A View From The Overlook: Mountain Bikes
First of all, and most paramount, we must say that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with mountain bikes.
- By PJ Ryan - June 26th, 2013 4:03am
A View From The Overlook
A View From The Overlook: Long Shot
One of the many joys of being a national park ranger is that you get to referee America’s culture wars.
A View From The Overlook: A Tale Of Two Songs
Although it was a relatively short war, the War of 1812 was one of our most “Songniferous” wars.
- By PJ Ryan - May 15th, 2013 11:59am
A View From The Overlook: Robber Baron
The robber barons: There were around 25 or 30 of them, depending on who was doing the counting; these were the men (there were no women, unless you count Hetty Green) of almost unlimited wealth and power who dominated America at the end of the 19th century. Their names are familiar even today; Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, Duke, Harriman and so on.
- By PJ Ryan - May 1st, 2013 4:03am
A View From The Overlook: Nudity And The National Parks
Summer is coming in. The days are getting longer, and lake, sea, and river water are getting warmer. This leads to a desire on the part of some national park patrons to take off their clothes and a similar number of fellow taxpayers to complain about nudity, with the hapless park ranger in the middle. This can lead to problems.
- By PJ Ryan - April 17th, 2013 4:03am
A View From The Overlook: Forbidden Books
What do The Soul Of Yosemite, The Case of the Indian Trader, and Worth Fighting For all have in common? You won't likely find any of these books in a national park bookstore or gift shop.
- By PJ Ryan - April 3rd, 2013 5:24pm
A View From The Overlook: Comfort Zones
One of the banes of being a high-ranking bureaucrat is the necessity to issue a report on the reason for your existence. That is, your progress in achieving the goal (or goals) of your office, or sadly, the reasons you have not succeeded.
- By PJ Ryan - March 20th, 2013 3:03am
A View From The Overlook: Marshal Reeves And Marshal Obama
Yale University environmental historian, Dr. Robin Winks, once termed America’s National Parks as “The greatest university in the world with hundreds of branch campuses." While Oxford and Cambridge might take issue in a tweedy British manner with Professor Winks’ hyperbole, his point is well taken: The units of the National Park System are indeed educational.
- By PJ Ryan - March 12th, 2013 10:31am
A View From The Overlook: How Hard Can It Be?
Columnist PJ Ryan wonders how hard can it be to come up with a management plan for the Yosemite Valley that honors the valley and all its natural beauty and wonders.
- By PJ Ryan - February 13th, 2013 3:03am
A View From The Overlook: Safety Issue
The National Park Service and other federal law enforcement agencies have always had a guarded, nervous relationship with the National Rifle Association, and with good reason.
- By PJ Ryan - January 25th, 2013 3:02pm
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