Pearl Harbor |
This week, April 21-29, 2012, is National Park Week,
which means it’s a perfect time to reflect on the value of “America’s Best Idea.”
My own love affair with the national parks is of fairly recent date, but I have
gotten so much out of my visits that I’m eager to proselytize on their behalf.
The National Park Service protects the best (and the worst) of our history,
preserves our natural wonders, educates our citizens, and provides us with the
opportunity to experience our country in all its diversity and grandeur.
Lincoln Birthplace |
I think every American ought, at least, to visit the
parks closest to home. They are often free, and most people live within an hour
or two of one if not more park sites. You don’t have to visit a “National Park”
proper, like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon; there are National Monuments,
National Historical Parks, National Battlefields, and lots of other location
types gathered under the NPS banner. Every site has a story to tell.
Russell Cave |
In my visits to the national parks, I have stood
above the grave of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, peered over the edge of the
Grand Canyon, and counted the dead at Shiloh. I have seen the farm where
Lincoln was born, walked beneath the great trees of Muir Woods, and watched elk
graze in the Great Smoky Mountains. Every visit has been an adventure and a memory
to treasure.
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