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Browse Through the Traveler Content

A View From The Overlook: A Tale Of Two Songs

Submitted by PJ Ryan on May 15, 2013 - 2:12am
Although it was a relatively short war, the War of 1812 was one of our most “Songniferous” wars.

A View From The Overlook: Robber Baron

Submitted by PJ Ryan on May 1, 2013 - 2:30am
The robber barons: There were around 25 or 30 of them, depending on who was doing the counting; these were the men (there were no women, unless you count Hetty Green) of almost unlimited wealth and power who dominated America at the end of the 19th century. Their names are familiar even today; Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, Duke, Harriman and so on.

A View From The Overlook: Nudity And The National Parks

Submitted by PJ Ryan on April 17, 2013 - 2:04am
Summer is coming in. The days are getting longer, and lake, sea, and river water are getting warmer. This leads to a desire on the part of some national park patrons to take off their clothes and a similar number of fellow taxpayers to complain about nudity, with the hapless park ranger in the middle. This can lead to problems.

A View From The Overlook: Forbidden Books

Submitted by PJ Ryan on April 3, 2013 - 1:58am
What do The Soul Of Yosemite, The Case of the Indian Trader, and Worth Fighting For all have in common? You won't likely find any of these books in a national park bookstore or gift shop.

A View From The Overlook: Comfort Zones

Submitted by PJ Ryan on March 20, 2013 - 1:57am
One of the banes of being a high-ranking bureaucrat is the necessity to issue a report on the reason for your existence. That is, your progress in achieving the goal (or goals) of your office, or sadly, the reasons you have not succeeded.

A View From The Overlook: Marshal Reeves And Marshal Obama

Submitted by PJ Ryan on March 6, 2013 - 2:20am
Yale University environmental historian, Dr. Robin Winks, once termed America’s National Parks as “The greatest university in the world with hundreds of branch campuses." While Oxford and Cambridge might take issue in a tweedy British manner with Professor Winks’ hyperbole, his point is well taken: The units of the National Park System are indeed educational.

A View From The Overlook: How Hard Can It Be?

Submitted by PJ Ryan on February 13, 2013 - 2:44am
Columnist PJ Ryan wonders how hard can it be to come up with a management plan for the Yosemite Valley that honors the valley and all its natural beauty and wonders.

A View From The Overlook: Safety Issue

Submitted by PJ Ryan on January 23, 2013 - 2:39am
The National Park Service and other federal law enforcement agencies have always had a guarded, nervous relationship with the National Rifle Association, and with good reason.

A View From The Overlook: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park And The Holy Grail

Submitted by PJ Ryan on December 19, 2012 - 2:11am
Might a non-native plant at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park be used to generate power for the Hawaiian Islands?

A View From The Overlook: Conspiracies And The Parks

Submitted by PJ Ryan on December 5, 2012 - 2:52am
Interested in a good conspiracy theory? There are plenty in the National Park System.

A View From The Overlook: The Agenda

Submitted by PJ Ryan on November 14, 2012 - 2:22am
One of our readers hinted darkly that there was an “Agenda” to “A View From the Overlook.” Well, yes. Astute of you to notice!

A View From The Overlook: Land Access

Submitted by PJ Ryan on October 31, 2012 - 1:11am
Is public land always available for the public good? Well, not always.

A View From The Overlook: Forbidden Islands

Submitted by PJ Ryan on October 17, 2012 - 1:34am
There are islands open to the public, and there are "forbidden" islands that are privately owned. But there also are islands being held in trust for their environmental assets.

A View From The Overlook: Contingency Plans

Submitted by PJ Ryan on September 19, 2012 - 1:41am
Can you imagine how a Romney-Ryan administration would treat the national parks? Heck, you'd have to summon up the "Reserve Rangers" to fill in the gaps.

A View From The Overlook: Global Warming, Goat Haunt, And North America's Best Hike (Maybe)

Submitted by PJ Ryan on September 5, 2012 - 1:44am
Musing on climate change, International Peace Parks, and North America's best hike. Or maybe it's only Canada's best hike.

A View From The Overlook: Park Legends

Submitted by PJ Ryan on August 15, 2012 - 1:16am
Just about every national park unit of any size or age evokes at least one or more “urban legend,” tall tales that are widely accepted as true, but alas, for a good story, are not.

A View From The Overlook: The Petrified Wood Olympics

Submitted by PJ Ryan on August 1, 2012 - 1:36am
You'd be surprised by the lengths some folks would go to to take a colorful piece of rock from Petrified Forest National Park.

A View From The Overlook: Sometimes Bad Things Don't Happen -- The Pine Lands Reserve

Submitted by PJ Ryan on July 18, 2012 - 1:29am
Every so often, but not often enough, environmentally bad things don’t happen. One example was the predicted destruction of a unique ecosystem: The Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

A View From The Overlook: Tim Murphy, A Revolutionary Marksman...And Possible Hero

Submitted by PJ Ryan on June 27, 2012 - 1:19am
Who was Tim Murphy, and how good of a shot was he at the Battle of Saratoga?

A View From The Overlook: Oh, Shenandoah!

Submitted by PJ Ryan on June 13, 2012 - 1:57am
The wonders of Shenandoah National Park include its "Creation" story.

A View From The Overlook: A Home For Endangered Rangers

Submitted by PJ Ryan on May 30, 2012 - 1:34am
Pardon me for dampening your day with morbid thoughts, but it occurred to me that after you have done all that vigorous post retirement bucket list stuff like climbing all the 14,000 footers in Colorado or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and the moment The Chief Ranger calls you to the Big Visitor Center in the Sky, you are going to need a place to hang your hat.

View From The Overlook: Mountain-Biker-In-Chief

Submitted by PJ Ryan on May 9, 2012 - 1:39am
There has been considerable debate about the wisdom of allowing mountain biking in the National Parks in general and Big Bend National Park in particular; that park becoming the poster child and cause celebre of mountain biking.

A View From The Overlook: The Most Dangerous Games

Submitted by PJ Ryan on April 25, 2012 - 1:55am
Roger Siglin, retired from the National Park Service, but didn't retire from life by any stretch.

A View From The Overlook: Montana Wowsers!

Submitted by PJ Ryan on April 11, 2012 - 1:36am
Everyone thought giving some extra Yellowstone National Park bison to Native American tribes in Montana was a grand idea...except the Montana Wowsers.