Recent comments

I hadn't heard about Ruby's Inn trying to incorporate - that's awesome. Nothing better than spending a couple of winter days and nights at Ruby's for about $49/night.

Off-season travel rocks!

Snowbird:
You sound as if you might live in a cave...you must not "consume" anything! Wow...
The PhD never said that the planet is not warming, he just disputes that humans have anything or much to do with it (or can do about it), and I agree. If you follow the money, the alarmists have just as much to gain monetarily as the so-called "consumptive" industries...check and see what Algore is making off his speeches!...and doesn't he use a lot of petrol to fly around the country and world to spew his convenient (convenient to fill his coffers) lies?
Sure, we are all better off with less pollution, but keep in mind that volcano and even Yellowstone hot springs and vents alone discharge FAR more polluting gasses 24 hours a day than we humans do...also keep in mind that we are not separate from the ecosystem, we are part of it...everthing is connected.
The American public is slowly starting to see what a hoax (only meant to reduce our economy to third-world status) all this alarmism is, thanks to scientists like Mr. Renault who have no stake in this issue.

I don't want to ride a shuttle with nasty smelly hippies.

Don't forget Moab (aside from the semi traffic down main street). And I must admit I have somewhat fond memories of Cooke(d) City from 1988 when I was there covering the fires.

Bar Harbor is another great one. Mainstream corporate America hasn't discovered it yet, either, and there are some fantastic restaurants (Cafe This Way, Rupunini, Eden). Estes Park has some memorable qualities as well.

Did you hear the folks at Ruby's Inn are trying to incorporate...and they're likely to get it!

As for Gatlinburg, sorry, but it'll never make any top 10 list of my favorite gateway towns.

As far as future posts rating the gateways, not sure about that, but we are planning to take a look at more of them down the road. Thanks for reading...

Aww, man, now I'm hungry. My son and I are in the neighborhood in late August -- now I need to make a stop for BBQ...
I'm sure it's better than park concessionaire fare any day...

-- Jon Merryman

Anonymous,
Thanks very much for coming back with a constructive comment. Your questions about park funding are key to the purpose of this website. We have been trying to answer the same questions every week for the last couple years. I have a very strong feeling that our National Parks should be funded entirely through taxes. Federal taxes have been the only 'fair' method of funding federal programs for 200+ years. But, as you point out, the infrastructure of some parks are crumbling, and they are left in a position where they must think creatively about making money by any means necessary. The point I think this article claims, is that this method of fund raising ultimately defeats the purpose of a public park.

It is worth asking, are all private events at a park wrong? I'd say no. Closing the Charleston Yard for Laura Bush probably has more to do with security than it does private fund raising, and I don't have a problem with that. But, closing the Yard for a private wedding is, in my opinion, exclusionary of the public for the sake of profit, which is wrong in a park operated on public funds. As stated in my earlier comment, I believe the museum event I attended probably was appropriate, because it had more to do with a shared professional outreach than partying in the Yard. But, I'm sure there are folks which would disagree with my position.

Yes, the "Kennedy liberals" comment is offensive, and does nothing to contribute to the discussion. It was added as a retort to the Cheney comment, which was at least related to the article. I considered both to be political criticism which is a little different than describing another commenter as a 'jackass' (the comment that had been deleted).

Seeing how this current administration has used the Department of Interior and particular, the National Park Service, for a test case of outsourcing jobs and slashing the budget to the point where the departments can barely operate, how else are you supposed to fix parking lots, leaking roofs, and broken computer equipment than to do a little creative fundraising?

I agree that this is not a big deal. I have been to events at the Navy Yard that weren't open to the public and where alcohol was served. And I'm just Joe Schmoe.

Even if it was "Kennedy liberals" using the facilities for a price, why is that a debatable issue? Are "Kennedy liberals" not allowed to rent out properties for an event? Not too long ago, Laura Bush was at the Navy Yard for a ceremony that was closed to the public. Does that mean the "Bush conservatives" get the same mirror held up to them?

Anonymous,
I've deleted one of your comments and edited another. This is a forum for open debate, not name calling or unnecessary profanity. Your thoughts are welcome, but the personal attacks are not.

If you've read the article and the comments you'll understand that the debate here is not whether alcohol was being served illegally, but whether the entire event was appropriate on our nation's protected landscape. I'll take it from your criticism's you believe the event was entirely appropriate and that an examination of such events on Park Services managed lands is not needed. Thank you for sharing.

About a year and a half ago, I went to a private party at the Charleston Navy Yard in Boston, and even consumed alcohol! I think the circumstances of my event were quite different than the party described here. I was an attendee at the American Association of Museum's annual conference. The evening event was an opportunity for professionals in the museum industry to see first hand the working relationship between the National Park Service and US Navy, experience the interpretive programs, and wander through the visitor center.

The event was catered, and included two drink tickets per person for beer. There were signs and polite officials which made sure the beer and food did not travel into the museum exhibit area. Everything was quite orderly.

I think the difference between my event and the event described in this article is that my museum's event was intended to be educational in nature, while the McKesson event appears to be a corporate party next to a cool lookin' old boat (Old Iron Sides). I'd imagine that the paperwork for the McKesson event included plenty of provisions for educational opportunities to match the requirements necessary for renting the facility, but with alcohol abuse and police intervention, in practice the event turned into something entirely different.

I was recently in Zion. I believe that the shuttle bus system has generated the most remarkable change in a park experience that I have ever seen. Remember the bad old days? Cars bumper to bumper in Zion Canyon--thousands of them--all looking for one of the very few parking places. The Canyon was choked with vehicle emissions. The roads were unsafe for pedestrians and people on bikes. Crossing the road was like running across a freeway. It was noisy. The whole thing was a nightmare.

Now, the Canyon is free of vehicle traffic except for the shuttle buses. People on bikes and on foot are everywhere. It is quiet. The air is clean and emission-free. I kept asking myself, "Can this be the Zion that I once knew?" It was reassuring to look up at the canyon walls and realize that yes, it was the same place, only radically changed for the better. Congratulations to the park managers who had the courage to push for the shuttle system. Only a few parks have such systems. As Ranger X says, more should.

Rick Smith

Actually Snowbird I know all the people involved and they are 100% Kennedy liberals, only this time no one died.

My wife, her daughter and I went out the middle of June to backpack from Olympic Hot Springs to the Hoh Rain Forest via Appleton Pass and the High Divide. Or so we thought! We ended up just doing 4 days in the Quinault River Valley. The snow up on the peaks was plainly visible. And the streams were really flowing. Another time I guess.