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| National Parks Passport |
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| Valley Forge NHP matching sticker and cancellation |
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| Mount Rushmore's standard cancellation stamp and it's own special stamp |
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| Lewis and Clark NHP stamps for Fort Clatsop and Salt Works |
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
National Parks Passports
If you're a real nerd like me and thousands of others, you should get yourself a National Parks Passport. It's a little blue book, just like a US Passport. At each NPS site you visit, there is a stamping station at the visitor center where you can get your passport stamped with a cancellation, just like your US Passport in the old days. The standard cancellation stamp is a circle with the park name and date. Some parks have a unique site-specific stamp, like Mount Rushmore. Others, like Lewis and Clark NHP, have multiple sites and stamp for each.
Every year a new set of stickers comes out. You stick them in the booklet, and hopefully you'll get the sticker and the cancellation for each site you visit. Each sticker set comes with a sticker for an NPS site in one each of nine regions, plus a national sticker. The regions are color coded. The edge of the passport page for the region's section in the booklet, the ink for cancellations, and the border of the stickers all stylishly match.
The regions are North Atlantic (brown), Mid-Atlantic (light blue), National Capital (red), Southeast (purple), Midwest (orange), Southwest (gray), Rocky Mountain (yellow), Western (green), and Pacific Northwest and Alaska (blue). I am proud to report that I have been to at least one park in each region, but I only have my passport stamped for parks in six regions.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is the national park that I have lived closest to. I lived in Washington for a decade, and for a few months I lived less than a mile from the main entrance. Naturally, I was a frequent visitor. Being so close, I only ever camped there once. It's always been day trips, and that was fine. It's a huge area with a lot to see, but I could basically go where I wanted, when I wanted.
This park holds a lot of memories for me, from my first visit with my future wife, to our last visit together, to new adventures with a rotating cast of characters. It was always a special treat for me to take visiting friends and relatives from other parts of the country.
One of the best days I ever spent at Mount Rainier was the time I hiked up to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. It was a hike of nearly 6 miles to get there, and after a level first mile, it was mostly uphill. Mosquitoes and flies were so bad once I got there that I ate my lunch in the outhouse to avoid them. But the trouble was worth the reward. Indian Henry's is a wonderful wildflower meadow. The meadows at Paradise get all the publicity (and visitors) because you can drive right up to them. Indian Henry makes you work.
I only saw a handful of other hikers while I was there. I knew it would be a long day, so I started early. It was chilly at first, but once I started the climb I worked off the chill. Going up and up, occasionally there was a break in the trees. The view of the Cascades to the south was magnificent. I could see Mount Adams, Rainier's shorter twin. To the right was Mount St. Helens with her flat top after losing her head (and 2000 feet) in 1980. Behind them both, and barely visible in the summer haze was Oregon's pointy Mount Hood.
Other clearings along the trail offered a sampling of what I'd find ahead. Cascade tiger lilies, pearly everlasting, and Indian paintbrush grew in clumps where the sunlight made it to the ground. Buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies filled the sweetly scented air. It was my first time in the park smelling something other than the trees.
As I went down one ridge and up another, I could hear pikas squeaking at me from the rocky slopes. I didn't see them, but I wanted to. Related to rabbits, they are small mousy little things that spend the summer collecting grasses to stash for the winter. While some animals hibernate for the winter, pikas just hunker down in their burrows, buried in the snow with piles of grass to munch on.
After climbing that last ridge, the trail descends into the meadow. By now, you're at about 6000 feet above sea level. The trees have changed from cedars and Douglas firs to subalpine firs. Subalpines are short for their age, because of the short growing season. They are skinny trees, designed to keep the snow off. They don't dominate the meadows, but there are several stands of them up there.
Once I got to Indian Henry's the floral scent returned. The fields were full of purple lupines and asters. In addition of the buzzing bees, rushing streams joined in the chorus. Melting snow from higher up was the source. Penstemons and monkeyflowers grew along the sides of the streams. After lunch I decided to hike a little farther up, to Mirror Pond. Mount Rainier was reflected in the clear, shallow water. A Cascades frog basked in the sun. Dragonflies joined the replaced the bees and butterflies and joined the flies and mosquitoes.
After soaking in the scenery and solitude, I turned around and started the long hike back to the car. Somehow those ridges I climbed earlier seemed to grow. Coming back down was harder than going up. Even though I was hours from sunset, it was already getting dark in the woods. After I got to the bottom of the ridge, I crossed the moonscape of Kautz Creek. The car was only a mile away. About half a mile out, the strap on my backpack broke. Perfect timing, because having to deal with that for miles would've been worse than the bugs. Finally, I made it to the car and fell into the driver's seat.
After resting for a few minutes I made my way home, about two hours later than I thought I would be. Going up the steps to my third floor apartment was a painful experience, but I earned that pain and the sights I bought with the pain was well worth it.
Check out the Mount Rainier page for pictures.
This park holds a lot of memories for me, from my first visit with my future wife, to our last visit together, to new adventures with a rotating cast of characters. It was always a special treat for me to take visiting friends and relatives from other parts of the country.
One of the best days I ever spent at Mount Rainier was the time I hiked up to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. It was a hike of nearly 6 miles to get there, and after a level first mile, it was mostly uphill. Mosquitoes and flies were so bad once I got there that I ate my lunch in the outhouse to avoid them. But the trouble was worth the reward. Indian Henry's is a wonderful wildflower meadow. The meadows at Paradise get all the publicity (and visitors) because you can drive right up to them. Indian Henry makes you work.
I only saw a handful of other hikers while I was there. I knew it would be a long day, so I started early. It was chilly at first, but once I started the climb I worked off the chill. Going up and up, occasionally there was a break in the trees. The view of the Cascades to the south was magnificent. I could see Mount Adams, Rainier's shorter twin. To the right was Mount St. Helens with her flat top after losing her head (and 2000 feet) in 1980. Behind them both, and barely visible in the summer haze was Oregon's pointy Mount Hood.
Other clearings along the trail offered a sampling of what I'd find ahead. Cascade tiger lilies, pearly everlasting, and Indian paintbrush grew in clumps where the sunlight made it to the ground. Buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies filled the sweetly scented air. It was my first time in the park smelling something other than the trees.
As I went down one ridge and up another, I could hear pikas squeaking at me from the rocky slopes. I didn't see them, but I wanted to. Related to rabbits, they are small mousy little things that spend the summer collecting grasses to stash for the winter. While some animals hibernate for the winter, pikas just hunker down in their burrows, buried in the snow with piles of grass to munch on.
After climbing that last ridge, the trail descends into the meadow. By now, you're at about 6000 feet above sea level. The trees have changed from cedars and Douglas firs to subalpine firs. Subalpines are short for their age, because of the short growing season. They are skinny trees, designed to keep the snow off. They don't dominate the meadows, but there are several stands of them up there.
Once I got to Indian Henry's the floral scent returned. The fields were full of purple lupines and asters. In addition of the buzzing bees, rushing streams joined in the chorus. Melting snow from higher up was the source. Penstemons and monkeyflowers grew along the sides of the streams. After lunch I decided to hike a little farther up, to Mirror Pond. Mount Rainier was reflected in the clear, shallow water. A Cascades frog basked in the sun. Dragonflies joined the replaced the bees and butterflies and joined the flies and mosquitoes.
After soaking in the scenery and solitude, I turned around and started the long hike back to the car. Somehow those ridges I climbed earlier seemed to grow. Coming back down was harder than going up. Even though I was hours from sunset, it was already getting dark in the woods. After I got to the bottom of the ridge, I crossed the moonscape of Kautz Creek. The car was only a mile away. About half a mile out, the strap on my backpack broke. Perfect timing, because having to deal with that for miles would've been worse than the bugs. Finally, I made it to the car and fell into the driver's seat.
After resting for a few minutes I made my way home, about two hours later than I thought I would be. Going up the steps to my third floor apartment was a painful experience, but I earned that pain and the sights I bought with the pain was well worth it.
Check out the Mount Rainier page for pictures.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
A Capital Excursion
This past week I had vacation and took the chance to escape my normal routine. I began with a visit to my friends in Gettysburg, where we toured the battlefield. I got to experience cornfields for the first time at the battlefield and met the dinosaur tracks on the bridge. Monday (9/23/19) there was a ranger talk at Little Round Top about the myths and realities of the 20th Maine Regiment. I got to see some Civil War hospitals I'd never seen before. My first vacation mistake in a long time was discovered in the shower Tuesday morning. I grabbed Old Spice body wash instead of Old Spice deodorant.
After leaving there on Tuesday afternoon I arrived at my camping destination, Prince William Forest Park in Virginia, about 30 miles south of Washington, DC. I left early to beat rush hour traffic, only to learn that it's pretty much always rush hour in the DC area.
After setting up camp in a nearly deserted campground, I got in a quick little hike before dinner and nightfall. My first stop on the hike was down the Oak Ridge Road to a small cemetery. I'm not sure about the story behind it, but there are about two dozen graves, ranging from Civil War era to the early 2000s. After a brief visit, I backtracked toward the campground to hit the Farm to Forest Trail. My goal was Quantico Creek, about two miles round trip, but I turned around because I was hungry and it was getting dark in the woods.
I was up early the next morning to catch a train into the city for my 7:30 tour of the White House. I underestimated how ferocious traffic is on I-95, even at 6 AM and missed my train. I arrived at the White House about 30 minutes past my check-in time, but the Secret Service agent was kind enough to let me in anyway. After passing through two more security checks, I realized I left my sunglasses in the car back in Springfield. Can you blame me? It was still night when I got to the train station.
Only the lower two floors of the White House are accessible by the public. The upper floors are residential areas. I was hoping to see the Lincoln Bedroom, but that is in the residential area.
As impressive as the White House is, it's actually not the fanciest house I've ever been in. Highlights include the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington and the John Adams inscription on the fireplace mantle of the State Dining Room. Despite not being the fanciest house I've been in, it didn't disappoint. Two centuries of history will never let you down.
No food is allowed in the White House and I left before I was able to eat, so after a quick breakfast (shout out to McDonald's) it was off to Ford's Theatre. Ford's is six blocks from the White House, with fantastic historic buildings such as Willard's Hotel in between. In fact, Vice President Andrew Johnson was at the Willard the night of Lincoln's assassination. He too was a target of assassins, but his would-be killer chickened out and got drunk in the hotel bar instead.
Ford's Theatre closed following the assassination, then was purchased by the government for use as office space. Today it is once again a functioning theater in addition to its status as a historic site. The basement museum houses exhibits relating to Lincoln's abbreviated second term and death, including the Derringer pistol used to do the deed. The President's Box is available to view, though it can't be entered. Across the street is Peterson House, where Lincoln died the following morning. More exhibits there cover the aftermath of the assassination, including Lincoln's legacy.
Next, I backtracked toward the White House to the grounds officially known as President's Park. On the north side, we have Lafayette Square. Statues there include Andrew Jackson and our European allies from the American Revolution: Rochambeau, Kosciuszko, and namesake Lafayette. Also notable are several black squirrels running around. Across H Street is Blair-Lee House, the White House's official guest house for visiting heads of state. Harry Truman lived there while the White House was being renovated 1948-1952.
South of the White House is the area known as the Ellipse. Much of it was fenced off for landscaping work, but I was able to see the Christmas tree and First Division (The Big Red One) Memorial. Afterwards, I stopped by the White House Visitor Center inside the Commerce Department building. The plaza across the street was full of people, and at first I thought there was a protest going on. Protests are pretty much a daily occurrence in this part of the world. Then I noticed the line of people at the door. Commerce was having a fire drill.
After visitors were allowed in, we had to pass through security. The Visitor Center has exhibits that highlight the private and official lives of the presidents. Items inside come from the White House. My favorite was the dinner setting from the Bicentennial State Dinner. Next to it was a picture of Jerry Ford dancing with Queen Elizabeth.
After lunch, I took a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue, "America's Main Street". Intended to connect the White House and the Capitol symbolically and physically, it has hosted inaugural parades and state funeral processions over the decades. Government buildings, such as the National Archives and Federal Trade Commission and interspersed with statues like the US Navy Memorial and George Meade statue.
My destination was on the other side of Capitol Hill. Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument commemorates the decades-long struggle for women's right to vote. Alice Paul was one of the leaders of First Wave Feminism, and wealthy Alva Belmont purchased one of the oldest buildings in Washington to serve as the headquarters for their National Woman's Party.
Just a few blocks away is the Folger Shakespeare Library. Henry Folger was a big fan of Shakespeare, and opened a museum to showcase his collection of manuscripts. Researchers come from all over the world to access the collection, while I just went to admire interior design, which evokes the Tudor Era.
Back to the west side of the Capitol, I got a gander at the Peace and Garfield Monuments that flank the Ulysses S Grant statue. There is a small reflecting pool in front, which is currently drained, and there is a little bit of fencing around some work being done to Grant. The statue is a popular backdrop for group photos.
Catty corner to Garfield is the US Botanic Garden. I didn't tour the outside gardens, but the indoor climate controlled gardens are excellent examples of North America's diverse plant communities. Deserts, jungles, California, Hawaii, and the South are well represented. Other collections include edible plants, medicinals, and rare plants.
I slowly made my way past the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall, too late to enter as it was near or past closing time. I managed to get in some time at Constitution Gardens, a large park area with a pond. There is a small island that serves as a memorial to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Ducks and a great egret were enjoying the water while I was there and a squirrel nervously passed me on the bridge to the island.
By this time I was getting hungry and it was getting late. I made my way back to the train, then stopped for dinner on the way back to camp. I went straight to bed. I had an alarm set for 5:30, with plans for breakfast before catching another early train into the city to get a free ticket to visit the top of the Washington Monument. I'd seen the monument every time I've been to Washington. You can't miss the tallest structure in the city, but I'd never been inside. Thanks to Mother Nature, that is still the case. I woke up at 1 AM to use the bathroom. In the few minutes I was gone, a bear took the opportunity to ransack my campsite. I slept in my car with the doors locked and decided to skip the early train so I could evaluate the damage in the daylight. The holes in the tent made it useless, unless I wanted to host a slumber party for bugs.
Without proper sleeping quarters, I made the call to Mount Vernon to change my tour from the following day to later that morning. Getting there took less time than I expected and it was much less crowded than my previous visit four years earlier. I was able to spend more time at Mount Vernon than my previous visit. The weather was perfect and I didn't have to chaperone any middle school kids. With smaller crowds we were able to take a longer tour, timewise. More people asked more questions, and I got to notice a lot more details in the building, as well as tour the grounds. The line ahead of me to see the Washington tomb was four people instead of four miles.
My original Friday plan was Mount Vernon, followed by Theodore Roosevelt Island at the other end of George Washington Parkway. but today I decided that was the end of my trip and headed for home. Due to nightmarish traffic, the four hour drive home lasted seven hours. Every turn led to more gridlock. Forty miles to Baltimore took two hours to drive. At one point, I began to wonder if the bear actually killed me and I was in purgatory.
I had a great time on this trip. I saw some things I never saw before, like dinosaur tracks on the bridge at Gettysburg or people driving on the shoulder because they refuse to merge. Despite some hiccups, overall it was a good experience. I learned how to handle traffic and bears for my next visit, and after losing an entire day to bears, there will be a next time.
After leaving there on Tuesday afternoon I arrived at my camping destination, Prince William Forest Park in Virginia, about 30 miles south of Washington, DC. I left early to beat rush hour traffic, only to learn that it's pretty much always rush hour in the DC area.
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| Dinosaur track at Gettysburg |
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| Michigan Cavalry Monument rising from the corn |
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| Prince William Forest |
Only the lower two floors of the White House are accessible by the public. The upper floors are residential areas. I was hoping to see the Lincoln Bedroom, but that is in the residential area.
As impressive as the White House is, it's actually not the fanciest house I've ever been in. Highlights include the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington and the John Adams inscription on the fireplace mantle of the State Dining Room. Despite not being the fanciest house I've been in, it didn't disappoint. Two centuries of history will never let you down.
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| Washington portrait |
Ford's Theatre closed following the assassination, then was purchased by the government for use as office space. Today it is once again a functioning theater in addition to its status as a historic site. The basement museum houses exhibits relating to Lincoln's abbreviated second term and death, including the Derringer pistol used to do the deed. The President's Box is available to view, though it can't be entered. Across the street is Peterson House, where Lincoln died the following morning. More exhibits there cover the aftermath of the assassination, including Lincoln's legacy.
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| Booth's pistol |
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| Lincoln's box seats |
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| The room where Lincoln died |
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| Black squirrel |
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| Jackson statue |
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| White House from the Ellipse |
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| President Ford and Queen Elizabeth |
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| Meade statue |
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| Belmont-Paul House's fan window |
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| Alice Paul bust |
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| Folger Shakespeare Library |
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| Garfield statue |
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| Grant statue |
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| US Botanic Garden |
I slowly made my way past the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall, too late to enter as it was near or past closing time. I managed to get in some time at Constitution Gardens, a large park area with a pond. There is a small island that serves as a memorial to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Ducks and a great egret were enjoying the water while I was there and a squirrel nervously passed me on the bridge to the island.
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| Great egret and ducks at Constitution Garden |
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| Constitution Garden's island |
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| John Hancock's John Hancock is set in stone |
Without proper sleeping quarters, I made the call to Mount Vernon to change my tour from the following day to later that morning. Getting there took less time than I expected and it was much less crowded than my previous visit four years earlier. I was able to spend more time at Mount Vernon than my previous visit. The weather was perfect and I didn't have to chaperone any middle school kids. With smaller crowds we were able to take a longer tour, timewise. More people asked more questions, and I got to notice a lot more details in the building, as well as tour the grounds. The line ahead of me to see the Washington tomb was four people instead of four miles.
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| Mount Vernon, being rusticated |
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| Washnigton's study |
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| Martha (left) and George (right) Washington at rest |
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| Aftermath of a bear raid |
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Valley Forge
Let's just say Valley Forge and I have a past. My first visit was a class trip back in the early to mid 80s, and I remember being told about the name coming from the forge in the valley before the Revolution. I couldn't wrap my head around a time so long ago it was before 1776.About 20 years later, I returned with my young bride, just on a whim to check this place out that I vaguely remembered. She loved the hills, fields, and trees and began an interest in American history. Being a West Coast gal, it was one her first experiences visiting the places from the history books. Since it was only about a 45 minute drive from home, it became a frequent family escape. Our little daughter was a huge fan of George Washington at that time, and she loved going to the March In event, celebrating the Continental Army marching in to make camp in December. Reenactors had a fire going and were cooking a bean soup. She called it a "George Washington campfire" because that's what kids do when they're 3 or 4. We had a great time walking the Valley Creek Trail and frequently saw deer, and even heard turkeys once.
Later, I found out that my family escape had a possible family connection. Looking through the muster rolls, I found a Private Charles Goodin of the 6th PA Regiment. In the event we aren't related, I adopted him. No one can prove or disprove relation. That connection inspired me to become a volunteer at Valley Forge. I was given an official shirt, a name tag, and a binder full of info to study. They stuck me at the desk at the visitor center, where I excelled at starting the movie and answering questions like "Is this where Washington crossed the Delaware?" Having worked in retail for far too long, I was used to people asking stupid questions like "Is this register open?" or "Do you work here?", but this was a different situation. Knowing the answer (it's no, by the way), doesn't require specialized training but you have to know more than the average person. So I got to educate without being condescending. I'd tell them no, then explain how we got from crossing the Delaware and taking back all of New Jersey, then turning around a losing half of Pennsylvania to wind up at Valley Forge.
I volunteered at Valley Forge for 2 years (while working 2 jobs) before moving to the Seattle area for a decade. While I was out west, NPS renovated the area around Washington's headquarters, turning the old train station into a small museum about life in Valley Forge the village. Currently, the visitor center is being renovated, scheduled to reopen spring 2020. A temporary center is operating in the lower parking lot. If you haven't already, check out the Valley Forge NHP page.
Later, I found out that my family escape had a possible family connection. Looking through the muster rolls, I found a Private Charles Goodin of the 6th PA Regiment. In the event we aren't related, I adopted him. No one can prove or disprove relation. That connection inspired me to become a volunteer at Valley Forge. I was given an official shirt, a name tag, and a binder full of info to study. They stuck me at the desk at the visitor center, where I excelled at starting the movie and answering questions like "Is this where Washington crossed the Delaware?" Having worked in retail for far too long, I was used to people asking stupid questions like "Is this register open?" or "Do you work here?", but this was a different situation. Knowing the answer (it's no, by the way), doesn't require specialized training but you have to know more than the average person. So I got to educate without being condescending. I'd tell them no, then explain how we got from crossing the Delaware and taking back all of New Jersey, then turning around a losing half of Pennsylvania to wind up at Valley Forge.
I volunteered at Valley Forge for 2 years (while working 2 jobs) before moving to the Seattle area for a decade. While I was out west, NPS renovated the area around Washington's headquarters, turning the old train station into a small museum about life in Valley Forge the village. Currently, the visitor center is being renovated, scheduled to reopen spring 2020. A temporary center is operating in the lower parking lot. If you haven't already, check out the Valley Forge NHP page.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Welcome!
With over 400 sites to chose from, the National Park service has something for everyone. America's national parks not only preserve our natural wonders, they also preserve the story of America. This story is told in thousands of voices, from those of our great leaders to ordinary people doing ordinary things- or doing something profound.
The National Park Service protects America's highest (Denali, 20,308 feet) and lowest (Death Valley, -282 feet) points, our deepest lake (Crater Lake), longest cave system (Mammoth Cave), tallest trees (Redwood) and highest concentration of geysers (Yellowstone). If you can imagine an ecosystem, it's in a national park: tundra, coral reef, alpine glaciers, mountain meadows, prairies, forests, rocky shorelines, swamps, and much more.
The historic timeline preserved by the parks starts when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The human timeline runs from prehistoric civilizations through the Age of Discovery to America's founding and beyond, right up to the tragic events of September 11th. You can visit the birthplace of America, see where the Revolutionary War began and ended, where the Civil War began and ended, and key sites from the Civil Rights movements. Learn about the people who, in the course of their normal day, built America.
Learn America's story by visiting our national parks, monuments, memorials, battlefields, and historic sites. Or live vicariously through this site. Hopefully what you see here goes beyond the standard stock photos you'll find through a web search. Stories and photos from the various parks will be added as I visit them.
The National Park Service protects America's highest (Denali, 20,308 feet) and lowest (Death Valley, -282 feet) points, our deepest lake (Crater Lake), longest cave system (Mammoth Cave), tallest trees (Redwood) and highest concentration of geysers (Yellowstone). If you can imagine an ecosystem, it's in a national park: tundra, coral reef, alpine glaciers, mountain meadows, prairies, forests, rocky shorelines, swamps, and much more.
The historic timeline preserved by the parks starts when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The human timeline runs from prehistoric civilizations through the Age of Discovery to America's founding and beyond, right up to the tragic events of September 11th. You can visit the birthplace of America, see where the Revolutionary War began and ended, where the Civil War began and ended, and key sites from the Civil Rights movements. Learn about the people who, in the course of their normal day, built America.
Learn America's story by visiting our national parks, monuments, memorials, battlefields, and historic sites. Or live vicariously through this site. Hopefully what you see here goes beyond the standard stock photos you'll find through a web search. Stories and photos from the various parks will be added as I visit them.
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