President Barack Obama took a few days to go on a working vacation this week and, to help celebrate the 100th anniverrsary of the National Park Service, the first family visited Yosemite National Park, one of the nation’s most popular national parks. In a brief speech on Saturday at Sentinel Bridge with the 2,425 feet…
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Advice for RV Nomads on Choosing a State of Residence
Ten John Muir Quotes to Inspire People to Explore America’s Great Outdoors
A leaf, a flower, a stone – the simple beauty of nature filled John Muir with joy. Born April 21, 1838, Muir has become America’s most famous naturalist and conservationist. He shared his love of the outdoors through writing and inspired people to protect our country’s wild places like Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Sequoia and…
Celebrate National Park Week April 16-24
Experience Nature in the Wild on the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service – America’s national parks, monuments and lands are uniquely different — in their make-up and their locale — but they all seek to tell a part of America’s story. National Park Week is coming up April 16-24 in one of the…
U.S. Park Service Escalates Battle Over Yosemite Trademark Names With Delaware North
Click here to help save America’s National Parks From Privatization By Glynn Wilson – The National Park Service is escalating its legal battle with private contractor Delaware North over Yosemite National Park historic, trademark names. The Park Service, under the Department of the Interior, has taken the offensive by formally urging the Trademark Trial and…
The Ghost of Hungry Mother Creek
Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – MARION, Va. – Listening to a babbling brook running behind the campground in this state park just as the sun went down on Halloween, I could have sworn I heard a small female child crying off in the distance, moaning “hungry mother, hungry mother.” Back during the pioneer…
My Year as a Volunteer VIP Campground Host Comes to an End
Marine One Drops President at the White House on Fourteenth Anniversary of September 11, 2001
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. – After realizing it was the 14th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday, I rode the mountain bike to the College Park Metro station and took the train downtown. I decided to ride around the White House and see what new vantage points I could find to photograph. After hanging…
Visiting Yellowstone National Park
Escape the City, Summer Heat and Bad News: Visit Shenandoah
Legendary Peregrine Falcons Make Slow Comeback from DDT
By Glynn Wilson – HOGBACK MOUNTAIN, Va. – It’s officially summer now in the Shenandoah National Park, although you wouldn’t know it from the cool nighttime temperatures in the mountains, compared to the rest of the South. But it’s true. The summer solstice occurred Sunday, the longest day of the year. For a few weeks…
Herbert Hoover’s Camp Rapidan Tour, Shenandoah National Park
Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – Who knew Herbert Hoover was such a great guy? About the only thing most Americans know about former President Hoover is that he was in office when the stock market crashed in 1929, leading to the worst Great Depression in U.S. history. He was defeated when seeking reelection…
Shenandoah: Daughter of the Stars
Photos by Jane Cappe – There’s an ancient Native American legend of dubious history about a Great Spirit which allegedly made the world and gathered the morning stars together on the shores of a quiet, silver lake bordered with blue mountains, the most beautiful place on Earth. Hovering above the quiet waters and lighting the…
Oh Shenandoah in Spring: How the Fawns Escape the Bears
Yearling Bear Named ‘Boo Boo’ Chooses Awkward Glade at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park
An Awesome Responsibility: Respect and Protect Shenandoah
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, Virg. — It’s an incredible feeling sitting here at 3,500 feet above sea level on the hill looking out over the Big Meadows campground, watching a spring shower roll through the mountains. I can’t think of a spot east of the Mississippi where I…
Patapsco Valley State Park: An Urban Oasis
Secret Vistas by Glynn Wilson PATAPSCO VALLEY STATE PARK, Md. — America is rich in secret vistas â little-known places that touch the heart and stir the spirit. Like quiet Gulf of Mexico beaches in the off season. Deserted Appalachian hiking trails and glistening streams thick with trout. Hidden forests with trees dating back to…