Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:08:36 -0500
Reply-To: joel walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: joel walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: hokay ...it's FRYEDAYE!! ;) time for some off-topic stuff:
national parks, part II
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10 Best National Parks for RVers
Motorhome magazine, July 2007
Bert & Janie Gildart
From mountains and deserts to glaciers and redwoods,
America's got you covered.
The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) administers a network
of nearly 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites, and
of those, 58 are national parks. From these tallies my wife,
Janie, and I selected 10 we think are tops for RVers.
Delineating that list was challenging, made slightly easier
only because we wanted our grouping to be both RV- and
family-friendly, which is a way of saying each park
diversity. Overall, we believe our top 10 meets those
criteria.
Because most RVers are well-traveled, your Top 10 list might
differ from ours (if you would like to share your Top 10
picks with us, please send an email to
letters@motorhomemagazine.com).
In the meantime, consider the following, and if you do
travel to these areas allow enough time to do more
than simply "collect" these parks, for they are all
national treasures.
for more information on all National Parks, check out
www.nps.gov
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6. Mesa Verde National Park
Southwestern Colorado
Southwest
http://www.nps.gov/meve/
RVers may appreciate Mesa Verde, in Colorado, more than any
other group of travelers. We travel with our homes and
accouterments that include microwaves, air conditioners,
solar panels and WiFi. Now contrast that with what the
Ancestral Puebloans had and you can see how far we have
advanced. But keep in mind the wisdom these ancient people
exhibited in selecting their sites to optimize warmth,
grow various types of produce, protect themselves against
enemies and communicate. If suddenly thrust back to the
years spanning A.D. 500 to A.D. 1300, I'm not sure I would
have survived so well.
In 1906 Theodore Roosevelt created Mesa Verde National Park
to "preserve the works of man." About the same time,
Congress passed the Antiquities Act, essentially to further
protect the approximately 4,800 ruins that help attract the
curious to what has since become a World Heritage Site.
Because of tis accessibility by auto, RVers should never
bypass this park. In fact, the best way of acquiring a
feeling for Mesa Verde is to follow the 6-mile Mesa Top
Auto Loop Road, which traces 700 years of Pueblo history at
10 overlooks and archaeological sites.
But for an intimate look at the kivas and actual living
accomodations you can't beat the 15-minute hike from the
Chapin Mesa Archaeology Museum to Spruce Tree House. While
in the area consider, too, the 2.4-mile-long Petroglyph
Point Trail. If you would like to explore Cliff Palace,
Balcony House or Long House guided by a ranger, stop by the
Far View Visitor Center for information and tour tickets.
By driving the Mesa Top Auto Loop Road, making these short
hikes and experiencing a ranger-guided tour, your
appreciation for the resourcefulness of the Ancestral
Puebloan people will grow beyond casual curiosity.
Mesa Verde offers wonderful camping just 4 miles inside the
park at Morefield Campground. Because there are 435 sites,
there's always plenty of space. But if you want one of the
15 full-hookup RV sites, you'll have to make reservations.
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7. Redwood National and State Parks
Northern California
West Coast
http://www.nps.gov/redw/
In a grove of trees in this California park, there's a
plaque expressing one of Lady Bird Johnson's most
unforgettable memories. She said taht "walking through
the redwoods ... seeing the lovely shafts of light
filtering through the trees ... <makes> all our problems
seem to fall into perspective."
More specifically, Mrs. Johnson was referring to the
staggering beaugyt of the world's tallest trees. Sequoia
sempervirens (evergreen), a species so old that some at
the 131,983-acre park date back about 2,000 years.
Considering such great age it is little wonder some trees
reach the staggering height of almost 380 feet.
Measured against human life spans these trees are ancient,
but their survival has not always been easy ... as you will
see if you walk most any trail departing from Elk Meadow
Campground. Individual trees have survived repeated floods,
droughts, and fires ... and have done so because of various
biological adaptations that elevate the species to the Ripley
level. In various displays and interpretive materials the
park details the species' ultimate great growth.
Redwood National Park works in conjunction with the California
State Park system to accomodate visitors. Because the national
park surrounds both Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, camp at either of these
two areas and you'll be properly positioned for exploring
this incredible complex. Both can accomodate large motorhomes,
and both have dump stations.
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8. Shenandoah National Park
Northwestern Virginia
East Coast
http://www.nps.gov/shen/
Shenandoah National Park, in Virginia, may be the nation's
most compelling hikers' park, despite the fact that most
trails begin by either an ascent or descent. Here, very
little is level except, perhaps, for some small portions of
the Appalachian Trail, which parallels yet another famous
"trail", the Skyline Drive.
The two-lane Skyline Drive is 105 miles long, and it is
important for campers who want to begin their explorations
of Shenandoah by simply driving. Along the road, dozens
of pullovers provide views of such spectacles as Old Rag
Mountain, which contains some of the nation's oldest rocks.
All trails lead to attractions, such as the park's 15-some
major waterfalls including 93-foot-high Overall Run Falls,
its highest. Or it might lead to Hawksbill, the park's
highest mountain at 4,051 feet. Hike this short trail
anytime of the year, but the path is particularly appealing
in spring when it is clogged with rhododendrons and
azaleas.
Shenandoah offers five campgrounds with roomy sites. All
are located near the Applacachian Trail and all are accessed
from Skyline Drive. Because of its central location, we
always try for Big Meadows at Milepost 51.
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9. Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Northwest
http://www.nps.gov/yell/
If you are a wildlife enthusiast, Yellowstone, which touches
Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, will never let you down,
although sometimes your observations will make you cringe.
Recently, along the road to Cooke City, we watched a cow elk
who had inextricably sunk into the soft snow and mud that
was corroded by underlying thermal activity. The cow was
doomed to a fate of prolonged starvation; prolonged, that is,
until a pack of coyotes dispatched her almost instantly.
But what intensified the drama was the appearance of a lone
wolf, which despite predictions to the contrary of all us
local wolf experts, waited her turn until the coyotes had
satiated themselves. Then it moved in. Later that day, the
wolf lifted her head and howled in a way that engulfed the
Lamar Valley with a sense of the primordial. If you have time,
you could easily spend the entire summer in America's first
national park.
Yellowstone was established in 1872, in part because of the
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but also because of Old
Faithful, a component of the world's most extraordinary
geysers. But not to be overlooked are the antelope, elk,
bear, and all those buffalo, which can at times make the
earth tremble by the pounding of their hooves. So, too,
can the galloping elk, as dense at times as migrating
caribou.
Yellowstone National park offers 12 different campgrounds.
Because we're interested in wildlife photography, we
generally stay at Canyon, Mammoth or Norris. These campgrounds
also position you well for exploring the park's many geysers.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates campgrounds at Bridge Bay,
Canyon, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Grant Village and Madison.
Fishing Bridge RV Park is the only campground offering full
hookups. There are a limited number of campsites over 30 feet
available in Yellowstone; large RV sites are located at Flag
Ranch, Fishing Bridge RV Park and West Yellowstone.
--------------------------------------------------------------
10. Zion National Park
Southwestern Utah
West
http://www.nps.gov/zion/
Geologically, scientists believe Zion, in Utah, is one of
the nation's most compelling parks because it forms a
"staircase" linking the ancient rocks of the Grand Canyon
with the younger rocks of Bryce Canyon. Agewise, Zion is in
between, and because of its more moderate elevations and
ease of access this park merits undivided attention.
First a National Monument, Mukuntuweap became Zion National
Park in 1919. In 1927, engineers started construction on
the famed Mount Carmel Tunnel. But it was built originally
for passenger cars, although that's been modified. Park
managers have learned to acommodate motorhomes by briefly
halting traffic so that RV enthusiasts can drive through
the center of this arched tunnel.
Once in Zion, stay at Watchman Campground, or one of the
commercial RV parks just outside the park. When the spirit
stirs, catch the shuttle for Zion Canyon, the only vehicular
means by which you can access that gorgeous area in the
summer. And as you progress, soak up the splendor offered
by the Court of the Patricarchs and the Temple of Sinawava
with their secluded hiking trails. Allow the formations
to stire you intellectually and spiritually. Only then will
you come to understand the mind-set of the Mormon elders who
named these rocks. Fittingly, it was the majesty of the
formations that opened their eyes to what was and was not
important.
What might these rocks do for you?
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