The NPS and My Bucket List
Thursday,
August 25, 2016, was the centennial celebration of our National Park Service.
On that date in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the agency
that has managed and protected the parks, lakeshores, seashores, and monuments
that make up the system. They now number over 400, a new one having just been
designated this week by President Barack Obama.
What
has this to do with a bucket list? A while ago, my husband and I were talking
about where we would go if we could travel anywhere we wanted and not worry
about the cost. Without even having to think about it, I replied, I would visit
every national park I possibly could. Maybe a bit of a surprising answer, but
it is without a doubt on my bucket list, to see as many national parks as I can in my
lifetime.
Then I
got to thinking; we have already been to quite a few, some for a return
engagement. From the misty and mysterious peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains to
the amazing wonders of Yellowstone, the very first national park, we’ve had the
privilege of visiting many of the “crown jewels” of our country. The Smokies were a
favorite and led me to write a story set there. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore,
in our own state, is filled with steep dunes and Indian legends. The Badlands of
South Dakota leave you in awe, as do Canyonlands and Arches parks in Utah.
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado was the first park I ever visited,
followed by Grand Tetons in Wyoming, which everyone knows is my home in another
lifetime. Montana’s Glacier National Park and its Going to the Sun road has you
thinking, as you view the road from below, “Is that really where we’re going?”
Then when you’ve descended, “Is that really where we were?” Scotts Bluff in
Nebraska is a remarkable place in a state that you otherwise drive through to
get somewhere else. Walking in Craters of the Moon in Idaho is indeed like
being on another planet. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is full of history and
legends plus stalagmites and stalactites! Devil’s Tower in Wyoming will have you wondering
about close encounters of many kinds.
This
year we hope to revisit a few of our favorites, including one we haven't seen in a while, Theodore Roosevelt
National Park in North Dakota, to maybe catch a glimpse of the wild horses that
live within the park’s boundary.
Lest you think you must
head to the wilds of the country to visit a national park, there are a number
of urban parks close to large segments of the population. In fact, no matter
where you live, there is probably a national park, monument, lakeshore or
seashore within a few hours’drive.
Visiting
national parks. I think it’s a pretty good bucket list to have, because they
truly are “the best ideas” America has ever had.
4 comments:
I just did a post on National Parks last week! I didn't think I'd been to many, but then someone pointed out to me that several areas around Washington DC are on the list, and I've been there more than once. If your bucket list includes all of the national parks, I hope you continue to keep crossing them off!
What a great bucket list. I've been to quite a few parks but never Yellowstone. It's on my list to visit. Happy Birthday, NPS. Have you seen Ken Burns' production on the National Parks on PBS? Excellent. Now I'm going to have to count the number of parks I've been to.
You've got me remembering various parks I've visited: Scott's Bluff & Chimney Rock, the Badlands, Great Smokey Mountains and Shenandoah Drive, and so many other historic spots. One day I hope to see Yellowstone. Was so close years ago. Makes me want to see the list and determine how many I've seen.
Your post also got me thinking about my bucket list!
Yellowstone is simply a must-see. It is truly a wondrous place. This year there are fires burning, though, and the south entrance is closed, so we may have to miss it this time.
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