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Exploring the Parks

Exploring Canyonlands National Park In Spring: A Primer

It wasn't much more than a goat path. Or, more appropriate for the setting, a desert bighorn sheep path. With the wind swirling about us and a lapis lazuli sky overhead, we played connect-the-dots with the small stacked cairns that looped across the sandstone amphitheater and took us higher and higher. This was Canyonlands National Park at its best.

Mojave National Preserve And Castle Mountain National Monument: California’s Desert At Its Finest

The rental car was taking a beating so we decided to turn around. Recent rains had eroded the road and created serious ruts in the shortcut we were taking from Mojave National Preserve into the new Castle Mountain National Monument. After the car went up on three wheels climbing out of the last arroyo, we slapped high fives for successfully retracing our track back to the main road.
  • By stratto - August 1st, 2024 1:24am

Fort Bowie National Historic Site: Conflicts With The Apache

In the far eastern reaches of Arizona, nestled in the pass between the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas mountains, 20 miles or so from its border with New Mexico, sits the well-preserved remains of Fort Bowie, which was established as a National Historic Site in 1972. Apache Pass, and its year-round water supply, hosted Fort Bowie from 1861 to 1894 and was a key site in the decades-long battle against the Apache.
  • By stratto - August 1st, 2024 1:24am

A Day In The Park: Gates Of Arctic National Park And Preserve

I stumbled across a video the other day that further convinced me that I need to move Gates of the Arctic National Park higher on my to-do list. In it, two septuagenarians set off on a three-week canoe trip down the Noatak River, a river the park staff tells us "drains the largest mountain-ringed river basin in America that is still virtually unaffected by human activities."

A Day In The Park: Everglades National Park

One of the most incredibly beautiful birds you'll find in Everglades National Park is the Purple Gallinule. Unless you see a Roseate spoonbill. Or maybe a Tri-colored heron. Or a ..., well, you get the idea. There are an amazing number of gorgeous, and more common, bird species in the park. But time is running out to easily spot many of them, as the rainy season isn't too far off.

The History Of Fort Jefferson And Dry Tortugas National Park

What do you think about when you hear the words “national park”? For most, it’s likely visions of park rangers sporting knee-length khaki shorts and wide-brimmed Smokey Bear style hats. Or maybe it’s the verdant, rugged majesty of Yellowstone National Park with its geothermal wonders and grizzly bears.

Time Travel In The North Of Portugal

The dogs were large, with pointy ears, and they appeared suddenly along the cobbled path, barking furiously. My husband Paul and I paused, then slowly crept past them as we murmured pet-friendly reassurances at their bared teeth. They jumped around a bit but did not draw nearer; all bark, no bite. A cheerful man hobbled down the path on his cane, reaffirming this in Portuguese and gestures and tone that conveyed his meaning to our linguistically challenged ears. Chuckling, he waved us on our way from the tiny stone village into a sparse forest in Portugal’s sole national park—Peneda-Gerês.

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