CWBA member Sally Roller has made it her life-long mission to visit every national park in the country. I spent some time with Sally (via email), and she told me all about it!
WHITE SANDS NP
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· What inspired you to start traveling to U.S. National Parks?
My parents bought me a U.S. National Park passport book when I was 10 years old. I looked through the book, saw pictures of gorgeous mountains, lakes, and deserts, and knew that I wanted to see them. My sense for adventure has morphed into a quest to see all 433 national park sites in the United States. There are park sites in each state and extend into the territories, including parks in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. I have been to 232 national park sites out of 433. Within those national park sites, are 63 National Parks, which include Mount Rainer, Olympic National Park, Yosemite National Park, etc. The “Big National Parks,” which I like to call them, are what people mostly think of when I say that I enjoy seeing National Parks. I have been to 33 out of 63 National Parks – half way there!
CARLSBAD CAVERNS
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· When was your very first national park trip?
My parents took me on a Yorktown and Jamestown, two National Historical Sites when I was eight years old. I started to see how many places I could visit and get a U.S. National Park passport book stamp. I went on my first “Big National Park” adventure when I was in eighth grade. I wanted to travel as far as I could from my home state of Rhode Island, so I persuaded my parents to take our family to Washington. We saw Mt. Rainer and Olympic National Park. I was hooked! I wanted to continue experiencing new things and seeing beautiful sites.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
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· What is your most recent trip?
Most recently, I went with a friend to see Death Valley National Park for my birthday. We experienced the super-hot temperatures (107 degrees Fahrenheit) in Death Valley, walked in the lowest point in North America below sea level, watched the sunset, and viewed the most spectacular night sky. Death Valley is a must see!
DEATH VALLEY
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· Your favorite places so far?
I have had so many wonderful memories from traveling to the U.S. National Parks that it is hard to chose some of my favorite places! A trip with my husband to Hawaii Volcanoes NP and Haleakala NP top the list. My husband and I took a helicopter ride, saw bubbling lava, and walked through lava tubes at Hawaii Volcanoes NP. On Maui, my husband and I drove on the Hana Highway to Haleakala NP. We hiked through a bamboo forest, felt the spray of a waterfall, and saw beautiful views of the ocean. It was a magical trip to Hawaii!
NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK
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· Other places on your list you haven’t been to yet?
Alaska! I am hoping to take a long trip to Alaska and experience all that it has to offer – watching bears catch salmon, walking on glaciers, and spotting wildlife while hiking. I anticipate that I will need more than one trip to Alaska!!
MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK
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Thank you, Sally, for sharing all of your amazing adventures with us!
Maria L. Brooks is our favorite Denver Broncos fan. She’s a certified paralegal since 2003 and is a CWBA member at the allied professional level. She currently works remotely part-time as an executive assistant for a cannabis attorney in California, and full time as a legal assistant for Icenogle, Seaver, Pogue in the Denver Tech Center where the attorneys on staff serve as general counsel for over 200 cities, towns, districts, and highway authorities across the state of Colorado. Maria is a captain of multitasking, scheduling wizard, and workflow guru with over 20 years of experience in the legal field. When not playing fantasy football, she enjoys spending her time volunteering as a sponsor at local churches in the Aurora area to help young women recover from drug and alcohol addiction.
Yet another cool thing about our Sally. What a fun read--thanks, ladies!