As his active duty service officially comes to an end, this is my attempt to capture Nick’s retirement ceremony in words and pictures. It was a glorious day!

Four days wasn’t enough to see everything in the Black Hills. We tried anyway.

That time we went hunting for prehistoric fossils in Badlands National Park.

We stopped in Wyoming for one night to explore one towering place.

A national park in North Dakota we almost skipped became an instant favorite.

Exploring the humble beginnings of the mighty Mississippi in Itasca State Park, Minnesota.

Our trip to Voyageurs National Park at Crane Lake, Minnesota, led us to discover amazing people and places.

On our first day in Wisconsin, we received a Superior welcome.

Summer travel advice from our first time visiting Michigan.

How we turned our fifth wheel into a badass road-tripping machine.

A few chill days in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Our first campground of the trip on Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, New York.

A comforting first stop of the trip seeing family outside Philadelphia and refreshing our memories on early U.S. history.

Nearly ready to embark for a year, we spent two weeks in the trailer before leaving town—and none of it felt like a day at the beach.

During spring break, we took our fifth wheel to West Virginia. We thought we were testing the rig—but the rig was testing us.

As we celebrate the final chapter of Nick’s military service, a long-awaited dream gets underway.