"X" is for the X-Factor in National Parks

"Yellowstone - Where the Buffalo Roam" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Since there are no "X" National Parks, I started to wonder what the "X-Factor" might be in the creation of those parks. Our nation was very fortunate that President Thomas Jefferson sent out the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the western territories in 1804.

Then I think of John Muir, the naturalist who walked from Indiana to Florida and eventually explored California by foot. Co-founder of the Sierra Club, Muir was instrumental in establishment of the Sequoia, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks. In 1903, he went on a three-night camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt and is said to have influenced his conservation interests. Roosevelt, of course, was a huge champion of the National Parks.

I think also of the great photographer, Ansel Adams, whose iconic photographs of scenes from Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks depict nature in a unique and unforgettable fashion. Interesting that he was injured during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. When he was thrown against a garden wall during an aftershock, his nose was broken and never properly repaired. He spent time in New Mexico with one of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe. He, too, was a great conservationist as well as an explorer of nature and the environment.

The X-Factor for the National Parks is the glory of exploration. Americans love to explore. Thankfully, we also have conserved these beautiful lands that became our National Parks.

                                                                                                          

A to Z Blogfest Around the World in 30 Days - Yosemite or Yellowstone

"Yellowstone Falls" MMSikes

What should "Y" stand for in the A to Z Blogfest Around the World in 30 Days? The Passenger to Paradise couldn't decide between Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park, so she selected them both.

In mid-June last year the Passenger traveled to Lake Tahoe and along the way had planned to take a sidetrip tp Yosemite. After all, she had long admired the photographs of Ansel Adams, many of which were taken in Yosemite. However, she learned after arriving in California that heavy snows still closed the road she needed to use for travel through the park. She was very disappointed.

In 2006, the Passenger spent two weeks touring Yellowstone National Park where she was thrilled to see the wild life, the geysers, the mudpots, and so much more. She wondered if the waterfalls pictured on the left might be similar to some of the scenery found in Yosemite.

Perhaps, another time she'll go to Yosemite. Have you visited either or both of these national treasures?