Road Trip 2008

I am in the middle of my road trip to California (from Virginia), with stops at several National Parks on the way. I hoped to upload some pictures, but I forgot to pack the cable to hook my camera to my computer. I'll give a brief overview of the parks, and try to do a longer write-up later (I'm still trying to figure out what I want the write-ups to look like, which explains some of the delay). On to the parks:

Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home NHP: Located in Southern Indiana, the park contains a memorial building from the 1940's which seems unnecessary, the grave of Lincoln's mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and a working replica farm. The graveyard is in a beautiful patch of woods, especially in the morning when the sun is rising. The staff were very accommodating.

George Rogers Clark NHP: Located in Vincennes, Indiana. The park is a memorial to the frontiersmen who fought in the American Revolution. There is a big memorial building, and several graves of Revolutionary soldiers. The park is located at the sight of an American capture of a British fort which helped establish control of the Ohio River Valley during the war.

Ulysses S. Grant NHP: Located in the suburbs of St. Louis, the park contains the home where Grant lived after resigning from the army until ascending to the presidency, with a big break for the war. The house originally belonged to Grant's father-in-law until Grant bought it. The park also has some farmland, but I did not have time to visit it.

Voyagers NHP (aka the Gateway Arch): Very touristy. The view from the arch was nice, but not very different than most observations decks. This would be a great park to come and hang out. Lots of nice grass and nice views of the river. I got a very good look at the flooding of the Mississippi here.

Harry S. Truman NHP: Located in Independence, Missouri (near Kansas City), this park consists of the Truman home and Presidential Library. Like Grant's, the home originally belonged to Truman's father-in-law. Truman lived here from his marriage (1933?) until his death, except when he was serving in Washington. Bess Truman passed recently (1982?), so the house is preserved almost exactly as it was when Truman lived there. The surrounding neighborhood is very nice, and President Truman apparently took walks every day.

Brown v. Board of Education NHP: Addresses the concerns of the Civil Rights Movement very well. The park is a school that has been fitted out with educations exhibits. It has rooms with different themes, and a room where children (and others I suppose) are encouraged to express there thoughts in a variety of mediums. My only critique is that I would have like to have learned more about the mechanics of the court case. This would be a great park for an elementary or middle school field trip.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: Located in Southeastern Kansas in the Flint Hills. This area is poorly suited to farming, so the natural environment has been only minimally disturbed by human occupation. The park has a limestone house and outbuildings from the 1870's, and features several trails for hiking in the prairie. The highlight was definitely the prairie itself. After a short hike (probably a little less than a mile round trip), I had distance myself from most signs of human presence. The solitude was wonderful and the birds and wildflowers were beautiful. This one was well worth the trip.

Fort Larned NHP: A Civil War era fort along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort is in excellent condition, since it was built out of local limestone. The fort was occupied from 1859-1878 (?) and served as protection from the area Native tribes along the Santa Fe trail. The fort had no walls as the Natives rarely attacked in mass, preferring hit-and-run tactics. The walls have graffiti carved in them, some from the the time of the fort's use. After the fort was decommissioned, it was used as a ranch until it became a park.

Nicodemus NHP: Nicodemus is a town in Northwester Kansas that was founded by African-Americans in 1877. The town flourished for several years, despite the challenging climate, but was bypassed by the railroad in the 1890's and withered away. Today it has about 25 residents, but has an annual homecoming in the Summer when former residents and their descendants return to the town.



The road trip continues tomorrow, going diagonally Southwest through Colorado. I am hoping to visit Florisant Fossil Beds NM, Mesa Verde NP, Najavaho NM, Zion NP, Mojave NR and maybe a park or two in San Francisco if I have time.