We are starting the year off in Michigan on about 2.5 acres and once the snow clears we will begin making some updates to this property.

Took a trip in mid January to see my newest granddaughter. Bryce was right back in the passenger seat watching where we are going.

It is February and decided to take a trip to Dundee, MI due the Mackinaw Bridge being close the last 3 days. Oringal plan was to head to the UP and explore the ice caves.

Was here on July 6th and not very many other people were around. The park is dog friendly and Bryce loved walking around the fort and posing for the picture here. There are also some shops across from the fort in some older buildings, but did not check them out due to how hot it was this day.

History: Fort Scott was established in 1842 to protect the growing number of settlers migrating west, and was named for General Winfield Scott. During the Civil War it served as a Union supply base and recruitment center, training units including the First Kansas Colored Infantry — the first African American unit from a northern state to see combat in the war.

Got here pretty early on July 7th and spent about an hour walking around. I would have liked to take Bryce on a walk on the trails, but they are having a problem with ticks right now. So Bryce got to go for a walk through the parking lot and on the wooden bridge.

History: Fort Larned was established in 1859 to protect Santa Fe Trail travelers and mail from raids, and later served as an agency administering U.S. relations with Central Plains tribes under the 1861 Fort Wise Treaty.

I pulled into Dodge City the afternoon of July 7th and parked in Historic Dodge City. I took a walk through the historic district but most of the shops were closed. However the museum was open and for the cost of $22 I checked it out. They were going to have a gun fight and another show at 6pm, but I did not want to stay for those as I was expecting a bit more and wanted to move on. I am glad I came but with some of the construction going on I think if I waited a year I would have liked it better.

History: Dodge City was founded in 1872 alongside the newly arrived Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, right in the heart of buffalo country, and quickly became known as "Hide Town" for the massive volume of buffalo hides shipped out by rail. As cattle drives from Texas took over, it earned a new nickname — the "Cowboy Capital of the World" — and lawmen like Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson patrolled its streets.

I arrived the morning of July 8th and the gate was closed so decided to come back 30 minutes later and still closed. While I didn't get to go to this exact site there is a pull off not far that gives some details and an overlook of the site.

History: On November 29, 1864, roughly 700 U.S. Volunteer Cavalry troops attacked a peaceful village of about 700 Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho people camped along Sand Creek, killing more than 230 — most of them noncombatant women, children, and elders. The massacre marked a turning point in relations between Native tribes and the federal government, and the distrust it created contributed to later conflicts including Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee.

Arrived around 11 on July 8th and found that the fort is undergoing some work so I was not able to go inside which I really wanted, I did get to walk around the fort. The park was dog friendly so Bryce joined me for the walk. One thing to note are the posted signs of dangerous snakes in the area, so if you are going make sure to keep an eye out.

History: Bent's Old Fort was a private trading post built along the Santa Fe Trail by William and Charles Bent in the 1830s, becoming a key hub for trade between American settlers, Mexican traders, and Plains tribes before its eventual abandonment in 1849.

Arrived on July 8th and took Bryce for a walk on the dunes. Decided to stay just down the road on some BLM land with a nice mountain view. We came back again on the 9th for another walk to tire Bryce (and maybe me) out again.

History: Explorer Zebulon Pike encountered these dunes in January 1807 and described them as looking exactly like "a sea in a storm." They're the tallest dunes in North America, reaching heights of up to 750 feet — the site became a national monument in 1932 and was elevated to a full national park in 2004.

This is one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Colorado this year. I will be heading back here again as I missed the tours to hike to the bottom.

History: Established by Theodore Roosevelt on June 29, 1906, Mesa Verde was the first national park created specifically to preserve human-made structures. Ancestral Puebloans lived here from roughly 450 to 1300 CE, eventually building over 600 cliff dwellings tucked into the canyon walls before abruptly leaving the area.

I did not take a picture here, but getting here you will drive past a no trespassing sign which is just referring to the farm land on each side of the road. Follow the National Park signs and you will be fine.

History: Yucca House is one of Colorado's largest archaeological sites and was designated a national monument in 1919, preserving an unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan settlement near Mesa Verde.

After leaving the Yucca House the plan was to go to Black Canyon but my sister had mentioned  Four Corners so I thought I would check it out since it was not too far. It does cost $10 to get in, it was good to see but not my noAfter leaving the Yucca House the plan was to go to Black Canyon but my sister had mentioned Four Corners so I thought I would check it out since it was not too far. It does cost $10 to get in, it was good to see but not my normal type of attraction.

History: The monument marks a boundary first surveyed in 1868 and today sits jointly on Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Reservation land — it's the only place in the country where four states meet at a single point.

This is another park I will come back to but will have to be a cooler day or I will have to board Bryce for the day to go on the longer hikes. Dogs are allowed on the overlook trails so Bryce and I did hike those but most are very short.

History: Black Canyon of the Gunnison was established as a national monument in 1933 and became a full national park in 1999, known for having some of the steepest cliffs and oldest exposed rock in North America.

Arrived here first thing in the morning on July 11th, but did not check the night before if they were using timed entry which they are. So I decided to move on and will stop by again on my next trip to Colorado.

History: Naturalist Enos Mills spent years lobbying Congress to protect this area, and President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act on January 16, 1915, with the park formally dedicated that September.

Stopped here for the third time on July 12th and headed to the hills for the night. Camping has changed since the last time I was here as you can no longer park on the side of the cliff. While I was here I stopped by Wall Drug again and keep getting closer to getting a cowboy hat and boots, one day I will come back dressed as a cowboy.

Bryce and I made a stop here on July 25th to walk the trails. The park has some paved trails that we stuck to, and I did check out the visitors center. Now as far as visitors centers go this one is well worth the educational section with some impressive displays, and some nice interactive displays. This seems like a good place to bring kids as well as a stop for adults.

History: River Raisin preserves the site of the January 1813 Battle of Frenchtown, where American forces surrendered to British and allied Native troops — the following day, Native warriors killed the American captives, giving rise to the rallying cry "Remember the Raisin!" It's the only National Battlefield Park dedicated to the War of 1812, established in 2009.