Giddy Up to Gallup 'n Greeley!

It’s time for a new adventure, and we’re real excited about it!

Tomorrow, before sunrise, we’ll be saying our goodbyes to Yuma, Arizona and heading up to Gallup, New Mexico. We’ll be in this historic Route 66 town for a couple of nights so that we can visit Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument, and experience the Summer Nightly Indian Dances and the legendary El Rancho Hotel's movie history.

From Gallup we head up to Greeley and Weld County in Northeast Colorado. We’ll be there for about a week and we have a jam packed itinerary that includes the Pawnee National Grassland, the Wild Animal Sanctuary, St Vrain State Park, Colorado Model Railroad Museum, Greeley Blues Jam, Greeley Creative District and so much more!

Then it’s off to historic Florence, Colorado for a few days where we'll check out the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, and then Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’ll visit Bandelier National Monument and the historic Santa Fe Plaza. We hope to get some time in the art community of Silver City too.

Colorado Riverfront in the Yuma East Wetlands 

We’re so glad Yuma is our Love Your Parks Tour headquarters. It’s nice to know that our cool and comfy rooms will be waiting for us at the historic Coronado Motor Hotel, and that we can return to our sunrise walks along the lower Colorado Riverfront. 

Giddy Up, Let’s Go!
Miss P.

A National Living Shrine

General Grant Tree, a National Living Shrine

This Memorial Day I would like to reflect on the General Grant Tree, the third largest tree by volume on the planet! We had the pleasure of seeing this giant sequoia tree on our visit to Kings Canyon National Park in central California. And boy is it a true giant! Did you know it would take about 20 people holding hands to make a complete circle around it? And, if the tree trunk could be filled with sports equipment, it could hold about 159,000 basketballs or 37 million ping pong balls!

On March 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the General Grant Tree a "National Shrine", a memorial to honor the men and women of the armed forces who died in war. It is our country’s only national living shrine, and it is also the nation’s Christmas Tree! The tree was named in 1867 after Ulysses S. Grant, Union Army general and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877).

General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park 

Nancy and Lisa had a “Generals & Giants” radio conversation with author/historian “Military Mike” who talked about General Grant, and General Sherman who has the largest tree (by volume) named after him. You can find that giant tree in Sequoia National Park, which is adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park…just follow the Generals Highway to get there! You can hear their conversation here on our site, NationalParkTraveling.com. 

Happy Memorial Day,
Miss P.

Big Trees and Banana Slugs!

Swingin' in the trees at Muir Woods National Monument 

In honor of today being Love a Tree Day, I have a little story to share from our visit to Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, Northern California. 

The Coastal Redwood is the world's tallest living thing! 

Muir Woods is a splendid redwood retreat for forest lovers, and it shares a tale of preservation and land stewardship. In 1905, William and Elizabeth Kent purchased the land in order to protect the last stands of uncut redwoods. In 1908, they donated it to the federal government, and President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the forest a National Monument. It was named in honor of John Muir (one of my favorite tree huggers) at the request of William Kent. Today, visitors can follow self-guided trails through the last old-growth coastal redwood forest in the Bay Area, and also visit Muir Beach.

Such Pretty Wildflowers!

As we explored Muir Woods it was easy to imagine that we were in a magical forest where fairies and ‘Tinkerbells’ played under the fern leaves, poking their heads out through the middle of the wildflowers. I could see giant dinosaurs stomping their way through, just like in Jurassic Park! This is the stuff dreams are made of–the ultimate escape!

Bandito the Banana Slug

Besides the towering redwoods, the other plantlife intrigued me, including the sword ferns, redwood sorrel, mushrooms, and wildflowers. One of my favorite experiences was meeting my first banana slug. At first I was upset because I thought this slimy dude would eat MY bananas for the picnic–but then, after our little chat, I realized he was named after a banana because it looked like one, not because it eats them. Still, they are a bit yucky!

You can watch our video of Muir Woods below, or on YouTube.com. 

Don’t you think that every day should be Love a Tree Day?
Miss P.

PS….I’m so excited! In less than two weeks we’ll be off exploring Northern Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado! Stay Tuned!

Three Mothers for Mother Nature

Happy Mother's Day!

With Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, I want to tip my hat to three inspiring and noteworthy ladies: Rosalie Barrow Edge, Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Rachel Louise Carson. While they may not have birthed their own children, they sure had motherly strengths as advocates and activists, who worked hard to protect and preserve our parks and environment. They were “Mothers of Mother Nature!”  

Rosalie Barrow Edge

ROSALIE BARROW EDGE (November 3, 1877 – November 30, 1962)

“The time to protect a species is while it is still common.”

Rosalie Barrow was a New York socialite and suffragist, as well as an amateur birdwatcher and full-time volunteer conservationist. In 1929 she established the Emergency Conservation Committee, and in 1934 Edge founded Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the world’s first preserve for birds of prey. She also led grassroots campaigns to create Olympic and Kings Canyon National Parks, and successfully lobbied Congress to purchase 8,000 acres of old-growth sugar pines on the perimeter of Yosemite that were to be logged.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS: (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) 

“It is a woman’s business to be interested in the environment. It’s an extended form of housekeeping.”

Known as “Defender of the Everglades,” Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a journalist and activist who took on the fight for feminism, racial justice, and conservation. As an environmentalist she fought hard against the efforts to drain the Everglades, and reclaim land for development. She is the author of “The Everglades: River of Grass,” and formed the Friends of the Everglades. Everglades National Park has a wilderness area named for in honor of her legacy.

Rachel Carson

RACHEL LOUISE CARSON (May 27, 1907 – April 14,
1964)

“Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species — man — acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.”

Best-selling author Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and conservationist whose activism, writing and books, “Silent Spring”, “The Sea Around Us”, “The Edge of the Sea”, and “Under the Sea Wind,” helped to advance the global environmental movement around the world. “Silent Spring” showcased environmental concerns regarding the use of synthetic pesticides and DDT, and inspired a grassroots movement that led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

A Big Thank You to All Moms! Happy Mother's Day!
Miss P.

Cool California Condors!

My new friend Cammy the Condor in Pinnacles National Park 

This month we have two special days honoring birds, our beautiful feathered friends. May 4th is Bird Day, and May 11th is World Migratory Bird Day. These event-filled days are good reminders of how important birds are to our planet. They play key roles in plant reproduction, they help maintain the populations of other species, and they even help ward of disease! We need to protect them!

On our first visit to Pinnacles National Park (in spring 2015) we met with Park Ranger Alacia Welch who explained the park’s involvement in the California Condor Recovery Program. Along with my new friend “Cammy the Condor,” Alacia explained that due to a number of factors, including lead poisoning, the California condor was close to extinction in the 1980s, reaching a low of 22 individuals. Over the last several decades, conservationists and scientists have committed themselves to saving the condor from extinction and reintroducing birds to the wild. As of December 2017, there are 435 condors both in the wild and in captivity. While this is good news, condors are still endangered due to high mortality from lead poisoning.

Take a listen to our conversation with Alacia, in the YouTube podcast video below. 

Some Cool California Condor Fun Facts:
- The Latin species name is Gymnogyps californianus (trying saying that ten times real fast!)
- They have almost a 10-foot wingspan!
- It's one of the rarest bird species in North America.
- As scavengers, they help keep our planet clean by eating decaying, rotten meat ...glad I don't have to eat that!

You can keep up with the California Condor Recovery Program on the park website, NPS.gov/pinn. 

For the Birds,
Miss P.