The U.S. National Park System boasts 400-plus properties covering more than 84 million acres. Big and small, easily accessible and out of the way, they embody the diverse beauty of the land. See which ones readers picked in response to this month’s topic:
Describe your favorite national park.
Grand Canyon National Park is my favorite, for a very personal reason. In June 1991, I booked a flight for my 20-year-old son and me to Las Vegas, where we picked up a rented Type A motorhome. I drove it to the canyon’s South Rim campground, which we used as the base for our visit. Much has been written about the sunsets as viewed from Yavapai Point, so late one clear afternoon, I parked our coach there with the dinette facing the western sky and prepared my son’s favorite meal. As we dined, watching the sunset, my son turned to me and said, “Dad, life doesn’t get any better than this.” That single comment made the entire trip worthwhile. During my son’s last days before he died from cancer on April 25, 2009, he reiterated that our Grand Canyon trip was one of the best experiences of his entire life.
Lewis A. Edge Jr., F426797
Princeton, New Jersey
We have found that each national park has its own unique characteristics. We loved Yosemite National Park (California) for its grandeur: when you stand at the base of El Capitan, you can’t help feeling how minuscule we are in this great world. Riding horseback into Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah) at daybreak, with the sun and shadows glistening off the rising red peaks, is indescribable! Crawling through narrow passageways, climbing steep ladders, and seeing the ruins of cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), built precariously into the side of the canyon, while the park ranger tells about their mysteriously disappearing inhabitants, leaves you marveling. Seeing snowcapped mountains, melting glaciers, gurgling waterfalls, mountain goats, and wildflowers at Glacier National Park (Montana) while having a summer picnic amid piles of snow is awe-inspiring. And who would have thought that blowing winds could collect huge, pristine gypsum sand dunes that resemble mountains of snow in White Sands National Monument (New Mexico)? Walking through Craters of the Moon National Park (Idaho) makes you feel as though you have been instantly transported out of this world.
Jon & Sharon Miller, F415845
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania
Future questions:
1. Describe a great seafood meal you’ve enjoyed while motorhoming.
2. Describe an unexpected event or encounter you experienced during a motorhome trip.
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