Category: State & National Parks
Georgia on My Mind: Cumberland Island Turns 40
November 28, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Cumberland Island National Seashore recently (October 23) celebrated its 40th anniversary. Access to Cumberland Island is by a concession operated passenger ferry, The Cumberland Lady. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved When President Richard Nixon signed federal legislation creating the national seashore off the coast of Georgia in October 1972, it culminated what Park Service officials said was “a long and complex process of obtaining support from various individuals and groups to make Georgia’s largest barrier island one of America’s national parks, reports nationalparkstraveler.com.” Before the National Park Service acquired most of the island for a national seashore, 90 percent of it was the private domain of Lucy and Thomas Carnegie (brother of Andrew) and their descendants. The Carnegies bought the island in the 1880s and built five mansions on it during the next two decades. The most superb house was the opulent 59-room, Queen Anne-style Dungeness on the island’s... [Read more...]
Plowing for Diamonds in Arkansas
November 20, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. On average, two diamonds are found each day at the park. The state park’s policy is finder-keepers. What park visitors find is theirs to keep. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The colors found at the Crater of Diamonds are white, brown, and yellow, in that order. The search area at the Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 37 ½-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world in surface area. Why plow the search field at the diamond mine? The practice of plowing the diamond field goes back to the earliest days of commercial diamond mining, according to Park Interpreter Margi Jenks. In the early 1900s miners used a mule team and farming plow to dig trenches. After tourism began in the 1950s, Millar’s Crater of Diamonds used a road grader to turn over the dirt on what is now the north end of the present diamond search area. Today’s... [Read more...]
Camping with Kids I
November 13, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · 1 Comment
Camping with kids these days? Where do you like to go? Adults with kids living in the home are more likely to go camping than those without kids, according to the 2012 American Camper Report http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/pdf/research.camping.2012.pdf. This makes complete sense to me since having kids of our own; we try to go camping as much as we can each year. We have always loved camping, even before kids we would go at least once a year. But once we had kids, we realized just how important and fun it is to spend time outdoors, camping with our kids. Some of my very best memories as a kid are from the annual camping trips we took with my extended family. Most of the families who went in those days had pop-up tent trailers and many came from LA and even further south so they usually wanted to escape the heat, crowds, and come to the beach; we always met up at Leo Carrillo State Beach (on the beach side). The week we spent camping with the family always ended up being a solid... [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Traditions
November 9, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · 1 Comment
How do you spend your Thanksgiving weekend? Camping in your RV, at the beach, in the mountains, or elsewhere? Do you spend it with extended family or close friends? My family has some fantastic Thanksgiving traditions, including a 33-mile bike ride, a camp-out on the beach in the RV, basketball and chess tournaments, followed by a competitive race on the bike ride home (for another 33 miles). The weekend of fun begins on Thanksgiving Day when we meet up for a delicious turkey dinner, complete with tons of mouth-watering homemade side dishes. My younger sister famously bakes these “Out-Of-This-World” Pecan and Pumpkin pies and we finish off the last hours of daylight with a basketball game at a nearby park, while the annual Chess Tournament takes us into the wee hours of the night. The following morning, we get up early and take a brisk 33-mile bike ride, along the scenic Southern California coastline, to Carpinteria State Beach. Those who choose not to ride,... [Read more...]
A Lovely Fall Campground
October 31, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
One lovely October weekend, we happened upon the Columbine Canyon near Red River, NM. To access the trailhead for our hike, we had to hike through the Columbine Canyon Campground, one of the loveliest, natural forest campgrounds we have ever seen. Regular readers of this blog will know I am a fan of the simple, rustic natural forest campgrounds as a rule, but this was one of the best I’ve seen. Located between Questa, NM and the “wild west” town of Red River, NM, the Columbine Canyon campground is located in the heart of the Kit Carson National Forest, providing all of the peace and tranquility anyone can imagine. All sites are paved and spacious. Made up of a total of 27 sites, the entrance to the campground contains a small circle of 8 large, perfectly flat open sites easily accessible to big rigs, but with limited shade and privacy. No hookups are available and the facilities are rustic. But the ambiance cannot be duplicated. Columbine Canyon Campground Entrance The remainder... [Read more...]
50 Things We Love About Texas
October 23, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 5 Comments
1. Texas Hospitality 2. Paso Del Rio, or River Walk, the Jewel of the City (San Antonio) 3. Fresh from the Gulf shrimp and oysters When in the Clear Lake/Galveston area we head for Rose’s in Seabrook for a supply of shrimp. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved 4. Exploring the pine and hardwood forests of the Piney Woods of East Texas 5. Saying howdy 6. The Alamo 7. Texas’ wide open spaces 8. Hiking Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, north of Fredericksburg 9. Tex-Mex, especially in far South Texas 10. The way small-town drivers wave to everyone they pass 11. The timeless beauty of Presidio La Bahía near Goliad, and its rural setting 12. Stopping for lunch at almost any small-town BBQ joint and sitting elbow-to-elbow with folks you have little in common with except that you all love good ‘cue 13. Blue Bell Ice Cream. Wow! 14. The wind-swept, dynamic rippling sandscapes in Monahans Sandhills State Park is one-of-a-kind 15. Stopping for kolaches at a small-town bakery 16. Driving... [Read more...]
2012 National Parks Fall Foliage Guide
October 8, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
As summer comes to a close, the bright blues and greens that characterize the sunshiny season are replaced by a deeper, more vibrant palette. But there are so many destinations to choose from, each with their own unique rainbow of fall colors. The National Park Foundation (NPF) wants you to get outdoors and enjoy one of nature’s most spectacular seasons in your national parks. In announcing the 2012 National Parks Fall Foliage Guide the NPF says, “These parks boast exceptional fall colors, however they represent only a few of the national park sites where foliage lovers can enjoy the spectacular spectrum of the season’s palette.” The list below includes information on region-specific flora as well as estimated timing on the peak of their colors: Nez Perce National Historical Park (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington) Peak foliage times range across the rivers, canyons, prairies, and mountains of this park which overlaps four states. The short-grass prairies of White Bird Battlefield... [Read more...]
Best Kept Secret in Camping: Maricopa County Parks & BOGO
October 4, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
One of the best kept secrets in the World of RVing is campgrounds located in county parks! But where are they, and how do you find them? A delightful end to another day in paradise at Usery Mountain Regional Park. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Sometimes they’re located in Woodall’s and Trailer Life Campground Directory. Often times they’re not. County parks are often relatively small and off the beaten path. But if you’re looking for a quiet place to relax, do some bird watching, hike a near-by trail, or do some great sightseeing, it might be well worth seeking out some of these neat spots. A county park system worth checking out is Maricopa County Regional Parks in Arizona. The parks circle the Phoenix metropolitan area and all are within a 45-minute drive from central Phoenix. And unlike Arizona State Parks, no Maricopa County park has been closed or has suffered cutback in services. With 10 regional parks totaling more than 120,000 acres, Maricopa County Regional Parks... [Read more...]
Top Fall Color Hotspots in National Forests
September 26, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
Fall colors are about to burst all over the country and the U.S. Forest Service wants you to get outdoors and enjoy one of nature’s most spectacular seasons in your national forests. “Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to plan a trip to see the beauty of your national forests,” said Tom Tidwell, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service in an agency news release. “As tree experts, we have incredible resources on our website to help you plan a great adventure this fall season.” From coast to coast, state and local economies are boosted because of the fall season and for many rural communities, fall color tourism is a major source of revenue. Hotels, restaurants, and local shops rely on the influx of dollars generated by fall visitors. For example, the New England area receives an estimated $8 billion in local revenues annually due to fall activities. Throughout the Midwest, millions of visitors hit the road to enjoy the sights. In the West, the mountains provide destinations filled... [Read more...]
Deer Tick Infestation closes Massachusetts Campsites
September 21, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The busy summer season is over, and usually by this time the officials at Nickerson State Park on Cape Cod close one of their seven camping areas, but this year they are closing three of their campsites. Diagram of the relative sizes of tick species at various life stages. (Credit: tbdalliance.org) Instead of a lack of campers, it’s an infestation of Deer Ticks which is the reason. These pests are the carriers of Lyme disease. Department of Conservation and Recreation officials note while they closed the three campsites that were closest to the problem areas, people can camp in other parts of the state park, they just need to dress appropriately and check each other for ticks when they leave, reports WBUR in a special series, “Living with Lyme.” It’s a concern that swept this state park after nymph and larvae-stage ticks were found here this summer. “What people were finding at Nickerson is, they’re finding like hundreds of these larvae on their little kids,” Cape’s... [Read more...]
