Park of the Month - Padre Island Nat’l Seashore
Current mood: bouncy
Category: Travel and Places

"Padre Island National Seashore, encompassing 130,434 acres, is the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world, and offers a wide variety of flora and fauna as well as recreation."  -NPS

Padre Island Pages:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7| More Padre Island >

Official NPS website for Padre Island National Seashore

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Park of the Month - Mojave National Preserve
Current mood: pensive

Mojave National Preserve
California

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Montezuma Castle Nat’l Mon. - Park of the Month
Category: Travel and Places

Montezuma Castle National Monument
Arizona

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Montezuma Pages:   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Next >

Official NPS home page for Montezuma Castle National Monument

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Grand Canyon/Parashant National Monument
Category: Travel and Places

Grand Canyon - Parashant
National Monument
Arizona

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Horseshoe Canyon’s Ancient Cliff Art
Current mood: awake
Category: Art and Photography

Canyonlands National Park
Utah
Horseshoe Canyon

Horseshoe Canyon is a separate, remote region of Canyonlands National Park.  Most visitors access Horseshoe from the west. Horseshoe Canyon contains some of the most significant rock art in North America. Horseshoe Canyon was formerly called Barrier Canyon and rock art images in the Great Gallery establish the Barrier Canyon-style. The gallery is considered by many to be the premier ancient rock art in North America.

Two-wheel-drive access to the west rim of Horseshoe Canyon is from Utah Highway 24 via 30 miles of graded dirt road, or from Green River on 47 miles of dirt road. For  more information on the hike itself, climb-utah.com has a very good description.

The Great Gallery, the best known panel in Horseshoe Canyon, includes well-preserved, life-sized figures with intricate designs. Other impressive sights include spring wildflowers, sheer sandstone walls and mature cottonwood groves along the intermittent stream in the canyon bottom. Horseshoe Canyon was added to Canyonlands in 1971.

Canyonlands Pages:
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Official NPS home page for Canyonlands National Park

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Friday’a Hike in a Rainstorm in Pinnacles Nat’l Monument
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Travel and Places

Pinnacles National Monument

Pinnacles National Monument is located in central California, just southeast of Salinas.

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Brand-new Old Faithful Area Streaming Video Webcam
Current mood: impressed
Category: Travel and Places

 The Brand-new
Old Faithful Streaming Video Webcam
is Now Online!

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Near the bottom of this Blog is the link to the page on the National Park Lover site where you can click to start Yellowstone National Park's first video web cam. The new webcam officially came online on Tuesday (Jan 22, 2008).  It's pretty cool. This full-motion, live-streaming webcam is located near Old Faithful Geyser and brings online visitors views of several other geysers in the area. When geysers such as Beehive, Lion, or Giantess are erupting, the camera will be aimed at them and zoomed in for optimal viewing enjoyment. When bison, elk, coyotes, or the occasional bear wander into the camera's view, live video images will be transmitted. We hope you enjoy your virtual park experience!
Crowds of visitors watch Old Faithful erupt everyday Old Faithful Geyser
Above - Old Faithful Geyser erupts while the famous Old Faithful Inn "looks on".

Yellowstone Home | Visitor Centers | Mammoth Hot Springs | West Thumb | Natural Bridge
Yellowstone Lake | Lake Lodge | Mud Volcano Area | Hayden Valley
Norris Geyser Basin | Old Faithful & Upper Geyser Basin | Midway Geyser Basin | Fire Hole Drive | Paint Pots
Forests | Basalt | Waterfalls | Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

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Castle Geyser is Beautiful
Current mood: pensive
Category: Travel and Places

Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Castle Geyser
Upper Geyser Basin

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Castle Geyer
Castle Geyser has a 10-12 hour eruption cycle. It erupts hot water for about 20 minutes to a height of 90 feet before changing to a noisy steam phase for 30-40 minutes. Castle Geyser is known for the particularly large sinter deposits that form its cone. This gives the geyser it's castle-like appearance. This manifestation led Lieutenant G.C. Doane to name it Castle Geyser in 1870.

Continue here to one more page about Castle Geyser (more photos and information) >
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Canyon of the Ancients National Monument - Park of the Month
Current mood: adventurous

Canyon of the Ancients
National Monument
Colorado

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The 164,000 acre monument contains the highest known density of archeological sites anywhere in the United States. Rich, well-preserved remnants of native cultures go back thousands of years. There are more than 20,000 archeological sites in the monument.  Visitors to the expansive monument are encouraged to contact the Anasazi Heritage Center before visiting the National Monument, as many of the sites are in remote areas.
Painted Hand Pueblo
	Cutthroat Castle, Hovenweep Nat'l Mon.
People have survived in these rugged canyons and mesas for thousands of years. Hunters and gathers likely crossed this area 10,000 years ago. Farming in the area flourished between 450 and 1300 A.D. Villages were established, evolving from pit houses to cliff dwellings and pueblos.
Anasazi Heritage Center
The more than 20,000 archeological sites in the monument reflect many components of past human life: villages, cliff dwellings, field houses,  sweat lodges, petroglyphs, kivas, great kivas, agricultural fields, dams and reservoirs.  Some areas of the monument have more than 100 sites per square mile.                                                            Canyon of the Ancients Map
Lowry Ruins
Lowry Ruins, located in the Canyons of the Ancient National Monument, is fully developed, stabilized and includes interpretive signes to help educate visitors. The 7-mile (one way) Sand Canyon Trail in the monument passes several small cliff dwellings and travels through spectacular canyon scenery. Also within the Monument, Painted Hand Pueblo, was once home to an extended family, includes a tower, sleeping rooms, and storage structures.

Lowry Ruins | Painted Hand Pueblo | Next >

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Park Bills Are Hot in Washington DC.
Category: Travel and Places

Park Bills Are Hot in Washington DC.
Is Mount St. Helens Next?

Park expansion and creation remains a hot topic on Capitol hill. Just last week, the House of Representatives passed HR 3998, an omnibus bill that orders the National Park Service to study the creation/expansion of 10 new parks and trails, including the expansion of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the creation of the Camden National Battlefield and the addition of lands to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

 
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

National Park bills are popular on Capitol hill, in part because elected officials and concerned citizens recognize that national parks are huge economic engines, pumping billions into the national and gateway economies.

Mount St. Helens is at least on par with the areas mentioned in HR 3998 and the volcano's resources, wildlife and gateway communities deserves the benefits that would come from elevating it to a national park.

 
Mount St. Helens

Except from:
http://wedeserveapark.blogspot.com/2007/12/park-bills-hot-in-washington-dc-mount.html

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