About Jenny

My globetrotting saga started at the ripe old age of 13, with a casual hop over to the land Down Under. Nothing says “Hello, adolescence!” like coming face-to-face with kangaroos and sipping on a flat white before I even knew what caffeine was.

Then before you could say “teenage rebellion,” Granny—yes, the cookie-baking, cheek-pinching kind—and I blitzed through Europe like we were on a monarch tour minus the paparazzi. After that, I was hooked on travel and couldn’t stop.

So far, I’ve waltzed across six continents, wearing out my welcome everywhere but Antarctica. Penguins there just don’t know what they’re missing out on.

So what has been my favorite country so far to date? South Africa reigns supreme on my country leader board.

Imagine me, there with my camera, catching the Big Five in their prime time habitat—because who wouldn’t want to snap the animal equivalent of movie stars?

As for my academic stunts, I’ve gathered not one but two degrees: “Bean Counting 101” (aka CPA) and “Freezing Time,” which the uninitiated call Photography. Yes, that’s right, I traded in my number-cruncher’s cap for a lens cap.

Boy, what a plot twist that was!

About John

Ah, family vacations. Instead of being raised by wolves, John’s family preferred the “raised by trees” approach. They were out camping frequently, and it fostered his love for the wilds of the ol’ red, white, and blue.

Now, he’s pranced his way across more continents than most folks have streaming services. Just a mere two left—Antarctica and Australia. Watch out; they are on his travel bingo card!

So, who has the grand prize for the most epic wanderlust exploit, in his opinion? Has to be Scotland. We roamed the highlands in a camper van that was less “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” and more “wool, rain, and sheepish encounters.”

As for his professional life? It’s a digital jungle out there, and he’s the techie Tarzan. Swinging from tech support vines with a Network Engineering degree, he’s tamed everything from granny’s virus-riddled PC to making sure your drive-thru burger order doesn’t play telephone. If it’s got circuits, consider it sorted.

Why Did We Start “Discover Parks & Wildlife”

So you might be wondering why, if we are a CPA/Photographer and a Network Engineer, we would want to start a travel website focused on parks and wildlife. Isn’t the answer as clear as the unsolicited advice from your in-laws?

Not sure? Then settle in for a moment of storytime.

Picture this—I’m a wide-eyed young woman with dreams of travel blogging glory for over a decade. But a full-time desk job and a laughably meager vacation stash (2-3 weeks per year) meant that this blogging adventure stayed in the “What If” drawer, next to learning sign language and taking up salsa dancing.

And even though the blog had several false starts—more reboots than a beloved ’90s sitcom—we still spent time globetrotting with the zeal of a squirrel during nut season while working full-time.

With those few weeks of free time per year, we caught boarding passes as far as South Africa, Cambodia, Brazil, and Scotland (just to name a few).

And what do you think we did with those precious three-day holiday weekends? Oh, just casual jaunts to Yellowstone and romps through Utah’s jaw-dropping parks. Because, let’s face it, nothing screams romantic getaways like hiking boots and shared granola bars, right?

2020 And Beyond

Then 2020 hit, and some faceless virus decided to play party pooper and put us all on house arrest. And boy, did it turn our lives into an episode of the Twilight Zone.

You know how every disaster movie has that moment where the main character has an apocalyptic epiphany?

Well, cue the dramatic soundtrack because that was us, standing on the cliff edge of the big 4-0, staring into the abyss of all-work-and-no-play dystopia. Blessed to still have everyone in the selfie family photo, the ol’ pandemic scare still rattled us more than a ghost in a washing machine.

And there we were, thinking, “Is hoarding vacation days really the hill we want to die on?” Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

Cut to the chase, we chucked the 9-to-5 handcuffs, siphoned our piggy banks, waved a white flag at corporate life, and embraced our inner nomad.

Borrowing my parents’ RV (thanks Mom and Dad!), we rolled out towards Arizona in 2021, making Tombstone look more like Bedrock for an entire winter.

But that isn’t all we have done since quitting! We have certainly turned our thinking of “Gee, that’d be nice” into “Oh, we’re doing this.” We have visited two new countries, Botswana & Zambia, and crisscrossed the USA on several road trips.

And eat your hearts out because we’re now the proud owners of our own RV.

In 2023, we took it out for its maiden voyage on a 10-month trip to the Northeast of the USA. Oh, and Canada, too! What can we say, the maple syrup called, and we answered.

Our master plan now? Spend half our time painting tire tracks around the globe, because what’s life if not a highway and we wanna ride it all night long.

Why Parks & Wildlife

Why zero in on parks and wildlife, you ask? Well, because that’s where our hearts do the happy dance! It’s our passion, our escape, our de-stressor, and our favorite pastime.

Our blog isn’t your run-of-the-mill general travel blog; it’s a full-blown love letter to Mother Nature’s mood swings and her unpredictable wildlife house parties. We just don’t do ordinary city vacations; if it doesn’t involve playing peekaboo with a bashful bear in Yellowstone or getting the stink-eye from a lion in Kruger, count us out.

We mean, cities are great—if you’re into that whole “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” vibe.

But give us a rugged cliffside with a chance to spot humpbacks flexing their flukes any day. To us, there isn’t a high rise that can match the thrill of watching whales breach while the Massachusetts coastline fades into the background.

Sure, we could chill in a swanky sidewalk cafe, but why would we when we could play “I Spy with My Little Eye” with creatures that actually, well, spy back?

It’s simple: we’re head-over-hiking-boots in love with the wild.

When we’re not in the national parks, we’re either dreaming about them or lost in a forest trying to high-five an elusive yeti—kidding, but only just.

These natural wonderlands are like our personal brand of Xanax without the side effects—apart from the insatiable urge to tell everybody about it. They are, after all, spectacular, am I right?

And because we have spent so much of the last 20 years vacationing within national parks and spending time with wildlife, we feel like experts.

Because really, after two decades of dodging bears and out-hiking squirrels, we’ve pretty much majored in National Parkology with a minor in Wildlife Whispering.

We’ve got enough outdoor hacks to fill a bear-proof canister—and let’s be honest, you haven’t lived until you’ve used a pine cone as a pot scrubber.

So stick with us, and we’ll spill the beans (which, by the way, are a great addition to any campfire chili) on all the tips and tricks to turn you into a park-pro faster than you can say “Look out for that poison ivy!”

Places We’ve Seen In The USA

We’ve been living so much of that #RVLife that it’s like the road has become our overbearing roommate. Seriously, it’s like we’ve seen more state borders than a fugitive.

We’re talking 30-plus years of relentless on and off road-tripping with our families growing up and now as a couple.

Countries One Or Both Of Us Have Visited

Our passports are more decorated than a general in a parade. So let’s check out our list of countries we have ambled through over the years.

Just A Few Of Our Favorite Wildlife Adventures

There you have it! Where we’ve been, some highlights of wildlife we’ve seen, and why we choose to write strictly about nature and wildlife.

John’s Other Love

Alright, brace yourselves for the hard-hitting news you didn’t know you needed – John is basically a craft beer encyclopedia on legs. I mean, why just travel when you can also drink your way through the local hops and barley, right? It’s practically cultural immersion!

So every new place we visit, you can bet your last bottle cap we’ll be sniffing out the nearest brewery faster than a bloodhound on a scent trail.

Because it sure is a great way to end the day after spending some quality time exploring the park.

But the fun doesn’t stop there – John’s got this side gig, Beer Decoded, where he geeks out about all things frothy and fermented.

Want in on the action? Come suds it up with us over there; it’s a hoppin’ good time!