Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah President Franklin D. Roosevelt:  “There is nothing so American as our national parks…the fundamental idea behind the parks…is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.” Bryce Canyon National Park is one of those iconic places that immediately conjures up the American West.  It is a special place that is home to the largest concentration of hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) anywhere in the world. It was, in fact, one of the national parks my wife and I really wanted to visit after watching YouTube videos about the park from one of my favorite YouTubers Adventure Archives .  I mean, what’s not to like about Bryce Canyon National Park ? The place is unique, full of incredibly beautiful hoodoos that seem to tower over everything on all sides.  The red rocks (along with other vibrant colored rocks) really sets the tone for this special, unique place that is Bryce Canyon Nat

  Capitol Reef National Park, Utah In all honesty, Capitol Reef National Park was the one Utah Big 5 national parks that my wife and I least looked forward to visiting.  The reasons for this were as follows:  1) it was, after all, one of the least popular national parks among the Utah Big 5, therefore, we didn’t think it would be as beautiful or as impressive as the others, and 2) the nearest town of Torrey , where we would be based out of, didn’t have much in the way of lodging or dining options.  After visiting Capitol Reef National Park and experiencing the park first hand, we were right about the lack of lodging/dining options, but we were absolutely wrong about the park itself!   Capitol Reef National Park , although it is the second least visited Utah Big 5 national parks, has so much to offer, including unique landscape full of beautiful colors, impressive domes, wonderful hiking, and amazing scenery. On the morning of January 1st (New Year’s Day), we checked out of our hote