Celebrating Our National Parks: A bloggers’ meme reprise

September 28, 2013


Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Today is National Public Lands Day, the “largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands” in the U.S., which includes free admission to U.S. national parks, monuments, and forests. It’s my goal to see as many national parks as possible — and I better live to be 115 because I have a long way to go — and I’ve shared images and stories from several such vacations here at Digging.


Big Bend National Park, Texas

Four years ago I invited fellow bloggers to share their own national park stories in a meme I called Bloggers’ Celebration of Our National Parks:

“Last week I invited other bloggers to post their favorite stories or pictures of a national park they’ve visited. I’d just watched Ken Burns’ series The National Parks, which illustrates how America’s attitude toward its national parks has evolved over time: from an emphasis on scenery that should be preserved from rapacious development; to a vacation destination to rival Europe; to a potential source of oil or grazing lands in times of national trouble; to a slow recognition that the native fauna—particularly predators, which had been systematically eradicated from the parks—are an integral part of the ecosystem; to a source of both national pride and intimate family histories, as each generation takes its children to the parks and passes on a love for the grandeur of their natural beauty.

People who love gardens tend also to love Mother Nature’s garden, and we’ve had the sense to preserve some of her best handiwork in the national parks. So readers, please join me this week in celebrating a national park you have visited by posting about it. It’s not about perfect photos (although those are welcome!) but personal stories of discovery.”


Everglades National Park, Florida

I collected everyone’s links and posted them here in a handy list, organized alphabetically by park. Four years later, I think it’s high time I updated the list with new posts about national parks, forests, monuments, etc. that we have visited. If you’d like to join in, just send me your links to any posts about national parks (non-U.S. too!) that you’ve written. I’ll post an updated list of links at the end of October, which I hope will serve as a vacation guide, inspiration to visit national parks, and a reminder to protect and preserve these national treasures for future generations.

Meme: Bloggers’ Celebration of National Parks
When: Now through the end of October
How: Post about your visit to a national park, monument, forest, etc. (national, not state, please); other countries’ national parks are welcome too! Come back to this post and share your link in the comments section. (To get the link, just click on the title of your post and copy the URL, then come here and paste it in your comment.)
Who: Any blogger who wants to join in! Non-bloggers are welcome to share brief stories of national park visits in the comments section.


Yosemite National Park, California

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

National Parks, Travel

11 responses to “Celebrating Our National Parks: A bloggers’ meme reprise”

  1. Tatyana@MySecretGarden says:
    September 28, 2013 at 2:24 PM

    Pam, I do remember that meme, and I love your idea to celebrate together National Parks again! My photo-posts: Glacier National Park – http://tanyasgarden.blogspot.com/2013/08/glacier-national-park-pictures-from-my.html
    Cascades of Time (Garden in the Banff National Park, Canada)- http://tanyasgarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-garden-of-great-depression-cascades.html

    Thanks for adding these, Tatyana. Glacier is one of those national parks I still need to see — and soon since the glaciers are melting away, sadly. —Pam

  2. Desert Dweller / David C. says:
    September 28, 2013 at 2:59 PM

    Nice, and of course the first one you show has Agave utahensis in it’s middle elevations!

    I like your meme, and with 3 national parks within 4-5 hours of here and one I haven’t been to yet, this is my motivation! Maybe all 3 🙂 Unless I have to do some more work out in Las Vegas, then add Zion, Death Valley & Grand Canyon…

    I too “love Mother Nature’s garden”. Nothing better!

    Seeing three national parks in a month would be a highly ambitious undertaking, David. I look forward to seeing your posts! —Pam

  3. Diana Studer says:
    September 28, 2013 at 4:28 PM

    two more, to add to the last 2
    http://elephantseyegarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/hantam-our-newest-national-botanical.html
    The Hantam is our newest National Botanical Garden, and the only one dedicated to renosterveld. Which is what our garden would have been, before the town and the farmers.

    http://eefalsebay.blogspot.com/2013/03/biodiversity-garden-green-point-urban-park.html
    In Cape Town we pick up the other edge of renosterveld in an urban setting.

    Thanks for contributing national park posts from South Africa, Diana! —Pam

  4. PlantPostings says:
    September 28, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    Nice idea, Pam. I did a post in May about John Muir Memorial Park, which is a National Historic Landmark: http://plantpostings.blogspot.com/2013/05/please-join-me-for-hike.html. Interestingly, Wisconsin has few national parks, even though the father of the national parks (Muir) grew up here. I understand that may change soon, as we come to value North American prairies and savannas more as unique and endangered ecosystems.

    Thanks for sharing, PP. I’d love to see a preserved prairie become a national park one day. Are there any left, or would they have to be a recreation? —Pam

  5. Les says:
    September 29, 2013 at 8:21 AM

    I am very glad you have reprised this meme. Since I posted something far from my home on your first invitation, I will stick a little closer this time. Here is a series from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia that I posted 3 years ago.
    http://atidewatergardener.blogspot.com/search/label/Shenandoah%20Ntl.%20Park
    Thanks again Pam!

    Beautiful autumn images, Les! Thanks for sharing these. —Pam

  6. Helen Yoest @ Gardening with Confidence says:
    October 1, 2013 at 5:55 AM

    Hi Pam, I remember regretting that I didn’t participate in your meme last time, so I am particularly happy you did it again. It was fun for me to re-live one of my National Park trips. Thanks for the opportunity and push! <3 http://gardeningwithconfidence.com/blog/2013/10/01/celebrating-national-parks-zion-national-park/

    I enjoyed your reminiscences, Helen. Like you, I love to travel. Zion is on my list to see — and it’s even more enticing after reading your post. —Pam

  7. Jenny says:
    October 2, 2013 at 7:12 PM

    After the Seattle Fling two years ago we visited Lassen Volcanic National Park. Her is the link.
    http://wwwrockrose.blogspot.com/2013/10/bloggers-celebration-of-national-parks.html

    What a beautiful place, and in a park I’d never heard of. I love your national park posts, Jenny. You are quite an intrepid explorer. —Pam

  8. Marilyn Kircus says:
    October 4, 2013 at 6:56 PM

    I’ve had the good fortune to get to volunteer at National Bison Range in Montana all summer and visit Glacier National Park several times. I also got to visit the Grand Tetons National Park and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

    Here’s my links:

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/07/water-expressions-at-glacier-national.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/07/virtual-hike-to-red-rock-falls.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/07/virtual-hike-from-sunriff-george.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/07/two-medicine-is-good-medicine.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-most-beautiful-hike.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/08/going-to-sun-highway.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/08/virtual-hike-on-avalache-trail-glacier.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/08/virtual-hike-on-avalache-trail-glacier.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/08/guided-hike-to-inspiration-point.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/09/hike-to-petrified-forest-south-unit.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-visit-to-north-unit-of-theodore.html

    http://mkircus2.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-no-prairie-dog-hike.html

    This is a great idea and I look forward to virtually visiting many other national parks.

    Wow, you were busy! Thanks for sharing your links, Marilyn. I look forward to reading them. —Pam

  9. Alison says:
    October 6, 2013 at 1:31 AM

    It took me a while to get my post up. Better late than never, I guess. Back in August we visited the Olympic National Park when my son came to visit. My post is here: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-summer-trip-to-olympic-peninsula.html

    You’re right on time, Alison, not late to the party at all! I’m collecting posts about national parks all through the month of October (and beyond, really). Thanks for sharing this one. You really do live in a beautiful part of the world. —Pam

  10. Loree / danger garden says:
    October 12, 2013 at 1:17 PM

    This is fabulous Pam, and your timing couldn’t have been better for those folks shut out of the parks/monuments and their websites by our government. Here are my links starting with our recent visit to White Sands
    http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2013/10/white-sands-national-monument.html

    Mesa Verde
    http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/mesa-verde-national-park-colorado.html

    Chaco Canyon
    http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2011/12/chaco-canyon.html

    Crater Lake
    http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/finally-we-visit-crater-lake.html

    Thanks for sharing your links, Loree! —Pam

  11. Jennifer says:
    October 15, 2013 at 11:41 AM

    Thanks for such a wonderful meme. I love our National Parks! Here’s my post on our trip to Death Valley last year:
    http://ridgetopramblings.blogspot.com/2013/10/31-days-traveling-to-death-valley.html

    It’s always interesting to me how we manage to find beauty in such desolation. Thank you for sharing your lovely post, Jennifer. —Pam