Travis Air Force Aviation Museum
Second ID Museum Camp Humphreys,
1travisafbaviationmuseum.org2bing.com3travisafbaviationmuseum.org4en.wikipedia.org5travis.af.mil+1
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The 2nd ID museum at Camp Humphreys is also worth a visit. The Director of the Museum is an affable retired US Army Colonel whose last job in active duty was as the chief of the US military historian office.
Co PIlot provided the following background information.
Base access is required to tour the museum which is located across from the USO.
Tell me Abut the 2nd ID museum at Camp Humphreys
Copilot:
The 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) Museum at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of the 2nd Infantry Division and its role in various military operations. Here are some key highlights:
The 2ID Museum provides a comprehensive look at the division’s storied past and its ongoing contributions to military history.
1army.mil2history.army.mil3pof.usace.army.mil4flickr.com5dvidshub.net
Let’s delve into the storied history of the 2nd Infantry Division (often affectionately known as the “Indianhead” division). 🇺🇸
I have been to several war museums over the years. Korea has two war museums. The first is the official Korean War museum in Seoul near the old US Army Headquarters. I first visited in 2000 shortly after it opened and recently visited it again. The exhibits are first class.
The War Memorial of Korea, located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is a comprehensive museum dedicated to the history of Korea’s military conflicts, with a significant focus on the Korean War (1950-1953). Here are some key highlights:
The War Memorial of Korea is open daily from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, except on Mondays. It’s a must-visit for anyone interested in military history and the impact of the Korean
on the country’s development3.
I have also been to the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC several times.
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Travels to the Redwoods
Travels to the Redwoodsaudio file
During the course of my life, I have visited the majority of the 63 national parks in the United States, as well as most of the national monuments, and many of the battlegrounds as well.. One of my favorites has been the Redwood
s National Park located in Northwest California near my summer home in Medford, Oregon. I just got back from my 10th visit
over the years. I first visited this park in 1963 as a child and I awestruck by the beauty of the majestic redwoods.
All in on all great day.
here’s the list of List of national parks of the United States – I have bolded the ones I have visited, and put a star next to the ones still on my bucket list Now that I have visited all 50 states my remaining travel bucket list includes visiting all the national parks.
HIking Hobart’s Ridge Near Ashland, Oregon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1938 poster promoting Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world
Interactive map (incomplete) of the National Parks of the United States.
The United States has 63 national parks, which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior.[1] National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically “because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena.”[2] While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited.[3] National monuments, on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. The 430 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations.[4]
National parks
[edit]
Main article: List of national parks of the United States
There are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States and its dependent areas, as of 2021.[2] The national parks are considered the “crown jewels” of the system and are typically larger than other areas, including a variety of significant ecological and geological resources.
North Cascades National ParkHaleakalā National ParkJoshua Tree National ParkDry Tortugas National ParkShenandoah National ParkBadlands National ParkGuadalupe Mountains National ParkArches National ParkOlympic National ParkCuyahoga Valley National ParkGateway Arch National Park
Name Location Year established Area (2024)[3][4] Acadia National Park Maine 1919 49,071.40 acres (198.5849 km2) National Park of American Samoa American Samoa 1988 8,256.67 acres (33.4136 km2) Arches National Park Utah 1971 76,678.98 acres (310.3088 km2) Badlands National Park South Dakota 1978 242,742.90 acres (982.3457 km2) Big Bend National Park Texas 1944 801,163.21 acres (3,242.1925 km2) Biscayne National Park Florida 1980 172,971.11 acres (699.9892 km2) Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Colorado 1999 30,779.83 acres (124.5616 km2) Bryce Canyon National Park Utah 1928 35,835.08 acres (145.0194 km2) Canyonlands National Park Utah 1964 337,597.83 acres (1,366.2099 km2) Capitol Reef National Park Utah 1971 241,904.50 acres (978.9528 km2) Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico 1930 46,766.45 acres (189.2571 km2) Channel Islands National Park California 1980 249,561.00 acres (1,009.9375 km2) Congaree National Park South Carolina 2003 26,692.60 acres (108.0211 km2) Crater Lake National Park Oregon 1902 183,224.05 acres (741.4814 km2) Cuyahoga Valley National Park Ohio 2000 32,597.08 acres (131.9157 km2) Death Valley National Park California, Nevada 1994 3,408,445.63 acres (13,793.4901 km2) Denali National Park Alaska 1917 4,740,911.16 acres (19,185.7868 km2) Dry Tortugas National Park Florida 1992 64,701.22 acres (261.8365 km2) Everglades National Park Florida 1947 1,508,938.57 acres (6,106.4577 km2) Gates of the Arctic National Park Alaska 1980 7,523,897.45 acres (30,448.1327 km2) Gateway Arch National Park Missouri 2018 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2) Glacier National Park (part of Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park) Montana 1910 1,013,126.39 acres (4,099.9770 km2) Glacier Bay National Park Alaska 1980 3,223,383.43 acres (13,044.5699 km2) Grand Canyon National Park Arizona 1919 1,201,647.03 acres (4,862.8930 km2) Grand Teton National Park Wyoming 1929 310,044.36 acres (1,254.7050 km2) Great Basin National Park Nevada 1986 77,180.00 acres (312.3364 km2) Great Sand Dunes National Park Colorado 2004 107,336.95 acres (434.3772 km2) Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina, Tennessee 1934 522,426.88 acres (2,114.1866 km2) Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas 1966 86,367.10 acres (349.5153 km2) Haleakalā National Park Hawaii 1916 33,488.98 acres (135.5251 km2) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii 1916 344,812.18 acres (1,395.4054 km2) Hot Springs National Park Arkansas 1921 5,554.15 acres (22.4768 km2) Indiana Dunes National Park Indiana 2019 15,615.10 acres (63.1921 km2) Isle Royale National Park Michigan 1940 571,790.30 acres (2,313.9532 km2) Joshua Tree National Park California 1994 795,155.85 acres (3,217.8816 km2) Katmai National Park Alaska 1980 3,674,529.33 acres (14,870.2926 km2) Kenai Fjords National Park Alaska 1980 669,650.05 acres (2,709.9776 km2) Kings Canyon National Park California 1940 461,901.37 acres (1,869.2485 km2) Kobuk Valley National Park Alaska 1980 1,750,716.16 acres (7,084.8969 km2) Lake Clark National Park Alaska 1980 2,619,816.49 acres (10,602.0212 km2) Lassen Volcanic National Park California 1916 106,589.02 acres (431.3505 km2) Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky 1941 72,041.73 acres (291.5425 km2) Mesa Verde National Park Colorado 1906 52,485.17 acres (212.3999 km2) Mount Rainier National Park Washington 1899 236,381.64 acres (956.6026 km2) New River Gorge National Park and Preserve West Virginia 2020 72,390.91 acres (292.9556 km2) North Cascades National Park Washington 1968 504,780.94 acres (2,042.7760 km2) Olympic National Park Washington 1938 922,649.41 acres (3,733.8297 km2) Petrified Forest National Park Arizona 1962 221,390.21 acres (895.9344 km2) Pinnacles National Park California 2013 26,685.73 acres (107.9933 km2) Redwood National and State Parks California 1968 139,090.97 acres (562.8812 km2) Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado 1915 265,847.74 acres (1,075.8476 km2) Saguaro National Park Arizona 1994 92,799.77 acres (375.5473 km2) Sequoia National Park California 1890 404,062.63 acres (1,635.1834 km2) Shenandoah National Park Virginia 1935 200,445.92 acres (811.1759 km2) Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota 1978 70,446.89 acres (285.0884 km2) Virgin Islands National Park U.S. Virgin Islands 1956 15,052.33 acres (60.9146 km2) Voyageurs National Park Minnesota 1975 218,223.25 acres (883.1182 km2) White Sands National Park New Mexico 2019 146,344.31 acres (592.2344 km2) Wind Cave National Park South Dakota 1903 33,970.84 acres (137.4751 km2) Wrangell–St. Elias National Park Alaska 1980 8,323,146.48 acres (33,682.5788 km2) Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming 1872 2,219,790.71 acres (8,983.1743 km2) Yosemite National Park California 1890 761,747.50 acres (3,082.6828 km2) Zion National Park Utah 1919 147,242.66 acres (595.8699 km2) Former national parks
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Abraham Lincoln National Park July 17, 1916 August 11, 1939 Redesignated as Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Fort McHenry National Park March 3, 1925 August 11, 1939 Redesignated under the unique designation of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine General Grant National Park October 1, 1890 March 4, 1940 Incorporated into Kings Canyon National Park Hawaii National Park August 1, 1916 September 13, 1960 Divided into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park Mackinac National Park April 15, 1875 March 2, 1895 Transferred to Michigan; now operated as Mackinac Island State Park Platt National Park June 29, 1906 March 17, 1976 Incorporated with Arbuckle Recreation Area and redesignated Chickasaw National Recreation Area Rock Creek Park[5] September 27, 1890 August 10, 1933 Incorporated into National Capital Parks Sullys Hill National Park April 27, 1904 March 3, 1931 Transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; now operated as White Horse Hill National Game Preserve National monuments
[edit]
Main article: List of national monuments of the United States
Devils Tower National MonumentStonewall National MonumentStatue of Liberty National MonumentNatural Bridges National MonumentMuir Woods National MonumentBandelier National MonumentGeorge Washington Carver National Monument
There are 129 national monuments, 84 of which are administered by the NPS and are listed below. Of these, 83 (all except Grand Canyon-Parashant) are NPS official units. The remaining 46 monuments are administered by five other federal agencies. Two, Grand Canyon–Parashant and Craters of the Moon National Monuments, are jointly administered by the NPS and the Bureau of Land Management, and Tule Lake National Monument is joint with the Fish and Wildlife Service. National monuments are typically smaller and protect just one or few major resources. They include both natural and historical sites and can be established by the president under the Antiquities Act. 34 former national monuments have been redesignated or incorporated into national parks.
Former national monuments
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Carlsbad Cave National Monument October 5, 1923 May 14, 1930 Redesignated as Carlsbad Caverns National Park Denali National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Incorporated with Mount McKinley National Park and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve Grand Canyon National Monument January 11, 1908 February 26, 1919 Redesignated as Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Monument December 22, 1932 January 3, 1975 Abolished; lands transferred with Marble Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park.[6][7][8][9] Marble Canyon National Monument January 20, 1969 January 3, 1975 Abolished; lands transferred with Grand Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park. Kobuk Valley National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Redesignated as Kobuk Valley National Park Papago Saguaro National Monument January 31, 1914 April 7, 1930 Transferred to Arizona; now jointly operated by the cities of Phoenix and Tempe Pullman National Monument February 19, 2015 December 29, 2022 Redesignated as Pullman National Historical Park Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument May 11, 1908 August 24, 1937 Transferred to Montana; now operated as a state park Kenai Fjords National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Redesignated as Kenai Fjords National Park Channel Islands National Monument April 26, 1938 March 5, 1980 Redesignated as Channel Islands National Park Father Millet Cross National Monument August 10, 1933 September 7, 1949 Transferred to New York upon the closing of the adjacent military base; now operated part of Fort Niagara State Park First State National Monument March 25, 2013 December 19, 2014 Incorporated into First State National Historical Park Lake Clark National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument March 2, 1933 October 21, 1999 Redesignated as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park December 19, 2014 The National Park Service areas of this monument were incorporated into Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, and the National Park Service no longer recognizes their portions of the national monument as distinct from the national historical park. The remaining portions of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument continue to be operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mukuntuweap National Monument
(renamed Zion National Monument in 1918)July 31, 1909 November 19, 1919 Redesignated as Zion National Park Zion National Monument
(“the Kolob Canyons area”)January 22, 1937 July 11, 1956 Incorporated into Zion National Park Capitol Reef National Monument August 2, 1937 December 18, 1971 Redesignated as Capitol Reef National Park Arches National Monument April 12, 1929 November 12, 1971 Redesignated as Arches National Park Bryce Canyon National Monument June 8, 1923 February 25, 1928 Redesignated as Bryce Canyon National Park Wheeler National Monument December 7, 1908 August 3, 1950 Returned to United States Forest Service Holy Cross National Monument May 11, 1929 August 3, 1950 Returned to United States Forest Service White Sands National Monument January 18, 1933 December 20, 2019 Redesignated as White Sands National Park Jackson Hole National Monument 1943 September 14, 1950 Merged into Grand Teton National Park Shoshone Cavern National Monument September 21, 1909 May 17, 1954 Transferred to Cody, Wyoming as a municipal attraction, and later returned to the Bureau of Land Management Old Kasaan National Monument October 25, 1916 July 26, 1955 Transferred to United States Forest Service Castle Pinckney National Monument August 10, 1933 March 29, 1956 Transferred to South Carolina, and later sold to the Sons of Confederate Veterans; site currently inaccessible and unmaintained Saguaro National Monument March 1, 1933 October 4, 1994 Redesignated as Saguaro National Park Verendrye National Monument June 29, 1917 July 30, 1956 Transferred to North Dakota after the construction of the Garrison Dam; site currently flooded by the reservoir Lake Sakakawea Gates of the Arctic National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Fossil Cycad National Monument October 21, 1922 August 1, 1956 Transferred to Bureau of Land Management because of severe vandalism to the site Death Valley National Monument February 11, 1933 October 31, 1994 Redesignated as Death Valley National Park Joshua Tree National Monument August 10, 1936 October 31, 1994 Redesignated as Joshua Tree National Park Ackia Battlefield National Monument August 27, 1935 August 10, 1961 Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 August 10, 1961 Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway Katmai National Monument September 24, 1918 December 2, 1980 Renamed Katmai National Park and Preserve Mount Olympus National Monument March 2, 1909 June 29, 1938 Redesignated as Olympic National Park Petrified Forest National Monument December 8, 1906 December 9, 1962 Redesignated as Petrified Forest National Park Lehman Caves National Monument June 10, 1933 October 27, 1986 Abolished; incorporated into Great Basin National Park[10] Congaree Swamp National Monument October 18, 1976 November 10, 2003 Redesignated as Congaree National Park Glacier Bay National Monument February 25, 1925 December 2, 1980 Renamed Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Mound City Group National Monument January 1, 1918 January 2, 1992 Incorporated into Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Minidoka Internment National Monument January 17, 2001 May 8, 2008 Redesignated as Minidoka National Historic Site Pinnacles National Monument January 16, 1908 January 10, 2013 Redesignated as Pinnacles National Park[11] Andrew Johnson National Monument April 27, 1942 December 11, 1963 Redesignated as Andrew Johnson National Historic Site[12] Sieur de Monts National Monument July 8, 1916 February 26, 1919 Redesignated as Lafayette National Park
(renamed Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929)Edison Laboratory National Monument July 14, 1956 September 5, 1962 Combined with Edison Home National Historic Site into Edison National Historic Site, later redesignated Thomas Edison National Historical Park Wrangell–St. Elias National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve Badlands National Monument January 29, 1939 November 10, 1978 Redesignated as Badlands National Park Great Sand Dunes National Monument March 17, 1932 September 14, 2004 Renamed Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Biscayne National Monument October 18, 1968 June 28, 1980 Redesignated as Biscayne National Park Fort Jefferson National Monument January 4, 1935 October 26, 1992 Redesignated as Dry Tortugas National Park Cinder Cone National Monument May 6, 1907 August 9, 1916 Merged with Lassen Peak National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Peak National Monument May 6, 1907 August 9, 1916 Merged with Cinder Cone National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park Homestead National Monument of America March 19, 1936 January 13, 2021 Redesignated as Homestead National Historical Park National preserves
[edit]
Main article: National preserve
There are 21 national preserves in the United States, 19 of which are counted by the National Park System as official units. Ten are stand-alone official units, while eleven others are designated areas where hunting or grazing is permitted as part of a larger “national park and preserve” or “national monument and preserve”. Nine of those are counted as separate units, while Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are single units (there is no functional difference). Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is not officially a national preserve but has similar management policies, while Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is unrelated.
National historical parks
[edit]
Main article: National Historic Site (United States) § National Historical Parks
The bell tower atop Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell once was based, in
Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical ParkLaboratory building at Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park
There are 63 national historical parks.
Authorized national historical parks
Name Status Coltsville National Historical Park Connecticut (pending acquisition of property) National historic sites
[edit]
Main article: National Historic Site (United States)
Harry S Truman National Historic SiteKnife River Indian Villages National Historic SiteLower East Side Tenement National Historic SiteFort Union Trading Post National Historic SiteCastillo San Felipe del Morro at San Juan National Historic SiteSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park
There are 86 national historic sites, of which 76 are NPS units, 9 are affiliated areas, and one, Grey Towers National Historic Site, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service (not listed here).
National battlefield parks
[edit]
Main article: National Military Park
Malvern Hill, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Georgia 2,913.63 acres (11.7910 km2) Manassas National Battlefield Park Virginia 5,073.44 acres (20.5315 km2) Richmond National Battlefield Park Virginia 8,143.26 acres (32.9546 km2) River Raisin National Battlefield Park Michigan 42.18 acres (0.1707 km2) National military parks
[edit]
See also: National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Georgia, Tennessee 9,523.48 acres (38.5402 km2) Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park Virginia 8,405.46 acres (34.0157 km2) Gettysburg National Military Park Pennsylvania 6,037.06 acres (24.4311 km2) Guilford Courthouse National Military Park North Carolina 254.90 acres (1.0315 km2) Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Alabama 2,040.00 acres (8.2556 km2) Kings Mountain National Military Park South Carolina 3,945.29 acres (15.9660 km2) Pea Ridge National Military Park Arkansas 4,440.82 acres (17.9714 km2) Shiloh National Military Park Tennessee, Mississippi 9,318.63 acres (37.7112 km2) Vicksburg National Military Park Mississippi, Louisiana 3,049.15 acres (12.3395 km2)
Moore’s Creek National Military Park June 2, 1926 September 8, 1980 Redesignated as Moores Creek National Battlefield Monocacy National Military Park June 21, 1934 October 21, 1976 Redesignated Monocacy National Battlefield; previously Monocacy National Battlefield Site (1929 to 1934)
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Antietam National Battlefield Maryland 3,287.63 acres (13.3046 km2) Big Hole National Battlefield Montana 975.61 acres (3.9482 km2) Cowpens National Battlefield South Carolina 841.56 acres (3.4057 km2) Fort Donelson National Battlefield Tennessee, Kentucky 1,319.25 acres (5.3388 km2) Fort Necessity National Battlefield Pennsylvania 902.80 acres (3.6535 km2) Monocacy National Battlefield Maryland 1,646.88 acres (6.6647 km2) Moores Creek National Battlefield North Carolina 87.75 acres (0.3551 km2) Petersburg National Battlefield Virginia 9,598.68 acres (38.8445 km2) Stones River National Battlefield Tennessee 709.49 acres (2.8712 km2) Tupelo National Battlefield Mississippi 1.00 acre (0.0040 km2) National memorials
[edit]
Main article: List of national memorials of the United States
Lincoln MemorialBenjamin Franklin National MemorialPerry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial
There are 31 national memorials that are NPS units and five affiliated national memorials.[2]
Name Law Authorized by Public Law 107-62 Authorized by National Defense Authorization Act 2015[16] National recreation areas
[edit]
Main article: National recreation area
Lake Mead National Recreation AreaDelaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
There are 18 national recreation areas administered by the National Park Service.[2] Another 22 national recreation areas are administered by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
National seashores
[edit]
Main article: List of United States national lakeshores and seashores
Wild horses on Assateague Island National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore
There are 10 national seashores.[2]
Name Location Area (2024)[3][4] Assateague Island National Seashore Maryland, Virginia 41,311.27 acres (167.1808 km2) Canaveral National Seashore Florida 57,661.69 acres (233.3486 km2) Cape Cod National Seashore Massachusetts 43,615.34 acres (176.5050 km2) Cape Hatteras National Seashore North Carolina 30,350.65 acres (122.8247 km2) Cape Lookout National Seashore North Carolina 28,243.36 acres (114.2968 km2) Cumberland Island National Seashore Georgia 36,346.83 acres (147.0904 km2) Fire Island National Seashore New York 19,580.65 acres (79.2401 km2) Gulf Islands National Seashore Florida, Mississippi 138,306.64 acres (559.7071 km2) Padre Island National Seashore Texas 130,434.27 acres (527.8488 km2) Point Reyes National Seashore California 71,053.38 acres (287.5428 km2) National lakeshores
[edit]
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Main article: List of United States national lakeshores and seashores
There are three national lakeshores, located in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Name Location Area (2024)[3][4] Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Wisconsin 69,377.43 acres (280.7605 km2) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Michigan 73,235.97 acres (296.3755 km2) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Michigan 71,318.57 acres (288.6160 km2) Former national lakeshores
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore November 5, 1966 February 15, 2019 Redesignated Indiana Dunes National Park National rivers and national wild and scenic rivers
[edit]
The Buffalo National River, the first National River established in the United StatesSaint Croix National Scenic Riverway
There are four national rivers (marked with an asterisk) and ten national wild and scenic rivers administered as distinct units of the National Park System.[2] There are many more national wild and scenic rivers that run through other units.
Former national rivers
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result New River Gorge National River November 10, 1978 December 27, 2020 Redesignated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve National reserves
[edit]
City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho
National reserves are partnerships between federal, state, and local authorities. Within the boundaries of the three national reserves are combinations of federal land (Park Service or National Wildlife Refuges), state parks and forests, local public lands, and private properties. Two national reserves are currently managed as official units.
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[3][4] City of Rocks National Reserve Idaho 14,512.27 acres (58.7291 km2) Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve Washington 19,333.51 acres (78.2399 km2) Pinelands National Reserve (affiliated area) New Jersey 1,164,025 acres (4,710.64 km2) National parkways
[edit]
Main article: National Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina
Ten roadways and surrounding scenic areas are managed by the NPS as parkways, four of which as official units and five as part of other units.
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[3][4] Baltimore-Washington Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Maryland, Washington, D.C. Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia, North Carolina 101,128.20 acres (409.2513 km2) Colonial Parkway (part of Colonial National Historical Park) Virginia Foothills Parkway (part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park) Tennessee George Washington Memorial Parkway (In 1989, the Maryland and DC portions of the parkway were renamed Clara Barton Parkway to overcome motorist confusion). Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. 6,719.21 acres (27.1917 km2) John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway Wyoming 23,777.22 acres (96.2230 km2) Natchez Trace Parkway Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee 52,380.46 acres (211.9762 km2) Oxon Run Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Washington, D.C. Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (part of Rock Creek Park) Washington, D.C. Suitland Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Maryland National historic and scenic trails
[edit]
Main article: National Trails System
These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only six of the trails are considered official units of the park system.[2]
National cemeteries
[edit]
Most national cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of the cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks.
Other NPS protected areas and administrative groups
[edit]
National MallRoosevelt Campobello International Park (affiliated area)Acadian Landing Site at Maine Acadian Culture (affiliated area)
There are 11 NPS units of other designations, as well as other affiliated areas. The National Mall and National Capital Parks have many sites, some of which are also units of other designations.
In addition, there are sites where the NPS is authorized to provide financial and technical assistance to local authorities for interpretive or educational purposes, but do not have the right to acquire land or have a say in land use or zoning. These include the 55 National Heritage Areas, as well as National Commemorative Sites such as Quindaro Townsite or the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site. There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements (but not the land itself) for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the NPS developed dozens of recreational demonstration areas, most of which eventually became national or state parks.
A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”[5] Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress; the newest national park is New River Gorge, previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa. A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS),[6] and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR),[7] with eight national parks in both programs.
Thirty states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km2), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km2) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km2).[8]
The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors.[9] Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been the most-visited park since 1944,[10] and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022.[11] In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022.[11]
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Your story can be found here
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audio file
During the course of my life, I have visited the majority of the 63 national parks in the United States, as well as most of the national monuments, and many of the battlegrounds as well.. One of my favorites has been the Redwood
s National Park located in Northwest California near my summer home in Medford, Oregon. I just got back from my 10th visit
over the years. I first visited this park in 1963 as a child and I awestruck by the beauty of the majestic redwoods.
All in on all great day.
here’s the list of List of national parks of the United States – I have bolded the ones I have visited, and put a star next to the ones still on my bucket list Now that I have visited all 50 states my remaining travel bucket list includes visiting all the national parks.
HIking Hobart’s Ridge Near Ashland, Oregon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1938 poster promoting Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world
Interactive map (incomplete) of the National Parks of the United States.
The United States has 63 national parks, which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior.[1] National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically “because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena.”[2] While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited.[3] National monuments, on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. The 430 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations.[4]
National parks
[edit]
Main article: List of national parks of the United States
There are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States and its dependent areas, as of 2021.[2] The national parks are considered the “crown jewels” of the system and are typically larger than other areas, including a variety of significant ecological and geological resources.
North Cascades National ParkHaleakalā National ParkJoshua Tree National ParkDry Tortugas National ParkShenandoah National ParkBadlands National ParkGuadalupe Mountains National ParkArches National ParkOlympic National ParkCuyahoga Valley National ParkGateway Arch National Park
Name Location Year established Area (2024)[3][4] Acadia National Park Maine 1919 49,071.40 acres (198.5849 km2) National Park of American Samoa American Samoa 1988 8,256.67 acres (33.4136 km2) Arches National Park Utah 1971 76,678.98 acres (310.3088 km2) Badlands National Park South Dakota 1978 242,742.90 acres (982.3457 km2) Big Bend National Park Texas 1944 801,163.21 acres (3,242.1925 km2) Biscayne National Park Florida 1980 172,971.11 acres (699.9892 km2) Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Colorado 1999 30,779.83 acres (124.5616 km2) Bryce Canyon National Park Utah 1928 35,835.08 acres (145.0194 km2) Canyonlands National Park Utah 1964 337,597.83 acres (1,366.2099 km2) Capitol Reef National Park Utah 1971 241,904.50 acres (978.9528 km2) Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico 1930 46,766.45 acres (189.2571 km2) Channel Islands National Park California 1980 249,561.00 acres (1,009.9375 km2) Congaree National Park South Carolina 2003 26,692.60 acres (108.0211 km2) Crater Lake National Park Oregon 1902 183,224.05 acres (741.4814 km2) Cuyahoga Valley National Park Ohio 2000 32,597.08 acres (131.9157 km2) Death Valley National Park California, Nevada 1994 3,408,445.63 acres (13,793.4901 km2) Denali National Park Alaska 1917 4,740,911.16 acres (19,185.7868 km2) Dry Tortugas National Park Florida 1992 64,701.22 acres (261.8365 km2) Everglades National Park Florida 1947 1,508,938.57 acres (6,106.4577 km2) Gates of the Arctic National Park Alaska 1980 7,523,897.45 acres (30,448.1327 km2) Gateway Arch National Park Missouri 2018 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2) Glacier National Park (part of Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park) Montana 1910 1,013,126.39 acres (4,099.9770 km2) Glacier Bay National Park Alaska 1980 3,223,383.43 acres (13,044.5699 km2) Grand Canyon National Park Arizona 1919 1,201,647.03 acres (4,862.8930 km2) Grand Teton National Park Wyoming 1929 310,044.36 acres (1,254.7050 km2) Great Basin National Park Nevada 1986 77,180.00 acres (312.3364 km2) Great Sand Dunes National Park Colorado 2004 107,336.95 acres (434.3772 km2) Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina, Tennessee 1934 522,426.88 acres (2,114.1866 km2) Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas 1966 86,367.10 acres (349.5153 km2) Haleakalā National Park Hawaii 1916 33,488.98 acres (135.5251 km2) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii 1916 344,812.18 acres (1,395.4054 km2) Hot Springs National Park Arkansas 1921 5,554.15 acres (22.4768 km2) Indiana Dunes National Park Indiana 2019 15,615.10 acres (63.1921 km2) Isle Royale National Park Michigan 1940 571,790.30 acres (2,313.9532 km2) Joshua Tree National Park California 1994 795,155.85 acres (3,217.8816 km2) Katmai National Park Alaska 1980 3,674,529.33 acres (14,870.2926 km2) Kenai Fjords National Park Alaska 1980 669,650.05 acres (2,709.9776 km2) Kings Canyon National Park California 1940 461,901.37 acres (1,869.2485 km2) Kobuk Valley National Park Alaska 1980 1,750,716.16 acres (7,084.8969 km2) Lake Clark National Park Alaska 1980 2,619,816.49 acres (10,602.0212 km2) Lassen Volcanic National Park California 1916 106,589.02 acres (431.3505 km2) Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky 1941 72,041.73 acres (291.5425 km2) Mesa Verde National Park Colorado 1906 52,485.17 acres (212.3999 km2) Mount Rainier National Park Washington 1899 236,381.64 acres (956.6026 km2) New River Gorge National Park and Preserve West Virginia 2020 72,390.91 acres (292.9556 km2) North Cascades National Park Washington 1968 504,780.94 acres (2,042.7760 km2) Olympic National Park Washington 1938 922,649.41 acres (3,733.8297 km2) Petrified Forest National Park Arizona 1962 221,390.21 acres (895.9344 km2) Pinnacles National Park California 2013 26,685.73 acres (107.9933 km2) Redwood National and State Parks California 1968 139,090.97 acres (562.8812 km2) Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado 1915 265,847.74 acres (1,075.8476 km2) Saguaro National Park Arizona 1994 92,799.77 acres (375.5473 km2) Sequoia National Park California 1890 404,062.63 acres (1,635.1834 km2) Shenandoah National Park Virginia 1935 200,445.92 acres (811.1759 km2) Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota 1978 70,446.89 acres (285.0884 km2) Virgin Islands National Park U.S. Virgin Islands 1956 15,052.33 acres (60.9146 km2) Voyageurs National Park Minnesota 1975 218,223.25 acres (883.1182 km2) White Sands National Park New Mexico 2019 146,344.31 acres (592.2344 km2) Wind Cave National Park South Dakota 1903 33,970.84 acres (137.4751 km2) Wrangell–St. Elias National Park Alaska 1980 8,323,146.48 acres (33,682.5788 km2) Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming 1872 2,219,790.71 acres (8,983.1743 km2) Yosemite National Park California 1890 761,747.50 acres (3,082.6828 km2) Zion National Park Utah 1919 147,242.66 acres (595.8699 km2) Former national parks
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Abraham Lincoln National Park July 17, 1916 August 11, 1939 Redesignated as Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Fort McHenry National Park March 3, 1925 August 11, 1939 Redesignated under the unique designation of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine General Grant National Park October 1, 1890 March 4, 1940 Incorporated into Kings Canyon National Park Hawaii National Park August 1, 1916 September 13, 1960 Divided into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park Mackinac National Park April 15, 1875 March 2, 1895 Transferred to Michigan; now operated as Mackinac Island State Park Platt National Park June 29, 1906 March 17, 1976 Incorporated with Arbuckle Recreation Area and redesignated Chickasaw National Recreation Area Rock Creek Park[5] September 27, 1890 August 10, 1933 Incorporated into National Capital Parks Sullys Hill National Park April 27, 1904 March 3, 1931 Transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; now operated as White Horse Hill National Game Preserve National monuments
[edit]
Main article: List of national monuments of the United States
Devils Tower National MonumentStonewall National MonumentStatue of Liberty National MonumentNatural Bridges National MonumentMuir Woods National MonumentBandelier National MonumentGeorge Washington Carver National Monument
There are 129 national monuments, 84 of which are administered by the NPS and are listed below. Of these, 83 (all except Grand Canyon-Parashant) are NPS official units. The remaining 46 monuments are administered by five other federal agencies. Two, Grand Canyon–Parashant and Craters of the Moon National Monuments, are jointly administered by the NPS and the Bureau of Land Management, and Tule Lake National Monument is joint with the Fish and Wildlife Service. National monuments are typically smaller and protect just one or few major resources. They include both natural and historical sites and can be established by the president under the Antiquities Act. 34 former national monuments have been redesignated or incorporated into national parks.
Former national monuments
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Carlsbad Cave National Monument October 5, 1923 May 14, 1930 Redesignated as Carlsbad Caverns National Park Denali National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Incorporated with Mount McKinley National Park and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve Grand Canyon National Monument January 11, 1908 February 26, 1919 Redesignated as Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Monument December 22, 1932 January 3, 1975 Abolished; lands transferred with Marble Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park.[6][7][8][9] Marble Canyon National Monument January 20, 1969 January 3, 1975 Abolished; lands transferred with Grand Canyon National Monument into an expansion of Grand Canyon National Park. Kobuk Valley National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Redesignated as Kobuk Valley National Park Papago Saguaro National Monument January 31, 1914 April 7, 1930 Transferred to Arizona; now jointly operated by the cities of Phoenix and Tempe Pullman National Monument February 19, 2015 December 29, 2022 Redesignated as Pullman National Historical Park Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument May 11, 1908 August 24, 1937 Transferred to Montana; now operated as a state park Kenai Fjords National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Redesignated as Kenai Fjords National Park Channel Islands National Monument April 26, 1938 March 5, 1980 Redesignated as Channel Islands National Park Father Millet Cross National Monument August 10, 1933 September 7, 1949 Transferred to New York upon the closing of the adjacent military base; now operated part of Fort Niagara State Park First State National Monument March 25, 2013 December 19, 2014 Incorporated into First State National Historical Park Lake Clark National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument March 2, 1933 October 21, 1999 Redesignated as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park December 19, 2014 The National Park Service areas of this monument were incorporated into Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, and the National Park Service no longer recognizes their portions of the national monument as distinct from the national historical park. The remaining portions of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument continue to be operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mukuntuweap National Monument
(renamed Zion National Monument in 1918)July 31, 1909 November 19, 1919 Redesignated as Zion National Park Zion National Monument
(“the Kolob Canyons area”)January 22, 1937 July 11, 1956 Incorporated into Zion National Park Capitol Reef National Monument August 2, 1937 December 18, 1971 Redesignated as Capitol Reef National Park Arches National Monument April 12, 1929 November 12, 1971 Redesignated as Arches National Park Bryce Canyon National Monument June 8, 1923 February 25, 1928 Redesignated as Bryce Canyon National Park Wheeler National Monument December 7, 1908 August 3, 1950 Returned to United States Forest Service Holy Cross National Monument May 11, 1929 August 3, 1950 Returned to United States Forest Service White Sands National Monument January 18, 1933 December 20, 2019 Redesignated as White Sands National Park Jackson Hole National Monument 1943 September 14, 1950 Merged into Grand Teton National Park Shoshone Cavern National Monument September 21, 1909 May 17, 1954 Transferred to Cody, Wyoming as a municipal attraction, and later returned to the Bureau of Land Management Old Kasaan National Monument October 25, 1916 July 26, 1955 Transferred to United States Forest Service Castle Pinckney National Monument August 10, 1933 March 29, 1956 Transferred to South Carolina, and later sold to the Sons of Confederate Veterans; site currently inaccessible and unmaintained Saguaro National Monument March 1, 1933 October 4, 1994 Redesignated as Saguaro National Park Verendrye National Monument June 29, 1917 July 30, 1956 Transferred to North Dakota after the construction of the Garrison Dam; site currently flooded by the reservoir Lake Sakakawea Gates of the Arctic National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Fossil Cycad National Monument October 21, 1922 August 1, 1956 Transferred to Bureau of Land Management because of severe vandalism to the site Death Valley National Monument February 11, 1933 October 31, 1994 Redesignated as Death Valley National Park Joshua Tree National Monument August 10, 1936 October 31, 1994 Redesignated as Joshua Tree National Park Ackia Battlefield National Monument August 27, 1935 August 10, 1961 Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 August 10, 1961 Incorporated into Natchez Trace Parkway Katmai National Monument September 24, 1918 December 2, 1980 Renamed Katmai National Park and Preserve Mount Olympus National Monument March 2, 1909 June 29, 1938 Redesignated as Olympic National Park Petrified Forest National Monument December 8, 1906 December 9, 1962 Redesignated as Petrified Forest National Park Lehman Caves National Monument June 10, 1933 October 27, 1986 Abolished; incorporated into Great Basin National Park[10] Congaree Swamp National Monument October 18, 1976 November 10, 2003 Redesignated as Congaree National Park Glacier Bay National Monument February 25, 1925 December 2, 1980 Renamed Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Mound City Group National Monument January 1, 1918 January 2, 1992 Incorporated into Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Minidoka Internment National Monument January 17, 2001 May 8, 2008 Redesignated as Minidoka National Historic Site Pinnacles National Monument January 16, 1908 January 10, 2013 Redesignated as Pinnacles National Park[11] Andrew Johnson National Monument April 27, 1942 December 11, 1963 Redesignated as Andrew Johnson National Historic Site[12] Sieur de Monts National Monument July 8, 1916 February 26, 1919 Redesignated as Lafayette National Park
(renamed Acadia National Park on January 19, 1929)Edison Laboratory National Monument July 14, 1956 September 5, 1962 Combined with Edison Home National Historic Site into Edison National Historic Site, later redesignated Thomas Edison National Historical Park Wrangell–St. Elias National Monument December 1, 1978 December 2, 1980 Renamed Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve Badlands National Monument January 29, 1939 November 10, 1978 Redesignated as Badlands National Park Great Sand Dunes National Monument March 17, 1932 September 14, 2004 Renamed Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Biscayne National Monument October 18, 1968 June 28, 1980 Redesignated as Biscayne National Park Fort Jefferson National Monument January 4, 1935 October 26, 1992 Redesignated as Dry Tortugas National Park Cinder Cone National Monument May 6, 1907 August 9, 1916 Merged with Lassen Peak National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Peak National Monument May 6, 1907 August 9, 1916 Merged with Cinder Cone National Monument and redesignated as Lassen Volcanic National Park Homestead National Monument of America March 19, 1936 January 13, 2021 Redesignated as Homestead National Historical Park National preserves
[edit]
Main article: National preserve
There are 21 national preserves in the United States, 19 of which are counted by the National Park System as official units. Ten are stand-alone official units, while eleven others are designated areas where hunting or grazing is permitted as part of a larger “national park and preserve” or “national monument and preserve”. Nine of those are counted as separate units, while Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are single units (there is no functional difference). Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is not officially a national preserve but has similar management policies, while Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is unrelated.
National historical parks
[edit]
Main article: National Historic Site (United States) § National Historical Parks
The bell tower atop Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell once was based, in
Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical ParkLaboratory building at Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park
There are 63 national historical parks.
Authorized national historical parks
Name Status Coltsville National Historical Park Connecticut (pending acquisition of property) National historic sites
[edit]
Main article: National Historic Site (United States)
Harry S Truman National Historic SiteKnife River Indian Villages National Historic SiteLower East Side Tenement National Historic SiteFort Union Trading Post National Historic SiteCastillo San Felipe del Morro at San Juan National Historic SiteSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park
There are 86 national historic sites, of which 76 are NPS units, 9 are affiliated areas, and one, Grey Towers National Historic Site, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service (not listed here).
National battlefield parks
[edit]
Main article: National Military Park
Malvern Hill, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Georgia 2,913.63 acres (11.7910 km2) Manassas National Battlefield Park Virginia 5,073.44 acres (20.5315 km2) Richmond National Battlefield Park Virginia 8,143.26 acres (32.9546 km2) River Raisin National Battlefield Park Michigan 42.18 acres (0.1707 km2) National military parks
[edit]
See also: National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Georgia, Tennessee 9,523.48 acres (38.5402 km2) Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park Virginia 8,405.46 acres (34.0157 km2) Gettysburg National Military Park Pennsylvania 6,037.06 acres (24.4311 km2) Guilford Courthouse National Military Park North Carolina 254.90 acres (1.0315 km2) Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Alabama 2,040.00 acres (8.2556 km2) Kings Mountain National Military Park South Carolina 3,945.29 acres (15.9660 km2) Pea Ridge National Military Park Arkansas 4,440.82 acres (17.9714 km2) Shiloh National Military Park Tennessee, Mississippi 9,318.63 acres (37.7112 km2) Vicksburg National Military Park Mississippi, Louisiana 3,049.15 acres (12.3395 km2)
Moore’s Creek National Military Park June 2, 1926 September 8, 1980 Redesignated as Moores Creek National Battlefield Monocacy National Military Park June 21, 1934 October 21, 1976 Redesignated Monocacy National Battlefield; previously Monocacy National Battlefield Site (1929 to 1934)
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[4][15] Antietam National Battlefield Maryland 3,287.63 acres (13.3046 km2) Big Hole National Battlefield Montana 975.61 acres (3.9482 km2) Cowpens National Battlefield South Carolina 841.56 acres (3.4057 km2) Fort Donelson National Battlefield Tennessee, Kentucky 1,319.25 acres (5.3388 km2) Fort Necessity National Battlefield Pennsylvania 902.80 acres (3.6535 km2) Monocacy National Battlefield Maryland 1,646.88 acres (6.6647 km2) Moores Creek National Battlefield North Carolina 87.75 acres (0.3551 km2) Petersburg National Battlefield Virginia 9,598.68 acres (38.8445 km2) Stones River National Battlefield Tennessee 709.49 acres (2.8712 km2) Tupelo National Battlefield Mississippi 1.00 acre (0.0040 km2) National memorials
[edit]
Main article: List of national memorials of the United States
Lincoln MemorialBenjamin Franklin National MemorialPerry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial
There are 31 national memorials that are NPS units and five affiliated national memorials.[2]
Name Law Authorized by Public Law 107-62 Authorized by National Defense Authorization Act 2015[16] National recreation areas
[edit]
Main article: National recreation area
Lake Mead National Recreation AreaDelaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
There are 18 national recreation areas administered by the National Park Service.[2] Another 22 national recreation areas are administered by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
National seashores
[edit]
Main article: List of United States national lakeshores and seashores
Wild horses on Assateague Island National SeashoreCape Hatteras National Seashore
There are 10 national seashores.[2]
Name Location Area (2024)[3][4] Assateague Island National Seashore Maryland, Virginia 41,311.27 acres (167.1808 km2) Canaveral National Seashore Florida 57,661.69 acres (233.3486 km2) Cape Cod National Seashore Massachusetts 43,615.34 acres (176.5050 km2) Cape Hatteras National Seashore North Carolina 30,350.65 acres (122.8247 km2) Cape Lookout National Seashore North Carolina 28,243.36 acres (114.2968 km2) Cumberland Island National Seashore Georgia 36,346.83 acres (147.0904 km2) Fire Island National Seashore New York 19,580.65 acres (79.2401 km2) Gulf Islands National Seashore Florida, Mississippi 138,306.64 acres (559.7071 km2) Padre Island National Seashore Texas 130,434.27 acres (527.8488 km2) Point Reyes National Seashore California 71,053.38 acres (287.5428 km2) National lakeshores
[edit]
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Main article: List of United States national lakeshores and seashores
There are three national lakeshores, located in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Name Location Area (2024)[3][4] Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Wisconsin 69,377.43 acres (280.7605 km2) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Michigan 73,235.97 acres (296.3755 km2) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Michigan 71,318.57 acres (288.6160 km2) Former national lakeshores
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore November 5, 1966 February 15, 2019 Redesignated Indiana Dunes National Park National rivers and national wild and scenic rivers
[edit]
The Buffalo National River, the first National River established in the United StatesSaint Croix National Scenic Riverway
There are four national rivers (marked with an asterisk) and ten national wild and scenic rivers administered as distinct units of the National Park System.[2] There are many more national wild and scenic rivers that run through other units.
Former national rivers
[edit]
Name Established Disbanded Result New River Gorge National River November 10, 1978 December 27, 2020 Redesignated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve National reserves
[edit]
City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho
National reserves are partnerships between federal, state, and local authorities. Within the boundaries of the three national reserves are combinations of federal land (Park Service or National Wildlife Refuges), state parks and forests, local public lands, and private properties. Two national reserves are currently managed as official units.
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[3][4] City of Rocks National Reserve Idaho 14,512.27 acres (58.7291 km2) Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve Washington 19,333.51 acres (78.2399 km2) Pinelands National Reserve (affiliated area) New Jersey 1,164,025 acres (4,710.64 km2) National parkways
[edit]
Main article: National Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina
Ten roadways and surrounding scenic areas are managed by the NPS as parkways, four of which as official units and five as part of other units.
Name[2] Location Area (2024)[3][4] Baltimore-Washington Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Maryland, Washington, D.C. Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia, North Carolina 101,128.20 acres (409.2513 km2) Colonial Parkway (part of Colonial National Historical Park) Virginia Foothills Parkway (part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park) Tennessee George Washington Memorial Parkway (In 1989, the Maryland and DC portions of the parkway were renamed Clara Barton Parkway to overcome motorist confusion). Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. 6,719.21 acres (27.1917 km2) John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway Wyoming 23,777.22 acres (96.2230 km2) Natchez Trace Parkway Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee 52,380.46 acres (211.9762 km2) Oxon Run Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Washington, D.C. Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (part of Rock Creek Park) Washington, D.C. Suitland Parkway (part of National Capital Parks East) Maryland National historic and scenic trails
[edit]
Main article: National Trails System
These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only six of the trails are considered official units of the park system.[2]
National cemeteries
[edit]
Most national cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of the cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks.
Other NPS protected areas and administrative groups
[edit]
National MallRoosevelt Campobello International Park (affiliated area)Acadian Landing Site at Maine Acadian Culture (affiliated area)
There are 11 NPS units of other designations, as well as other affiliated areas. The National Mall and National Capital Parks have many sites, some of which are also units of other designations.
In addition, there are sites where the NPS is authorized to provide financial and technical assistance to local authorities for interpretive or educational purposes, but do not have the right to acquire land or have a say in land use or zoning. These include the 55 National Heritage Areas, as well as National Commemorative Sites such as Quindaro Townsite or the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site. There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements (but not the land itself) for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the NPS developed dozens of recreational demonstration areas, most of which eventually became national or state parks.
A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”[5] Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress; the newest national park is New River Gorge, previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa. A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS),[6] and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR),[7] with eight national parks in both programs.
Thirty states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km2), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km2) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km2).[8]
The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors.[9] Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been the most-visited park since 1944,[10] and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022.[11] In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022.[11]
Substack
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Your story can be found here
Spotify Podcast
April 18 to April 20, 2022 Poems
April 14 to April 15, 2022 Poems
April 12 to April 13, 2022 Poems
2022 April Poetry Madness April 1 to 3 poems
“How Did I End Up Here?
You asked me
How I ended up
In this place?
I mean, I look
Like a reasonable
Responsible white dude
Not a violent thug
Am I right?
Well, my life
Went downhill fast
When I met Maria Lee
In that infamous bar.
You know, the Cosmos bar?
On Telegraph Ave
Down the street
from Mc Arthur Station?
Do you know the UFO place?
Been there?
Yeah then you know
It is filled with hot assed babes
Looking for a little side action
If you know what I mean?
She was a regular there
Stood out from the crowd
Just a drop-dead gorgeous
Korean babe, a real looker.
And I was smitten.
Until she laughed.
I would have happily
Married Maria Lee
If it weren’t for her laughter.
Maria had a horrid laugher
That was just so annoying
A high pitched crackling sound
That filled the air.
Like the proverbial chalkboard
Screeching sound
That got into your ears
And got stuck
Like a malignant earworm.
Her laughter was annoying as hell
And she was a beautiful gal
With a bonkers sexy devil may
Care personality.
Otherwise
We got along famously.
But I just could not get beyond
Her annoying laughter.
That sound made me
Want to beat her up.
Just to shut her up
You know what I mean?
I had to call it off
Before I was driven to murder
Due to her insane laughter.
It was the laugher
Did me in
In the end.
Got five to ten years
In this prison paradise
For the wanton killing
Of Maria Lee.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day (optional, as always). Hard-boiled detective novels are known for their use of vivid similes, often with an ironic or sarcastic tone. Novelist Raymond Chandler is particularly adept at these. Here are a few from his novels:
A few locks of dry, white hair clung to his scalp, like wildflowers fighting for life on a bare rock.
Dead men are heavier than broken hearts.
From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away.
She smelled the way the Taj Mahal looks in the moonlight.
He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.
Today, I’d like to challenge you to channel your inner gumshoe and write a poem in which you describe something with a hard-boiled simile. Feel free to use just one, or try to go for broke and stuff your poem with similes till it’s . . . As dense as bread baked by a plumber, as round as the eyes of a girl who wants you to think she’s never heard such language, and as easy to miss as a brass band in a cathedral.
“There is no architect
Can build as the Muse can,
She is skillful to select
Materials for her plan”
Emerson the House
My muse
Is a strange one
A strange creature.
That hides deep in my mind
Coming out mostly at night
Whispering words of wisdom
In my nightly fantastical dreams.
Fragments of which
Haunt my mornings
As I try to recapture
The elusive fading memories
Of my nightly movie scripts
That plays on in my mind’s eye
In my private cinema.
I don’t dream mere dreams
I dream movies
And the director of my movies
Is the ever-elusive fairy queen
My eternal muse of beauty.
As I write my poems
And stories
She takes control
Leading me down
Dark rabbit holes
Where I fear to tread,
Encountering the dark demons
And the wild things
Of my imagination.
Who are waiting for me
Demanding I pay
For my entertainment.
I smile as my muse
Negotiates a way home.
And I wake up
And see that my muse
Sleeps on in the form
Of my wife
The love of my life.
That is the power
Of the queen of my heart
My eternal muse.
The super nonsense man
Appeared one day
In our land.
He appeared on TV, tweeter
Facebook and everywhere
Spreading forth
Across the virtual universe
infecting everything with
One nonsensical conspiracy
After another.
Everything he said
Appear plausible, reasonable
Even desirable.
But it was complete nonsense
Lies based on lies
Wrapped up in lies
Hatred and mind-numbing fear
THEY were after you
To destroy America
He claimed.
All his false words
Designed to deceive,
To weaken the mind
And the spirit
of the gullible.
Who soon begin
Believing everything
The super nonsense man
Sprouted forth on TV.
No one wanted to fact check
No one believed the truth anymore
That was so old school it seemed.
Super nonsense man
Soon took over the world
And became what
Many had feared
Just another con man
Off to grift as much
As he can
From the land
Of the free
And the home of the brave.
Before leading
The alien invasion
Enslaving humanity forever.
In the end,
It did not matter
We all believed
The lies of
super-nonsense man.
And humanity became
Just another failed civilization
In a uncaring universe
For today’s prompt, write a superhero or supervillain poem. It’s OK to write a poem about an established hero or villain, like Thor, Green Lantern, or The Tick. But it would be more fun to have poems about lesser-known (as in, you just invented them) heroes and villains. People like The Recycler, Dr. Dirty Dishes, or the diabolical Pie Bandit. Save the day; wreck the day; but please, write a poem
Life is an endless dream, my friends.
A dream that has no beginning and no ending
That flows down the rabbit holes
Of one’s mind to dark dangerous corners
Where the wild things do roam
A Metaphor Write a poem that is entirely made up of one metaphor.
3 room press prompt (for April 24th)
The poet dreams lost in memory
While the secret architect
His fairy godmother, his muse
Dances about his head making designs
The Sun and stars shining overhead
The poet finds himself alone
Watching God singing the blues
3 room press prompt (for April 24th)
For the first prompt, grab any book at all. Flip to a random page and scan, making a list of ten or more words that catch your eye. Write a single stanza poem that incorporates seven as end words, for a bonus write a sestina (six lines) poem that incorporates all words as end words.
Prompt words from Emerson ‘The House”
Poet
Memory
Architect
Muse
Designs
Sun
Stars
God
Sings
I Remember Writer’s Cramp
I remember it was in September
A date I shall always remember
For on that date I met my fate
Met the love of my life,
Who soon became my wife,
With such an impact
Looked at her every morning.
Déjà vu moments abound
her love a mirror image
Of my love for her.
Monday Day 25:
The Mad Woman of My Dreams Aisling
When I was in high school
I had my first dream
The dream changed my life.
In my fevered imagination
I saw the most beautiful woman
In the universe speaking to me
She was a tall Asian woman
I knew that someday
Somehow I would meet her
It was my fate
Became my obsession
To find the girl
in the dream
It took eight years
Before I finally met her
On a bus in Korea
I met her
On the day
I was determined
To give up
To abandon this mad quest
To find the lady in the dream
That haunted my nights
That morning she came to me
Said
“don’t worry
We will be together soon”
She walked off the bus
That night
When I saw her there
I knew that it was her
And she knew it too
Two months later
She became my wife.
That was almost 40 years ago
Every day I recall the dream
Of how we first met.
Today’s (optional) prompt is based on the Aisling, a poetic form that developed in Ireland. An Aisling recounts a dream or vision featuring a woman who represents the land or country /in which the poet lives, and who speaks to the poet about it. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that recounts a dream or vision, and in which, a woman appears who represents or reflects the area in which you live. Perhaps she will be the Madonna of the Traffic Lights or the Mysterious Spirit of Bus Stops. Or maybe the Lost Lady of the Stony Coves will address you. Whatever form your dream visitor takes,
Sitting in the dental chair
Undergoing dental surgery
While the dentist probes
And tortures me
With his instruments of pain.
The Frank Zappa song
Plays over and over
The torture never stops
The torture never stops.
And I think of the mad dentist
In Little House of Horrors
The Jack Nicolson character
Who screams Pain is good!
As he assaults his patients
Doing root canals
Without anesthesia.
And so, I endure the torture
Of the dentist
In the vain hope
I can save my teeth.
Until the next time
I undergo mental torture
The song faces away
And I slowly recover.
Then as I leave
I am confronted with the bill
And the song roars back to life.
The torture never stops
the torture never stops.
written after seeing
the dentist © 4 years ago, j
Flies all green and buzzin’
In this dungeon of despair
Prisoners grumblin
Piss they clothes
Scratch their matted hair
A tiny light from a window-hole
A hundred yards away
That all they ever get to know
‘Bout the regular life in the day
‘Bout the regular life in the day
Slime and rot and rats and snuck
Vomit on the floor
Fifty ugly soldier men
Holdin’ spears by the iron door
Stinks so bad, stones are chokin’
Weepin’ greenish drops
In the den where
The giant fire puffer works
And the torture never stops
The torture never stops, torture
The torture never stops
The torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin’
In this dungeon of despair
An evil prince eats a steamin’ pig
In a tumbers right near there
In the chambers right near there
He eats de snouts and trotters first!
The loins and the groins are then dispersed
His carvin’ style is well rehearsed
He stands and shouts
All men be cursed (4x)
And disagree it, well no one durst
He the best of cause of all the woist
Best of cause of all the woist
He stinks so bad his stones been chokin’
Weepin’ greenish drops
In the room with the iron maiden
And the torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Flies all green and buzzin’
In dungeon of despair
Who are’ll those people
That is shut away down there
Are they crazy
Are they sainted
Are they heroes someone painted
Someone painted
Are they -isms
Later ornated
Once they come they have been tainted
Once they come they have been tainted
Never been explained
Since at first it was created
But a dungeon and his kin’
Require naught but lockin’ in
Of any anything that’s been
Could be a her but it’s probly a him
Could be a her but it’s probly a him
Its what’s the deal were dealin’ in
Its what’s the deal were dealin’ in
An he stinks so bad it’s hurt
To the pearl and the piles of blast
Any dungeon has a trailer
Were the torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, torture
Torture never stops
Torture never stops, talkin’ to you
Torture never stops
April 25—Music—write a(nother) poem in response to a particular song or larger musical work (or to a jukebox situation connected to “drunken barroom layabouts” to quote Harlow Flick)
You see them everywhere
On the street
On the bus
On the metro
But mostly wandering the streets
Lost souls
Broken down defeated souls
The souls of the living dead
Dead inside
Waiting for death
To deliver them from the agony
Of the living,
They make do
They beg
They steal
They con their way,
Living the life
Living death
Broken Souls
You have two minds
One part of you
the fearful part of you
Conditioned to ignore,
Conditioned to walk by
Ingoing the tragic wounded lives
The broken souls all around you.
But part of you knows
That you cannot do that
But you can’t save everyone.
So you do what you can
You help those whom you can
All it takes is a little act of compassion
A little human kindness
A few bucks or a cup of coffee.
And you walk by
Knowing just knowing
That by a simple act of acknowledging
Our shared humanity.
You have made a small victory
And brought happiness
To yet another broken down soul.
And the fear
that you will be a broken soul
Recedes away
Not me never
Never will happen to me
But one forgets
It is a simple matter
A wrong turn in life
The wrong place wrong time wrong thing
And you could be the broken soul
On the street
Begging to be heard
Begging to be taken away
And so I walk on by no more
I will listen
I will talk to them
I will make a small difference
And in so doing
Avoid becoming a broken-down soul
Is it possible for a lesson to appeal to all ages from third grade through adult, beginner through advanced? Yes, this one does! I’ve taught it from elementary through high school, at museums, and senior centers. It stimulates the imagination in magical ways. The picture is a focal point for the poem to develop. The student has selected the image for some personal reason yet to be discovered in the writing of the poem. This lesson teaches attention to images, detailed descriptions, the senses, vocabulary research, and more. Sometimes it triggers memories or uncovers unexpected desires. The student’s imagination is stretched when prompted to crawl into the picture and become someone or something in that world. Start this lesson by using a projector to show and read a few successful model poems and show the pictures that were used. Read some of the poems yourself, then call on students to take turns reading. The model poems create excitement and show students how others have approached the lesson with stellar results. After each poem is read, comment on how the poet addresses aspects of this lesson. After writing paper and handouts are distributed, place a batch of pictures on each table. Give students 5 minutes or so to select a picture for their poem. Collect extra pictures so students can focus on the one picture that they have in front of them. You may want to also leave the lesson projected on the screen. Walk them through these steps:
Enter into the painting. Let your mind wander. Think about how you would describe it to a blind person. In your poem, you are going to paint a picture with words. As you write, pay close attention to details. Remember, a blind person needs lots of information to visualize the picture. What do you see in the painting? colors? patterns? figures? What do you feel? Write what first comes to mind. Does the art remind you of a memory? Does it remind you of a family member or a friend? Does it remind you of something you lost?
Describe the place (the setting) that you see in your picture. Is it a meadow? An attic? A candy jar. Your front porch? The edge of a volcano? Think about your five senses and use some of them for rich details in your poem. Describe smells, sounds, tastes, colors, and what things feel like to touch.
What is happening? Use action words. For example, perhaps the creature in your poem does some of these things: sings, growls, chomps, dives, leaps, flees, soars, glides, races, dances, or slouches. Make your poem come to life with colorful and unusual words. Avoid tired (worn-out words) that are overused and consult a Thesaurus.
What is not in the picture? Imagine what happened before, during, or after what you see. Crawl into the picture and become a person, animal, or object. Maybe you want to take a point of view as if you are speaking with someone in the picture and use dialog.
Now, ask yourself questions: Is my first line or stanza so interesting and grabbing that it will make the reader want to read the rest of my poem? Do I want to make my most exciting idea my first line?
Have I used words that paint a clear picture? Do I want to repeat any sounds or words to make my poem more musical? (lyrical) or to emphasize something?
How will you end your poem? Will you surprise us? Reveal a secret? Use an unexpected twist? End with a question? Do you want to leave the reader saying ah, or feeling sad, or what? Think of a unique title that makes the reader want to read your poem, but don’t give away too much of your poem in the title.
Time: 1 to 1.5 hours. More time allows for students to read and share their poem drafts and show their pictures on the projector as they read.
Materials: Pictures: postcards, greeting cards, pictures cut from magazines or calendars, cards from art galleries and museums, fine arts prints, etc., Thesaurus, projector, paper clips (To clip the picture to the poem at the end of the class session.) Posters of: The Senses, The Emotions, Worn-Out Words, Vocabulary, and Action Words. You may want to look up and print out model adult poems by famous poets such as White Wedding Slippers by Anna Swir, tr. by Czeslaw Milosz, The Starry Night by Anne Sexton, Cezanne’s Ports by Allen Ginsberg, Van Gogh’s Bed by Jane Flanders and Mourning Picture by Adrienne Rich.
Published in Poetry Crossing – 50+ Lessons for 50 Years of California Poets in the Schools, 2014.
Every morning
For the last two months
I and millions of people
Have tuned into the unending drama
The trauma of watching the war coverage
In Ukraine as Russia continues their assault
Against their neighboring country
Their cousins as it were
Who dared to declare themselves
Independent from their former Russian overlords.
The world is amazed by the bravery
Of the Ukrainian people
And the plucky courage
Of their leaders
In defying Putin and his war machine.
Where this is headed
No one knows
But one thing is clear
In the end Putin and his evil
Will be defeated
Ukraine will recover
And the world
It will never be the same again
War has a way
Of changing things,
In unanticipated ways
And unknowable consequences
follow.
Once the dogs of war
Are released to wreak havoc
Against the people
Of the world.
The old song put it best
War has but one friend
The undertaker.
And in Ukraine
So many people have died
Becoming war ghosts.
Joining the corona ghosts
The gun violence ghosts
And all the ghosts
That are everywhere
these sad end-of times days.
their voices
crying in the wind.
For today’s prompt, write a response poem. Your poem could be in response to a popular poem by another poet, sure, but it could also be a response to a poem you wrote earlier this month. That’s how I’m coming at this prompt today.
I was sitting alone in a dismal dark bar
In a godforsaken evil din of inequity
Somewhere on the lunatic fringes of society
Twenty drinks too sober
On the dismal wrong end
Of a Friday Night booze run.
Ended up in the infamous Cosmos Bar
On the bad assed wild side part of town
Over by the abandoned decrepit railroad tracks
I was surely heading down the highway to hell
As fast as I could drink it down.
Enjoying my lonely drink
Drinking by my lonesome self
With my partners
Jimmy Dean and the Walker brother
And his old Granddad.
Just drinking and hanging
With the Jack Daniel’s gang
Talking with Wild Turkey
and Evan Williams.
Yelling at the sweet young bartender
“Give me one bourbon
One scotch
And a beer”
She smiled as she always did
Had heard this request a thousand times
An old washed up smelly derelict
A crazed bum looking at me
With a thousand-year-old stare
Walks up to me
He begins muttering to himself
Nutty nonsense, crazy words
In a lunatic’s voice
He had the look
Of one possessed
By his own demons
That only he can see
Or hear
Possessed by a secret knowledge
Only he knew,
Despite myself
I was fascinated
By this lunatic’s tale
So I stopped him and said
“So crazy dude,
What’s your game, anyway?”
The short little dude
Stopped his insane prattle
Staring at me
With that thousand-year-old stare
Just another washed up
Crazed lunatic
Too many drugs
Some washed up LSD causality
Leftover from the ’60s
Too many bad nights
On the wrong side of life.
He looked at me
And proclaimed his story
He reared up
And filled up the room
And lifted the bar
On his finger.
And stared down at me
From the sky,
And said
Since you asked
I am God,
Jehovah, Allah
And a billion other names
The alpha and Omega
The real deal
The original dude of dudes
The Sultan of Swing
God of hosts
And the father
of that Jesus dude.
But no one knows me
Any more
No one cares
They think I am irrelevant
They think I am dead
They think I am a fairy tale
From some olden, ancient time
Some say I am dead
Others think I should be dead
That my work is done
I looked at him
Carefully now
And what did I see
An old man
With that lunatic look
thousand-year stare
But there was something else
He was crazy
Sure yes
But perhaps he was the real deal
I mean why not
Why would not God be
A lunatic wandering
around loose
Talking to low lives like me
In a bar on the highway to hell
So I looked at him
And invited him to share
His tale of woe
God tells me
“Well, it’s like this
Many a year ago
People believed in me
But one day
They quit believing in me
And they went on without me
As they left me
My powers got weaker and weaker
And so eventually I became
What you see today
A broken-down drunk
Hanging out
Looking for a handout
Looking for some company
Or at least a free dinner”
And he laughed and laughed
And I looked at him
And saw the beginnings of the end
And the ends of the beginnings
I saw a million planets
Flash by
A billion people
A trillion sentient beings
Thinking all at once
Cosmic thoughts filled my head
Lights flashed
And I knew
He was telling the truth
But it did not matter
In this day and age
Of materialism
God has no role
God is truly dead
And so I bought him a drink
And walked out of the bar
Profoundly saddened
by what I had seen
God was dead
And we had all conspired
To kill him.
Long live God.
