… was established on this date in 2000. It’s in Canton, Ohio.
Two properties, the home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley and the seven-story 1895 City National Bank Building, are preserved at this site, which honors the lives and accomplishments of First Ladies throughout history. The site is managed by the National Park Service and operated by the National First Ladies’ Library.
NewMexiKen’s flight out of Dulles Airport was delayed an hour this evening, in part because there was no United ground crew available to load our luggage. (We made up half the delay on the flight to Albuquerque.)
Still, given this and the long series of cutbacks at airlines, how much longer will it be before we are expected to load our own bags?
… was established on this date in 1968.
Stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. Watch bronze Roosevelt elk grazing in the prairies. Observe the tail of a female Chinook salmon heave skyward as she makes a nest for her eggs. Whether a morning or night person, you can hear the threatened marbled murrelets’ keer across the treetops as they fly from sea to mossy nest.
“On September 30, 2006, for one day only, museums across the country will join the Smithsonian Institution in its long-standing tradition of offering free admission to visitors.”
… was authorized on this date in 1970.
Located at the northern most tip of Wisconsin, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a land of pine and hemlock; eagle and bear. It is the ancestral home of the Ojibwe people with the nation’s finest collection of historic lighthouses and newest wilderness area. The 12-mile mainland unit and 21 islands include more than 154 miles of shoreline, a paradise for campers, boaters, and kayakers.
That means that after passengers go through airport security checkpoints, they can purchase liquids at airport stores and take them onto their planes.
New procedures also were announced for toiletries and products like lip gloss and hand lotion that passengers bring to the airport. Previously, those liquids have been confiscated at security checkpoints. Now, these products will be limited to 3-ounce sizes and must fit in a clear, 1-quart size plastic bag with a zip top. The bags will be screened and returned if they are cleared.
The new security regimen is for an indefinite period and will take effect Tuesday morning.
Just in time for NewMexiKen’s trip Thursday. Also, good time to buy stock in whomever makes one-quart zip bags.
… was proclaimed a national monument on this date in 1918. It became a national park and preserve in 1980.
Katmai National Monument was created in 1918 to preserve the famed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a spectacular forty square mile, 100 to 700 foot deep ash flow deposited by Novarupta Volcano. A National Park & Preserve since 1980, today Katmai is still famous for volcanoes, but also for brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline.
• Walla Walla, Wash.
• St. Simons Island, Ga.
• Prescott, Ariz.
• Holland, Mich.
• Williamsburg, Va.
Click each image to view larger version.
Avital and Jen are crossing America from the east — they’re already in Dallas. They’d like your suggestions.
“We’re headed west, with no real agenda except finding the joys of the open road. Tell us where to find the fun, the food, the face of America. Post your suggestions by clicking the comment link below.”
Some of their commentary so far:
“Tulsans could easily qualify as our nation’s friendliest people.”
“The iconic Gateway Arch came into view much sooner than we thought it would, and it was our first stop. We marveled at it from the bottom, took about 50 pictures of it and knocked on its side. I’d always imagined that it would feel hollow and light, so I was surprised at how dense and hard it felt.”
“Corn fields flanked the highway until we reached Monona Lake just outside the city; the stately Capitol reflected upon it made for a postcard-worthy scene.”
Four photos of U.S. landscapes taken from the Space Station. These thumbnails are small, but see if you can guess the place.
Then click each image to visit the NASA page for each, where you can then click for a very large version of the image. Check them out.
But guess first.
A good article in The Washington Post, with a great photo slideshow. It begins:
There’s wildlife you don’t mind surprising in northwest Wyoming — like the family of elk my daughter and I stumbled upon on our otherwise deserted trail early one morning in Yellowstone National Park; we detoured, wide-eyed, around them.
Then there’s the other kind, and it’s this that has me worried as I eye the scat — hiker-speak for animal droppings — along our steep, 10-mile round-trip trudge to Surprise and Ampitheater lakes, some 9,700 feet above sea level.
When Laura and I decided to go hiking this summer in Grand Teton National Park, just south of Yellowstone, the iconic mountain landscape was only part of the lure. We also hoped to see large wild animals. When people talk here of moose jams and buffalo jams, they’re not referring to spreads for your breakfast toast but traffic bottlenecks caused by drivers stopping to ogle wildlife. Still, some creatures you’d be thrilled to see from the roadside you’d just as soon not startle on a mountain path.
Ursus arctos horribilis tops that list for me.
Follow the link, if only for the slideshow.
… was proclaimed a national monument on this date 98 years ago. It was redisignated a national historical park in 1990.
Tumacácori NHP protects three Spanish colonial mission ruins in southern Arizona: Tumacácori, Guevavi, and Calabazas. The adobe structures are on three sites, with a visitor center at Tumacácori. These missions are among more than twenty established in the Pimería Alta by Father Kino and other Jesuits, and later expanded upon by Franciscan missionaries.
… was designated a national historical site on this date in 1951. It was redesignated a national monument in 1958.
For over 400 years Ojibwe families of Grand Portage have tapped maples every spring on a ridge located just off Lake Superior. During the summer, Ojibwe fishermen harvest in the same areas their forefathers have. Before the United States and Canada existed, the trading of furs, ideas and genes between the Ojibwe and French and English fur traders flourished. From 1778 until 1802, welcomed by the Grand Portage Ojibwe, the North West Company located their headquarters and western supply depot here for business and a summer rendezvous. Today, Grand Portage National Monument and Indian Reservation form a bridge between people, time and culture.
… was formed on this date in 1950 by combining the much smaller national park established in 1929 (which included just the Tetons and the lakes) and the Jackson Hole National Monument established in 1943. Today the park includes nearly 310,000 acres.
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range — an active, fault-block, 40-mile-long mountain front. The range includes eight peaks over 12,000 feet (3,658 m), including the Grand Teton at 13,770 feet (4,198 m). Seven morainal lakes run along the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the backcountry.
Elk, moose, pronghorn, mule deer, and bison are commonly seen in the park. Black bears are common in forested areas, while grizzlies are occasionally observed in the northern part of the park. More than 300 species of birds can be observed, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons.
… was authorized on this date in 1962.
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches through its open grasslands to its brushy hillsides and forested ridges, visitors can discover over 1000 species of plants and animals. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, Point Reyes preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people.
Dan Neil checks out the Sky Mall. An excerpt:
And so, deprived of my usual carry-on, I arrived at what is surely a universal moment for air travelers: flipping through the glossy pages—remote control toy shark, laser-guided pool cue and, of course, the comically dangerous lawn aerator sandals—wondering: Who the hell buys this junk? Honestly, your Maslow hierarchy of needs would have to be a mile high before you could find yourself craving a dedicated bug vacuum with gel-filled “kill” cartridges. If you’re considering ordering the replica of the Evenstar Pendant of Arwen (“The Lord of the Rings”), it’s almost a certainty your mom drove you to the airport.
A sense of superiority comes easy, and that’s part of the pleasure of Sky Mall. In the copy for a corn-dog cooker, we’re advised the device can fry other things, too, like “Twinkies, Snickers bars.” Just be sure not to burn down the trailer. And yet, I can’t help admiring Sky Mall, or at least the hyper-prosperity of the society from which it arises. This cornucopia of crapola reflects a certain collective genius, and an astonishing rate of technical dissemination. Flexible rollout keyboards, wrap-around eyewear that plays iPod videos, electronic pens that translate type from other languages, fingerprint-reading door locks—all this stuff was science fiction a decade ago.
It appears that politicians weren’t as effective in offsetting base closures in Russia as they have been in the U.S.
A remarkable photo essay showing what can happen when everyone leaves. Spooky.
… was authorized on this date in 1964.
There was no larger news story in the latter nineteenth century after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The story of the Johnstown Flood has everything to interest the modern mind: a wealthy resort, an intense storm, an unfortunate failure of a dam, the destruction of a working class city, and an inspiring relief effort.
… was authorized on this date in 1964.
The Allegheny Portage Railroad was a great achievement in early travel. Charles Dickens, Jenny Linn, and Ulysses S. Grant traveled over the Allegheny Mountains. They braved a system that injured passengers on a weekly basis. A system of inclined planes and a nine hundred foot tunnel carved through solid rock by Welsh coalminers made this feat possible. For twenty years, it was the fastest way to transgress the rough and wild terrain of Pennsylvania.
… was established as a national battlefield site on this date in 1890. It was redesignated a national battlefield in 1978.
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
… was authorized as a national monument on this date in 1935. It became a national historic site in 1963.
The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site honors the life of the 17th President. Andrew Johnson’s presidency, 1865-1869, illustrates the United States Constitution at work following President Lincoln’s assassination and during attempts to reunify a nation torn by civil war. His presidency shaped the future of the United States and his influences continue today.
… was authorized on this date in 1965.
Feel the old wooden floor give slightly beneath your footsteps and hear it squeak as you enter the doors of the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. Step back in time and experience this original 160 acre homestead, which includes the Trading Post, Hubbell home and Visitor Center with weavers. Hubbell Trading Post offers you a chance to become a part of this unique slice of history.
Forbes ranks America’s Drunkest Cities. Milwaukee, home of the beer that made Milwaukee famous, is number one.
Coming in second on our list is another chilly metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities ranked No. 2 for adults who reported having had a drink in the last month, No. 3 for binge drinkers and No. 12 for heavy drinkers.
Rounding out the top five drunkest cities are Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Austin, Texas.
Curiously, several towns with a reputation for partying and drinking didn’t rank very high on the list. You might be able to score a free cocktail in any Las Vegas casino, but overall, the city comes in at only No. 14. New Orleans is home to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, but it only ranked in 24th place. And spring-break party spot Miami placed all the way down at No. 33 of 35.
… was designated a national monument on this date in 1969.
A beautiful mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak holds spectacular remnants of the earth’s prehistoric life. Huge petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there. A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils.
