All Parks in North Atlantic, Zero Carbon

December 19, 2024November 24, 2025 / bigdiff / Leave a comment

I recently completed visits to all national park units in New York and New England. Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont each count only 1 unique park. Maine has 4, including the only National Park in the region. Massachusetts has 14, and New York has 21 unique park units, plus 2 shared with the Mid Atlantic region and 2 world heritage sites. The multi-region Appalachian and North Country scenic trails start/end in the region, and the New England scenic trail crosses Connecticut and Massachusetts. Follow the links for more, including affiliates, heritage areas and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.

Connecticut’s star is Weir Farm, a lovely historic artist home in a rural community. Coltsville is pending. Both heritage areas are shared with Massachusetts: Last Green Valley and Upper Housatonic. Three trails pass through Connecticut: Appalachian, New England and the Rochambeau Route.

Maine has Acadia National Park, France Perkins, Katahdin Woods & Waters, and Saint Croix Island. All four parks showcase the state’s pine woods, clear waters and scenic views, while Perkins celebrates the woman in charge of the New Deal and Saint Croix tells the story of the first French settlers. If you want to hear French spoken, you can visit the Acadian Culture partner village area in the far north, where I hiked as a boy. Mt Katahdin is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The coastal area from Acadia to Saint Croix Island is part of the Downeast Maine heritage area, including the bridge to Campobello in New Brunswick Canada.

All of Massachusetts’ parks are historic, even Boston Harbor Islands and Cape Cod seashore, where the Pilgrims landed. Boston, New Bedford Whaling, Salem Maritime and Saugus Ironworks all predate the Revolution. My hometown site of Minute Man focuses on the Revolution, and Adams, Boston African American, Longfellow-Washington, and Springfield Armory cover both the Independence War and later periods. Blackstone and Lowell cover the Industrial Revolution. And Olmsted and JFK cover more recent history. The Bay State also shares the Blackstone, Essex, Freedoms Way, Last Green Valley and Upper Housatonic heritage areas, the Appalachian and New England scenic trails and the end of the Rochambeau Route. If you love America, you must see its beginnings.

New Hampshire is home to the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ studio and marvelous sculpture garden. Freedoms Way heritage area is shared with Massachusetts, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the state.

New York’s many historic sites begin with the Oneida portage at Fort Stanwix and the African Burial Ground in New Amsterdam (before the British captured the Dutch settlement and renamed it after the Duke of York). Federal Hall and St Paul’s Church illustrate the fight for freedoms that launched the Revolution. Fort Saratoga was a key turning point in that war. Hamilton Grange and Van Buren’s home reveal early American leaders. Castle Clinton and Governors Island preserve harbor forts. Harriett Tubman’s home in upstate New York teaches how she guided slaves to freedom and led a daring raid during the Civil War. Grant’s Memorial honors his service to our country as both general and president. Three sites are devoted to Teddy Roosevelt: his birthplace, inaugural site and Sagamore Hill. Women’s Rights are honored in Seneca Falls and at Eleanor Roosevelt’s home in Hyde Park, near FDR’s home and their neighbor’s modest Vanderbilt Mansion. And last, but not least, the historic Stonewall Monument stands proudly in the city.

Also in New York, Fire Island seashore, Gateway Recreation (shared with New Jersey) and the Upper Delaware River (shared with Pennsylvania) all preserve nature. The Kate Mullany, Lower East Side Tenement and the Thomas Cole sites are great affiliates to visit. The Champlain Valley, Erie Canalway and Niagara Falls heritage areas have miles to explore. The Appalachian hiking trail, John Smith Chesapeake water trail, North Country scenic trail and the Rochambeau Route pass here. New York also has the only world heritage sites in this region: Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Guggenheim and the Statue of Liberty.

Rhode Island protects our religious liberty at Roger Williams and affiliated Touro Synagogue, and the state preserves our mill town history at Blackstone, which extends into Massachusetts within a broader eponymous heritage area. The Rochambeau Route begins here.

Vermont is home to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller experimental forest, not far from where the Appalachian and North Country scenic trails meet.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

November 4, 2024June 11, 2025 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

The view above is from the Ramparts at Fort Warren on Georges Island, one of the 34 beautiful & fascinating islands. The fort didn’t come into play in the Civil War, except as a prison for Confederate soldiers. When I was here in my youth, I heard the spooky story of the Lady in Black, who haunts the cliffs and corridors. With the help of local sympathizers, she snuck into the fort, whistled a tune that her husband knew, found him but accidentally shot him during the escape. She was tried and executed for treason, in a dress she had sewn herself from black curtains in the commander’s office. Her shadowy ghost has been seen by many since the Civil War.

Alas for fans of the supernatural, the story is nonsense. Despite the obviously dramatic appeal, there are no contemporary records of the women herself, the escape attempt, the death of her husband, the arrest, the investigation, the trial or what would have been the first official hanging of a woman for treason during the Civil War. The story began in the 1950s or 60s to encourage folks to visit the old fort in summer. But apparently we prefer lies to the truth. And nothing cools you off on a hot day like sitting in a dark 65° man-made cave listening to a ghost story.

The islands have been also been used as summer fishing grounds by Native Americans, by pirates, smugglers, for quarantine, as schools or asylums, and as way-stations on the Underground Railroad. Outward Bound holds one of its programs on Thompson Island, which Nathaniel Hawthorne once described as “a little world by itself”. The School for Field Studies once hosted me (photo) and a few other whale watchers for a month on a boat, including a day writing up our research in the church on Peddocks Island. A few of the islands remained relatively unchanged since the glaciers receded leaving steeply eroded drumlin cliffs and long low sand-spits. But Spectacle Island had to be completely reclaimed from “trash island” to beautiful natural recreation area.

The Boston Harbor of Tea Party fame is in the inner harbor in the distance above. The Tea Party Ships & Museum on Griffin’s Wharf is not part of the park service, but it’s a fun hands-on spot to learn about ‘no taxation without representation’. The Harbor Island ferries mostly leave from Long Wharf near Faneuil Hall, which is on the Freedom Trail. The islands make a nice excursion if you’re visiting Boston during their open season from mid May to mid October. Since I had already traveled to the islands many times by sailboat, I simply rode the park-partner ferry out for a few hours to take some photos and reminisce. But as I write this today, I can’t help but think about tomorrow’s election. We owe it both to those who fought to create and protect our country and to our future, to hold tightly to our democracy, and vote.

Adirondack Biosphere & Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership

September 16, 2024June 11, 2025 / bigdiff / 4 Comments

Much of upstate New York belongs to the Adirondacks, with old mountains, lakes, forests, wildlife and scenery. Two of the more famous tourist spots are the High Falls Gorge (above) and the Ausable Chasm (below), both on the Ausable River—from the French ‘au sable’ meaning ‘sandy’—which is fed from Lake Placid and flows down to Lake Champlain. Since they’re well developed old trails, walking along the secure walkways and overlooks costs about $20 each, but I think they’re still worth it, though neither is quite the scale I imagined for the ‘Grand Canyon of the East’.

Lake Champlain is part of the water route from New York City to Quebec, so several key battles were fought in the area, including at Saratoga and during the War of 1812. The British were winning in 1814, having sacked DC, but Thomas Macdonough won the Battle of Lake Champlain aboard his ship, the USS Saratoga, thwarting a British invasion down the Hudson in 1814.

This National Heritage Area preserves both history and beautiful nature, including Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller in Vermont. The Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere is also recognized by UNESCO for its forests, wetlands and mountains in both upstate NY and about 1/2 of Vermont. Unfortunately, the Trump administration ended the only other UNESCO Biosphere in the North Atlantic Region at New Hampshire’s Hubbard Brook hardwood forest research. Still, there are many other fascinating places to visit in this diverse heritage area, such as the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton New York on the St Lawrence River, as well as the scenic homelands of the Algonquin and Iroquois people near the Canadian border.

Affiliated Sites in Midwest

August 1, 2024June 11, 2025 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

I recently completed EV visits to all five NPS affiliated sites in the Midwest, which were interesting and educational. Wisconsin is a good place to learn about drumlin hills, kettle lakes and moraine at the various park interpretive centers in the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. The story of Father Marquette’s voyages and the Chicago Portage stretches through several states. Toledo Ohio keeps history at the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis (see the fort’s footprint above) on the banks of the Maumee River. And Nebraska protects Chimney Rock on the pioneer trails.

Much more coming soon, including three national parks, biospheres, and heritage areas as I wrap up the Midwest region. And I reveal my secret project. Stay tuned!

Texas in Photos

June 29, 2024June 4, 2025 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

Celebrating visiting all parks in the Lone Star State: Alibates Flint Quarries, Amistad NRA, Big Bend NP, Big Thicket, Blackwell School, Chamizal, Fort Davis, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Lake Meredith, Lyndon B. Johnson NHP, Padre Island, Palo Alto Battlefield, Rio Grande, San Antonio Missions (a World Heritage Site), and Waco Mammoth. Texas also has three historic trails: the Butterfield Overland, El Camino Real de Los Tejas and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. Wonderful combination of natural scenery and history!

New Mexico in Photos

June 15, 2024June 4, 2025 / bigdiff / 4 Comments

Celebrating completion of all parks in the Land of Enchantment: Aztec Ruins, Bandelier, Capulin Volcano, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Chaco Culture, El Malpais, El Morro, Fort Union NM, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Los Alamos, Pecos NHP, Petroglyph, Salinas Pueblo Missions, Valles Caldera and White Sands NP. The Northern Rio Grande NHA is here, and the Butterfield Overland, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, Santa Fe and the Old Spanish trails all pass through too. There are also three World Heritage Sites, more than any other state: Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Culture and Taos Pueblo. Enjoy!

Utah in Photos

June 8, 2024December 17, 2025 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

Extra photos, celebrating the glorious Beehive State! Hope I didn’t miss any parks: Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Glen Canyon, Golden Spike, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, Timpanogos, and, last, but not least, Zion. Oh, and Utah also has the Old Spanish Trails, the California & Mormon Pioneer Trails, and the Pony Express; and also the Mormon Pioneer NHA and a small part of Great Basin NHA. Lot’s to see!

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve

April 22, 2024July 15, 2024 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

Be cool for the butterflies on Earth Day!

Butterflies are free. Monarchs may arrive at their winter home late, be choosy about where to land, and may leave early. At around 10,000 feet, the dormant volcanic peaks are covered in trees and flowers, with the specific temperatures the Monarchs need. Despite the distance and dangers, the fragile butterflies still manage to fly from Canada to Mexico every year in an extraordinary migration, one of the coolest natural events on earth.

Everyone loves the monarchs, and between the states of Mexico and Michoacán the reserve is both a UNESCO Biosphere and a World Heritage Site. During the November to March season, crowds of locals take bus day trips to see them fly, cluster, feed, mate and fly again. Since the flighty monarchs are unpredictable, day trips can visit their chosen forest at the best times. Overseas visitors often stay for a few days in lovely spots—like Cerro Pelón B&B run by a family of original butterfly rangers—to enjoy the picturesque villages and relaxing environment while recovering from high altitude hiking, as I did.

Humans can impact these glorious butterflies in many ways, both positively and negatively, and we need to be much smarter about making small changes that can help: reduce pesticides, grow butterfly friendly plants and drive slower when butterflies are present. But also, we need to make big, global changes to reduce our carbon emissions, so that this species can survive.

Which brings me to an Earth Day question. Is it worth flying and driving here to see the butterflies, knowing that your carbon pollution will contribute to their extinction? Better to drive an electric car.

Weir Farm National Historical Park

August 29, 2022June 11, 2025 / bigdiff / 1 Comment

When I say that I don’t like J. Alden Weir’s paintings, don’t misunderstand me. I was kicked out of my only art class at age 9 for drawing sketches of a battle including graphic illustrations of stick figures getting blown apart by WWII tanks & planes. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a tint or a tinge from a tincture. One of my favorite pieces of modern art remains the remains of an artist named Art, who, according to his will, was cremated and put on display. So, don’t judge Weir by my predilections.

Actually, I do like “On the Porch”, a Japanese inspired watercolor of two of his daughters painted here on his farm. But I don’t like “The Red Bridge”, where he contrasts a natural setting with a railroad bridge, and I find his landscapes to be too muted and subtle in color to hold my attention. Unlike some European impressionists, Weir didn’t typically paint laborers, preferring farm animals or his family (although he sold paintings to help the unemployed). In any case, tastes change, so creativity must overcome tastes.

Weir, the son of a West Point drawing instructor, helped found American Impressionism. Where his brother went to Hudson Valley, Julian went to Paris, where he overcame his initial horror of Impressionism to adopt some of the techniques. Soon he was back in the US, exhibiting impressionist paintings with his friends, Twachtman, Ryder, and others who organized a group of ten artists to promote the new style. His daughters grew up to be artists as well, and one married one of Brigham Young’s grandsons, Mahonri Young, whose studio is also on the Weir Farm.

While the tour of Weir’s house and studio is interesting, the magic of the place is in the artists who continue coming here to paint. Art colonies and communities constantly influence and depict each other, as when a student of Saint-Gaudens created a bronze relief of Weir. There’s an artist-in-residence, and a small army of artists of all levels who continue to see the new in the old barn, gardens, fields, forest, pond and porch. Some of their paintings are in bold, bright dramatic colors, which I like.

But honestly, real nature is subdued and muted in color. Light on leaves reflected in water is blurred. Roots and rocks on dirt trails near muddy banks are all shades of brown and gray. The real bear in the woods here isn’t kaleidoscopic. Nature is messy, mostly dully boring and awkwardly chaotic, with one tiny amphibian emerging from the algae to catch one’s eye on a stone before almost being trampled. Hmm, maybe I should go back and take another look at Weir’s landscapes.

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