Death Valley Lows: Tragedy, Madness & Our National Parks

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On Valentine’s Day in 1884, both the wife and mother of a young Teddy Roosevelt died of illnesses, leaving him with a two day old daughter. The young Harvard graduate and successful author resigned from the NY Assembly, and he went out west to mourn in the wilderness. His experiences would bring him through battle with his rough riders in Cuba to the White House, where he repaid his debt to nature by protecting 230 million acres of public land. Presidents Lincoln and Grant—no strangers to suffering—had already protected Yosemite and Yellowstone respectively, and in 1903 President Roosevelt camped in each park with Muir and Burroughs respectively, expanding Yosemite and changing from hunter to wildlife observer in Yellowstone. As parks or monuments Teddy signed into law Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Pinnacles and Wind Cave, plus Chaco, Devils Tower, El Morro, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Jewel Cave, Montezuma Castle, Muir Woods, Natural Bridges, Tonto, and Tumacacori.

But my hero Teddy Roosevelt is not the man I write about today. The secret behind the first NPS Director, Stephen Mather, was hidden from view until 1987 when his faithful assistant and successor revealed near the end of his own life that Mather was suicidally bipolar. A contemporary and kindred spirit of Muir and Roosevelt, Mather climbed Mt Rainier in 1905, explored Kings Canyon and Sequoia and helped found Save the Redwoods. Upset over the inconsistent and weak protection in the parks he visited, Mather lobbied Washington and got a job as Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Using his own funds, he organized an expedition and invited the head of the Appropriations Committee and the press, including the National Geographic Society editor. Mather’s enthusiasm was both manic—jumping into waterfall pools—and inspiring. As a direct result, President Wilson created the National Park Service, and Mather became its first leader.

Despite his months-long ‘Death Valley lows’ Mather was responsible for many of the decisions that converted protected public lands into the National Park experiences that we enjoy today. He pushed back the loggers, miners and ranchers who were extracting private wealth from our public lands. He lobbied to create many park units, including Indiana Dunes (postponed due to the urgency of WWI). He had iconic lodges built, like Old Faithful Inn above, and he limited development in many spectacular parks to just one dramatically scenic road. These exuberant and thrilling experiences in nature were his ‘Going to the Sun highs’, and he devoted all his energy to perfecting them. Mather was a staunch environmental defender, a visionary parks evangelist, and a brilliant marketer who wanted to share the joy of these wonderful places with everyone.

Humans have long sought solace in nature, so preserving havens in national parks is essential for humanity. People like Stephen Mather, who suffered from debilitating bouts of deep depression, desperately need nature both to recover from sadness and to be inspired into joyful action. This human bond with natural beauty and affinity with wildlife is what drove Teddy Roosevelt to rebound from his tragedies and Stephen Mather to overcome his mental illness. And as President and NPS architect, both worked tirelessly to protect our public lands for future generations.

Mather is well remembered in many NPS sites, from Mather District in Yosemite, Mather Gorge at Great Falls, Mather Parkway at Rainier, Mather Point in Grand Canyon and Mount Mather in Denali. His friends created bronze Mather plaques that can be found at over 50 park units across the country. Despite our current crazy and dangerous warming of our atmosphere, the plaques thank Mather with the following quote.

“He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.”

1929 House Speech by Michigan Congressman Louis Cramton

Uxmal

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There’s nothing like a Mayan city surrounded by jungle, and Uxmal (oosh-mal) is a grand one. I drove up through the Yucatán hill country and visited Labná first, which is a smaller part of this UNESCO world heritage site, then I stayed nearby so I could explore Uxmal in the morning before the crowds arrived. I even spotted a large coati while walking behind the vantage point above. The tall building on the right is called the magician’s house, and if you clap in front of the steps, the echo makes a musical sound like a chirp.

I have decided that some archaeologists are not very good at their jobs. I’ve seen a decent number of ancient Native American cities now, and they typically describe the various building purposes as bureaucratic, religious, royal residences, and sometimes military uses. For example, the wide building in the center above is called the nun’s house, as it reminded the Spanish of a convent’s courtyard, I suppose. But rarely do any of the site maps indicate any commercial buildings, according to the experts. Maybe some archaeologists lack real world work experience, if they go straight from grad school to dig sites?

The Mayans had a thriving economy, receiving tribute, growing crops, gathering medical plants, mining minerals, weaving textiles, and producing various goods, tools and art. They traded turquoise with Arizona, obsidian with Tinochtitlan, cinnabar and alabaster with Teotihuacán, salt with Oaxaca, copper and gold, cotton, jade, feathers, fish and much more, and all of these goods—the wealth of the empire—required storage. Food had to be distributed widely and quickly to support large concentrations of people. And trading requires markets where goods can be examined and merchants can show the quality of work. But somehow archaeologists forget about all that when they try to figure out what all the empty buildings and rooms were for.

Why are there rows of rectangular windowless rooms with wide doors facing a courtyard? Why are there long colonnades? Well, in Europe and in most other countries the same structures would immediately be recognized as market stalls, as in the forum of Rome. Does anyone really believe that valuable salt was stored outside in the rain? The Catholic Spanish assumed most ancient buildings in New Spain must have been about religion, and many Americans—perhaps biased by years of war history—often assume that every wall had a military purpose. Some folks just assumed that Native American civilization was only savage sacrifice and war.

And I know it’s easy to get distracted by the art, ball games, calendars, math, and elaborate funereal figurines, but a little common sense would help us understand that many of these buildings must have been involved in commerce, which must have been part of the daily routine for most Mayans. In any case, it is a privilege to visit these ancient sites and get a new perspective.

Frog Soup

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We celebrate both the ocean and the great outdoors in June. So, let’s talk about how our global temperature will continue rising uncontrollably for the foreseeable future.

The US burned more fossil fuels than any other country, polluting our atmosphere with excess carbon pollution and increasingly trapping more heat near the planet surface every year. The rate of warming is accelerating, and every decade is now over 1/2º F higher than the last, already over 10 times faster than natural warming after an ice age. And we have chosen to ignore it and keep burning more fossil fuels.

Our polar ice caps and ice age glaciers are melting. The Arctic Ocean will be free of ice at least one day in late summer within a few years—likely 2027 to 2030–, and without the reflective ice to keep the surface cool, the ocean surface temperature will soar. As our oceans warm and surface ice melts, the water expands, raising the sea level globally. Warmer waters kill coral reefs, disrupt ocean currents, cause toxic algae blooms, and create acidified, deoxygenated dead zones. This will cause many fisheries to collapse.

Still, from day to day we may not notice the change in climate. The earth still spins causing distinct weather patterns in the northern and southern hemispheres. The earth’s axis still tilts, and our planet still orbits the sun unevenly, causing the seasons. So our meteorologists still focus on the daily highs and lows, precipitation forecasts, and seasonal patterns, lulling us into familiar comfort.

But make no mistake. Like frogs in a pot, we are slowly cooking instead of jumping into action to save ourselves.

El Tajin

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The Pyramid of the Niches still has almost all of its original 365 small alcoves used to mark the rebirth of each day of the year, and to store various meaningful reminders like a giant advent calendar. The passage of time was participatory in native civilizations, as the people toiled on the ground to keep the heavens turning and the sun rising to overcome the darkness. Calendaring was useful for organizing labor, managing produce and tracking seasonal trade goods.

El Tajin was a city of commerce in the highland jungle of the Veracruz river valley where large scale agriculture developed thousands of years ago. Some guides wrongly imagine that the central structures were home to bureaucrats toiling away in offices—as in modern governments. But, like the Forum of Rome, the first-built main square was a marketplace built to organize and accommodate large scale trade. The multicultural community grew in wealth and importance especially from around the 7th century, trading vanilla and cacao with cities like Teotihuacán. Great structures were built around the 8th and 9th centuries, and even as other cities succumbed to fire, El Tajin thrived through the 12th century. Then it too collapsed and was reclaimed by the jungle until rediscovered in 1785.

The surrounding ball courts must have attracted visitors and entertained crowds, but the games were brutal and sometimes involved human sacrifice, similar to the Colosseum of Rome, where the gladiators entered the ring saying, “we who are about to die, salute you”. While you can’t climb on any of the thousand year old buildings, the grassy grounds are uncrowded and very pleasant to explore.

The fliers from the neighboring city of Papantla frequently perform outside the ticket booth for a small donation, acknowledging the four directions, and attracting rain with music and rainbow hats. One on top also drums and stamps his feet, recalling ‘the thunder’, the meaning of El Tajin.

Both El Tajin and the Papantla Flyers are recognized by UNESCO as part of our world heritage.

Ría Celestún Biosphere

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This UN recognized biosphere in the northeast Yucatán is also a tentative world heritage site, and in the winter it has thousands of flamingos! A short drive from Mérida, I bought my ticket at the Parador Turístico and waited 5 minutes for four more tourists to join my boat, and we zoomed off to see the beautiful birds. After watching flocks of flamingos flying and feeding in the shallow estuary—ría—, we went off to see more birds. In the mangrove tunnel, I spotted the bare throated tiger heron below with his neck stretched up to look like a stick, but when we got close he realized his cover was blown.

We also walked a boardwalk to a freshwater spring-fed lagoon and saw a baby crocodile, lots of pelicans, great & snowy egrets, wood storks, and a roseate spoonbill. But for me, the surprise was seeing flamingos in flight. I’ve seen a few flamingos in zoos, but I’ve never seen so many gathered together honking, chattering, flapping, bowing and preening. Instead of looking silly or awkward, here their displays look natural and beautiful, especially flying in formation. One of my favorite stops in Mexico.

Sian Ka’an

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This UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere on the southeast coast of the Yucatán has exceptional species diversity in jungles, mangroves, shallow bays, reefs, islands and open water. On my day tour we saw many great birds including tiger heron, roseate spoonbill, osprey and frigate birds, crocodiles and green turtles, and dolphin and many tropical fish, of course. While I don’t believe I saw any first time species for me, I definitely saw a greater variety than I can remember seeing in one place before.

The reserve is huge, with a long low peninsula, a fishing village at the end of an extremely bumpy road, a surprisingly healthy looking ocean reef, and a huge salt lagoon with mangrove islands, shallow flats, and some freshwater springs bubbling up into the lagoon for manatees to enjoy. Even if you think you can get here, it’s worth it to join a tour with an expert guide, a van driver, and a flat boat captain. I particularly enjoyed chatting with my new friends from all over the world while standing waist deep in turquoise water and drinking a well-deserved Mexican cerveza.

National Parks to Visit in June

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I recommend Badlands, Great Smoky, Teddy Roosevelt, Yellowstone and Wind Cave in June. These popular parks are big enough to accommodate some crowds, are more fun in summer, and are even busier in July and August.

The Badlands are at their mildest in June, with wildlife about and even some greenery. Spend some time soaking in the scenery from a campground, time your hikes for the sun angles and weather, and listen to a ranger talk at an amphitheater. You won’t have the place to yourself, but do you really want to be in the Badlands by yourself?

Great Smoky in June is good for seeing bears, fireflies, and for swimming holes or rafting, so no wonder it’s so popular. Plan ahead and spend some time camping here, so you can visit the most popular spots on weekday mornings. Take your time hiking and ask folks what they’ve seen.

Teddy Roosevelt is another fun park that’s great in June. I enjoyed driving to all three park units, hiking and enjoying wildlife and scenic viewpoints. But if I go again, I’m going to stay longer. The folks at the campgrounds were very friendly and nice.

Yellowstone is the best park in the contiguous US and is big with lots to see and do. So you need to go when there’s good weather and activities are in full swing. Book campgrounds and activities well in advance, give yourself time for everything on your list, and go in June before it gets even busier in July and August. The grand old park can handle the crowds, but planning ahead is the key.

Wind Cave is crowded in summer, so common advice says to visit in May or September to avoid crowds and heat. But it’s a cave, so heat is not an issue. And the cave tours are all in guided groups, which are similar in size most of the year. So my advice is to visit when you’re visiting other parks above in the region. And you should absolutely book your tickets in advance. Bison can be seen outside the park entrance in June and other months.

June is a beautiful month, so take advantage of the fine weather, go camping and enjoy some of the best national parks in the country.

Colonial Mexico

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In February 1519, Hernán Cortés landed in Cozumel with 500 soldiers, founded the port city of Veracruz (below) and then arrived at the Aztec capital by year end. Allied with anti-Aztec rivals, and the populace stricken with smallpox, Cortez conquered Tenochtitlán in 1521. The earliest Spanish colonial world heritage site is now called Mexico City, then capital of New Spain, centered on the National Palace, Zócalo (plaza) and Metropolitan Cathedral all built on top of the Aztec ruins.

Close behind the conquistadors, missionaries began building thick-walled monasteries nearby on the volcanic slopes of Popocatepetl: the Franciscans in 1524, the Dominicans in 1526, and the Augustinians in 1533. Across New Spain, churches were built on top of native religious sites.

And native cities, some thousands of years old, were ‘founded’—reorganized—under Spanish rule. Aztec trading hubs and routes throughout Mexico became Spanish. The trading hub of Oaxaca, valued for high desert salt, was re-founded 1529. Puebla, between the capital, the monasteries, the port and Oaxaca, was founded in 1531. Another gulf port city, Campeche, was founded in 1540, and later Tlacotalpan, a river port city was founded in 1550. Morelia, 1541, became an administrative center for commerce, including farming and ranching to the west. Each of these cities has UN-protected historic centers with colonial architecture arranged in grids. In 1555, an aqueduct was built north of the Capital, applying Roman technology to the ‘new’ world.

As silver mines were built in the north, wealth began being extracted at scale. Querétaro in 1531, San Miguel de Allende in 1542, Zacatecas in 1546 and Guanajuato in 1554 all reflect the opulence of silver dug by enslaved native workers. Besides admiring the marvelous architecture and world class art museums, I recommend touring a silver mine. Silver flowed for centuries, especially from around 1600, along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the old trading trading route to El Paso.

In 1565, Spanish galleon trade opened across the Pacific between Manila and Acupulco, and the traders introduced improvements to native methods to distill blue agave. Taking advantage of a law change in 1595, liquor production boomed in Tequila.

The Franciscans were still building monasteries over a century later, and in the 1750s, a newly arrived Father Junípero Serra oversaw the construction of several beautiful missions in the remote Serra Gorda regions, which are well preserved.

The Spanish colonial rule over New Spain lasted 300 years, from the conquest of Tenochtitlán to the end of the War of Independence. Visiting the world heritage sites that preserve this history in Mexico is a fascinating and rewarding journey. Especially for Americans considering Europe, this a great way to tour great Spanish colonial cathedrals and historic cities without burning carbon to fly over the Atlantic.

Oaxaca & Monte Albán

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Both the historic center of Oaxaca with its magnificent Spanish cathedral and the ancient mountain top temple complex of Monte Albán are recognized in this UNESCO world heritage site. I enjoyed a delicious meal—including the tres insectos tostada below—in the city center shortly after arriving, walked the cobblestone streets and gawked at the gold covered interior of the church. This is a beautiful and culturally rich city to explore. After charging overnight at my hotel, the next day I drove up the mountain and explored the grand temple complex, climbing up the steep stairs at each end to get 360° views of the city and valley.

The Zapotecs built Monte Albán around 500 BC, carving out the grand plaza above off the lone mountain on the valley floor. Before moving up here from the gulf coast, they invented an early form of glyphic script or writing. Around that time, their society transformed from egalitarian to hierarchical. Given that the top of their society were priests with special powers to interpret the cosmos and calendars, I imagine that some men controlled the power of literacy, using it to rule. When the Zapotec came here they called themselves the cloud people and conquered the neighboring villages. Their elaborate decorative carvings tell the stories of those conquests. This was the center of their empire for well over 1000 years, and the planned city was used for burials and ceremonies for centuries afterwards.

Perhaps because literacy may have a guarded secret of the elite, Zapotec script has not been deciphered. But the meaningful figures carved into the pyramids here belie the label ‘pre-historic’ often used against Native Americans. From 200 to 500 CE, the Zapotecs were trading mica for obsidian with Teotihuacan and maintained quarters there. They also traded with the Mayans, and their skills and script were used and adapted by the Aztecs. So these ancient cultures practiced diplomacy as well as war and carried on extensive trade relations for centuries. Simply because colonizers erased much of their culture does not mean that the natives in the Americas were all illiterate or uncivilized; the scale and sophistication of this complex stands in testimony of their centuries of accomplishments.

Caves of Mitla & Yagul

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This blurry gray photo I took of a raggedy corn husk in the bottom of a dark cave is why I came to the Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca UNESCO world heritage site. It is fossilized and may be 10,000 years old. A similar one was found in a nearby cave and dated back that far, with other evidence proving that this is the oldest known agricultural settlement in the Americas. Many people visit Oaxaca’s colorful markets, delicious restaurants, gorgeous cathedral, and take much better photos, but I think they’re missing an important site here, an easy day tour southeast of Oaxaca.

Here in these caves, humans gathered, drew images on the walls, told stories about hunting, animals and mystical beliefs understood only from ancient oral traditions. They built terraces to grow corn and other crops nearby. They learned many secrets of nature and passed them on, so we can enjoy many of the foods cultivated in the Americas first, before going global, including avocados, many beans, corn, chilies, chocolate, peanuts and vanilla. We all owe a debt to these ancient people, and yet we still know little about them.

My guides know the area well and told many stories of the caves, showed me exceptional pictographs and described the various species that still live here. We heard bats, saw strange black minerals that appear wet but are dry, and we talked about the most basic and universal human feelings to try to interpret the ancient images so long preserved here. Like many native religions in the US, the caves are believed to contain the secrets of the first humans and passages to the underworld. Mitla means underworld in the local language, and the Spanish intentionally built churches on sacred sites here, as they imposed their foreign religion.

Some folks today bizarrely believe that since several painted figures carry an odd shaped device that they must have been ‘downloading data from aliens’. At the excellent anthropology museum in Xalapa, I saw several identically shaped devices identified as hachas or ceremonial axes that represent maize and are at least 3000 years old, which would seem to be a more likely explanation. I think we need to make a new effort to understand our human origins, our relationship with nature, and our oldest beliefs in order to find more respectful, more insightful and more meaningful ways to live.