Is there any better way than to close out the summer than by visiting a national park?

My wife and I packed up the car with our sea kayaks and headed to Grand Teton National Park last week for three days of R&R in that gorgeous setting. Thanks to the very snowy winter, Jackson Lake, which was just 25 percent full a year ago when we visited, was up to 90 percent full. Using Colter Bay as our base camp, we had quick and easy access to a launch point.

Grebes, white pelicans, an osprey, and a lone great blue heron watched as we paddled the lake.

Along with the R&R, the break from the keyboard gave me time to appreciate the donations sent in by readers and listeners during our August fundraising campaign. It definitely moved the needle in the right direction.

You'll see the return, too, as we have upcoming features on historic log structures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the wolves of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, how sea level rise and more potent storms are impacting national seashores, on Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and exploring the Tablelands at Gros Morne National Park, just to name some of the angles Traveler's correspondents have been exploring.

Again, thank you for your support. And here's hoping you manage to end the summer in a beautiful national park setting.