With the clock, and the calendar, ticking closer to congressional gridlock over the country's debt ceiling, how might the National Park Service react if October 1 arrives without an increase in the ceiling?

A plan to pump groundwater from beneath the desert and send it to thirsty cities in southern California has attracted a rather unusual group of opponents, including a Republican Congressman, a Democratic Senator, conservation groups, a mining company, a labor union and ranchers. Now the latest wrinkle in the debate involves a proposal for steam train excursion trips into the Mohave Desert.

Harvest days, circa 1840, will be celebrated early next month at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Florida with displays of plantation cooking, harvesting, blacksmithing and more.