March 1, 2020. This was the last day I was on a plane, until May 2021.
428 days.
I don’t hate flying, but I don’t exactly love it either. Sitting in a flying metal tube in an uncomfortable chair for hours doesn’t sound terribly appealing when it’s described that way. However, when you’re trying to travel and see the whole world, it’s kind of necessary.
So, for the first time in quite a while, I was elated to fly. I happily boarded that Southwest flight to Chicago, and I loved every minute of it.
May 2021 was the busiest month of travel that I’ve had since November 2019. This should hardly come as a shock to anyone, considering the global pandemic that’s dominated the news for the past year and a half. However, with the combination of wanting to return to doing what I love most (traveling) and being fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, it just made sense to me personally to get back out in the world.
Here is a brief recap of what I’ve been up to and where I traveled in May 2021.
May 2021: Travel Stats
- Countries visited: 1
- United States
- States visited: 9
- New York
- Illinois* (layover(s) at Chicago Midway)
- California
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Cities visited: Many
- Buffalo, NY
- San Francisco & Oakland, CA
- Stroudsburg & Gettysburg, PA
- Paterson & Morristown, NJ
- Baltimore & Frederick, MD
- Manassas, VA
- Harpers Ferry, WV
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites visited: 1
- Yosemite National Park
- National Park Service sites visited: 23 new sites (24 total)
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Fort Point National Historic Site
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
- Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
- Middle Delaware National Scenic River
- Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
- Morristown National Historical Park
- First State National Historical Park
- Hampton National Historic Site
- Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
- Monocacy National Battlefield
- Catoctin Mountain Park
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail* (revisit)
- Antietam National Battlefield
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Eisenhower National Historic Site
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Flights taken: 4
- Days spent on the road: 14
May 2021: Travel Highlights
Visiting San Francisco for the first time
The first of my May 2021 travel highlights was visiting San Francisco for the first time. San Francisco has always been my number one city in the US that I’ve wanted to visit. At the beginning of May, that dream finally became a reality. Danielle and I spent 4 days (and 5 nights) total in the City by the Bay on either end of our trip to California. San Francisco is every bit as great as everyone says it is, and then some.
In the short amount of time I spent there, it easily became one of my favorite cities in not only the US, but the world. From photographing sea lions at Pier 39, to cruising to Alcatraz Island, to walking across the Golden Gate Bridge; this is hardly an exhaustive list.
Honestly, I don’t see how anyone living in the San Francisco Bay Area could ever be bored. I’ll certainly be returning to San Francisco sooner than later.
Seeing Yosemite National Park at the perfect time of year
San Francisco wasn’t the only California destination I visited in May 2021. I didn’t want to go all the way to this part of California without making a trip to Yosemite National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Only a four hour drive to visit one of the greatest national parks in the world? That’s a no-brainer. And it just so happened that we would have the opportunity to go in early May, which is supposed to be an excellent time to be there.
As it turns out, it was an excellent time to see Yosemite. All of the amazing waterfalls that it’s famously known for were all at full blast from the snowmelt and the weather was perfect. Moreover, the crowds were not as crazy as they supposedly get after Memorial Day. If you’re planning a trip to Yosemite National Park, try to visit in early to mid-May.
Furthermore, if you love seeing and photographing beautiful landscapes, you definitely can’t go wrong with Yosemite National Park.
Taking an epic road trip through 7 states
For the last week of May 2021, I decided to rent a car and visit some “close by” National Park Service sites. As you probably know by now, I’m on a project to visit all 423 sites in the US National Park System. The vast majority of them aren’t hard to visit; it’s just a matter of getting in a car and driving. So that’s what I did.
I spent six days driving through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Along the way, I visited 17 new National Park Service sites. These ranged from rivers and waterfalls, to Civil War battlefields and forts. Driving is, by far, the best way to explore the United States and I plan on taking a couple more similar trips this year to different regions of the country.
May 2021: Travel Lowlights
Not budgeting more time in California
My only regret from our May 2021 trip to California is that we didn’t stay longer. With an extra week, we could have easily made it down to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, or took the trip up to Point Reyes National Seashore. Also, spending significantly more time in San Francisco itself would have been more than welcomed.
Don’t get me wrong, I was very fortunate to be able to visit California at all. Especially during a global pandemic in which millions of people have suffered and the travel and tourism industry all but vanished overnight. Still, for anyone planning their first trip to California — go for more than a week. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Looking Ahead: June 2021 Travels
As of right now, the only thing I have booked for June 2021 is a short trip to Washington, D.C. in the middle of the month. However, this trip may or may not get pushed back to later this year — we’ll see how things go. My plan is to visit most of the National Park Service sites in the city. The vast majority of them are all within walking distance of each other, and I could easily knock out 20+ sites in a couple of days. Ford’s Theatre is of particular interest to me.
Another regional road trip in the US might also be in the works towards the end of the month, so stayed tuned!
