Visiting 15 NPS sites in a week was wonderful - but also really tricky to blog on the go.
One thing that stood out for me at Channel Islands was the absurdity of hitting the Atlantic Ocean and heading East, and then hitting the Pacific Ocean and heading West - one week apart.
Of the 15 parks, the ones that stood out most for me were the John Muir NHS, Redwoods NP, and Fort Vancouver NHS. (Boy, I thought it would be easy to pick a top three, but it wasn't. I also considered Cabrillo, Channel Islands, Muir Woods, Golden Gate NRA, and Lewis & Clark NHP., and I suspect my answer would vary if I thought about it again later.)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
63) Mount Rainier National Park
Visited: Friday, July 6th, 2012
Some sites requires different approaches. Mount Rainier is definitely one of those; I'm convinced that to reasonably visit the site one wants to visit all five areas, and spend enough time at a couple for some hiking, at a minimum. Which, in turn, requires being much more awake and energetic than we were by the time we got here.
Because without that, it's a beautiful mountain, with amazing views along the road. But that's really a minimalist approach to the park; enjoyable, but not really telling.
Some sites requires different approaches. Mount Rainier is definitely one of those; I'm convinced that to reasonably visit the site one wants to visit all five areas, and spend enough time at a couple for some hiking, at a minimum. Which, in turn, requires being much more awake and energetic than we were by the time we got here.
Because without that, it's a beautiful mountain, with amazing views along the road. But that's really a minimalist approach to the park; enjoyable, but not really telling.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
62) Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Visited: Thursday, July 5th, 2012
Many of the NPS sites - maybe even most - comprise of a single location. Others span multiple sites, such as the Golden Gate NRA and Lewis & Clark NHP. Even when there are multiple sites, sometimes only one is of real appeal; others are clearly secondary.
And that looked like it might be the case with Fort Vancouver. The wonderful introductory video highlights five primary uses of the site over time - by the Chinook Indians, as a British fort, as a US Army site, as an early airport, and as a WWII ship factory. With all that history, there was a lot to do; our favorite stop was the Air Museum, which had a separate entry fee that was entirely paid for when the boys got to sit in a WWII-era Navy training plane.
But - there's another portion of the site, 30 minutes to the South. The original person responsible for Fort Vancouver, Dr. McLoughlin, was fired for not turning back Americans coming out along the Oregon Trail, and in fact giving them land in Oregon. And thus he ended up living in Oregon City, and eventually becoming a US citizen. And his house, preserved by one group or another since 1909, is part of the Fort Vancouver NPS Unit - and a real treasure. The tour we received was fantastic - and the house is amazing. The whole site is well worth visiting, but McLoughlin's house is the perfect way to end a day there. Note that the house closes earlier than the main site, and that you want to go on one of the tours.
Many of the NPS sites - maybe even most - comprise of a single location. Others span multiple sites, such as the Golden Gate NRA and Lewis & Clark NHP. Even when there are multiple sites, sometimes only one is of real appeal; others are clearly secondary.
And that looked like it might be the case with Fort Vancouver. The wonderful introductory video highlights five primary uses of the site over time - by the Chinook Indians, as a British fort, as a US Army site, as an early airport, and as a WWII ship factory. With all that history, there was a lot to do; our favorite stop was the Air Museum, which had a separate entry fee that was entirely paid for when the boys got to sit in a WWII-era Navy training plane.
But - there's another portion of the site, 30 minutes to the South. The original person responsible for Fort Vancouver, Dr. McLoughlin, was fired for not turning back Americans coming out along the Oregon Trail, and in fact giving them land in Oregon. And thus he ended up living in Oregon City, and eventually becoming a US citizen. And his house, preserved by one group or another since 1909, is part of the Fort Vancouver NPS Unit - and a real treasure. The tour we received was fantastic - and the house is amazing. The whole site is well worth visiting, but McLoughlin's house is the perfect way to end a day there. Note that the house closes earlier than the main site, and that you want to go on one of the tours.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
61) Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Visited: Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
Oddly, the website for this park suggests as a first stop a place not associated with the park, the Astoria Column. And - it's a great suggestion. Climbing to the top, you get a great view of the area; really a commanding view of the whole of the park, unavailable from any other single point. If you go, buy a glider in the gift store before you go up.
The primary site for the park is Fort Clatsop, the site where Lewis & Clark wintered after they reached the Pacific. And it's very nice, with a good visitor center, an informative movie, a reproduction of the fort, and a number of ranger programs, including one on the weapons carried by Lewis & Clark's party which the boys loved.
The other visitor center is part of the Washington State Park system, at Cape Disappointment. And it's expensive - $10 for a day pass for parking, plus $5 per adult for entry. However, there are NPS stamps there, so collectors of those will want to go, and it's a great overview of Lewis & Clark's expedition out (with some coverage of their return), so those who enjoy history will also want to visit.
Overall, we spent about 5 hours at the various sites (and getting between them) - and the boys put up with it all. Well worthwhile, in my opinion.
Oddly, the website for this park suggests as a first stop a place not associated with the park, the Astoria Column. And - it's a great suggestion. Climbing to the top, you get a great view of the area; really a commanding view of the whole of the park, unavailable from any other single point. If you go, buy a glider in the gift store before you go up.
The primary site for the park is Fort Clatsop, the site where Lewis & Clark wintered after they reached the Pacific. And it's very nice, with a good visitor center, an informative movie, a reproduction of the fort, and a number of ranger programs, including one on the weapons carried by Lewis & Clark's party which the boys loved.
The other visitor center is part of the Washington State Park system, at Cape Disappointment. And it's expensive - $10 for a day pass for parking, plus $5 per adult for entry. However, there are NPS stamps there, so collectors of those will want to go, and it's a great overview of Lewis & Clark's expedition out (with some coverage of their return), so those who enjoy history will also want to visit.
Overall, we spent about 5 hours at the various sites (and getting between them) - and the boys put up with it all. Well worthwhile, in my opinion.
Monday, July 2, 2012
60) Redwood National & State Parks
Visited: Monday, July 2nd, 2012
This is a fascinating group of parks. There are camping and hiking opportunities by the score, but there are also very nice drives available, so long as you're willing to drive on dirt & gravel roads. Actually, there's also a drive parallel to 101 which is gorgeous, and fully paved. Oh, and with some nice elk grounds at the Southern end. (I even spotted them first! That honor almost always goes to Megan...) There's a radar station on one of the dirt drives, disguised very cleverly as a farm. And there is a great short hike off one of the other dirt roads, through old-growth forest, with enormous trees in every direction.
This is a fascinating group of parks. There are camping and hiking opportunities by the score, but there are also very nice drives available, so long as you're willing to drive on dirt & gravel roads. Actually, there's also a drive parallel to 101 which is gorgeous, and fully paved. Oh, and with some nice elk grounds at the Southern end. (I even spotted them first! That honor almost always goes to Megan...) There's a radar station on one of the dirt drives, disguised very cleverly as a farm. And there is a great short hike off one of the other dirt roads, through old-growth forest, with enormous trees in every direction.
59) Muir Woods National Monument
Visited: Sunday, July 1st, 2012
Muir Woods was the end of one journey and the start of another for us. It was the end of our time in San Francisco, and the end of our exploration of Muir's influence in that area. Of course, Muir's only contribution to the site was to have it named for him; the principals in the site were Teddy Roosevelt and William Kent. But it's a beautiful tribute to the man - a relaxing and majestic redwood site, with a thriving wildlife culture.
Of course, all we really got to see was the trees, but that was plenty. I'd definitely recommend going during the week, if possible, as it's _busy_ on weekends, even very early in the day when we arrived.
Muir Woods was the end of one journey and the start of another for us. It was the end of our time in San Francisco, and the end of our exploration of Muir's influence in that area. Of course, Muir's only contribution to the site was to have it named for him; the principals in the site were Teddy Roosevelt and William Kent. But it's a beautiful tribute to the man - a relaxing and majestic redwood site, with a thriving wildlife culture.
Of course, all we really got to see was the trees, but that was plenty. I'd definitely recommend going during the week, if possible, as it's _busy_ on weekends, even very early in the day when we arrived.
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