The National Park Service recently issued a prospectus soliciting proposals for operation of the hostel at Point Reyes National Seashore in California. The hostel is the only lodging facility within the 71,000-acre national seashore that was established under legislation signed by President John Kennedy in 1962.

The long holiday weekend might not be the best time to visit Sequoia or Kings Canyon national parks, as recent storms have damaged roads and spawned mudslides, and more harsh weather is in the forecast.

Hoping to head to the high country of Grand Teton National Park this coming summer for a few days? Your journey begins next week, when backcountry permits become available online.

Call them what you like — outhouses, pit privies, vault toilets, washrooms, bathrooms or just plain old public toilets. When you spend the year touring Parks Canada's national historic sites and national parks for stories — like I just did — you'll need to use the facilities on a regular basis. And by facilities, I don't mean the "facilitrees" when you're desparate and have to go in the great outdoors, and I don't mean the cush indoor ones with flush toilets found in heated/air-conditioned visitor centers. I mean the standalone ones that aren't always as clean and fragant as you'd like and where you consider yourself lucky if there's a good supply of toilet paper and sanitizer.