National Parks – Valerie's Voice

Matchbooks

I’m slowly going through our “stuff” in an effort to declutter. My latest task is going through the antique Mason jars sitting on top of the kitchen cupboards. It was a nice place to display them…they were not tucked away in some cupboard, but were on display – yet out of the way. I decided to either put them to use, or get rid of them.

The jars on top of the kitchen cupboard.

So one by one I am taking them down. As I pulled the first antique jar down – a blue Mason jar with a glass lid – I noticed I had matchbooks stored in it. At one time we collected matchbooks from different places. Businesses do not give away matchbooks with their logo anymore – but they used to, and the matchbooks were easy to collect. I do remember going through our matchbooks before, and keeping only a few special ones. I forgot that I kept these few in the Mason jar.

Here is a list of the matchbooks that I found in the jar, and where they came from:

The Old Spaghetti Factory: This was a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, and the place where Gary and I had our first date in 1976. It closed in August 2019.

Mardi Gras: The cruise ship we took for our honeymoon, a Caribbean cruise in 1978. Along with the matchbook, there was a champagne cork in the Mason jar, also from the cruise. I remember our table-mates had a bottle of Bollinger Champagne they shared with us, and told us keep the cork. That was the first time I heard of Bollinger champagne…too bad the winery was not the same Bollinger family as the one I had just joined when I married Gary! HA

There were two different matchbooks from National Parks we had camped in: Zion, Bryce Canyon and the north rim of the Grand Canyon (we visited in July 1992) were together on one matchbook called The Sanctuaries. The other matchbook was from Glacier National Park (this must have been our 1989 visit). I would say these were our favorite national parks overall.

Boca Raton Resort and Club: This was the most luxurious resort Gary and I stayed at in Florida (February 1992). It was for a work convention. We were with friends from work and enjoyed the beautiful accommodations, the lush landscape and grounds, the ocean and ocean views from our hotel balcony, and the service…o my.

Hotel Uzwil: a hotel Gary stayed in several times when he took business trips to Switzerland. It was located in the village of Uzwil, east of Zurich.

One matchbook was from Cargill, the first company Gary worked for after he graduated from college.

Another had the Greek letters for the fraternity, Delta Theta Sigma, which Gary belonged to in college.

The Orion Room: I hardly remember this restaurant, but it was on the 50^th floor of the IDS center. In 1972 the IDS center was built in downtown Minneapolis. In 1974 the restaurant opened. It is no longer there, but it was considered an excellent dining establishment in its day.

Good ‘n Plenty Family Style Eating: A family-style Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, the area where Gary grew up in Pennsylvania. It was my first introduction to the Amish in his hometown.

These two jars now hold epsom salts in our bathroom.

Once again, it was fun to go down memory lane. Now, after writing about these matchbooks, perhaps I can use them up. I wonder what I’ll find in the other jars on top of the cupboard?

Our Camp Stove

We have had success putting unwanted items on the curb, free for the taking. I like that it helps keep things out of the landfill, and people can find another use for what we no longer want. Our latest item on the curb was our old Coleman camp stove…the classic old-style green one. It still worked, but was in rough shape so we thought some young folks might like it as a starter stove for camping. Apparently, someone did – it was gone the next day.

The camp stove served us well. Gary already owned it when got married, and we finally replaced it last year, in 2021, therefore it was over 44 years old. A few years ago, it converted easily to using one-pound propane tanks.

The camp stove holds fond memories. We used it on numerous camping trips over the years. Mostly when our two sons were younger. We liked to camp in Minnesota State Parks, and we liked to take road trips to the National Parks throughout the United States; from Acadia, to Great Smokey Mountains, to Yellowstone, to Zion, to name a few. We had many good times together on our camping trips…sometimes with friends, sometimes just the four of us.

Our firstborn son was three-months-old when we decided to go away for a camping weekend. We didn’t go far from home but one still needs to pack the almost the same amount of gear as for a longer stay. We made it to the campsite and got the tent (we always used a tent) and site all set up. After dinner, it started to rain…pour…so we quickly took the tent down, in the rain, and headed home. Camping in the rain is never fun, camping in the rain with a three-month-old is even more not fun.

But, we made up for it by taking several camping trips over the years…instilling a love of nature and the outdoors in ourselves, and in our sons.

We did buy a replacement stove, but doubt it will get the same use. Although we love to camp, we like being off the ground these days, so we try to stay in camper cabins. We discovered you need to collect the same amount of gear -just minus the tent- for camper cabins, but it’s much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground which we did all those years.

I’m grateful we were able to take these camping vacations. It made great memories for Gary and I to look back on now that our sons are on their own, making memories with their own families.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The weather predicted for our time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was rain. But our plans were set and we were going to stop there for three nights on our way to visit our son and his family in North Carolina.

So when we had beautiful, mostly sunny days while in the park we were grateful. We stayed on the “peaceful side of the park”, as Townsend, TN boasts. And the cabin we rented was less than a mile from the park entrance. We liked the location.

The lookout at Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park.

The GSMNP is busy, one of the most visited parks in the US. There is no entrance fee, which is unusual for a national park. There were a limited the number of people allowed in the visitor’s center so we never did get into one because of the long lines.

The park is lush green this time of year…so many shades of green. The road through the park follows the Little River and that added to the beauty.

We did some hiking in the park…to Clingman’s Dome (the parking lot fills by 9 am) and to Laurel Falls (same deal for parking) and other smaller hikes.

One day we ate lunch in a wonderful picnic area, and drove through Cade’s Cove (an 11-mile loop through an 1800’s farming community in the park) at twilight on two different nights.

Gary and our car in the background for perspective of how tall the tree are.

The first night in Cade’s Cove we saw some deer, but on the second night we saw one owl and five black bear. One bear was in a tree, a mama bear with two cubs crossed the road in front of us (we were third car back) and the fifth bear was walking into the woods. The Barred Owl was sitting on a tree branch. They were all exciting to see.

On our last evening, as we drove out of the park back to our cabin, it started to rain.

Pretty in the mist…leaving the park…on our way to North Carolina.

Spring Wildflowers

We took a day trip to Beaver Creek Valley State Park to go for a hike. It is a ways away but it felt good to head out of town. The day was sunny, but cool. There were a few folks out and about but not many.

An abundance of watercress in the creek.

There were a lot of wildflowers in bloom in the park. I had my wildflower book handy but it is always difficult to identify flowers because it takes awhile to look them up and figure them out, plus it’s hard to keep stopping every few feet! I usually end up just enjoying viewing them.

This white flower, which I believe is an anemone, carpeted the forest floors. It was in many areas of the park.

At one time, several years ago, my friend and I took a lot of wildflower hikes, with and without naturalists, and could identify more flowers than I remember now.

Spring wildflowers are a wonderful sight!

Plus so many other natural wonders…

Interesting lichen and moss on this dead tree limb.

On a side note, we took many family-driving vacations when the kids were younger, and we camped and hiked in many national parks. Upon arrival at the visitor’s center in a park, I always bought a book of wildflowers found in that particular park, then I tried to identify some flowers on our hikes. It was fun and a nice souvenir of our trips.

CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps

Through the years, at various outdoor locations, we’ve noticed signs that recognize the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) for their valuable work in natural history preservation. In the visitor center at Gooseberry Falls State Park we browsed their exhibit about the CCC, and noticed a statue dedicated to the men who served in the CCC on our walk to see the falls.

The statue at Gooseberry Falls State Park, dedicated to the CCC participants.

The CCC was a program President Franklin D. Roosevelt put in place in 1933 and it continued until 1942. It was a very innovative program and it was successful.

The CCC was a voluntary public work relief program that put young men to work during the depression. Men between ages 18-25, who were single and unemployed, could work for the CCC. It was unskilled manual labor and they had to leave home to find work.

From the display at Gooseberry Falls State Park Visitor’s Center.

The men worked for the conservation and development of natural resources in lands owned by the federal, state, and local government. The program employed three million young men over the years it was in operation. I learned they were paid a wage of $30 a month, but $25 had to be sent home to their families. The men were provided with shelter, clothing and food.

A cap issued to the CCC workers, with the division number.

This manual labor helped both the young men and their families. Apparently the young men developed an improved morale, learned skills to make them employable in the future, and improved their physical conditions.¹ The money sent home helped their families.

And…it helped all of us seventy years later. Gary and I often comment on how grateful we are for the people who went before us who had the insight and fortitude to protect the natural lands that we so enjoy today. The CCC was a part of this.

It seemed to be a win-win situation during a very depressed time in our nation’s history. I wish some kind of program like it could be put in place these days to help those who are unemployed.

I loved these tree roots…on the path to see Gooseberry Falls.

The small, but permanent, exhibit about the CCC at Gooseberry Falls Visitor Center tells of an interesting piece of our history.

¹Wikipedia

Tent Camping

When our son and his family moved to Colorado last spring we sent along our strong and durable nylon tent we’ve used for many years. It was bittersweet. It felt good to pass it on, but a bit sad knowing we probably won’t go tent camping again.

We have enjoyed camping cabins in Minnesota State Parks lately so we still get to go camping, but it requires a bit more intentionality to plan and reserve a cabin verses picking up the tent (and all the equipment) and heading out.

There are many fond and fun memories that go along with tent camping. We took several family vacations when our boys were younger: to state parks in Minnesota for weekend getaways, and longer vacations to national parks. I have kept a vacation journal over the years. It’s enjoyable to look back to the places we’ve been and to remember the wonderful times we shared as a family.

In addition to experiencing the amazing national treasures, the rituals of camping are dear to us: planning the trip, loading the car, finding a site, setting up the tent and possibly the screen tent, getting the sleeping bags and pillows and suitcases arranged in the tent, packing/unpacking the camping box with all the cooking paraphernalia that’s needed including dishes and wash basin, setting up the camp stove, placing the tablecloth on the table, finding the lanterns, keeping the cooler in the vehicle, filling the water jug, remembering towels, setting up camp chairs, gathering wood for the bonfire and finding the matches and all the ingredients for s’mores and on and on and on…so much fun…so much work…so worth it!

This past week our son and his wife and two children, age 4 (almost 5) and 3 years old, took the tent to Rocky Mountain National Park and camped for two nights there. It was exciting to think about the new memories they will make with the tent.

And…our older son and his wife and daughter went camping in a Minnesota State Park over the weekend.

Here’s to making more camping memories…

Memorable Hikes – Washington D.C. 2018

Continuing my series on memorable hikes…

After a beautiful Easter morning service that included the singing of Christ the Lord is Risen Today and hearing the Hallelujah Chorus at a church we were visiting in the D.C. area, we decided to take the train to the National Mall and walk around.

The metro system in Washington D.C. is user friendly and we hopped on the train, along with our host for the weekend, and “people watched” for thirty minutes while we enjoyed the train ride to the National Mall.

As soon as we stepped out of the metro station we saw the Washington monument standing tall. There were lots of people everywhere…and this was April…I can’t imagine the crowds during summer. We turned and looked behind us, to the East, and saw the U.S. Capitol from a distance, and then started our hike walking west toward the Washington Monument.

It was wonderful to see the cherry trees in bloom.

The day was cool but the cherry trees were in bloom and it was beautiful. We walked from memorial to memorial, beginning at the Washington Monument (built in 1848). I have been up in the Washington Monument on a prior visit, but it is currently closed for renovation until 2019. We glanced at the White House to the north as we passed it, then walked through the WW II Memorial (dedicated in 2004) on our way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1982), and a Vietnam Women’s Memorial, a sculpture dedicated in 1993 for the women who served in the Vietnam war.

Next we stopped at the Lincoln Memorial (dedicated in 1922) which is a favorite of mine, and for many I believe.

A classic view of the Lincoln Memorial from one end of the Reflecting Pool.

Next we walked to the Korean War Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1995) and then to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is a fairly new memorial dedicated in 2011, and this was the first time I saw it and it immediately became a favorite for me. The Stone of Hope is a granite sculpture out of which the carving of Dr. King emerges. The memorial covers four acres and is located on the Tidal Basin. The walls surrounding the statue are etched with several different quotes from Dr. King Jr. such as:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

At this point we were on a trajectory to see the Jefferson Memorial (dedicated in 1943) which took us past the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (dedicated in 1997), also new to me.

A view of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin.

The King, Roosevelt and Jefferson memorials are all on the Tidal Basin, off the Potomac River, surrounded by blooming cherry trees.

The cherry trees along the Tidal Basin were given as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan in 1912.

When we started out we had no idea we would hike a total of six miles that afternoon, but it was fun to see these truly amazing memorials. There are interesting stories behind each one.

They are continually adding new memorials and museums in this area. For instance, they are planning a Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, under construction at this time, and we visited the newly opened Museum of the Bible which was very interesting.

Washington D.C. is a very unique place to visit and a fun place to hike around, and I am grateful we had the opportunity to do so in the cherry tree blooming season.

Click here to view a good map of the National Mall.

Memorable Hikes – Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 1992

Continuing my Friday series on memorable hikes…

Our family camping trip out west took us to several national parks in 1992. Each park is unique and so much fun to visit and explore. We are so grateful for those who went before us to preserve such wonderful lands.

Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde’s largest cliff dwelling NPS Photo

At Mesa Verde National Park we took a hike to see the cliff dwellings, for which the park is known. Mesa Verde is unique because the park preserves the ancient cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans. When we were there in 1992 the park called the people Anasazi Indians, but when recently looking up information on the park I discovered they no longer use that term, and the correct name is Ancestral Puebloans.

View of Cliff Palace from above NPS Photo

The website reads the park “offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.”

Long House NPS Photo

The website also gives permission to copy photos from their site as long credit is given to the NPS. “They (the photos) may be used for private, public, or press use. Please credit “NPS Photo.”

We went on a ranger led hike through the cliff dwellings. I remember the ranger’s warning that one had to be able to climb ladder steps and fit through small spaces in order to participate in the hike. It was fun to see the cliff dwellings up close and learn about the fascinating life style of the people who had lived there years ago.

Memorable Hikes – Tent Rocks Nat’l Monument, NM 2017

Continuing my Friday series of memorable hikes…

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kasha-Katuwe means “white cliffs” in the Pueblo language. I didn’t know the difference between a national monument and a national park so I looked it up and this is the answer I found:

“To laypeople, the distinction between lands designated as national parks and national monuments can appear finite. The primary difference lies in the reason for preserving the land: National parks are protected due to their scenic, inspirational, education, and recreational value. National monuments have objects of historical, cultural, and/or scientific interest, so their content is quite varied.”

In Tent Rocks National Monument, volcanic rock and ash have formed unusual slot canyons and tent-shape rocks that make up the landscape of this very unique park.

There is a 1.2 mile trail through a slot canyon up to a lookout point and we hiked it one day last fall. The slots through this canyon trail were sometimes very tight, unlike the slot canyon in The Narrows in Zion National Park. The Tent Rocks trail was interesting because of all the distinctive, smooth formations and conical-shaped rocks. The vistas at the top were great and at the bottom we hiked another mile along the base of these rock formations. It was a fun hike. I had never heard of this park until we planned our trip to New Mexico, but what a wonderful find!

I always enjoy discovering and exploring new places. There are so many in this world…

Memorable Hikes – Tucson, Arizona 2003

Continuing my Friday series on memorable hikes…

In 2003 we went to visit friends who spend their winters in Arizona, away from the Minnesota cold, snow and ice. They bought a lovely town home in Tucson and we enjoy visiting them, over a long weekends, in February, when it works.

There is a lot to do and see in the area where they live: Tuscan Botanical Garden, Saguaro National Park, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, DeGrazia Gallery, Old Tuscon Studios, Mt. Lemon and the Santa Catalina mountains, good restaurants and several places for hiking. Sabino Canyon is one of those places.

Sabino Canyon is a desert oasis in the Coronado National Forest. When you arrive at the park you can take a tram up the canyon and walk back down if you desire. That’s a great way to hike! But there are several trail options available to hike back down. We have hiked in this canyon on several different trips. On this day in Sabino Canyon we were casually hiking down along the canyon in the beautiful, warm, sunshine. There was water in the canyon; water pools in the canyon during winter months and being near water while hiking is a always a treat. As we were walking we caught up with a couple in front of us that had stopped on the trail. They pointed to a rattlesnake coiled up in the sun on a rock along side the trial. We tiptoed past it and kept on going. That’s the first time, and hopefully the last time, I see one of those snakes!

Other than the snakes, the desert landscapes in this park are beautiful and it’s especially nice when one can enjoy warmth and sunshine knowing it’s cold and icy back in Minnesota.