Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for national parks
Bristling in Nevada
By Linda Tancs
Characterized by their growth in twisted fashion at high altitudes, bristlecone pines are one of the longest-lived life forms on Earth. The name bristlecone refers to the dark purple female cones that bear incurved prickles on their surface. Nevada’s Great Basin National Park is noted for its ancient grove of bristlecone pines, a species only otherwise found in California and Utah. Although the largest grove of pines in the park is on Mt. Washington, the most accessible grove is located on the northeast side of Wheeler Peak, where a short, self-guided nature trail passes through a portion of it. The tree is legendary for its ability to thrive in impossible conditions, as is evidenced by the roots set among quartzite boulders. That no doubt accounts for the longevity of Prometheus, once recorded as the oldest tree in the world at between 4,700 to 5,000 years. The stump of that ancient bristlecone is in the park. You can count its rings at the visitor center.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Victoria’s Marine Emblem
By Linda Tancs
The weedy sea dragon is a marine emblem in Victoria, Australia. You’ll find it at Churchill Island Marine National Park, a protected marine national park located in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. Boasting 1,700 acres, it’s an important roosting and feeding site for migratory waders like whimbrels and bar-tailed godwits. So, needless to say, bird watching is a popular activity, as is snorkeling among the seagrass beds where black swans and fish congregate. You might also enjoy canoeing among the mangroves. Just off the coast of Phillip Island, Churchill Island holds an important place in the history of European settlement in Victoria.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Argentina’s Dead Rock
By Linda Tancs
The third largest national park in Argentina, Lanín National Park is named for the area’s largest peak, Lanín volcano, a word meaning “dead rock” in the native Mapuche language. It is, indeed, a dead rock—an extinct stratovolcano that can be seen for miles on a clear day. Many visitors come to climb the volcano, but the park is also prized as a conservation area for the monkey-puzzle tree, what naturalists call a “living fossil” dating back to the Mesozoic Era. The park is located southwest of Neuquén province.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Under the Desert Moon
By Linda Tancs
Kings Canyon is part of Watarrka National Park in the southwestern corner of the Northern Territory in Australia. It’s prized for its towering sandstone walls and weathered rock domes known as “The Lost City.” You’ll also find “The Garden of Eden” there, a beautiful rockhole (an ancient rock pool) surrounded by rare plants. These and other iconic locales are found along the Rim Walk, a nearly 4-mile circuit stretching across the desert. The area has been home to the Luritja Aboriginal people for more than 20,000 years; consider a guided walk with an Aboriginal elder to learn more about the significance of the area. The park is about 280 miles from Alice Springs.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Top of the Nile
By Linda Tancs
The “top of the Nile” is where you’ll get the best view of Murchison Falls in Uganda, where the water powerfully squeezes through a narrow 22-foot crevice in the rocks to plunge over 131 feet below into a 164-foot radius pool. The falls are so spectacular that the national park of which it is a part is named for it. A three-hour, round-trip tour to the bottom of the waterfall will give you an opportunity to observe lots of local wildlife, like the shoebill stork, hippos and crocodiles. And you might even see the dwarf giraffe that was found in the park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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All Aboard the Brocken
By Linda Tancs
The Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range in central Germany. From the summit you’ll get glorious views of Harz National Park, the first such park to span two federal states. The peak also offers Brocken garden, a botanical garden established on the summit in 1890. It houses more than 1,500 plant species from high mountain areas from all over the world, with a particular emphasis on the protection and conservation of species that are either threatened with extinction or very rare. Between mid-May and mid-October you can explore the garden between Monday and Friday twice a day with a gardener. One of the best things about the garden is how to get there. A narrow-gauge steam train departs from Drei Annen Hohne station and takes approximately 50 minutes to climb to Brocken Station, just 52 feet below the mountain’s summit.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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What’s New in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
You may be familiar with the expression, everything old is new again. That’s an apt way of looking at New River Gorge in West Virginia. The New River is one of the oldest in North America, its whitewater cascading through deep canyons. For years it’s been managed by the Park Service as a “national river.” That status received an upgrade last December when the area was designated a national park as well as a national preserve, the first such dual designation outside Alaska. The park has always been a mecca for whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and other adventures. Located in southern West Virginia, it’s conveniently accessible from several interstate highways and local airports.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Wild Cats in Poland
By Linda Tancs
Located in the southernmost portion of Poland, Bieszczady National Park is one of the country’s largest national parks. It holds the distinction of being part of the first UNESCO biosphere reserve to be located in three countries, complemented by sections in Ukraine and Slovakia. It might be better known, though, as a home to the once highly-endangered Eurasian lynx, as evidenced by the wildcat’s likeness as the park’s logo. One of Europe’s largest predators, the lynx finds a safe haven in this park thanks to its extensive mountain forests. You might spot a European wildcat or two as well.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Hawaiian History in Canada
By Linda Tancs
Canada’s Gulf Islands are scattered across the Salish Sea between Vancouver and Southern Vancouver Island. Much of that natural oasis comprises Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, a place teeming with trails leading to mountaintop viewpoints, lighthouses and reminders of First Nations and pioneer pasts. Part of that pioneering past involves Hawaiians who homesteaded there. In fact, by the 1870s Hawaiians began settling in the Gulf Islands after the U.S. Government began passing legislation preventing them from becoming American citizens or owning land. In British Columbia they continued their work in the maritime fur trade and became landowners, farmers and fishermen. Part of that Hawaiian history is preserved on Russell Island at the Mahoi house, where descendants of Maria Mahoi (the sole heir to the island in 1901) share family stories about Kanaka (Hawaiian) settlement.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Nature and Culture in Finland
By Linda Tancs
Cultural attractions abound in Hämeenlinna, Finland, one of the country’s 107 towns. It’s the birthplace of Jean Sibelius, Finland’s national composer. You’ll also find a 13th-century medieval castle, the city’s signature attraction, overlooking Lake Vanajavesi. Add to that the forest park of Aulanko and you have the perfect mix of nature and culture. The park’s scenic lookout tower at Aulangonvuori Hill gives enviable views over the valley of Lake Vanajavesi with its bays, rocky islands and capes. Part of a nature reserve, the Aulanko area is the first national urban park in the country.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 