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Traveling Time – Look up our Friends in the Parks!

If you don’t have Legacy on the Land yet, you must get it soon. Among other things it contains an Appendix listing the 20 parks that are officially designated as being reflective of the African American experience. We also include the national parks we have visited that reflect Native American and Hispanic culture, history and contributions among those of Anglo Americans.

While you’re out exploring, I invite you to look up some of our closest friends in the park system – it’s an indescribable feeling for me to know just who to call in

Everglades National Park, FL – Ranger Alan Scott
Timucuan/Kingsley, FL – Superintendent Barbara Goodman
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, GA – Superintendent Judy Forte
Mammoth Cave National Park, KY – Joy Lyons and Summer Ranger Jerry Bransford
Ford’s Theater National Historic Site, Washington, DC, Superintendent Kym Elder
The Booker T. Washington National Monument, VA – Ranger Betsy Haynes
The African Burial Ground National Monument, Wall Street, NY – Superintendent Tara Morrison
Fort Davis National Historic Site, TX - historian Mary Williams
Big Thicket National Preserve, TX – Ranger Mary Kaye Manning
Grand Canyon, AZ – Superintendent Steve Martin
Yellowstone National Park, MT – Ranger Debbie Van Winkle – and that’s just for starters

Give them our best and send us back stories from your adventure! (The e-mail address of anyone who works for the Park Service is First_Last@nps.gov.

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Save Money with Your Senior Pass!

The National Park System provides unbelievable scenery; history on the spot where it happened; wildlife in their natural habitat that you can observe from the comfort of your vehicle or on foot – they are no threat to you. Of course, ordinary good sense is appropriate – last year in Yellowstone a park ranger told us that some people try to get close to the wild animals and when they get hurt, they say, “You should keep these animals in cages.” Duh! I’ve been to 156 national parks, seen bears, bison, wolves, moose, elk, deer, foxes and antelope and never came close to getting in their way. You really have to throw caution to the winds to get hurt.

A good investment is an Interagency Park Pass ($80) which enables your carload (with up to three other adults and any number of children under 15), access to every one of the national parks, forests and wildlife preserves for a full year. Many parks don’t even charge entrance fees. If you’re over 62, a Senior Pass, (formerly known as Golden Age pass) costs $10 and is good for the rest of your life! Get it at the first park you go to that has entrance fees.