My National Park Adventures

When I was in college, I met a charming young lady from England. She was spending a year studying abroad before beginning university at home. The two of us found we shared many similar interests and soon we became good friends. I owe her much when it comes to my interest in literature, especially for introducing me to writers such as Thomas Hardy, Evelyn Waugh and Anita Brookner. Prior to meeting her, I had not read anything that was not science fiction or fantasy since I had graduated from high school. When I graduated, I decided that I was only reading things I wanted to read, not things I was 'supposed' to read. She helped open my eyes to a much greater literary world and reminded me that not all the books I read for my English classes in high school were bead (though me and William Faulkner still do not get along in spite of additional attempts to gain some appreciation for his work). I think it played a big part in my eventually earning a degree in English Literature; that...

It was many years after my visit to Carlsbad Caverns before I again visited a national park. This does not mean that I did not spend time outdoors exploring the natural places around me. My grandfather had awakened my passion for nature, geology, and fossils and that has never gone away. My parents have also always made sure that we learned about the natural and historic places around us, so our road trip to our new home in Albany, Georgia meant that we stopped when time allowed. I remember visiting the Battleship Alabama and the submarine Drum when we went thru Mobile, for example. Once in Georgia, there were trips to places like the Kolomoki Indian Mounds, the Andersonville POW Camp from the Civil War (where my younger brother began his fascination with the War Between The States), Wakulla Springs in Florida, and the Okefenokee Swamp. I particularly remember Okefenokee because of one event that was very exciting for me at that time. We arrived at the Okefenokee visitor's center...

I was lying in bed a few nights ago musing about how different things have been lately and how much I have missed being able to just pick up and go places. I live in Utah, home of five very beautiful national parks and many other scenic natural wonders. My wife and I normally spend as much time as we can each year visiting these magnificent places, but it seems like it has been forever since we were able to. My personal health issues last year forced us to cancel three camping trips and the COVID-19 pandemic has made venturing outside something of a risky experience so far this year. As I was thinking about all this, the thought came to me...write a blog about your love for, and adventures in, the national parks you have visited. My first thought then was, 'Write a blog? Is that still a thing anymore in the world of Instagram and Twitter? Besides, who would want to read about my experiences? What makes me that interesting?' I answered myself by saying, 'I don't know i...