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The National Park Centennial

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    • Zip lines are invading national parks. There are now zip lines at Niagara Falls, New River Gorge in WV, Royal Gorge in CO, Catalina Island in CA, in view of Denali in AK, Copper Canyon in Mexico, Lake George in NY Adirondacks, etc. Currently there are over 200 in the US.

      Tom Benson, the CEO of the company that built the zip line at Niagara Falls said, "How do you take a teenager and get them away from a game console to something that is going to capture their imagination?"

      Huh? You mean, Niagara Falls isn't enough? Nature isn't enough?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Visit this week? No, summer vacations are over. Hiked 3 days in SNP in June. We often go to Sleeping Bear Dunes NL for a fall weekend.

      Favorite? Can't choose. I really want to go back to the Grand Canyon. Been twice but never packpacked. Of the ones I haven't been to, Glacier is at the top of my list. Of the parks I've been to, I clearly recall driving out the south exit of Yellowstone after a few days of car camping with the family thinking that it was special. But what made it special was that there was not one thing that made it special. People go to GC to see the canyon. Crater lake to see the Lake, Mammoth Cave to see the cave, etc... Most parks are built around one big attraction or feature. But at Yellowstone, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By themselves, the thermal features, wildlife, canyon, falls, lake, mountains, history, lodges are amaxing. But together they create something that is without parallel.
    • Here's the Under-Appreciated National Parks list. I'm not sure how they determine "under-appreciated" but thought it was interesting.

      Mohave National Preserve, Kelso Ca
      Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, near Flagstaff Az
      Wind Cave National Park, SD
      Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, La
      Chaco Culture National Historica Park, Nageezi NM



      (please forgive my missing commas). ;)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • I might visit SNP next weekend. There are so many great national parks, I want to see them all. Of the ones I have visited my favorites are: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Mesa Verde. Yosemite would probably be my favorite, but I haven't been there YET. Same for Glacier. I have one of the shirt pocket size NP guides and a pocket size passport stamp collector book for the national parks and I'm gonna fill that thing up.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I might visit SNP next weekend. There are so many great national parks, I want to see them all. Of the ones I have visited my favorites are: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Mesa Verde. Yosemite would probably be my favorite, but I haven't been there YET. Same for Glacier. I have one of the shirt pocket size NP guides and a pocket size passport stamp collector book for the national parks and I'm gonna fill that thing up.
      When i was 11 years old, our family took an epic cross country vacation from MD to Disneyland CA. En route we saw Rocky Mtn, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Sequoia/KC, and some lesser monuments (four corners, Golden Gate, Royal Gorge, Meteor crater). I recall that Mesa Verde was really interesting and have always wanted to return.
    • Our recent trip to Maine we visited Acadia National Park.
      I think it was back in the spring of 2011 I thru hiked the C+O Canal Trail.
      It's a National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service.
      In 2006 we went to Alaska for vacation and visited Denali National Park.
      And of course the A.T. falls under the purview of the National Park Service.
    • odd man out wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I might visit SNP next weekend. There are so many great national parks, I want to see them all. Of the ones I have visited my favorites are: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Mesa Verde. Yosemite would probably be my favorite, but I haven't been there YET. Same for Glacier. I have one of the shirt pocket size NP guides and a pocket size passport stamp collector book for the national parks and I'm gonna fill that thing up.
      When i was 11 years old, our family took an epic cross country vacation from MD to Disneyland CA. En route we saw Rocky Mtn, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Sequoia/KC, and some lesser monuments (four corners, Golden Gate, Royal Gorge, Meteor crater). I recall that Mesa Verde was really interesting and have always wanted to return.
      OMO, is Clark Griswold your dad? :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I might visit SNP next weekend. There are so many great national parks, I want to see them all. Of the ones I have visited my favorites are: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Mesa Verde. Yosemite would probably be my favorite, but I haven't been there YET. Same for Glacier. I have one of the shirt pocket size NP guides and a pocket size passport stamp collector book for the national parks and I'm gonna fill that thing up.
      When i was 11 years old, our family took an epic cross country vacation from MD to Disneyland CA. En route we saw Rocky Mtn, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Sequoia/KC, and some lesser monuments (four corners, Golden Gate, Royal Gorge, Meteor crater). I recall that Mesa Verde was really interesting and have always wanted to return.
      OMO, is Clark Griswold your dad? :)
      You wouldn't believe how similar our trip was to the movie. We bought a big ugly green station wagon, we visited the relatives in Nebraska, ate hamburger helper (with meat), the dog didn't make it all the way (NE relatives were dog sitters), stopped at the Grand Canyon for 5 minutes, stayed at a KOA Campground, went to a southern CA theme park, stayed at a Holiday Inn (but no skinny dipping with super models).
    • JimBlue wrote:

      My mother got talked into going to an amusement park by my sisters. Dad drove. They didn't go in due to the place having an admission fee ! Mom just wanted to look around and pay for maybe one ride.

      What happened ? They left without going in.
      when I was at Disneyland they still had tickets for individual rides. You would buy a book of tickets with a sample of A, B, C, D, and E tickets. Simple attractions used an A ticket. The most popular rides required an E ticket. You couldn't buy just E tickets so you had to use part of your day going to crappy A and B rides just to use up those tickets. Hence the phrase "E Ticket ride " to refer to a really exciting experience.
    • for your Disney Land nostalgia:

      yesterland.com/

      And for National Parks on the Air, amateur radio air waves that is:

      arrl.org/NPOTA

      I didn't see it right away, but here is the page for Walt Disney World ticket books:

      yesterland.com/disney-world-tickets-1973.html
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by JimBlue: info ().

    • odd man out wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      My mother got talked into going to an amusement park by my sisters. Dad drove. They didn't go in due to the place having an admission fee ! Mom just wanted to look around and pay for maybe one ride.

      What happened ? They left without going in.
      when I was at Disneyland they still had tickets for individual rides. You would buy a book of tickets with a sample of A, B, C, D, and E tickets. Simple attractions used an A ticket. The most popular rides required an E ticket. You couldn't buy just E tickets so you had to use part of your day going to crappy A and B rides just to use up those tickets. Hence the phrase "E Ticket ride " to refer to a really exciting experience.
      Disney World was the same way when it opened in the early 70s.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • re: Under appreciated National Parks list

      Not sure what that criteria is either..but I have been to two of them on the list. :)

      travel.nationalgeographic.com/…ed-national-parks/#page=1

      Colorado National Monument is a little gem. I'd would not be surprised if it made into a national park at some point. The Black Ridge Canyon Wilderness adjacent to the park is drop dead gorgeous. Lots of local politicians want national park status for the CNM and surrounding BLM land, too. So enjoy it while you can. It is just off I70 near Grand Junction and Fruita so it is ripe for what Abbey used to call "Industrial Tourism". :O

      [IMG:http://i1.wp.com/farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/16530804516_0854b75107.jpg?zoom=2&w=800&ssl=1]
      Colorado National Monument

      [IMG:http://i2.wp.com/c1.staticflickr.com/1/637/22634289718_7eecc09e70.jpg?zoom=2&w=800&ssl=1]

      Black Ridge Canyon Wilderness

      The wife and I went to CNM for the first time a few years ago. The camping area full on a Friday..by Saturday it was near empty. Most people use the campground as cheap lodging on the way to Moab. Fine by me! I've been there a few times since then and to the adjacent areas.

      Chaco Canyon is amazing. Next to the Mound Builders and the Mayans, one the most influential Pre-Columbian civilizations in North America. Stark beauty in Chaco Canyon and the many outliers along with some damn impressive buildings and sites of archeoastronomy. I've been there twice and want to head back again. Always more to see!

      [IMG:http://i0.wp.com/c2.staticflickr.com/6/5783/23165994550_2545d1819c.jpg?zoom=2&resize=472%2C312&ssl=1]
      Penasco Blanco

      [IMG:http://i1.wp.com/c2.staticflickr.com/6/5650/23461699015_abd0fa817f.jpg?zoom=2&resize=345%2C462&ssl=1]

      Pueblo Bonito


      [IMG:http://i1.wp.com/c2.staticflickr.com/6/5669/23379329821_3e5ab6192d.jpg?zoom=2&resize=472%2C312&ssl=1]
      Fajada Butte
    • One of my university archaeology classes was taught by a guy who did the remote sensing for NASAA, and talked them into working with field archaeologists. He was NASA's only archaeologist.

      The first remote sensing they did was LANDSAT on Chaco Canyon area in infrared. Found things like foot paths that weren't visible on the ground. Along with a few sites not dug by archaeologisgs until then as they hadn't seen them. No surface indications.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • Dan76 wrote:

      Folks I know just finished a prestart of school trip to D- Land. The cost of admission per person was nearly 100 dollars.
      One of the better things I didd with my son's was close down an amusement park (ride every ride you want until they close) when they were around 5. Oldest was Disneyland Paris, second Astroworld, and third Disney World (extra hours due to staying at AllSports resort).

      I can still see the smiles on their faces. Growing up in a family of six, I think it just being them and me made it more special. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • PaulMags wrote:

      Bet he helped find some of the roads there, too.

      For trade? Ceremonial purposes? Chaco as Rome at the center of a large culture? People much smarter than I debate it a lot. :)

      Good website if anyone wants to really go deep into the rabbit hole:
      gamblershouse.wordpress.com/

      They found some of the roads went much further than ground indications they did.

      Yeah, he mentioned there were ongoing discussions on just what Chaco Canyon for used for.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      The ten least visited national parks.

      npca.org/articles/435-the-10-l…places-in-the-park-system
      Which makes me ask, should tax dollars be going to places no one visits? I really got pissed when I found out 95% of those requesting a permit for the JMT were denied and 10% of the permits given went to foreigners, IMO, if all citizens can't use it they shouldn't have to pay for it.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      The ten least visited national parks.

      npca.org/articles/435-the-10-l…places-in-the-park-system
      Which makes me ask, should tax dollars be going to places no one visits? I really got pissed when I found out 95% of those requesting a permit for the JMT were denied and 10% of the permits given went to foreigners, IMO, if all citizens can't use it they shouldn't have to pay for it.
      agree a 100%
    • Drybones wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      The ten least visited national parks.

      npca.org/articles/435-the-10-l…places-in-the-park-system
      Which makes me ask, should tax dollars be going to places no one visits? I really got pissed when I found out 95% of those requesting a permit for the JMT were denied and 10% of the permits given went to foreigners, IMO, if all citizens can't use it they shouldn't have to pay for it.
      There certainly should not be any foreigners allowed if Americans are getting turned away.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • Rasty wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      The ten least visited national parks.

      npca.org/articles/435-the-10-l…places-in-the-park-system
      Which makes me ask, should tax dollars be going to places no one visits? I really got pissed when I found out 95% of those requesting a permit for the JMT were denied and 10% of the permits given went to foreigners, IMO, if all citizens can't use it they shouldn't have to pay for it.
      There certainly should not be any foreigners allowed if Americans are getting turned away.
      there's a road under construction nearby that backs up during rush hour. I think I'll go out and tell all drivers with out of state plates they must go elsewhere as their taxes didn't pay for the road or the construction
    • Rasty wrote:


      There certainly should not be any foreigners allowed if Americans are getting turned away.

      That's like saying you shouldn't be allowed to invite your friends for dinner if you haven't invited your parents.

      In any case, if giving up my spot means that someone goes home with a good impression of American hospitality, that may be a fair trade.

      How often are you allowed to enter the permit lottery? If it's an annual thing, and 97% are turned away (that was the figure last year), then there's a fair chance that someone would go through a lifetime without winning once. If you can enter weekly, then you have a better-than-even chance of winning one in the course of a hiking season.

      I suspect that the chances are actually poor enough that the JMT is another thing that I'll never try for... because, as with Katahdin, if there's not enough of it to go around. If my winning means that someone else loses - to the extent that they will never get to go - then I would be taking a very hard look at what I'd be able to bring to the endeavour that another hiker wouldn't. I don't labour under the illusion that I should enjoy any special privilege.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • odd man out wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      The ten least visited national parks.

      npca.org/articles/435-the-10-l…places-in-the-park-system
      Which makes me ask, should tax dollars be going to places no one visits? I really got pissed when I found out 95% of those requesting a permit for the JMT were denied and 10% of the permits given went to foreigners, IMO, if all citizens can't use it they shouldn't have to pay for it.
      There certainly should not be any foreigners allowed if Americans are getting turned away.
      there's a road under construction nearby that backs up during rush hour. I think I'll go out and tell all drivers with out of state plates they must go elsewhere as their taxes didn't pay for the road or the construction
      That's a dumb comparison.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • I was in Florence and Venice last May and saw some of the greatest art and architecture anywhere in the world. There would be nothing more stupid than being told that these treasures may only be seen by Italians because they are in Italy, were made by Italians, and were paid for by italians. The roads I pay for are part of the infastructure that are for the public good. Our great natural spaces are also part of our infastructure maintained for the public good. Infastructure is not just roads and bridges but includes creative and natural wonders. Their ability to enrich the soul contributes to the public good as much as anything we build. Looking at DaVinci's Annunciation at the Uffizi in Florence is as inspiring as the JMT. To limit either to one group based on Nationality would be criminal. If you've been to the Uffizi you know they struggle with the competing challenges of overcrowding and conservation just lie the NPS, but they do their best and the world is a better place for it. I hope someday to trek in Nepal, see the Pamirs, climb Kilomanjaro, and hike the Kungsleden. Hopefully the Nepalese, Tajiks, Tanzanians, and Swedes do not buy into this kind of thinking and continue to keep public spaces public.