The Martin's Blog

Tom and Helen Martin hail from Springfield, OH.  This Blog was started in December 2007 to describe our travel and experiences before, during and after Tom’s Fulbright Scholar position in Sri Lanka.  We have continued it as a vehicle to update our family, friends, and blog visitors on some of our life adventures.  Most travel revolves around physical activity experiences.  Tom has completed 49.8 of the U.S. state highpoints – see the Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highpoints at https://www.summitpost.org/highpointing/969589 He has also been physically active in all 63 U.S. National Parks (NPs), experienced 427 of 428 NP Units, 55 of 62 National Heritage Areas (NHAs), 31 of 32 National Scenic Trails (NSTs) and National Historic Trails (NHTs), 2 of 3 National Commemorative Sites NCS), 127 of 128 non-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Monuments (NMs), [there are 5 NOAA NMs], and all 31 Affiliated NP Units.  A major purpose of this blog is to describe and encourage healthy outdoor physical activity on our protected land and water, particularly the units of our National Park System (NPS).  The main objective being to promote personal health and fitness while educating individuals as to the importance of preserving and protecting our National Park treasures.  Tom’s university web page is https://www.wittenberg.edu/academics/hfs/faculty/martin.html 

To access an entry in the Travel Guide, click on the month year of that entry on the right of this page –

Text and photos may not be used without the written permission of the author.

Blog Travel Guide: 

March 2024 – Aviation National Heritage Area – OH #2

December 2023 – Washington DC Field Trip

November 2023 – Aviation National Heritage Area – OH #1

October 2023 – Ice Age and North Country NSTs – Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes NLs – WI, MI

September 2023 – Wheeling NHA and DE Sites Affiliated with Brown v. Board of Education NHP – WV, DE

August 2023 – NP Units and Affiliated Units in SC and GA

July 2023 – Tom’s 80th Birthday in Chicago

June 2023 – NP Units in IL, KS, CO, MN, and IA

May 2023 – Bronzeville-Black Metropolis NHA – Chicago

January 2023 – Hawaii, Saipan, Guam, and Los Angeles

November 2022 – Lincoln Home NHS – IL

October 2022 – NP Units in Seattle WA and near Portland – OR

September 2022 – Aleutian World War II and Inupiat Heritage Center – AK

August 2022 – Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site – IN

July 2022 – Maine and New England National Park Units

June 2022 – Mt Davis – Highpoint of PA

June 2022 – CA to OH National Park Units

May 2022 – OH to CA National Park Units

April 2022 – Cuyahoga Valley NP – OH

March 2022 – Boca Grande – FL

November 2021 – Hopewell Culture NHP – OH

October 2021 – NJ, NY, and PA NP Units

August 2021 – NP Unit Trip to Washington DC

June 2021 – NP Road Trip to the Atlantic Ocean

April 2021 – CA to OH National Park Units

March 2021 (2) – OH to CA National Park Units

March 2021 (1) – Winter Get-Away and J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR – FL

December 2020 – National Park Unit Road Trip Part 2 – DC, VA, and WV

November 2020 – National Park Unit Road Trip Part 1 – NY, MA, and CT

September 2020 – Alaska National Preserves

January 2020 – OH to FL Some NP Units in TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, and AL

December 2019 – James A. Garfield and First Ladies National Historic Sites – OH

October 2019 – Indiana Dunes NP – IN

September 2019 – NP Unit Road Trip SD, WY, MT and ND

August 2019 – Reagan Boyhood Home NHS IL, Keweenaw NHP and Father Marquette N MEM – MI

July 2019 – NP Unit Road Trip OH, KY, MO, NM, CO, UT, and NE

June 2019 – Flight 93, Manassas, Clara Barton, Antietam, and Fort Necessity NP Units

April 2019 – Some Washington DC Area and Southeast PA NP Units

March 2019 – CA Trip including Sloan Canyon NM (NV), Walnut Canyon NM (AZ) and Hohokam Pima NM (AZ)

February 2019 – FL to OH – Reconstruction Era NM (SC), Camden Battlefield (SC), and Camp Nelson NM (KY)

January 2019 – OH to FL – Lincoln Birthplace NHP (KY), Medgar Evers NM (MS), National Lynching Memorial (AL), De Soto N MEM (FL)

November 2018 – Thanksgiving and Herbert Hoover NHS (IA)

October 2018 – Fall NP Unit Trip to VA, MD, and Washington DC

August 2018 – New York City Area National Park Units

July 2018 – Manhattan Project NHP – Oak Ridge TN

June 2018 – IL, MN, and WI National Park Units

May 2018 – Northern CA and Southern ID National Park Units

April 2018 – Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP (OH)

March 2018 – Belize

February 2018 – Winter Trip, CA to OH

January 2018 – Winter Trip, OH to CA

November 2017 – Northeast U.S. National Park Unit Trip  Part 2

October 2017 – Northeast U.S. National Park Unit Trip  Part 1

September 2017 – Obed National Wild & Scenic River TN, Garfield Memorial OH

June 2017 – Grand Teton National Park WY

April 2017 – Tom’s East Coast National Park Unit Trip

March 2017 – Bahamas, Biscayne NP in FL, AL National Park Units, Nashville, and Mammoth Cave NP KY

February 2017 – GA NP Units, Belize and Tikal Guatemala

October 2016 – Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, Put-In-Bay OH

September 2016 – Pacific NW National Park Units

August 2016 – National Park Units in PA, DE, NJ and OH

June 2016 – Navy Pier and Pullman NM Chicago and River Raisin National Battlefield Park MI

May 2016 – Death Valley NP, Manzanar NHS, LA Bike Ride and Devil’s Punchbowl CA

April 2016 – Andrew Johnson NHS and Cumberland Gap NHP – TN

March 2016 – National Park Revolutionary War Battlefields – SC

February 2016 – Puerto Rico including El Yunque National Forest and San Juan NHS

January 2016 – Cartagena and Tayrona NP Colombia and Panama City

October 2015 – Monterey, Santa Monica Mountains NRA and Getty Villa  CA

September 2015 – Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs and San Gabriel Mountains NM CA

May 2015 – Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains and Cabrillo National Monuments CA

April 2015 – War in the Pacific NHP Guam and Diamond Head Honolulu Hawaii

March 2015 – Sydney and Cairns Australia

February 2015 – New Zealand

January 2015 – Kalaupapa NHP Hawaii and the National Park of American Samoa

December 2014 – Fallen Timbers and Fort Miamis National Historic Sites OH

October 2014 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH

August 2014 – 6 National Historic Sites and Fort Stanwix National Monument NY

May 2014 – Hot Springs NP, Padre Island NS and Palo Alto Battlefield NHP

March 2014 – Yosemite NP and National Monuments in Central CA

August 2013 – Big Thicket N PRES in TX, and Natchez Trace Parkway MS-TN

July 2013 – Huffman Prairie Flying Field Fairborn OH and Cali, Colombia

June 2013 – Virgin Islands

March 2013 – CA Big Sur Coast and San Fran Vicinity

November 2012 – Mohican State Park, OH

August 2012 – Alaska

July 2012 – Hocking Hills State Parks, OH

May 2012 – OH to TX and Back – a National Battlefield, 2 National Military Parks, 3 National Historical Parks, a National Monument, the Alamo, San Antonio Riverwalk, the Highpoint of LA, a National Memorial, a National Historic Site and a Haunted House

March 2012 – San Francisco and Pinnacles National Park,  CA

October 2011 – Western PA National Memorials and Historic Sites

July 2011 – Alaska

June 2011 – Amish Country, OH

March 2011 – GA and FL National Seashores & Forts

Octrober 2010 – Carl Sandburg National Historic Site, NC

August 2010 – Kayak Pittsburgh

July 2010 – Belgrade, Serbia;   Budva, Montenegro;   Dubrovnik, Croatia

May 2010 – Southern IN

March 2010 – SE Arizona

February 2010 – Bahamas Cruise

December 2009 – Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, OH

October 2009 – Mt LeConte Smoky Mtns NP and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, TN

September 2009 – Kayak Chicago

April 2009 – Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks, FL

March 2009 – Zion NP, Grand Staircase Escalante and Vermillion Cliffs NMs

August 2008 – Channel Islands National Park, CA

May 2008 – China

March 2008 – India

January – April 2008 – Sri Lanka

January 2008 – Egypt

December 2007 – Amsterdam