Celebrating National Parks season kicks off this month in a variety of ways. Here is what you need to know about the when, where and how to celebrate our National Parks, Monuments and Forests.

Convincing my teenage daughter to hike Pinnacle Peak Mountain turned out to be more than family travel, it was a mother-daughter moment that brought us together.

I seek places that bring the wonder, joy of play, and inspiration, and last week I found them in the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Recapturing that sense of play, pretend and stretching the imagination I had as a child.  ? Do you wander to find the land of pirates, Vikings, and fairies? Are you drawn to legends and royalty? Or do you chase mythical creatures to the limits of your creativity?

We received a lot of advice about getting to Yosemite early, parking in one of the main lots and then taking the Shuttle, which takes you to just about every popular place, or you can hike from those popular places to where you want to be. This was our plan until my 14-year-old daughter sprained her ankle literally two days before our trip and ended up on crutches.  Our plans for hiking now had to be adjusted to Plan B: driving and parking as close to the sights as possible.

When sunny skies meet mirrors and metal, the Chicago architecture pops before it melts into the clouds.

After Denmark and Paris, the next destination on M's European adventure was Germany.  Here...