Have you ever dreamed of living on the road and exploring national parks for months at a time? One Minnesota couple uprooted their lives to go on a year-long adventure with their twin daughters, building a curriculum for their girls’ education at public lands around the country.

How did they do it? This episode, we explore some of the joys and challenges of “roadschooling.”

Host Jennifer Errick speaks with Jen Goepfert, Travis Pedersen, and their daughters Aela and Eva. From the seed of the idea to their first taste of living in a 42-foot trailer together, this adventurous and creative family shares why they spent years planning their trip and some of their hopes and concerns for their year on wheels.

The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.

This episode was produced by Jennifer Errick with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.

Special thanks to NPCA Upper Midwest Campaign Director Chris Goepfert, Jen Goepfert’s sister, for sharing this adventure with our team.

Original theme music by Chad Fischer.

Learn more about the Goepfert-Pedersen family and follow their blog at thebigfunrv.com

Read the National Parks magazine story that first inspired Jen at npca.org/articles/1865-lessons-in-motion

Learn about the Every Kid Outdoors program at everykidoutdoors.gov

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.

And we’re proud of it, too.

You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org

If you enjoy having time off on the weekend, you can thank the woman who standardized the 40-hour workweek and made the concept possible. Frances Perkins also created Social Security and unemployment insurance, banned child labor, and put many safety measures and workplace protections in place that we simply take for granted. Yet, few people know much about the first female U.S. cabinet secretary and how she continues to shape our lives decades later.

Giovanna Gray Lockhart is executive director of the Frances Perkins Center and a key advocate for making Perkins’ homestead in Newcastle, Maine, our newest national park site; it would be just the thirteenth devoted to interpreting women’s history. In this episode, host Jennifer Errick talks with Lockhart about why Perkins was so important, why we don’t know more about her, and what visitors can see at her wooded 57-acre riverside farm.

The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.

This episode was produced by Jennifer Errick with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.

Special thanks to NPCA Communications Director Alison Heis and Government Affairs Senior Vice President Kristen Brengel.

Original theme music by Chad Fischer.

Learn more about the Frances Perkins Center at francesperkinscenter.org

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.

And we’re proud of it, too.

You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org

Since childhood, award-winning author Kevin Grange has been fascinated with one of the most fearsome and misunderstood predators on the continent: grizzly bears. His passion has taken him to remote and colorful destinations, and he has spent many long, rugged days following in the pawprints of grizzlies — and occasionally having those pawprints charging back in his direction.

Now, Grange shares his wealth of bear knowledge and advice in a new book, “Grizzly Confidential: An Astounding Journey into the Secret Life of North America’s Most Fearsome Predator.” In this episode, host Jennifer Errick asks Grange about the enduring charisma of bears, the many stories he uncovered in his research, and whether people truly can live in harmony with these 600-pound mammals.

The Secret Lives of Parks is a production of the National Parks Conservation Association.

This episode was produced by Jennifer Errick with help from Todd Christopher, Bev Stanton and Linda Coutant.

Special thanks to National Parks magazine Editor-in-Chief Rona Marech and Associate Editor Katherine DeGroff.

Original theme music by Chad Fischer.

Learn more about Kevin Grange and his new book, “Grizzly Confidential,” at kevingrange.com

Read an excerpt from Kevin Grange’s visit to Katmai National Park and Preserve at npca.org/magazine and learn how you can subscribe to National Parks magazine to get in-depth reporting and storytelling on national park issues for just $15 a year.

Learn more about this podcast and listen to the rest of our stories at thesecretlivesofparks.org

For more than a century, the National Parks Conservation Association has been protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the nation’s only independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to protecting national parks.

And we’re proud of it, too.

You can join the fight to preserve our national parks. Learn more and join us at npca.org