While recent storms pounded Mid-Atlantic states and New England with heavy snows, they also pummeled the beaches of Cape Cod National Seashore.

Spring often coincides with road work in the national parks, and that's certainly no exception in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, which have a full slate of projects getting under way.

Near-completion of a $2.5 million, two-year remodeling was evident during our recent stay at Death Valley National Park's Furnace Creek Ranch.

It's not easy to get to Big Bend National Park. Located in the crook of Rio Grande River in West Texas where the river turns from a southeast to a northeastern direction, the park promises spectacular vistas, river canyons, and desert plants. But it's a 225-mile drive from Midland-Odessa and 325 miles from El Paso, the closest airports, so no one goes there on a whim.