In 2009, I backpacked through Yosemite National Park. In 2013, I will explore Yellowstone National Park on a Tauck tour.
A big National Park milestone is approaching for me.
You see, I’m a big fan and participant in the National Parks. I’ve been to Yosemite repeatedly. And Grand Canyon, Sequoia, King’s Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Rocky Mountain.
But soon I get to make my first visit to the mother of them all, Yellowstone National Park.
The mode of this excursion will be as fresh for me as the location. My previous National Park encounters have been largely on the rustic, do-it-yourself side. A 50-mile backpack from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley. A rim-to-rim Grand Canyon trek. Family camps with Coleman stoves and S’mores. Priceless experiences and memories.
In late June 2013, I will roam Yellowstone – plus Grand Teton NP, Mount Rushmore and Wyoming cowboy country – with the professional guidance of Tauck.
Tauck is a touring company renown for digging deep and providing authentic experiences in style. Everyone I know who has experienced Tauck raves about the quality.
Backpacking Yosemite with the Reeds in 2012.
My good friend Mike Reed – with whom I have shared dirty, sweaty, exhausting and wonderful backpacking adventures – is a huge Tauck fan. A retired professor, Mike loves Tauck’s educational bent as well as the first class service.
“Yellowstone is a national treasure,” Mike enthused after I told him about the trip. “And to see it with Tauck will be exceptional.”
On this itinerary Tauck has partnered with PBS documentarian Ken Burns for narratives about the grand lands we will survey. Among Burns’ credits is his series about the National Parks. That tells me how serious this company is about delivering rich historical content.
Another partner is the National Park Service itself. Sure, the half-day volunteer project in which we will participate is a token, but it’s a way to involve us in the protection of these wonderful public resources.
Atop Half Dome in 2009. Hoping for another mountaintop experience in Yellowstone.
In addition to my personal excitement about this trip, it will give me a broader range of experience to help our travel business clients think through the best way for them to see wild lands and National Parks. I will be able to draw on personal experience to discuss the pros and cons of virtually all of the different modes. Plus, personal experience with Tauck will equip me to clearly discuss how Tauck compares with other tour companies and independent travel.