My wife suggested that she would like to do something different and interesting on her birthday. Now if I were Bill Gates or that nice Zuckerburg boy that might mean leasing the island of Lanai and inviting friends. Since that is not the case, I suggested a boat trip to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, our first President and Founding Father. It would not only be patriotic but cheap.

There are many incredible drives in the National Park System, but two of the best, at least in the western half of the country, are Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Which is your favorite, and why?

As the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016 draws near, more and more units of the National Park System are coming up on their own significant anniversaries. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, for instance, turns 75 in September and will be feted with a special event benefit party.

Traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway through the South later this month? Consider stopping at the Williamson County Courthouse in Franklin, Tennessee, for some bluegrass.