Old Faithful, Yellowstone National ParkOne of the most prized volumes on my bookshelf is a tattered hardcover entitled National Parks of the U.S.A. Inside the pages is a list written in faded ballpoint pen naming five western parks:Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier. I wrote that list as a young girl and I can still remember gazing endlessly at the photographs of granite peaks, roaring waterfalls, and magnificent wildlife, and daydreaming about wandering in those landscapes. I would think, someday, someday…
The west captured my childhood imagination—even in our settled and civilized world—as fiercely as it did any adventurer contemplating the wide-open expanses of America in the 1800s. Yet my urge wasn’t simply to “go west.” The idea of National Parks, of islands of untouched and preserved wilderness inspired me. I wanted to see those places so badly! And in the age before the internet, webcams, blogs and YouTube, my only window into that magical world was through my treasured picture books.
National Parks have been an integral part of my life—from my father taking me to see whales onCape Cod National Seashore, to spending college summers hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, to providing inspiration for my writing, space for my joyful wanderings, and my career as an environmental leader. The tranquility I experience while hiking in places like the Dana Plateau, Tuolumne Meadows, or Hayden Valley feeds my soul with sustenance as essential to my existence as food or water.
In their new documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan have captured the connection that I—along with millions of other people across the world—share with our National Parks. The connection originates from a reverence for not only what these special places contain, but also what they elicit from us.
Beth with Ken Burns in YellowstoneThis past winter, I was lucky enough to meet Ken and Dayton in Yellowstone, and I recently attended a special reception and screening of this soon-to-be released documentary. Through Ken Burn’s brilliant filmmaking and Dayton Duncan’s poignant writing, the segments I watched translated to the screen the ongoing wonderment and lasting legacy inherent in our parks. Even on film, the sight of Old Faithful charging into the blue sky inspires awe. Yet the ‘stories behind the scenery’ of the people who shaped our parks proves just as enduring as the sublime landscape.
While watching the clips, I remembered myself at ten urgently gazing at a picture of Yosemite, and realized the emotions superimposed themselves in time; three decades later my fascination with the parks has not lessened. My thanks to Ken and Dayton for giving the parks such a splendid and inspirational biography. I imagine many children experiencing the same awe I did when exposed to Yosemite Falls or Old Faithful through this vibrant picture book on film.
The Iconic Joshua TreeNestled among six mountain ranges and straddling the Mohave and Sonoran deserts, Joshua Tree National Park dispels the popular erroneous notion of deserts being lifeless and barren. One of our newest national parks (upgraded from a national monument in 1994), this wondrous, yet foreign landscape provides a paradise for naturalists, geologists, and archeologists alike.
A visitor may encounter a speedy roadrunner dashing across the terrain in pursuit of prey or a patient desert tortoise munching on a wildflower. In the Wonderland of Rocks, time and pressure have shaped fanciful sculptures from the granite—a toyland for giants. And the park’s namesake decorates the terrain with its outstretched limbs embarking in slow, gymnastic contortions as it reaches ambitiously and hopefully to the sky.
Spending time in Joshua Tree is akin to wandering into a Dali painting or a Dr. Seuss story—reality has become slightly askew, magical, and mysterious. During my visits to the park, I often think I have strolled into a dream. The trees themselves seem like friendly, ancient companions, real world versions of Tolkien’s fictional Ents. Even in death the trees retain their otherworldly character, as Mary Oliver describes in her book The Land of Little Rain, “After Death, which is slow, the ghostly hollow network of its woody skeleton, with hardly power to rot, makes the moonlight fearful.”
Visit in 1991: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking ForIn my first visit to the park almost twenty years ago, I camped under a starry night sky and wondered if the trees were indeed ghosts—they appeared to vibrate under starlight. I felt comforted sleeping among such trusted sentinels—ghostly perhaps, but surely benign spirits.
Given that I was twenty-one and a passionate U2 fan, one purpose of that long-ago trip was to find the Joshua Tree from U2’s famous album. After arriving in the park and witnessing the ubiquity of Joshua Trees, I quickly realized the foolishness of that endeavor. During this most recent visit, one park ranger informed me the tree is sadly no more among the living.
Cholla Cactus GardenThe garden of the furry, teddy bear cholla cactus is one of my favorite sights in the park. (Be warned--the teddy bear comparison does not extend to texture—hugging the cholla would result in a very painful experience.)After miles of a sparsely vegetated landscape, the cholla appear unexpectedly in a small area, as if they were settlers who traveled from a distant land. I spent part of the afternoon during my recent visit slowly walking in this unusual garden.
The desert transforms into a palette of color during the spring bloom. This year’s wildflower season is quickly approaching, and according to park staff may prove to be a very colorful season. If you travel to the park, be sure to stop by the new visitor center in the town of Joshua Tree, which is jointly operated by the Joshua Tree National Park Association and the National Park Service. And while you are there pick up my friend James Kaiser's excellent guidebook--Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide.
You can visit my gallery for more photos of Joshua Tree National Park.
One of the most prized volumes on my bookshelf is a tattered hardcover entitled National Parks of the U.S.A. Inside the pages is a list written in faded ballpoint pen naming five western parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier. I wrote that list as a young girl and I can still remember gazing endlessly at the photographs of granite peaks, roaring waterfalls, and magnificent wildlife, and daydreaming about wandering in those landscapes. I would think, someday, someday…
The west captured my childhood imagination—even in our settled and civilized world—as fiercely as it did any adventurer contemplating the wide-open expanses of America in the 1800s. Yet my urge wasn’t simply to “go west.” The idea of National Parks, of islands of untouched and preserved wilderness inspired me. I wanted to see those places so badly! And in the age before the internet, webcams, blogs and YouTube, my only window into that magical world was through my treasured picture books.
With Ken Burns in YellowstoneNational Parks have been an integral part of my life—from my father taking me to see whales on Cape Cod National Seashore, to spending college summers hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, to providing inspiration for my writing, space for my joyful wanderings, and my career as an environmental leader. The tranquility I experience while hiking in places like the Dana Plateau, Tuolumne Meadows, or Hayden Valley feeds my soul with sustenance as essential to my existence as food or water.
In their new documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan have captured the connection that I—along with millions of other people across the world—share with our National Parks. The connection originates from a reverence for not only what these special places contain, but also what they elicit from us.
With Dayton DuncanLast week I attended a special reception and screening in Yellowstone of this soon-to-be released documentary. Through Ken Burn’s brilliant filmmaking and Dayton Duncan’s poignant writing, the segments I watched translated to the screen the ongoing wonderment and lasting legacy inherent in our parks. Even on film, the sight of Old Faithful charging into the blue sky inspires awe. Yet the ‘stories behind the scenery’ of the people who shaped our parks proves just as enduring as the sublime landscape in the film. While watching the clips, I remembered myself at ten urgently gazing at a picture of Yosemite Falls, and realized the emotions superimposed themselves in time; three decades later my fascination with the parks had not lessened.
Although the segments we viewed focused on Yellowstone, I was delighted to recognize some friends from Yosemite like Shelton Johnston and Lee Stetson. And for my Yosemite comrades, I did have a chance to discuss the ‘who’s on first’ question with Ken and Dayton during the evening. I think “it’s complicated” was the final verdict. Overall, it was simply amazing to watch this project near completion. I recall providing books to researchers forthe film five years ago when I worked for the Yosemite Association.
My thanks to Ken and Dayton for giving the parks such a splendid and inspirational biography. I imagine many children experiencing the same awe I did when exposed to Yosemite Falls or Old Faithful through this vibrant picture book.
Watch for the documentary this fall on your local PBS station!
The Grand Canyon--Objects in the View Are Farther Than They AppearDescribing the sheer magnitude of the Grand Canyon is impossible, like attempting to convey the vividness of a dream. Photographs also fail to capture the startling giganticness of the landscape (especially amateur ones like mine). The Grand Canyon simply has to be experienced to be fully appreciated—you need to stand on the rim of this 277 mile-long canyon and peer down a mile at the blue snake of the Colorado River to feel your inevitable insignificance and smallness, but also the expansive hopefulness that accompanies witnessing such a truly magnificent sight.
This morning I attended a talk with Ranger Pat on the geology of the Grand Canyon and learned an enormous amount about its formation. Despite the landscape containing rocks up to 2 billion years old, the Canyon itself took shape only yesterday in geologic time: 5-7 million years ago.
After the talk I descended into the rainbow of colorful rock layers while hiking down into the Canyon on the South Kaibab Trail. Being afraid of heights, I had to cautiously creep toward the edge as I walked back to my hotel via the Rim Trail—a mile down is a long way to fall. And after a day of hiking I have earned my dinner tonight at the famed El Tovar!
Tomorrow I leave for Zion National Park, and I’ll return home to Yellowstone this weekend.
For my return trip to Yellowstone, I am taking the scenic route and visiting Death Valley, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks.
Today I spent the afternoon wandering in the starkly beautiful landscape of Death Valley. Despite the dominance of the sun, the park presents a world of vivid colors and textures--from the white crunchy roughness of the salt flats in Badwater Basin (the lowest point in North America) to the rainbow of pigments decorating the cliffs on Artists Drive. I've included a sampling of photos and a short video of Badwater below; see my photo gallery for more pictures.
Stinson BeachAccording to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s “Losing Ground” report, climate change will have significant consequences on California’s coast. Several public agencies and other conservation designations help protect a large portion of California’s 840-mile scenic coastline. Yet rising sea levels resulting from global warming threaten to erode beaches, ravage the delicate balance of estuaries and wetlands, and destroy cultural resources and recreational areas. Point Reyes National Seashore may lose many of its estuaries; Golden Gate Recreation Area, with 59 miles of beaches, faces severe coastal flooding; and, over half of Channel Islands’ seashore has been deemed very vulnerable to rising tides.
The report specifically names a number of beaches in Northern California, and I decided to explore these special places during my recent trip to the Bay Area. My partner on my field trip, the naturalist Jack Laws, has been exploring the California coast since childhood and made for an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide.
Red-tailed Hawk at Sunset, Point Reyes National SeashoreIn one day we managed to visit most of the beaches listed in the report, and our determination was rewarded with a trip filled with wondrous sights: from viewing ochre starfish on a rock exposed by low tide at China Beach, to observing Tule elk resting under a full moon in Point Reyes National Seashore, to gazing at harbor seals lounging in Bolinas Lagoon.
These magnificent places boast spectacular scenery, provide homes for diverse and numerous populations of flora and fauna, and offer recreational opportunities for people throughout the golden state. I agree with Jack, however, when he expressed his affinity for the California coast as originating from “the feeling it evoked of freedom, possibilities, and liberation in its limitless space.” For all these reasons, we simply must take action to preserve these areas before it’s too late.
Below are highlights of our field trip along with a video diary. More photos are available in my gallery.
Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA): The famous Cliff House overlooks Ocean Beach; its close proximity to San Francisco makes it a popular destination for city dwellers. Even with the dense fog and cool temperatures, surfers braved the waters and beachgoers tossed frisbees. Jack discovered a red nereid worm in the sand and revived some jellyfish stranded on the low tide.
Cliff House Overlooking Ocean BeachChina Beach, GGNRA: Named for the Chinese fisherman who camped in the sheltered cove, China Beach offers a nice picnic spot, but the swimming can be dangerous. The low tide during our visit revealed two ochre starfish clinging to a rock as they dined on mussels, and a lively gathering of seagulls on the shore included an assortment of heermann’s, mew, ring-billed, and glaucous-winged gulls. Other creatures making an appearance: a willet, shore crab, limpets, and a double-breasted cormorant.
Golden Gate Bridge from Baker BeachBaker Beach, GGNRA: The Golden Gate Bridge, peaking out of the fog, greeted us as we entered. On the dunes of Baker Beach yellow-sand verbena and beach strawberry bloomed in bright yellow and white—a stark contrast to the dull brown sand.
Muir Beach, GGNRA: The path to the beach leads through a brackish lagoon and we scanned the landscape for the various shorebirds that linger here. Fog hovered over the coastline, reminding me of Carl Sandburg’s famous poem: “The fog comes on little cat feet./It sits looking/over harbor and city/on silent haunches/and then moves on.” Jack told me about witnessing the spectacular salmon run on Muir Beach, while I pretended the sun was shining and waded in the water.
Stinson Beach, GGNRA: The sun strained to conquer the fog and almost succeeded, yet the marriage of light and dark painted the shore in a misty mother-of-pearl iridescence. A small willet chased a long-billed marble godwit, trying to steal his foraged food, while seagulls hosted a noisy gathering nearby. Sharks have been known to frequent the waters off Stinson beach; Jack and I searched for the telltale fin cutting through the water with no success.
Drakes Estero: Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS): Drake’s Estero is a picturesque spot in Point Reyes National Seashore with its waters meandering gently inland; from above the waterways resemble an outstreched hand. Once a drowned river valley, the marshlands, tidal flats, seagrass beds, and intertidal areas—along with the diverse plants and animals it supports—has been recognized as one of California’s most ecologically pristine estuaries.
Point Reyes Beach, PRNS: The powerful surf and unyielding wind has shaped the character of Point Reyes beach—truly we felt like we were standing on the edge of the world. Also known as Giant Beach, the shoreline stretches undisturbed for ten miles and the water arrives unencumbered from the mighty expanse of the Pacific. Utilizing some bull kelp that had been washed ashore, Jack quickly constructed a kelp horn, although his music could hardly be heard above the roar of the wind.
Full Moon Over Drakes BeachDrakes Beach, PRNS: Did Sir Francis Drake land at his namesake beach? There is some debate whether the sandstone cliffs along this beach refer to the white cliffs mentioned in Drake’s journal. We arrived at sunset and the pinkish hues reflected on the water while the full moon danced both in the sky and on the beach. And as if nature had cued up a delightful cast of characters for our last site, during our drive to and from Drake’s Beach we saw Tule elk resting in a meadow under a full moon, a red-tailed hawk perched on a fence post at sunset, and just before dark a great-horned owl soared past our car.
Old Faithful, Yellowstone National ParkOne of the most prized volumes on my bookshelf is a tattered hardcover entitled National Parks of the U.S.A. Inside the pages is a list written in faded ballpoint pen naming five western parks:Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier. I wrote that list as a young girl and I can still remember gazing endlessly at the photographs of granite peaks, roaring waterfalls, and magnificent wildlife, and daydreaming about wandering in those landscapes. I would think, someday, someday…
Beth with Ken Burns in YellowstoneThis past winter, I was lucky enough to meet Ken and Dayton in Yellowstone, and I recently attended a special reception and screening of this soon-to-be released documentary. Through Ken Burn’s brilliant filmmaking and Dayton Duncan’s poignant writing, the segments I watched translated to the screen the ongoing wonderment and lasting legacy inherent in our parks. Even on film, the sight of Old Faithful charging into the blue sky inspires awe. Yet the ‘stories behind the scenery’ of the people who shaped our parks proves just as enduring as the sublime landscape.
