National Parks and How Blessed I Am

Sunday, October 18, 2015


So there was an article by National Geographic that stated over 330 million people had visited National Parks in 2014 and I am sure by now the number is even greater.  In addition, the article included a list of the Top Ten most visited which were...
Smoky Mountains in Tennessee
Grand Canyon in Arizona
Yosemite in California--Not yet
Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Rocky Mountains in Colorado
Olympic in Washington
Zion in Utah--Not yet
Grand Teton in Wyoming
Acadia in Maine

I consider myself fortunate and so very grateful to have visited all except Yosemite and Zion, a pretty good record there.

Besides the eight of the top ten, in addition, I have been to the following:
Arches National Park in Utah
Badlands in South Dakota
Big Bend in Texas
Bryce Canyon in Utah
Canyonlands in Utah
Capitol Reef in Utah
Death Valley in California
Denali in Alaska
Gateway Arch in Missouri
Glacier in Montana
Great Sand Dunes in Colorado
Haleakala in Hawaii
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
Mount Ranier in Washington
Redwood in California
Sequoia National Park
Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota
Banff in Canada
Jaspar in Canada
Olympus in Greece
Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia

So this is not meant to be a braggart entry, but rather an entry of enormous gratitude. Look how blessed I am to have stepped into so many beautiful sites. Granted I did not see these thoroughly, because I am not a big hiker, but I was in each of these and saw some of the most well known sites of them.

One of my two favorite National Parks is Yellowstone. It's rich diversity includes mountains, lakes, rivers, thermal pools, Old Faithful and other geysers, and of course, the wildlife. Historically it is considered the first national park in the world, but my favorite facts are that Native Americans lived on Yellowstone land for 11,000 years and they considered the geysers and thermal pools sacred. To think I, too, stood on that land and saw many of those sacred geysers and thermal pools.

Second of my two favorite National Park is Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. Known for its many famous lakes that formed in cascades, it is truly beautiful. Granted the hike through here almost  killed me and later learned that there were short cuts, boat rides, and train rides that could have helped me through this, but I survived and now have beautiful memories.

In general, there is nothing like being in a National Park. Even when it is crowded, somehow, I am able to escape into the natural surroundings. With my interest in photography, I bounce between focusing on details, then entire landscapes, back to details--and sometimes just stepping back and taking deep breaths and enjoying the wonder. Now as I write this I smile at my blessings, look up, and thank God.



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