Wandering through Time and Place

Exploring the world with Curtis and Peggy Mekemson
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  • Tag: National Park Week

    • It’s National Park Week 2013… April 20-28

      Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
      Apr 26th
      Bryce Canyon

      Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

      It’s National Park Week. One of my blogging friends reminded me. Somehow I lost track of time and became so wrapped up in the minutia of life that the week had arrived before I realized it was happening. Shame on me.

      The United States and many other nations around the world have done a magnificent job of setting aside national parks. We owe it to ourselves to go out and explore these treasures. And, we owe it to our great, great, great, great-grandchildren to protect these sites of rare natural beauty for future generations.

      It won’t be easy. There will always be people who believe financial gain outweighs any other consideration. Why save thousand-year-old redwood trees when they can be turned into highly profitable redwood decks?

      Redwood

      This 1500 year old redwood is located in Redwoods National Park on the northern coast of California.

      Several years ago, Peggy and I set a goal to visit all of America’s National Parks. With the exception of Kobuk Valley and Lake Clark in Alaska, we’ve succeeded. It has been an incredible journey. Our travels have taken us from Denali National Park in Alaska to the Dry Tortugas National Park off the Florida Keys.

      In addition to driving through and hiking in these parks, I have also backpacked in 13, biked through five, and kayaked or rafted in three. Once I even organized a winter ski trek into Denali National Park where we slept out in minus 30-degree weather and listened to wolves howl. That was a learning experience…

      Since I couldn’t escape to a national park this week, I did the next best thing; I went through photos of parks Peggy and I have taken. All I could think of was wow– what incredible beauty!

      Rocky National Park in Colorado.

      Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

      Hawaii Volcanos National Park.

      An active volcano in Hawaii Volcanos National Park on the Island of Hawaii.

      Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming.

      Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. A sign warned us to look out for an active grizzly bear.

      Arches National Park, Utah

      Arches National Park, Utah

      Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California

      Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California. I once woke up near here with a bear standing on top of me.

      Fall colors of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

      Fall colors of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

      Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park.

      Sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

      The green of Olympic National Park in Washington.

      The green of Olympic National Park in Washington.

      Lesser known National Parks such as Great Basin in Nevada also hold great charm and beauty. This photo features the van Peggy  and I travelled in for four years as we travelled around North America.

      Lesser known national parks such as Great Basin in Nevada also hold great charm and beauty. This photo features the van Peggy and I travelled in for four years as we wandered around North America.

      Spectacular scenery is only part of the national park story. Wildlife, birds, insects, reptiles, flowers and history add to the experience.

      Peggy and I found this beauty swimming through the water at Everglades National Park in Florida.

      Peggy and I found this beauty swimming through the water at Everglades National Park in Florida.

      And this striking Black Buzzard was another Everglades resident.

      And this striking Black Buzzard was another Everglades resident.

      We found this Luna Moth on the Natchez National Parkway.

      We found this Luna Moth on the Natchez Trace National Parkway.

      Brown Pelicans are a common visitor at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

      Brown Pelicans are common visitors at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

      Peggy and I are great fans of Native America rock art, much of which is protected in National Parks and at National Monuments. This man with his big hands and fat little dogs has always been one of my favorites.

      Peggy and I are great fans of Native America rock art, much of which is protected in national parks and at national monuments. We have several thousand photos from different sites. This one from Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado/Utah has always been a favorite because of the big hands and fat little dogs.

      It never hurts to complete a blog with a pretty flower. We found this Foxglove growing in Olympic National Park.

      It never hurts to complete a blog with a pretty flower, even if it goes on and on. (grin) We found this Foxglove growing in Olympic National Park.

      NEXT BLOG: I hope you have enjoyed my two diversions over the past week because of Earth Day and National Park Week. On Monday I will return to Europe and Rome’s historic Colosseum.

      Posted in National Parks | Tagged Arches National Park, Bryce National Park, Death Valley National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Everglades National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, Great Basin National Park, Hawaii Volcanos National Park, National Park Week, Olympic National Park, Pt. Reyes national Sea Shore, Redwoods National Park, Rocky Mountains National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Yosemite National Park
    • The Beauty of Death Valley… The National Park Series

      Posted at 8:40 am by Curt Mekemson
      Apr 27th

      Perched above Gold Canyon off of Highway 190 , Zabriskie Point provides one of many beautiful views in Death Valley National Park.

      Death Valley exists in a world of superlatives. It is the hottest, driest and lowest spot in North America. Temperatures often exceed 120° F in the summer and have climbed as high as 138° F.  Ground temperatures top out at 200° F! Annual rainfall averages less than two inches (5 cm.). The lowest spot in Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level in Badwater Basin.

      Hottest, driest and lowest spot in North America are three superlatives applied to Death Valley. The Peripatetic Bone, who has been wandering the world since 1977, perches on the sign locating the lowest spot in North America in Badwater Basin Death Valley.

      While hottest, driest and lowest are adjectives one normally associates with Death Valley National Park, there is one more: beautiful. I have tried to convey this beauty in my last several blogs. Today’s blog will feature several other places I find beautiful or unusual in Death Valley but have not yet featured.

      I would also like to emphasize that this is National Park Week (April 21 – 29, 2012). National Parks in the United States (and throughout the world) protect and highlight many of our greatest natural and historical treasures for both present and future generations. They deserve our full support and are always worth visiting.

      My wife Peggy and I have had the privilege of exploring most of the National Parks in the United States and several in Canada. My intention is to share our favorites over the next year or two as part of my blogging

      Another view from Zabriskie Point. Pioneers designated such areas as Badlands... i.e. they weren't good for growing crops or grazing animals. Today, we realize their intrinsic beauty is a value in itself.

      The nine-mile Artist's Drive and Palate off of Badwater Road provides a profusion of colored rocks as the name suggests. These colors are created by the different sedimentary rocks and oxides of various metals. This area was once volcanically active.

      A closeup of Artist's Palate.

      Two to four thousand years ago the floor of Death Valley was covered with a large lake up to 30 feet in depth. Then the climate changed (sound familiar?). The lake dried up and left behind the minerals that had been dissolved in the water... mainly salt. Today this salt works its way to the surface and forms pinnacles through capillary action. The result is the Devil's Golf Course. Peggy provides perspective on the size of the pinnacles.

      A final view looking across Death Valley.

      Posted in National Parks | Tagged Artist's Drive Death Valley, Artist's Palate Death Valley, Badwater Basin Death Valley, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Devil's Golf Course, National Park Week, Zabriskie Point
    • Bush Devil Ate Sam

      The Bush Devil Ate Sam is an important record and a serious story, yet told easily, and with delightful humor. This is one of the most satisfying books I have ever read, because it entertained me thoroughly AND made me feel better informed. —Hilary Custance Green: British Author... Click on the image to learn more about my book, the Bush Devil Ate Sam, and find out where it can be ordered.

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