Droptop Teardrop

Home
United States
Moab, UT
Droptop Teardrop

Touring the country in a droptop Jeep and teardrop trailer, making friends and memories along the way. Follow us on IG

Join us on this adventure as we share noteworthy experiences and distill what we learn along the way.

04/19/2022

It's that time of year again. No not the endless assault of winter or spring showers.. it's National Park Week! A tradition we believe started in 1991, this week commemorates all of our protected national park sites and lands. Typically the week is kicked off with a free park entry day (there are more coming if you missed this) and includes Earth Day (April 22nd). This National Park Week falls from the 16th through the 24th - check with your local park or site to see what they have in store.

We thought this would be a great time to reflect on all of the adventures and "progress" 😉 we've made towards visiting all 63 official National Parks. Spoiler alert, we're more than halfway there at 32 parks and our first repeat already under our belts ( which was also our first park altogether). Take a look our list so far and feel free to share some of your favorites, where we should go next, and any fun or restorative Earth Day plans.

10/21/2021

"American nomads." Or is it "Nomadic Farmers?" Doing some city sights in-between the nature hikes.

10/20/2021

On our drive down from we couldn't pass up the opportunity to detour into west side with its beautiful Johnston Ridge Observatory and multiple overlooks. May 18, 1980 infamously marks the date of the last major eruption here; but the landscape has been shaped by glaciers and lava flows for at least 500,000 years up and down the Mountain range. We will definitely be returning to explore its trails, caves, and perhaps even summit on following visits.
What's your favorite and have you been able to visit it?

10/06/2021

Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH - if you're a rollercoaster buff, or live near the Midwest, you've surely heard the name. Ivan had been dreaming of visiting Cedar Point for decades, ever since watching "Modern Marvels" episodes on HISTORY and countless "Top Coasters" shows on Discovery. It through conversations with friends, family (), and fellow roadies that we realized it was actually on our way through Ohio (pt.2) for Cuyahoga Valley National Park!

By the numbers, Cedar Point sits is 364-acres on a Lake Erie peninsula, opened in 1870, the 2nd-oldest operating amusement park in the USA, with over 70 rides including 17+ coasters. Those rides have aged gracefully, as some still rank in the Top 10 tallest, longest, and fastest steel rollercoasters worldwide since their inception and others consistently rank in Top 10 rider favorites.

We decided to check out the adjacent Cedar Shores waterpark so we got the 2-day, 2-park pass. The FastPass is a must - there's no other way to tackle a park of this size in a day waiting in 2 hour queues. Top Thrill Dragster lived up to the hype and infamy of on-again, off-again breakdowns throughout the day. Maverick left us stranded, so we didn't get to see the full ride but got an exit pass out of it. We capped the night with an unforgettable experience on Steel Vengeance.

We also got the all-day dining option at $32/day for a full meal (incl. BBQ) every 90 minutes and no nannies on sharing. Re-entry is allowed at the park so we walked the beautiful beachside boardwalk and dipped our toes in Lake Erie. The RV park on premises is pricey and has limited availability; instead we stayed at the East Harbor State Park 30min away and loved it! Recs for Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island by ferry) fell flat - mostly a forgettable pass for us.

Looking for theme parks to explore along our adventures is now a part of trip planning. Which park should we go to next? What has the best camper friendly setup? Are you a thrill seeker or a lazy river floater? Let us know down below.

10/05/2021

"On October 3rd, he asked me what day [we bought the Jeep]." -> It's October 3rd. Yesterday wasn’t just Mean Girls Day, we also celebrated our firecrack red "Droptop" Jeep's birthday. One year of adventures in the books!

By the numbers, that's over 25k miles, 2 oil changes, 4 windshields, 1 new engine, dozens of off-road trails, and countless topless scenic drives. We had to fly all the way to Boise, ID from Miami to luck out on this unicorn of a car - nearly fully loaded and deeply discounted off msrp since it had been sitting on the lot for awhile without a lot of love.

And as you know it, what was the very first thing we did? Take it down a gravel rock road to Jump Creek Falls! It's been pulling our 1,000 lb teardrop trailer just fine and the seats have been plenty comfortable even through some 6 and 7 hour travel days. We briefly considered swapping for a Gladiator for the increased tow capacity but we're going to stick it out with our red beast for some time to come.

See ya on, or off the road, and do the

09/21/2021

Acadia NP (Acadia National Park) might be somewhat unknown outside of the Northeast area, being 8.5 hours (480 miles) from - and a whopping 27 hours (1750 miles) from . You can start to sense our hesitation in making the trek but it also served as the perfect midway point for season 2 travels towards the Pacific NorthWest. Luckily, it did not disappoint!

The majority of the park is on Mount Desert Island ( ) and we were lucky enough to find a campsite in Acadia's Blackwoods Campground. It’s optimal location provides easy access to the park loop road, the local city of Bar Harbor and even private coin showers. The first stop was famous Jordan Pond and it's traditional tea house. Walk the 3 mile nature trail around the glacier-formed pond after putting your name down at the restaurant (~2 hour peak wait times) and salivate over their famous popovers, jam, and tea service.

Other major attractions include Cadillac Mountain (hike or drive the summit with a timed entry pass), Sand Beach (bring some chairs but don't even think about bathing in those cold waters), and Thunder Hole (try to time this visit 2 hours before high tide for maximum sound effects). Great hikes include Beehive and Precipice trails, one of which was closed for falcon nesting while we were there.

But the beauty of this park has to be experienced outside of your vehicle. We cycled the beautiful "carriage roads" closed to motor cars, rented kayaks from Coastal Kayaking Tours/Acadia Bike to explore Frenchman's Bay, and took a stunning Acadian Sightseeing Nature Cruises sunset cruise with views of lighthouses and seals galore. There are other parts of the park outside of Mt. Desert island as well.

If you fly into Portland, Maine (yes there's another Portland) it's only a 3 hour drive and you get to check out a great city too with amazing seafood and brews. Optionally, take the scenic route through Canada on your way back but whatever you do just make the trek!

09/17/2021

If this doesn’t scream “Friday mood,” then I don’t know what does.

This beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan was photographed from Indiana Dunes National Park. Yes, a national park! In 2019, the 15 mile long lake shore, along with its surrounding sand dunes and acres of wetlands received the designation. During our visit last month, we were surprised to find such a beautiful campsite, abundant wildlife, and peaceful lakeshore just 45 minutes from Chicago’s metropolitan city center.

Are you spending any time at a park or in the outdoors this weekend?

09/15/2021

Wildlife. One of the five key elements of the NPS logo, represented by the Buffalo. When we started this journey, it was winter in the west/southwest. Needless to say we caught the occasional glimpse of deer and only heard the calming howls of coyote.

Fast forward to the Smokies and Appalachian region. We had our first black bear and running cayot. The most stunning and colorful birds. Seals galore. And then in the Dakotas and Wyoming we finally got to see, the mighty Buffalo! Prairie dogs, feral horses, elk, moose, grizzlies, wolves, pronghorn and so much more.

At some point it becomes wildlife bingo 😅 and truly nothing compares to seeing all these majestic creatures in their (semi) natural habitats. From a distance that is.. 100+ yards from bears and wolves and 25+ yards from all others - easier said than done when you're caught in a bison traffic jam or the elk choose your campsite as the best berry bush picking location.

September 4th is but we love to celebrate it every day we can. Excited to see what shots we can capture with some new telephoto lenses on the next leg of the trip; definitely a must, or great binoculars, for Yellowstone.

09/03/2021

We're taking a break to pull over and enjoy the views. Look for the recap coming soon!

08/25/2021

Today is the National Park Service's birthday, a whopping 105 years old - "that's older than sliced bread!" Did you know that today and a few other days out of the year, entry fees are waived at National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites, and all other types of spaces and places that the NPS manages for us? Mark your calendars!

We're celebrating by spending some (more) time at Yellowstone, America's first "National Park" - even older than the itself! Drop a comment if you know when it was set aside for the public and by which president/group.. or if you know any of the other parks and monuments that NPS took over when it was founded.

A big thank you to all park rangers and even the admins that make sure our public lands stick around for generations to come. Check out a few fun facts about Droptop Teardrop while you're at it, not quite our birthday yet but we wanted to join in on the candle blowing fun.

08/10/2021

Just because a park is rated #1 in visitation, doesn’t have to mean it has to be #1 in your heart. The Great Smoky Mountains are the most visited park in the national park system. This is due, in part, to its close proximity to highly populated, dense urban cities, like Knoxville and Atlanta, and also because there aren’t many national parks in the southern region.

The Smokies does not have an entrance fee because the two main roads that run through the park are public use highways. So if you’re visiting North Carolina or Gatlinburg, driving through the park may actually be your best bet. Though the park is its own thing, it’s hard to talk about the Smokies without mentioning Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg; these “tourist trap” towns boast of cabins in the woods, binge drinking Tennessee whiskey, and Dollywood but they do add much needed vibrancy to the area.

The Smokies themselves are often filled with the sounds of visiting tourists but there is enough land to find solace and silence. Off the beaten path are seemingly private hikes to waterfalls, lush forests, parts of the Appalachian trail, and opportunities to take a dip in the creek. We highly recommend staying in the park, at Elkmont Campground, to really experience the park’s hidden beauty. You might even see a bear (like we did!) since the Smokies are home to a large black bear population.

All in all, if you’re in the south, the Smokies are worth the visit. But we’d say to push yourself to discover other parks as well that have a bit more to offer.

Address

Moab, UT
84532

Website

http://droptopteardrop.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Droptop Teardrop posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Autos & Automotive Service in Moab?