The Day We Met John Muir

Get the cake out, today is Kings Canyon National Park's Birthday! We did a lot of exploring in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in the Fall of 2013, and one day was extra special....along with seeing the the Nation's Christmas Tree and hiking the Zumwalt Meadow Trail, we met "John Muir!"

 

Mr. Muir, the "Father of the National Parks" was taking a stroll with a bunch of park visitors, sharing fascinating facts about the Giant Sequoia Trees, and all kinds of plants and critters, and even some neat looking bugs. But then, he gathered us all around in a circle, and asked us to hold hands. Uh oh....was I going to have to sing? Thankfully not....us sock monkeys have some screechy tones!

What he did do, was share the story of The Web Of Life...how we are all connected and in some way depend on each other to survive. Just as we could all find something in common with each other in our little circle, so does the plant and animal world. Bugs need dead leaves, hawks need the chipmunks, bears need the grubs, bees and hummingbirds need the flowers, even ants help plant roots....Wow! Every living thing has a purpose!

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

At the end of our nature lesson with Mr Muir, he gave me a big hug and told me that I was a special little monkey, and that he was proud of me for being an advocate for National Parks. Thank you Mr Muir!

It's amazing who you can meet in a park!
Miss P.

PS....Did you know that Kings Canyon is one of our oldest National Parks? It was originally established on Oct. 1, 1890 as General Grant National Park, to ensure the permanent preservation of wilderness character 25 years prior to the passing of the Wilderness Act.

PPS....Did you know that John Muir loved Kings Canyon so much he once called it "a rival to Yosemite!"

Priscilla's Got Style!

Hi Everyone! 

As the Love Your Parks Tour mascot, I am absolutely delighted to take on the role of sharing all the tour news and updates with you. I think after traveling with Nancy and Lisa since 2012, I'm pretty qualified in a lot of things, especially posing for the camera. In fact, it's my good taste and stylish poise that got me this cool gig in the first place. 

It all started back in the late summer of 2011 when musicians Michael and Spider saw me under the big bright lights in a big box store. I was beyond bored with just sitting on the shelf and was trying my best to catch their attention, which thankfully I did. Not only did they see me and rescue me from the retail jungle, they took me to a fun little dinner party at the Big Blend headquarters, where I met Nancy and Lisa. 

The girls may be chatty, especially on their radio show, but when it comes to having their photos taken....well, good luck! That evening, during a conversation about their traveling radio show, it was decided that my place in the Big Blend family was in front of the camera! How exciting!

In January 2012, we set off on a cross-country road trip from Tucson to Miami, where we were to host a radio show at a tropical plant expo. We snuck out for a visit to the Everglades, and wow, I saw my first alligator! I saw tons of them! It was here where the Love Your Parks Tour started, but under the name Spirit of America Tour as a nod to the upcoming centennial of the National Park Service, and for our National Parks being known as 'America's Best Idea.'

We've been to over 100 parks since we first set foot in the www.LoveYourParksTour.com site launched, we've managed to document 60 of the parks we've visited on an interactive map -- keep watching as more get added!

Until next time, enjoy the little video spotlight above on how I jumped off the shelf and into a great adventure! Oh....and please subscribe to get my updates.

Stylishly yours,
Miss P.