty. They found their way into the National Park, and knew a good patch of grass when then saw one! Do you think they recognized themselves on all the park signs?

05/16/2026

The 2026 White Bison Quests are coming! 🦬

Every year, we each make a wishlist for our summer trip. We call it a “White Bison List” because these adventures are rare and magnificent, just like their namesake.

Chaos is part of our ecosystem, but we try to keep it somewhat civilized with this five-cent, five-rule plan:

1. Every Nichols gets their five cents.
That means each person gets the same number of pre-planned quests (equal to the age of the kids) plus one wildcard. We believe strongly in the power of an unplanned tourist brochure!

2. Every list gets the same budget. Alaska is $$$ and this trip is NINE WEEKS long, so expect some EPIC choices, but also plenty of free stuff along the way!

3. All Fifteen Cents must be physically able to do every quest. The tweens are tragically limited by mom's endurance and questionable left knee.

4. Your family joins your quests, and you join theirs. Them’s the rules. No whining. No sabotage. No “this was YOUR idea.” And absolutely no choosing quests someone else will obviously hate on purpose.

5. Repeats are allowed. Duplicates are not.
You can both choose a zipline… but not the SAME zipline. This is a strictly No Double Zipping household.

Now accepting predictions for:
• who picks the weirdest quest
• who regrets their choices first
• and whether Mom survives all 36+ adventures 🏔️

Saddle up, Alaska!

26 days until Alaska! Here's our plan:🦅 35+ Junior Ranger badges🏔️ 19+ NPS Sites🐋 9+ weeksFollow along if Alaska is on Y...
05/15/2026

26 days until Alaska! Here's our plan:
🦅 35+ Junior Ranger badges
🏔️ 19+ NPS Sites
🐋 9+ weeks
Follow along if Alaska is on YOUR National Park "Bison Quest"

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