I read with interest the various comments after the first question was posed on this forum. Being that this is a new feature on the National Parks Traveler, it is to be expected that there will be some working out of the format. It is gratifying to see such avid interest in how the parks are managed.

There is a place to start coming together on the federal budget, and Sen. Patty Murray is well-suited to lead the way as chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee and a leader in the current, difficult budget negotiations. Shutting down the government — and our national parks — is simply not a reasonable choice.

“What good are national parks?” This is a question often raised by the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party when faced by non-utilitarian public land use.

A water trail that flows above abandoned frontier towns, waters that Lewis and Clark traveled, and a popular water trail that follows an international border were added to the National Water Trails System this week.