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johneward35 · 4 years

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10 Cool Things About Seattles Green Lake Neighborhood

Seattle is known for its greenery, which makes sense, it is the Evergreen state afterall. It’s no wonder one of our favorite spots is Green Lake, accurately named after the freshwater lake at the heart of Seattle. A little bit of history: the Green Lake neighborhood was settled in the late 1800s and has always been residential and the scenic backdrop to many people’s lives. Perhaps that’s why it’s still such a popular spot for locals and tourists alike along with the occasional celebrity! We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite Green Lake legends, stories and highlights that show what a quirky, beautiful spot Green Lake is and we hope will continue to be!

Duck Island: Duck Island was originally created as a safe habitat for swans which obviously didn’t pan out. This small island is located in the middle of Green Lake and is off limits to visitors. In fact, it’s even against the law to trespass on this island as it was deemed a wildlife refuge back in the 50’s (this changed in the 80’s). If caught, you could get a misdemeanor for trespassing. But rules were meant to be broken, right? In 2017, a group of skaters handbuilt their own skatepark in the middle of Duck Island. Some videos can still be found online. Did they get caught, yes. Did they get in trouble? You know it. Let this be a lesson, Duck Island is for the birds.

Twin Teepees: There’s a local legend that Colonel Harland Sanders (yes! The KFC guy) was a short order cook at the former Twin Teepees, a local establishment that was destroyed by fire and then later torn down in 2001. John Owen, who wrote Walking Seattle said that the owner of the Twin Teepees, Walter Clear “met another energetic restaurateur who had fallen upon hard times. He offered his new friend Harold Sanders a temporary job as a short order cook at one of his Seattle restaurants. Clark moved his friend to the Twin Teepees, where the man’s fascination with herbs and spices continued.” After almost a year in Seattle, Harold decided to head home to Kentucky and later began to refer to himself as “Colonel Sanders.” We may never know if he developed his famous recipes here in our very own Green Lake neighborhood but it’s still a pretty tasty story.

The Green Lake Arch: Originally located as a prominent fixture in the Martha Washington School for Girls, a historic school building on Lake Washington. This looming piece of history now resides in Green Lake, but how? You may have heard stories about the Martha Washington School for Girls. Ghost stories to be specific. The school, which has since been demolished, was built in 1921. The school offered support for neglected and unfortunate young girls until the school closed their doors in 1952. It sat empty and neglected for decades, some say satanic cults took place in the structure which led to the 1972 decision to demolish it. The City of Seattle purchased and tore down the building and built a park (which you can visit today). Sightings only intensified of young girls haunting the shores of Lake Washington. So how did the huge arc get to Green Lake and not in a landfill? For some reason, it was put in storage in 2009 and brought to Green Lake as part of Seattle’s Shade Park and Plaza. For many decades this eerie arch greeted young girls as they entered their school each day and now you too can visit it in Green Lake, just watch out for the paranormal, it’s probably still haunted.

Magnet Fishing: It’s how it sounds and it works with varying success. Local man, Sam Miller was out magnet fishing on the lake and uncovered an unlabeled can with an expiration date of 2020. Sam, who is also a local comedian in Seattle, opened the mystery can at Emmett Montgomery & Brett Hamill’s Joketeller’s Union show in the summer of 2019 and proceeded to taste this mystery meat. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t spoiled! The cool lake temperatures keep things like beer cans and food cans nice and chilled! You can watch the “uncanning” here.

Spuds Fish N Chips: Founded in 1935, this place has history! Two brothers, Jack and Frank Alger, are credited with bringing the phenomenon that is “fish & chips” to Seattle. The brothers, originally from England (where the whole fish and chips fad started) decided to open a restaurant in Alki and later Green Lake. It’s rumored the brothers even helped out Ivar’s with his famous fish and chips recipe. Taste test anyone?

Milk Carton Races: This quirky event has been taking place every year since its opening event in 1972 (sorry 2020, the next race has been rescheduled for 2021). It’s officially called the Lucerne Seafair Milk Carton Derby and features the weirdest, most colorful milk carton boats you have ever seen. You never know what kind of boat or floatation creation will float by as they vary in size and designs. May the best milk carton boat win!

Water Lantern Festival: This is another annual event that has been rescheduled due to COVID-19 but their website says to check back in 2021. Watch as a spectator or take part by purchasing a lantern that you’ll personalize with a message or drawing. Watch as it drifts in tandem with hundreds of other lanterns across Green Lake. It’s a sight to see! Food trucks and live music make for a fun filled evening.

First Date: Green Lake can seem like the perfect romantic spot, a stroll around the scenic lake, canadian geese honking in harmony as you pass by with your new love…except when you realize you have absolutely nothing in common with your date and you’re only a quarter way around Green Lake. A stroll with your date can turn awkward really fast and can feel like a ride you can’t get off of. So romantics beware, Green Lake may be the best or worst place to go on a first date. It can be a long 2.8 miles around the lake.

The Aqua Theater: Originally built in 1950 for Seattle’s Seafair as a way to showcase “swimusicals”, which is just how it sounds. Singing, dancing and synchronized ballet swimming a la water musical! Besides swimusicals, many plays have taken place at the Aqua Theater along with jazz festivals, wrestling matches, comedy shows, and live music concerts. After the summer productions, the activity at the Aqua Theater waned (most probably due to the near constant wet weather) and was for the most part abandoned. After Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead played at the Theater in 1960, the City of Seattle deemed it unsafe. In 1970 it was torn down and repurposed. Some sections of the grandstand remain today and offer a great way to exercise those glutes.

Gaines Point: The murder of Sylvia Gaines was huge news in Seattle when it happened in June of 1926. A man was walking around the north end of Green Lake on his way to work when he discovered a pair of women’s shoes. He investigated further and found Sylvia, dead near the shore. Sylvia Gaines was only 22 and had just moved to Seattle to reconnect with her estranged father whom she hadn’t seen since she was 5. It didn’t take long for investigators to charge her father, Bob Gaines with her murder. It only took 3 hours for the jury to find Bob Gaines guilty. The grove of Alder trees where Sylvia was found was replaced by Cottonwood trees (many of which were planted as a memorial to Sylvia). The trees grew to be 70 years old and offered a habitat to bald eagles but unfortunately their limbs began to fall. Deemed too dangerous, the cottonwoods were then removed. They have since been replaced with Populus Robusta trees. There are many who say the ghost of Sylvia has been seen peeking through the branches of these trees at night!

Photo Sources:

1. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/city-sues-capitol-hill-skate-shop-over-illicit-skateboarding-bowl-built-on-green-lakes-duck-island/ 2. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/266134659217502616/ 3. https://seattlemortgageplanners.com/seattle-neighborhood-guide/green-lake/ 5. https://www.seattlegreenlaker.com/2018/01/spud-fish-and-chips-building-nominated-for-seattle-landmark-status/ 6. https://parkways.seattle.gov/2018/07/11/july-14-seafair-milk-carton-derby/ 7. https://www.shorelineareanews.com/2019/10/green-lake-water-lantern-festival.html 9. https://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2010/10/04/p-i-archives-the-aqua-theater-at-green-lake/ 10. https://blogs.columbian.com/corks-and-forks/2013/12/24/a-walk-around-green-lake/

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bernardhiking · 4 years

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Harding Icefield Trail

Date of hike: August 20, 2020

Country: USA

Region: Alaska

Trailhead: Exit Glacier Nature Center, near Seward, AK

Hike Destination: Harding Icefield Overlook

Distance: 9 miles (13.5 km), out and back trail

Overall elevation gain: 3,400 ft. (ca. 1,100 m.)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Seward, which is situated on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, gets 40% more days without sunshine per year (232) than does Boston (where we currently reside). Thus, while sunny days cannot be taken for granted anywhere in the US, except maybe in Las Vegas, they can even be less taken for granted on the Kenai Peninsula (or anywhere else in Alaska, for that matter). That’s why we were truly grateful and highly excited when we woke up to a bright sunny day for what was planned to be the highlight, hiking-wise, of our 12-day tour of Alaska.

We stayed at the Seward Windsong Lodge, located next to Resurrection River, and from there it is just a 15 minutes drive to reach the Exit Glacier Nature Center, inside Kenai Fjords National Park. To approach the visitor center is to get an object lesson in the intricacies of climate change. Roadside signs with years on them show how far the glacier used to reach in former times.

Based on analysis of vegetation age and various geographic markers, scientists determined that the glacier reached its furthest expansion at the end of the “Mini Ice Age,” around 1815. Since then, Exit Glacier has retreated a staggering 2 kilometers up the valley, living up to its name as a glacier on the way out. When we passed the first placard with the oldest date on it, I took it for a joke because we were surrounded by lush forest; but 200 years ago, we’d have been faced with a mass of shimmering, compressed ice at this very spot. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the Glacier has retreated at a rate of 13 meters per year on average. This is a good indication that glacial retreat is not only a function of man-made greenhouse gas emission (which were minimal in 1815), but that human activity compounds large-scale climactic factors and that both work together to fuel the melting of glaciers. As far as I know, the question of what proportion of climate change is due to natural cycles and what is due to human activity remains a point of contention.

The trail up to the Harding Icefield is very popular, and for good reasons: Starting at a short distance from Seward, it is a hike of moderate difficulty and reasonable length (9 miles), offering huge rewards of grand sub-arctic mountainscapes. It is a good idea to arrive at the trailhead early, especially on a splendid day like we experienced it, although due to Covid-19, far fewer tourists than usual were in Alaska at the time. No cruise ships were docking in Seward all season, and the complicated travel restrictions and testing requirements have generally raised the bar on travelers arriving from far away places. Somebody told us that because of Covid-19, 1 million fewer people were in Alaska right now than a year ago. To put this figure in perspective, the entire resident population of the state is only 740,000. The tourism industry and all depending on it are clearly smarting from this situation, although Alaskans are picking up some of the slack by coming out in greater numbers than usual to see their own land. But it is one of the ironies of an otherwise baneful global pandemic that pristine natural attractions are rendered more pristine by the absence of hordes of tourists.

We started out on the trail at 8:45 am, full of vigor and anticipation. We must have been among the very early birds since we didn't encounter anybody until close to noon, when some hikers who had overnighted somewhere in the backcountry were heading back our way. The trail is very well maintained and ascends at a pleasant rate, although some tall steps are encountered in the steepest sections. The first hour was spent mainly in alder, cottonwood, and spruce forest, which then gave way to shorter, stunted vegetation higher up, allowing a first glimpses of Exit Glacier, a gigantic river of ice lumbering down the mountainside, literally frozen in time.

Exit Glacier is one of 38 glaciers spilling out from the Harding Icefield which entirely covers central Kenai Peninsula at a surface area of over 700 square miles (or roughly the size of the island of Maui).

One of the great advantages of heading out early on this hike, besides enjoying an uncrowded trail, is that the light is much more favorable to bringing out the sculpted features of the landscape, exposing the blue ice shimmering from deep clefts in the glacier, while photogenic tendrils of vapor slide over the mountaintops in the background enhancing the dramatic effect. Once the sun moves further south and then swings west in the later afternoon, the light turns flat and blinding, as the viewer looks more or less directly into the glare over the glacier, and this takes a toll on the color spectrum and dimensional nuances of the scenery.

After one hour of steady climbing, we reached the first overlook where we got a close look at the plunging Exit Glacier. We had a brief sit-down here and drank some water. Then, we tackled the steepest portion of the trail, as it switch-backs up and around a bluff, while the vegetation goes from brush to tundra. Looking back down to that first lookout, we realized that it had meanwhile been populated by fellow hikers who had come in our wake.

After taking this photo with a tele lens, we deftly continued upward, calling out “oyeee! oyeee!” as a warning to potential bears. Telling the beasts that you are in their neighborhood is the best defense against unpleasant encounters with them, as they are usually shy and eager to avoid contact with humans. But when they are surprised or crowded, they can quickly and viciously turn on people. Like most hikers in Alaska, we also carried bear spray, but on a test of this device--discharging the can before we flew home--we found it to be of dubious efficacy, as the cloud of pepper gas was easily dissipated, with a reach of only about 5 meters. It seemed a puny way of defending oneself against an outraged 600 pound animal. Carrying the bear spray does more to calm the hiker’s nerves than it offers real protection in case of an emergency... hence the noise-making as the first and most important line of defense.

As it turned out, on this hike we did not encounter any bear (though another party following after us did, at fairly close range). We also did not spot other large wildlife and had to make do with a couple of marmots and grasshoppers. We did not mind, of course, since the scenery offered all the visual gratification that we could hope for. I'll never forget the moment when we crested a bluff and stepped out unto the ridge that looks down upon the majestic glacier, as it swings around in a broad curve, exposing a dramatic backdrop of icy expanse and serrated mountain tops.

It was as good an instance of the sublime feeling of awe in nature as can be had. The vastness of the scene was overpowering, and we were glad to sample it in solitude. Because the glacier is so enormously thick--measuring up to one mile in depth--the peaks are almost entirely submerged, which creates a unique landscape type, only available in the far north (as well as the Antarctic, of course). It is hard to imagine that all of this splendor could one day be melted away, but in the far future, we might be looking into a valley instead of a plain brimming with endless amounts of ice and snow.

The next portion of the trail, up to the ultimate turn-around point, goes from tundra to rocky terrain to black scree that resembles the surface of an uninhabited planet. This was my favorite stretch of the trail, with the huge expanse of the Harding Icefield gradually coming more clearly into view, as the trail climbs higher and higher above the glacier, while the vegetation becomes more and more sparse yet luminous. The dwarf fireweed were lovely to behold, and in some places they formed bright patches that attracted the eye in this austere landscape.

Even the mosses were extraordinary here, eking out a living in forbidding conditions, brightly lining the border of small ponds along the way.

The trail passes a small emergency shelter shortly before it reaches the end. When we peeked inside the shelter, there was nothing but four windowless walls and a bare floor. Not a stick of furniture or a stove to be seen. “Spartan” is probably an overstatement for this establishment. But for mountaineers in distress, the shelter can make the difference between life and death.

It is hard to imagine the violent storms that tear through this region in the winter, or the bone-chilling cold and relentless darkness that will hold sway here in a few months' time. But right now, we were basking in gorgeous summer sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-60s, and with excellent visibility—better conditions cannot be imagined for a hike in this mountain wilderness. The contrast with what it could be like here in other circumstances is almost unreal.

Soon after the emergency shelter, the path, which follows an old moraine, emerges on a small bluff, all rock and stone with no vegetation.

Here, we sought a nice secluded spot to the side of the trail and sat down for a leisurely lunch picnic, pondering the vastness of the vista and feeling comparatively small. In the bluish distance of the Harding Icefield, a row of grey conical mountain tops pierced the mile-thick ice pack like newspaper hats bobbing on a milky ocean.

On the way down, we met increasing numbers of hikers going up, including a gaggle of teenagers equipped only with water bottles who were asking how far it was to the end of the trail. It was 3 pm, and they did not give the impression of having the grit to sprint all the way up to the end of the trail, although coming this far without going to the final overlook seems a bit like a letdown. This really is a popular hike, and I can only imagine how busy it would be without Covid. At 9 miles round-trip (13.5 km), with 3,400 feet (roughly 1,100 meters) elevation gain, it is a substantial hike, but nowhere exposed, technical, or uninteresting. There is no better way, in my mind, to spend a sunny day in Alaska than going up to the viewpoint at the end of the Harding Icefield track.

We returned to the visitor center at around 4:30 pm, quite tired but not worn out and certainly in very high spirits. There was not much room for our spirits to go higher, even after popping a couple cans of cold Alaskan beer in celebration of a perfect day.

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hauntedhistorycolorado · 4 years

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Cheesman Park of Denver

The pavilion at Cheesman Park, photo from Pixabay, courtesy of the CU Indepedent

A foggy day in Cheesman park, photo by RJ Sangosti, courtesy of the Denver Post

Historical background

Today, Cheesman Park is a well-tended public park in central Denver, surrounded by some of the oldest mansions in the city. Close to downtown and Capitol Hill, the pavilion at Cheesman is a common location for political rallies and is a popular gathering spot for Denver’s gay community. On warm days, the park is often filled with families, couples, runners, and picnickers. And it’s common knowledge among locals that just below the grass rest thousands of corpses.

Cheesman Park was originally Denver’s foremost pioneer cemetery. In 1859, one year after the City of Denver’s inception, the location was chosen by city founder William Larimer, according to records I found on the Denver Public Library’s website, based on a site where local Native Americans observed death rites. At the same time, it was about two miles away from the city, and the original plans were for a peaceful, garden-like cemetery. However, the cemetery quickly became unsightly and overgrown. Cattle began to graze there, and local legend says that people even began homesteading on the land.

The old cemetery at Cheesman Park, courtesy of the Denver Post

Typical of wild-west cities of the time, Denver was filled with disease and violent crime, and the cemetery quickly began to fill. A common account of the first burial tells the story of John Stoefel, who shot and killed his brother-in-law Arthur Biengraff over a bag of gold dust, only to be hung from a cottonwood tre at the intersection of 10th and Cherry Creek streets. They were then buried in the same casket, trapped together for eternity. Contrary to this, a deeper dig into cemetery records shows that this is a sensationalized version of the cemetery’s history, and that John Steofel and Arthur Biengraff were actually the third burial in Prospect Hill; the first being Abraham Kay, who was killed by a sudden infection at age 26 in 1859 and the second being a teenager called B. Marywall, who was thrown from a horse. After local outlaw John O’Neal was shot outside of a saloon for being a “cheat” and buried in Prospect Hill, the cemetery gained a reputation as being the final resting place of Denver’s “criminals and paupers.” Cemetery records after this are slim; no death records other than headstones were kept, many of which were made of wood, if they existed at all.

Scan from From The Grave by Linda Wommack

In 1872, Congress decreed the site of Prospect Hill federal land, having been deeded to the government in an 1860 treaty with the Arapahoe Indians, and it was sold to the City of Denver with the provision that it always serve as a cemetery.

Prospect Hill was renamed City Cemetery in 1873, by which point it had become so dilapidated that residents preferred to bury their loved ones in the new, much more well-kept garden cemetery, Riverside. The founding of Riverside and its more stately appearance only served to increase the degenerate population in City Cemetery. Though, it should be said that people of all types were, in actuality, interred there. The current location of the Denver Botanic Gardens sits on the former site of the consecrated ground of the Catholic portion of the cemetery, known as Calvary, and there were segregated cemetery areas throughout the current Cheesman Park neighborhood, also including a Jewish cemetery, plots for various societies and organizations like the Freemasons, a plot for Chinese immigrants, and others. The poor and criminal residents were commonly buried on the outskirts of the cemetery, with those closer to the middle class filling in the center.

By the 1880s, Denver had expanded closer to City Cemetery and talk began between Congress and the City of Denver to reclassify the area as a park, for two reasons. 1) The locals didn’t want to live near a cemetery, and 2) they definitely didn’t want to live next to an ugly, desert cemetery filled with the lowest members of Denver’s population. On January 25, 1890, Congress acceded to Colorado Senator Henry Teller and the land was declared Congress Park.

Now, onto the fun:

In 1893, bodies began to be moved to Riverside. At first, loved ones of those interred were given 90 days to have bodies relocated, but very few were moved during this time, and the waiting period stretched out into years. So few of the bodies were claimed, that eventually the task of moving the bodies was contracted out to undertaker Edward P McGovern, at the agreed-upon price of $1.90 per casket removal (around $54.33 today). Only days into the mass exhumation, word of scandal reached local journalists

On Saturday, March 19, 1893, a front page story ran in the Denver Republican, headlined “THE WORK OF GHOULS! HUMAN BODIES TORN TO PIECES And All for the Purpose of Plundering the Public Treasury... Bodies Taken From Their Resting Places in the City Cemetery, Distributed Each Among Three Boxes, Carted Off to Riverside and Charged as Three ‘Bodies’”

So, McGovern and his workers were accused of hacking up bodies and distributing them into multiple child-size caskets as a way to overcharge the city and make more money. First hand accounts also tell of graverobbing. Apparently, workers were also seen removing jewelry and other personal effects from the graves.

Headline from The Denver Republican, March 19, 1893. Courtesy of the Denver Public Library archive.

A selection from the article is as follows:

“The work of removing the unclaimed bodies has now been in progress four days. During that time 491 ‘bodies’ have been boxed up and carted away, at least those are figures given by John E. Wood, Mr. McGilvray’s recent appointee to the Health department, and receipted for by A. Forsythe, the superintendent for Riverside cemetery.

Anyone who visits the scene of the disinterment at the old city cemetery and glances at the number of graves opened and coffins exposed will be somewhat puzzled to tell where all those ‘bodies’ came from.

A short visit to the cemetery yesterday accounted for the mystery.

Out of one grave, where only a single coffin was visible, three of the forty-two-inch boxes were filled. Into the first box some bones were cavalierly tossed by a workman. He then pulled another box to the edge of the grave, and into this he tossed one bone, some earth, and a portion of the coffin. After this the son of toil rested awhile. The graves on each side of him were being excavated by other workmen, and he evidently did not care to move, so he called for another box.

At this juncture a man came along with a pot of paint and brush and numbered and lettered the two boxes already filled from he single grave. John E. Wood, the representative of the Health department, also came up. When he saw the third box he asked the man in the grave what it was for. ‘Oh, I guess there’s another one here,’ said the grave-digger, as he threw a shovelful of earth into the box. Mr. Wood looked into the grave, said ‘Humph,’ and walked away. Another shovelful of earth and some crumbled wood was then thrown into the box, the ‘remains’ were disinfected, the lid fastened on and the ‘body’ of ‘274, B. H.,’ shipped to Riverside.”

Immediately after the article ran, McGovern was fired and the project was terminated when the Health Commissioner began an investigation. A new contractor was never hired, and the park project was put on hold. The cemetery was fenced off, and many of the graves remained open. Eventually, the park project was finished. Many of the oldest trees in Cheesman Park today were planted int the open ground of unearthed graves. The park was renamed after Walter S Cheesman in 1907 when his widow came forward with a donation of funds to build a pavilion in an effort to beautify the park. Another nearby park still holds the name of Congress.

Cheesman Park, arial view 1940s-1950s, courtesy of the Denver Public Library

Bodies continued to be moved into the 20th century, with the Hebrew burial ground being relocated in 1923 and the bodies at the Catholic Calvary cemetery moved in the 1950s. However, it is estimated that betwen 2,000 and 3,000 corpses still remain under the park. Bones continue to be uncovered. Wooden caskets that were buried while the cemetery was in use have collapsed underground and are said to be responsible for the depressions in the earth all over the park, the majority of these being concentrated on the North-West side, near the playground. As the soil shifts, heavier rocks and other objects sink, while lighter objects, like bones, begin to rise. Human remains are often dug up by dogs playing in the park. Corpses found in Cheesman are often well-preserved, occasionally mummified, due to the dry climate.

In 2010, four skeletons were uncovered by a construction crew doing irrigation work. One of these had risen until it was only a few feet below the surface and was found close to a sidewalk. Then Denver Parks and Rec spokeswoman, Jill McGranahan, had this to say about the incident:

“Many of the bodies left in Prospect Cemetery were those of paupers and criminals. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing or even finding out who they are or if they have existing relatives. We told them [the construction crew] of Cheesman’s past and that coming upon skeletons was a real possibility. They all agree that it was still unsettling the first time. As one of our workers stated, he arrives after the sun is up and leaves before it goes down, so he doesn’t take any chances.”

Skeleton uncovered in Cheesman Park, 2010, courtesy of the Denver Post

The hauntings of the Cheesman Park neighborhood

Stories of hauntings in Cheesman Park, the Botanic Gardens, and the surrounding homes are still wildly popular among locals. Mansions in the area are said to have provided inspiration for ‘80s horror films Poltergeist and The Changeling (stories surrounding these homes in particular are difficult to pin down on any factual basis). The most commonly reported incidents in the park include: cold spots, sudden feelings of dread or anger, and disembodied voices. Full-bodied apparitions have also been sighted, and are sometimes said to communicate directly with the living. According to local legend, those who walk through the cemetery on a foggy night have experienced views of phantom headstones, as though they have been transported back in time to Prospect Hill.

Paranormal investigation teams visiting the park have experienced EMF (electromagnetic field) spikes, as well as lights flickering, rapidly spinning compass needles, EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon), photographic anomalies (orbs, light, apparitions), cold or sickly feelings, and the sensation of being touched.

CLICK HERE FOR GHOST STORIES SURROUNDING CHEESMAN PARK.

Reflective commentary

A common theory in paranormal investigation is that spirits tend to remain on Earth where ever they suffered the most in life, and due to that, cemeteries are not usually the most spiritually active places. However, it is also said that defilement of bodies, particularly those buried on consecrated ground, can lead to spiritual activity. The relocation of the graves from Prospect Hill, and the way many of the bodies were split across several caskets, and the lack of marked graves for those who remain, is said to contribute to the high level of spiritual activity still in Cheesman Park today.

My friend Martha and I visited Cheesman Park in fall of 2019 both during the day and after nightfall. Neither of us experienced what we could suspect as spiritual activity.

Martha records while I try to pick up EMF readings, photo taken by me (on the GoPro), November 2019

Cheesman Park is an interesting case, not only because of its wild history, but also because of its contemporary function as several public parks, a popular tourist attraction, and the stateliest homes in Denver. The oldest and largest homes in any city are likely to attract rumors of hauntings, and I have no doubt that many of the homes in the Cheesman Park neighborhood would still have stories of hauntings attached to them even without the history of Prospect Hill attached to them. This combination of the “haunted house” trope with the “cemetery” trope shows how types of stories of hauntings and come together, and the history of the park shows us how and why these stories can develop. As public space, the Cheesman Park neighborhood is in a unique position to be constantly interacting with the modern world; new ghost stories of Cheesman Park are always developing, keeping a close relationship with the contemporary locals and the underlying history. Its influence of pop culture is also singular - a shining example of how the history of ghost stories can change and perpetuate the cultural lexicon of the liminal and strange.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL FIELD NOTES AND SOURCES FOR THIS LOCATION.

#findings #cheesman park

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randyk1m-blog · 5 years

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Things To Do In Joshua Tree National Park

We are excited to share this guest post from Fummins Family Road Trip on things to do in Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree is an amazing national park with so much to offer! Keep reading to learn about some of the best activities in the park:

Our family of 7 has been traveling North America in our RV since September of 2016. In that time we have visited countless National Parks all over the United States and Canada, but there is only 1 national park we have visited on numerous occasions in every year we have been on the road: Joshua Tree National Park. So if you’re looking for things to do in Joshua Tree, you’re in the right place!

What Is Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a true desert wilderness that is best described as a big playground illustrated by Dr Seuss. Some say the Joshua Trees were the inspiration for the Truffula Trees used in many of his books.

This national park is close to 800,000 acres that covers part of the Mojave Desert and sits on the San Andreas Fault. There are visitor centers at both the North and South entrances for you to stop for a map and learn about any ranger lead programs going on in the park.

Location

Joshua Tree is located in Southern California just a few hours outside Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix and is accessible on the south side from I-10 or on the north from State Highway 62. We have be to Joshua Tree so many times and we have used all 3 of the entrances. We have used the southern one primarily due to its close proximity to Palm Springs and some great BLM Boondocking just outside of the Cottonwood Visitors center.

What You Should Bring

Bring plenty of water, especially if you plan to do any hiking. The visitor centers do have water available, but out and about in the park it is not. Also make sure you bring comfortable footwear and warm and/or cooler cloths. The weather can be a bit bipolar and change at the drop of a hat. It is typically windy and very dry throughout the park.

Visitors Centers/Entering The Park

There are 3 different visitor centers in Joshua Tree that you can visit: Joshua Tree Visitor Center at the Village of Joshua Tree, Oasis Visitor Center at the Twentynine Palms entrance and the Cottonwood Visitor Center at the south end of the park off of I-10. You shouldn’t feel the need to visit all 3, use the one closest to the entrance you enter through. Our kids are avid Jr. Rangers and you can pick up Jr. Ranger books at any one of the 3, and return the completed books to any of them as well.

Things To Do

So now that you’re at Joshua Tree, what is there to do? In addition to all of the driving tours to check out the native Joshua Trees, this park is packed with outdoor adventures such as: Hiking, biking, rock climbing, spectacular overlook views or star gazing in the dark desert night sky.

Ranger Led Talks

We have caught many ranger led talks during our visits there; you can get the schedule at any of the visitor’s centers, but need to make sure to find out the location of the program and give yourself enough time to drive to the venue as the talks are spread throughout the park and not usually in the same place twice in one day. These are usually free of charge and highly informative. You can find the NPS calendar for Joshua Tree National Park here.

Rock Climbing

We are not rock climbers whatsoever, but this park is loaded with climbing routes, bouldering, highlining and slacklining opportunities. Our kids love all of the scrambling in the area and, as they get older, I am sure that we’ll have to start doing some real rock climbing and this will be the perfect place for them to learn the sport.

Arch Rock Trail

Our kids absolutely love the Arch Rock Trail that starts inside the White Tank Campground. It is an eighth of a mile hike up to a natural arch within the granite formations that our kids love scrambling and climbing all over. The trailhead in the campground has restrooms, ample parking and picnic areas available making it a great place to spend a couple hours, an entire afternoon or a couple days!

Hidden Valley Trail

One of our favorite hikes in the park is Hidden Valley. This mile loop trail winds around massive boulders and is a great place to watch the rock climbers in action. This is one of the most scenic trails in the park and is packed with history that dates back to the 1930’s when it was used as a cattle rustlers hideout. One thing we learned the hard way, if you set out on this hike in the evening, take a flashlight!

Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

If you drive down Pinto Basin Road to or from the southern part of the park you will come across the Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail. This roadside stop is a great place to check out the many different types of cactus! It’s a great nature trail that is good for all ages! During our first trip to the Cholla Cactus Garden, Emmett, our youngest, who had just learned to walk, navigated this trail with ease!

Skull Rock

If you know us at all, you’ll know that we love pirates; so we could not pass up a photo opportunity with a place called Skull Rock! This roadside area located just behind the Jumbo Rocks Campground is a great place for the kids to play. There is plenty of parking and lots of rock scrambling opportunities so the kids love the Skull Rock area!

Keys View

About a 20 minute drive from the North West entrance of the park is Keys View. This is a perfect place to watch a sunrise or sunset. This easily accessible viewpoint provides spectacular views of Palm Springs, Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault and even as far as Mexico! This quarter mile round trip path is wheelchair accessible and something you won’t want to miss.

Stargazing

We have stayed well into the evening a few times. Joshua Tree comes to life after dark, and we have really enjoyed looking for critters. Pack a dinner and some flashlights and just enjoy the quiet night sky. We have also stayed later and brought out telescopes. It is just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of southern California to provide you with some spectacular star gazing.

Salton Sea

If you have seen everything you wanted to see at Joshua Tree, but still have some time, head south toward the Salton Sea. This area is filled with some interesting things. Don’t let the names scare you, but Salvation Mountain; Slab City and East Jesus are worth a trip.

Where To Eat

Pappy & Harriets

If you are looking for some local flavor, be sure to check out Pappy & Harriets. This cantina located in Pioneertown was originally built in the 1940s as a western style movie set and was used to film more than 50 films and television programs. It’s located on State Route 62 about 4 miles northeast of Yucca Valley outside the north entrance. This western BBQ honky-tonk has great food, live music and once hosted the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry while it was a movie set.

Where To Stay

Since we are fulltime RVers, we always have our house with us, and have explored Joshua Tree from a several different places in the area. There are 9 campgrounds with 500 total sites within the national park that are first come first serve in the summer or can be booked through recreation.gov during the busier winter months. Unfortunately our RV is much larger than the 25’ maximum length that is in most of these campgrounds so we have had to use alternative options.

RV/Camping

We have spent a lot of time at Palm Springs RV Resort about an hour away in Palm Desert, so most of our Joshua Tree explorations have started from there. The Joshua Tree South BLM is also a favorite of ours offering free dry camping just outside the southern Cottonwood Springs gate. Although this spot is a little bit of a drive to the main parts of the park, we really enjoy the views and don’t mind the drive.

There are many campgrounds and RV parks throughout the area from Palm Springs to Twentynine Palms offering camping options for all shapes and sizes of RV’s or amenities needed. If you’re not into RVing or camping, there are countless motels, hotels or Airbnb to choose from in the area.

Don’t have an RV? Rent one! Check out Outdoorsy, it is kinda like AirBnB for RV’s!

AirBNB

The Town of Joshua Tree is well known for its small businesses and artsy atmosphere. There are some really fun and artistic AirBnB’s in the area that would be perfect for kids! They are bright and colorful and have some interesting and beautiful features, check out a few below:

Cloud Inn Desert Artist Retreat

Art Loft Joshua Tree

More AirBNB Options near Joshua Tree

Hotels

The hotel options in the actual town of Joshua Tree are a little rough as it is a small and rustic town. However, just a few miles over you can find some nice places to hang your hat for the evening with all of the amenities, especially a pool in that desert heat!

This Holiday Inn Express and Suites is only a couple miles away from Joshua Tree National Park!

You can also see a full list of hotels in and around the area here.

If you haven’t picked up on it, we absolutely love this area, and we have found something new and interesting every time we go back. We would definitely suggest planning to visit this awesome corner of Southern California for as long as your time allows. If you want to learn more about us and our journey, check out https://www.roadschool.com.

Looking for more adventures in California? Check out our following posts:

12 Epic Things To Do In Northern California [Map Included]

14 Awesome Things To Do In Death Valley National Park [And Where To Stay]

15 Magnificent Things To Do In San Diego With Kids

54+ Things To Enjoy On The Ultimate Baja California Mexico Road Trip

17 Unforgettable Things To Do In San Francisco With Kids

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The post 10 Unbelievable Things To Do In Joshua Tree National Park appeared first on Crazy Family Adventure.

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phatjosh180 · 6 years

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RACE RECAP: SoCal Half Marathon

A couple weekends ago when I was running the Winter Series 15K here in Utah — I was miserable. I was freezing. I was hurting. And, I’m sure if I was out there running any longer — I would have been dead. To keep me mentally moving forward I kept chanting, “… I’m going to be running in sunny Southern California next week, I’m going to be running in sunny Southern California next week, I’m going to be running in sunny Southern California next week …”

Boy, did I ever lie to myself. It was far from sunny. Which seems oddly appropriate considering the year I’ve been having so far — but, that’s a post for another day. And, one that will probably come sooner than later. But, again, that’s a post for another day.

Anyways, since my friend Joe, who owns On Hill Events, created this race — I thought I’d go support him and make a weekend of it. Especially since my brother and his family live in Huntington Beach as well. I was looking forward from the escape that’s been a very long and cold winter for me.

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WE’RE GOING ON A SAFARI!!!

A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 1, 2019 at 1:54pm PST

I flew down on Friday morning and spent the day in San Diego at the Safari Park with his family. I even ended up buying an annual-pass (it’s like $110 for the year and $56 for the day) that’s good for both the zoo and safari park. More than anything it gives me an excuse to get myself to Southern California a couple times this upcoming year. Something I won’t complain about.

The weather on Friday in both San Diego and Huntington Beach was pretty good. I kept my eyes on Saturday because rain was in the forecast. Being an Ogden Marathon alum — I knew that I needed to prepare for the unknown, so I packed a good windbreaker and extra clothes to change into after the race — just in case.

The — just in case — was very much needed.

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It’s always fun to see hometown faces in foreign places. Okay, California isn’t really foreign — but, I couldn’t find a better way to put that.

A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:12pm PST

Since my brother lived about a mile from the bus loading/finish line I was planning on just walking to the buses in the morning. But, the rain was POURING at 6am and luckily my brother gave me a ride to the buses otherwise I would have been drenched well before the race began.

As I picked up my race bib — my mental fortitude wasn’t very strong. I didn’t want to run. I kept trying to talk myself out of the half marathon and into the 10K. Heck, even the 5K or NoK even crossed my mind. But, I wasn’t going to let the rain stop me, I needed the miles for my marathon training — and I just needed to do it. As easy as that sounds.

After taking the bus to the start line (just south of Angel Stadium in Anaheim) the rain kept coming. It lightened up a bit, but it was still fairly constant. A number of runners just didn’t show up (probably 50 no-shows for the half marathon) and the crowd was a bit thin. But, there was still excitement in the air to run — even me.

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⚾️♥️⚾️💙⚾️

A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:14pm PST

After munching on my breakfast of cheese and nuts, I followed the crowd and go ready to get going for the 8:30am gun time. After a couple pictures with local Utah running friends we were off. I felt fine during the first quarter of a mile, but as we got to the turnaround on the river trail near the Stadium — it struck.

The gut.

I ended up losing my breakfast.

I usually don’t eat breakfast on keto (I eat my first meal around noon) — but, on race days I like to eat some nuts and cheese for energy before I run. But, for whatever reason it just didn’t settle — and I lost it all. Which is really sad because they were nuts and cheese.

My stomach just felt very unsettled and I decided to hold back a bit with Lizz for a couple miles until I felt better.That never really happened, because I ended up throwing up again around mile 3-4. My stomach wasn’t happy — nor was I.

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A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:17pm PST

I tried to get into a good rhythm with Lizz, but I just couldn’t — my back and ankle started hurting, the rain didn’t any and then I started cramping because of the cold. By mile 5-6, I just felt like a complete hot mess — which I totally was — and I just didn’t care. I just wanted to get to the finish line at this point.

I’m so glad that I had Lizz with me — and she vice versa. We kept each other company with great conversation, lots of laughing and distracting each other from caving into “the suck” of the race. It was probably good that we ran together because there were a few homeless people I wouldn’t have felt comfortable encountering alone — especially when they’re asking for money and the only thing I could offer was a Salted Caramel Gu.

Homeless people don’t like Gu.

Neither do I, but that’s a story for another day.

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A post shared by Josher 🏃🏻‍♂️🏋🏻‍♂️🥩 (@runfitketo) on Mar 2, 2019 at 7:08pm PST

By Mile 10 we our fartleking was more like a mall walk — and yet we kept moving forward. We cheered on our friends who were running the marathon, took some pictures and then lost our complete minds at Mile 12 when I found a couple of snails and decided to match them up. Needless to say, I think they mated on a fork I was carrying them on — but, I can’t be too sure, because I failed sex ed in college.

Again that’s another story for another day.

The rain finally stopped during the last mile of the race and we made our way to the Huntington Beach State Park where the finish line was. We were definitely the last half marathoners — and second to last still out there as a marathoner was a few miles from finishing (to give you an idea at how slow we went).

It was definitely my longest unpaced half marathon (4:56:29) — and I won’t lie — I am a bit embarrassed by it. I was wanting something around 3-3:30 hours with a good heart rate run. But, it was what it was — and quite honestly — it was good “time on my feet” to prep me for the marathon and upcoming trail races. But, considering the pain I was in with my back and ankle on top of the leg cramping — it just sucked.

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I found a snail and carried him along with me on my dinglehopper. After a couple miles I found another snail and — well — I think I’m going to be a Grandpa soon.

A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:31pm PST

But, I wouldn’t trade in the time I was able to spend with Lizz. We really had a blast talking about the adventures ahead of us this year with Utah Valley, Buffalo Run 25K and Revel Big Cottonwood. The looking ahead helped deal with the disappointment of the outcome of this race for me.

In all, I’m still glad I did it. Will I do it again? Maybe. I actually told Joe that instead of running it next year, I might be more interested in just coming down and working the race. Especially since I already have a place to stay. But, who knows? It’s hard to say no to any race in Southern California.

I really enjoyed my weekend — not just with my brother and his family, but with friends as well. I was able to spend Saturday night in Downtown Disney with Terese and Shanalee. It might not have been INSIDE Disneyland, but I was able to get my “Disney fix” with a new Disney shirt and a hand-dipped corn dog.

Worth it.

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A post shared by They call me Josher … (@josherwalla) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:38pm PST

I will write more about my back and certain health issues a bit later this week. I might have to change up my race schedule up a bit coming up. This weekend really helped me think a few things through in regards to my race schedule and pressing goals.

Anyways, next up is the Buffalo Run 25K on Antelope Island! I can’t wait to break out my walking stick and trail shoes, I am really excited to be hitting the trails out on the island. There’s a chance of snow on Friday — which means it could be A LOT of fun. But, I’m up for the adventure!

SoCal Half Marathon Time

SoCal Half Marathon (156); March 2, 2019 (4:56:29)

My Next Five Races

Antelope Island Buffalo Run 25K; March 9

Lucky 13 Half Marathon; March 16

Run Emigration 10 Miler; April 6

Salt Lake City Half Marathon; April 13

Wasatch Trail Run: Dimple Dell; April 24

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A post shared by Trails & Pavement (@trailsandpavement) on Nov 10, 2018 at 6:54am PST

RACE RECAP: SoCal Half Marathon was originally published on Life In The Slow Lane.

#california #california half marathons #Family #Fitness #goals #half 156 #half marathon #health #huntington beach #huntington beach california #race 188 #race report #socal #socal half marathon #vacation half marathons #vacation races #wellness

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wikitopx · 5 years

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Visitors come here to walk or walk among the trees, climb towering stone walls, camp under the stars, record the beauty in photographs, or simply immerse in the tranquility of the desert.

Located in the place where Mojave and Colorado Deserts meet, the park has a complex landscape, with its appearance and vegetation vary deeply depending on the altitude. Well-positioned natural trails, hiking trails, and rickshaws are spread evenly throughout the park, providing easy access to this stunning landscape. Here are the Top 10 things to do in Joshua Tree.

1. Hidden Valley Nature Trail and Day Use Area

Joshua's Hidden Valley is one of the park's most beautiful and accessible areas, and it's perfect if you're looking to do it for a short while. The Hidden Valley Nature Trail is an interesting one-mile detour that traverses an opening into another, a large bowl surrounded by stone walls. Remarkable on this road is the giant monolithic rock called the Great Burrito, a famous climbing area in the park. The Hidden Valley picnic area, on the opposite side of the car park from the trail, has more beautiful views, with lots of big Joshua trees scattered around the big boulders and rock piles.

2. Keys View

It is well worth the drive up to Keys View, a lookout point at an elevation of more than 5,000 feet, with sweeping views extending out over the Coachella Valley. In the distance, you can see the San Andreas fault line, Palm Springs, the Salton Sea, and on a clear day, beyond to Mexico. If the air is clear, the view is spectacular and this is a great way to get oriented with the surrounding geography. As you drive up here, the elevation changes, the temperature is noticeably cooler, and the landscape takes on a whole different character.

3. Barker Dam Nature Trail

Another short walking path, Barker Dam is a 1.3-mile loop trail. If you are only looking to do one short trail in Joshua Tree, this is your best bet, with huge Joshua trees, rocks, and an area of water that often attracts birds. The remnants of a water tank left by cattle ranchers who once lived in the area can be seen at the far end of the loop. Many people walk in to this point and turn around, leaving by the same route, but this is a mistake. While this might be slightly shorter, it is well worth continuing on, with much of the best scenery and largest trees on the loop beyond the dam.

4. Ryan Mountain Hike

From Park Boulevard, the hike up Ryan Mountain looks a bit daunting and relatively unspectacular, but this hike is all about the reward from the top, where the views extend 360 degrees out over the park. This is a relatively strenuous, three-mile up-and-down hike, with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. The exposed trail offers little to no shade and is less than exciting as it follows a barren hillside up to the top, but from the summit, at 5,457 feet, the view is fantastic, making the effort worthwhile.

5. Cholla Cactus Garden

For nature lovers, the Cholla Cactus Garden is arguably one of the best in the park, with over a thousand dense chollas stretching across the desert floor. While chollas are often sprinkled among other desert vegetation, these are the only cacti in this natural garden. In the early morning light or late afternoon sun, the illuminated hands are almost glowing, and the mountains in the distance provide the perfect backdrop. An easy, guided walkway allows you to immerse yourself in this magical place.

6. Skull Rock

This is a huge, naturally sculpted rock located right beside the road, and it always draws a crowd. The whole area around this roadside stop is interesting, with an expanse of rolling rock piles, great for walking or light scrambling. There are some remnants of trails through the area, but many people just wander about, finding high points for lookouts, sunning themselves on the slabs of rock, or simply taking a break. Across the street is a 1.7-mile hiking trail through rocks and shrubby vegetation with a few Joshua trees scattered around.

7. Keys Ranch (Guided Tour)

Keys, who settled in this area in the 1910s. The property, which includes the house, schoolhouse, store, and workshop, is a National Historic Register Site and can only be visited on ranger-led guided tours, which are run seasonally throughout the winter and into spring. The tours are very informative and provide insight into Keys, who was quite a character, and the challenges faced by the family and ingenuity required to live out here. See the park website for information on tour dates and times.

8. Wildflowers in Spring

Spring is a great time in the desert, and Joshua Tree National Park is no exception. The best place to see anemones may simply depend on the week you're coming in, but as a general rule, the area of the park near Cottonwood Spring and the path to Interstate 10 is full of flowers. Great wild spring bloom in full bloom. When they bloom in the spring, it's a spectacular place, even more so than the larger Joshua trees because the flowers are lower than the ground and close to eye level, making them easier to see. Flowering time varies depending on altitude and weather conditions throughout the winter. Lower elevations usually begin to bloom in February and higher elevations may bloom by June at the latest.

9. Rock Climbing and Bouldering

Rock climbing and pebbles are some of the most popular recreational activities in the park, and a view of the landscape will tell you why. Joshua Tree is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 climbing routes and hundreds of climbing bands. Information leaflets and maps are available at the visitor centers. Regular hikers in Joshua Tree National Park, especially during the winter months when great hiking destinations in the north, like Yosemite, are out of season.

10. Other Hikes to Consider

This is a 7.2-mile roundtrip hike, with the main attraction being the huge palm trees that rise out of the desert. It is rated moderate by the park and it does have some tricky sections. A shorter trail, 49 Palms Oasis is near the town of Twentynine Palms and can be a good option if you are staying in the town or camping at Indian Cove Campground. This is a three-mile hike with a fair bit of elevation, and again, the highlight is the stand of palms.

The above are places we think will bring you unforgettable experiences. I hope that makes you happy and above is Joshua Tree. Wish you have a memorable and unforgettable trip, do not forget to follow us on Wikitopx for updates on the latest and best articles. Here are the Top 10 things to do in Joshua Tree.

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-joshua-tree-2-702641.html

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Rich in Surprises and Secrets, There’s a State Park Waiting for You

On a cold and damp Iowa evening last October, I sat in a tent and thought about Abraham Lincoln. More precisely, I thought about Lincoln signing a minor piece of legislation deeding the Yosemite Valley to the state of California. It happened in 1864, while the Civil War raged.

It is important because of just a few words. California was given ownership of Yosemite on the condition that the land “be held for public use, resort, and recreation.” This was the official approval of a remarkable and radical idea: Everyone should have access to nature. It led to our ecosystem of national and state parks, wilderness areas and nature preserves — all generally committed to providing this access.

And it came at a time when President Lincoln presumably had a lot on his mind. Did he realize his signature would transform America’s relationship with nature?

That October night, I was camping in Iowa’s Waubonsie State Park, just one park among the many thousands now scattered across the United States. It was near the tail end of a yearlong mission to visit as many state parks as possible. (Final tally: 53.) This article, the second on state parks, focuses on those I visited in the western part of the country.

Waubonsie is a small state park in the southwestern corner of Iowa, near Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. I didn’t know anything about it, except for reviews saying it was a good place for a picnic. I figured it’d be a few lonely trees surrounded by corn. What I found truly astounded me, and emphasized what I love most about state parks: You never know what you are going to find.

In this 1,990-acre state park, I found an ancient forest on a plateau, an island of mysterious trees in the middle of a vast agricultural region. A secret in plain sight. Waubonsie, as it turns out, is the result of glaciers melting and rushing down the nearby Missouri River. Silt from these glaciers has piled up in mounds large enough to become their own landforms, here called the Loess Hills. There are only two places in the world where this topography exists: the region where I was camping, and the Yellow River valley in China.

Driving into Waubonsie was like entering a hidden kingdom. Tall oak trees, their leaves gold and green in the fading sun, lined the main road. Trails circled along steep gorges thick with birds flitting in a temperate jungle environment. Mist curled along the tree line, and in the eerie stillness I felt the presence of something ancient. In a mad rush to investigate further, I bolted down a dinner of potato chips and cold coffee, pitched my tent, and spent the next two hours hiking through this fantasy of forested badlands. Every so often I came across hiking shelters built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps that looked like giant mushrooms.

Back in the tent, I found a shivering mosquito that hitched a ride from my previous night’s stop in Bentsen Rio Grande State Park in South Texas. Rain pattered against the thin blue fabric of the tent, steady and soothing like a heartbeat. I sat there, truly content, grateful for places like Waubonsie, where I could bound through secret forests and pay only $6 for the privilege of a night’s rest within its boundaries.

When I left the next morning, I drove down a state road and within minutes, I was back in the fields. I had to stop the car and look back at the forested gorges above me, just to make sure it wasn’t all a weird dream.

The fan base grows

Not all state parks came out of nowhere like Waubonsie, but they are all rich with surprises, secrets and authenticity. Generally, they were off the beaten track, which made them all the more interesting. This was certainly the case in the first half of 2018, when I visited Eastern state parks.

Another part of their intrigue is that state parks come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t have that much in common, which makes a visit unpredictable. However, according to Linda Lanterman, president of the National Association of State Park Directors and director of Kansas State Parks, one common feature is their presence near our homes. “Not everyone is fortunate to go to a national park,” she said. “Not everyone can take a week off. That’s what makes the state park system so unique. It’s close to home and close to nature.” Ms. Lanterman said state parks generally are popular, and the number of visitors is rising. In 2002, total attendance at state parks was 758 million people. By 2017, that number had risen to 807 million.

In the second half of the year, as I headed west, I was curious about the state parks near our best-known national parks. If you’re fortunate enough to live next to a national park, do you still go to a state park? Two of my test cases, Bannack State Park in Montana and Harriman State Park in Idaho, are within 100 miles as the crow flies from Yellowstone National Park. As it turns out, both are well loved and popular, but in their own way.

Due west of Yellowstone, Bannack is one part idyllic campground alongside a river, two parts ghost town. It thrived in the 19th century as the site of a gold rush as well as Montana’s first territorial capital, but when the 20th century came around, it fell into a long, slow decline. Today, “Bannack is the best preserved of all Montana ghost towns,” according to the Montana State Parks website.

When my friend Chris and I arrived this past September, Bannack was a very busy ghost town. State park rangers conferred with arriving pickup trucks and pointed out places to set up. They were preparing for a four-day living history event, during which historical re-enactors would occupy the abandoned, one-street town and pretend it was 1862. Schoolchildren from the area were bused in and the town was filled with tourists watching re-enactors performing at the blacksmith camp, saloon, boardinghouse, butcher shop, school and church.

Bannack’s buildings are maintained in a state of “arrested decay,” meaning they are prevented from deteriorating further, but are not improved in any way. It provided an unusual, still-life view of the town. Grass covered a low-slung rectangular jail. Insulation was cardboard packing boxes, a testament to the area’s cold isolation. The entire short history of Bannack lay in front of us, from the raw log cabins on the outskirts of town to the cracked linoleum floors of the last occupied houses. Bannack’s last inhabitant left in the 1970s.

Just outside town lies the campground, where we spent the night. It occupies a small area alongside a creek, nothing more than a few curlicues of fire rings and grass protected by towering cottonwood trees. We gathered next to the fire as evening drew to a close, listening to the wind through the trees, the gurgle of the creek, and our campground neighbors reading books to each other.

The Bannack campground was like so many I had been to during my year of visiting state parks. There was the crackle of wood in the fire, distant voices in the background, the sounds of nature and a palpable absence of stress. Chris and I huddled next to the flames and talked about everything and anything, what will never be, what just was. The creek rushed past, the stars shone, and I felt whole.

A night in a yurt

The next day we drove to Harriman State Park in Idaho. Before it was given to the state, it was a working cattle ranch and retreat owned by the Harriman and Guggenheim families. The centerpiece is a series of ranch buildings alongside Henrys Fork, a tributary of the Snake River. When we visited, it echoed with the cheers and yells of a high school cross-country meet. During the winter, trails are groomed for skate and classic cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat bikes.

I hiked through a sprawling meadow that spanned both sides of the river. Birds darted through the tall grass and the sounds of the cross-country meet slowly fell away until all I heard was the wind and the water. I was excited to spot sandhill cranes, but later Chris’s telephoto lens revealed they were actually pelicans. Oh, well. We still had a comfortable night’s rest in one of Harriman’s yurts. According to parents at the cross-country meet, the yurts are a favorite spot for local residents to spend the weekend.

Over the year, many people happily described to me their relationships with local state parks, whether it was a winter weekend in a Harriman yurt or Chicago friends reminiscing about their first time camping in Midwest state parks. These places are often beloved by nearby communities. This was the case even in a city surrounded by internationally renowned wilderness: Alaska’s capital, Juneau.

With Glacier Bay National Park and the Tongass National Forest as neighbors, Juneau is a favored destination for cruise ships and adventure tourists alike. But it is also a city of 32,000 people, and nearby state parks cater to them. Among the most prominent is Point Bridget State Park, an expanse of 2,850 acres about 40 miles from Juneau, near the terminus of the city’s road system. According to the Alaska State Parks website, Point Bridget was founded in 1988, the result of a push by the citizens of Juneau “to have a state park for the state capitol.”

The park is a mix of temperate rain forest and meadow along a stretch of Lynn Canal coastline, the deepest fjord in North America. After parking near the entrance early one morning, Chris and I hiked through muskeg and then into a field of fireweed rising to an immense vista: miles of coastline, a fierce wind, and mountains ringing the horizon.

We passed by affable hikers who spoke of “brownie” sightings; a weirdly cute way of referring to grizzly bears. Soon we were at our destination, a basic cabin called Blue Mussel within a stone’s throw of the seashore. It was well loved, judging by the painted signs, rocks and seashells in the vicinity. Even in mid-September, well into autumn this far north, reservations had been difficult to get.

The cabin was small and simple: sleeping loft, a table and benches, big windows and a bunch of leftover spices. Down at the shoreline, I clambered over mussel-encrusted rocks, dodged the lapping of tidewater and followed the arc of bald eagles overhead. It was so peaceful and wonderful that even my inner thoughts quieted down. When I turned to face Blue Mussel, darkness was falling and the cabin’s bright lantern in the window shone ever brighter, like a benevolent gaze.

The next day we visited another Juneau-area state park, a string of islands in Lynn Canal called the Channel Islands State Marine Park. These 14 mostly uninhabited islands are about 25 miles northwest of Juneau and can be reached by floatplane or boat. They get a lot of Juneau area picnickers in the summertime, especially since they can be reached with small watercraft. We motored over to Aaron Island, a small thumbtack of wilderness surrounded by water. There was a nice sand beach, a campfire ring, thick forest and a rope dangling from a Sitka spruce. Immediately I became 8 years old and ran over. I challenge you to find anything more wonderful than an unexpected rope swing.

In Hawaii, a relaxed vibe

Even farther west, in Hawaii, I didn’t find any rope swings. Still, it’s no slouch when it comes to recreation. Hawaii state parks drew a mix of people, but judging from the many conversations about being off from work, visitors were mainly local. The beach at Kekaha Kai was perfect and the banyan tree at Wailuku River could have been the setting of a Guillermo del Toro movie, but Mahukona State Park was my favorite.

It was rough around the edges; posted signs warned against abandoning animals and there was a fair amount of broken concrete. But the relaxed, Friday evening vibe was amazing. People sat on old lawn chairs along the break wall and shared food from their grills. The backdrop was untamed vegetation, a rusted dock and railroad tracks. A faucet jutting out of a wall served as the communal shower.

Plus, the snorkeling was the best of my time in Hawaii. I swam into a small but deep bay, dove underwater and glided through hundreds of yellow triggerfish. They scattered like windblown leaves in the peak of fall color. In the distance I saw shadows of larger fish, but didn’t dare seek them out. Afterward, I spoke with the regulars who sat in their lawn chairs and gripped beer in foam cozies. They talked about watching whales just offshore in the winter.

In December, the winter of my state park year, I cheated and visited Yosemite National Park. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and my rationale was simple: it’s originally a state park. In fact, after Lincoln deeded Yosemite to California, it was America’s first state park, until California messed everything up and it was transferred back to federal control, becoming a national park in 1890.

Of course, Yosemite was amazing. I pitched my tent in Camp 4, the traditional hub of climbing in the park and one of only a few campgrounds listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I hiked for miles through the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Like the hordes of tourists before me, I took pictures of the massive trees and wondered why I couldn’t ever capture their grandeur.

I was thrilled to visit Yosemite, but it’s not like it was a surprise. After all, it’s the default picture on my laptop. But I am grateful for its ability to move people to do great things. The tag team of Yosemite and Abraham Lincoln led to pockets of wilderness springing up everywhere across the United States; places where we jump into hidden coves, discover primeval forests in the middle of cornfields, and come upon a rope swing on a deserted island. I will never visit all 8,565 state parks, but that’s O.K. Each one I visit will be a gift.

Peter Kujawinski is a Chicago-based writer. He wrote the first article in this series, “Wherever You Are, There’s a State Park Nearby.” His latest book is the middle grade novel “Edgeland.”

Follow NY Times Travel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Get weekly updates from our Travel Dispatch newsletter, with tips on traveling smarter, destination coverage and photos from all over the world.

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addictionfreedom · 6 years

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Addiction Treatment Kansas City

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apostleshop · 6 years

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'Let us help you heal,' the trees told me

Great News has been shared on https://apostleshop.com/let-us-help-you-heal-the-trees-told-me/

'Let us help you heal,' the trees told me

I’ve always loved trees. Growing up on the Plains of northeastern Montana, I experienced plentiful patches of them along the Missouri River, which wound southward of town. Cottonwoods closer by snowed “cotton” in the spring, spilling into puddles in the streets and turning them fluffy white.

But for vast stretches of the land around us, in a town named for a tree — Poplar — these beauties of nature were in relatively short supply. It was upon looking down on the flourishing trees in Minnesota during a plane ride that I determined I’d live near lots of trees someday, and chose Minnesota for college.

Eventually, though, I ended up in North Dakota, on the edge of the Red River, settling again on a mostly-treeless landscape, but which boasts the most glorious sunsets.

Thankfully, Minnesota is nearby, and the trees and lakes it harbors, a short drive away. We have become especially smitten by a particular proliferation of them at Itasca State Park, a place that where the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi rest, and host of many summer family retreats.

After a few years off, this summer we found ourselves back in this bounteous place, surrounded once again by a colorful palette of wildflowers, birds which happily flitted about and filled the woods with song, along with chirping squirrels and myriad other critters, glistening lakes that wooed and refreshed, and, of course, the towering, telling trees.

This year, the trees spoke more profoundly to me than ever as I wandered through cemented paths and narrower dirt trails, allowing the restorative green to envelop and fill me.

Our trip happened around the time we were learning about a rather ugly scandal in the Church. Some of it had been hinted at earlier, but to confront the reality left part of me broken. I know I’m not alone in this feeling. Given this, the woods seemed especially, in an rather urgent way, necessary. I needed their calm. I needed what they had to tell me.

Trees don’t speak words, but wisdom. -@peacegardenmama Click To Tweet

Trees don’t speak words, but wisdom. The forest holds many visual stories. Some of the trees were bent over, or showed erosion. One could imagine the many winters, the violent storms, that left them twisted or mangled.

Some just spoke of beauty. In trunks, I saw the touch of the divine. It caught me, and I found myself breathing and walking more slowly.

We stayed one night more than usual, and this extra evening gave us time to sink just a little deeper into the peace of this place. I wanted to hold it here, for myself, and perhaps, hopefully, for you, too. We all need these reminders of God’s bounty.

I took much of this in during the quiet, but in moments, the sounds of children entered the atmosphere. I welcomed them. There was the boy on a bike with his mother, chatting excitedly as they went along a path together. And at night, as the sun dipped, the sounds of children playing games, giggling before bedtime.

Our priest recently visited the Giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevada, and wrote about his experience of them, calling them “cathedral-like.” “Everyone recognizes this — that they are in the presence of something special,” he observed. “People almost universally become quiet — voices are stilled as they look and wonder, and hushed when they speak.”

Though I’ve never been there, I could imagine it, based on our time at Itasca and the exhale it brought. He, however, mentioned how the presence of children could possibly make it harder for parents to appreciate the silence of the trees. My response differed; those small voices struck me as blessings. Maybe it’s because our children are no longer little, and I could see it from another vantage point.

No, rather than a distraction, the voices of the children echoing through the forest made me happy. I realized that children these days have so few chances to be in nature and just breathe. Parents these days, too, are running around trying to keep up with life in our modern age. It’s not easy, for either.

I realized that God wants to give us this gift. Our souls need the green, need the tall trees to whisper perspective and beauty into our hearts. We need, too, the calming effect of these trees next to a lavish lake near sunset.

As much as I realize we are invading the home of millions of critters, it didn’t escape me this visit that this was meant for us humans, too, and maybe most of all. I found myself feeling deeply grateful for those who, in their wisdom, make sure there are places like this for us to dwell, even for short bursts.

The trees whispered to me, over and over. They whispered simplicity. They chanted of the wide perspective we long to remember. They recalled other moments, in childhood, searching for insects, and watching my dad watch the birds. They told me to rest a while, and my body and soul responded in thanksgiving.

I came away convinced we all need a little time in the woods. We all need a chance to enfold ourselves in the trees, and let them speak to us. They want to heal us. It is God’s wish that we are healed. And if we listen, it’s quite possible the trees will draw us closer into the bosom of God.

Q4U: What is your relationship with trees? Your favorite memory of reveling in them?

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newssplashy · 6 years

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World: Romney wants in again. There is one catch.

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — Mitt Romney never could resist a race.

Since dawn, half-marathoners had been whipping through a mountainside fog here, a short drive from the home he keeps, some 2,000 miles from the office he wants.

Romney stood just beyond the finish line, bopping in his jeans-and-flannel finest, smiling back at the runners like a distant relative at a wedding, waiting to be greeted. “Well done, well done, congratulations,” he said, handing medals to participants who may not have won in the end but plainly tried their hardest.

He clapped and shoulder-patted. He whiffed on a high-five. He studied the fingers of a woman unlocking her cellphone to take a picture with him, and guessed at the pass code. “Seven-six-four-three-nine-nine!” Romney shouted.

He laughed. People seemed confused. The camera clicked. Mitt Romney was back.

Six years after a presidential election defeat that loved ones expected to end his political career — and nearly a quarter century (and four campaigns) after his wife, Ann, swore she would “never” abide another run — Romney wants in again.

By January, he will almost certainly be a U.S. senator, representing a state his ancestors helped settle. He will return to the grand political arena where he is happiest, friends say, after years in semi-exile. He will matter.

The question is how.

Will he be a vocal check on President Donald Trump, a man he once labeled a “phony” and a “fraud”? Or a mostly deferential Republican in a capital full of them?

So far, his campaign has leaned toward deference, disappointing some admirers (and even more Democrats) who hoped he would re-emerge chiefly as an unswerving Trump critic with gravitas — at last banishing the reputation for equivocation that dogged his presidential bids.

It was only two years ago, as Trump neared the Republican nomination for president, that Romney stood behind a lectern some 10 miles north of here and said the kinds of things a politician cannot generally take back:

“Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s hallmark.”

“He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers.”

“Very, very not smart.”

Romney said Trump must be stopped for the good of the party and the nation. He predicted recession and global tumult. He insisted that, as the Republican nominee for president in 2012, he would not have accepted Trump’s endorsement had Trump behaved then the way he was behaving as a candidate.

But about all that.

Few would conclude that Trump has changed much — rampaging, tweeting, inventing preferred realities, upending the G-7 economic world order. But for Romney, the circumstances have.

As past Trump antagonists like Sen. Ted Cruz and House Speaker Paul Ryan — Romney’s former running mate, leaving Washington just as Romney hopes to arrive — seem to have concluded for themselves, admission to the head table of Republican politics in 2018 carries a membership fee: making peace with the president, however unpleasant.

Romney, it seems, can live with that.

Addressing donors and business leaders at his annual retreat Thursday in Park City, Utah, Romney — whom some allies hoped might challenge Trump in 2020 — predicted that the president would be re-elected “solidly.”

He has praised Trump on policy (“we’re pretty much in the same place”) and accepted the president’s endorsement without delay.

Pressed on his past criticisms at a debate last month, Romney acknowledged no contradiction or reversal. “I’ve known the president for a long, long time and the president has endorsed me in this campaign,” he said, “which shows he respects people who call ‘em like they see ‘em.”

The evolution began with Trump’s election. Shortly afterward, as Trump weighed options for his first secretary of state, he considered Romney, who made pilgrimage to New York to dine on frog legs with Trump in a public show of harmony.

Whether Romney genuinely views the president any differently now is not clear — and not particularly relevant to his supporters. What matters, they say, is that he is back in the scrum.

“He doesn’t feel quite as fulfilled as he did,” said Mike Leavitt, former Utah governor and a close friend, “when he was right in the middle of the mix.”

Romney has been known to speak unprompted of past presidential losers, and their free-fall to irrelevance, remarking that Michael Dukakis “can’t get a job mowing lawns,” or borrowing a classic from George McGovern and Walter Mondale as his own: “All my life I wanted to run for president in the worst way,” Romney told a crowd recently. “And that’s just what I did.”

He has also recalled his late father, George Romney, in professional winter, when he struggled even to secure meetings after three terms as Michigan governor and a failed presidential run.

This Romney’s fate will be different. He is insisting on it, betting on a state that views him fondly as a Mormon leader and logistical hero of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“When we began in Iowa, I’d have to say, ‘I’m Mitt Romney,'” Romney said in a brief interview at a festival. “'So, who’s that?’ I’m a little better known here.”

“Makes it easier,” Ann Romney said.

But not that easy. In April, Mitt Romney fell short at a state party convention that could have given him the Republican nomination instantly, leaving him to fend off a challenge from a state legislator, Mike Kennedy, before the June 26 primary. Romney appears to be in little electoral danger, though, with high approval ratings and a healthy primary lead in a deep-red state.

Less clear, through a spitting haze on a soggy Saturday morning, is exactly why the Romneys want any of this.

He is a career executive — now 71, though he looks 55 on his worst day — applying to sit in congressional gridlock. He is a statesman-patrician from a very different Republican era, poised to become a junior senator. He is a man with a beautiful home in a beautiful state with a beautiful family, angling for a return to the Mid-Atlantic at the expense of endless ski days and scream-cheering for his granddaughter at high school water polo.

“I sink,” Romney said, explaining why the sport impresses him so.

“Some people can’t float,” said Ann Romney, his wife of 49 years. “He cannot float.”

But neither can he fade, those close to him say, if he wants to live without regret — a through-line in dozens of conversations with friends, relatives and former advisers. They cite no shortage of motivations for his candidacy: his Mormon faith and its emphasis on service; the memory of his father; his irrepressible ambition, coaxed by a family-wide conviction that he is a singular leader of his times, if only the voters could see it.

“Everyone is running out of a burning building. Mitt’s running in,” Ann Romney said in an interview. “This is Mitt, runs into burning buildings.”

That morning, Ann Romney had come along to see the runners, too, traveling shotgun in their 2002 black Chevy pickup and taking her place at the finish. A few feet away, her husband seemed exultant, chatting up a peer from Brigham Young University’s Class of 1971, suggesting best practices for medal distribution to volunteers, spotting a gentleman in a hoodie from his former city.

“Red Sox!” Romney called out, grinning and pointing. He was floating, or at least faking it well.

Ann Romney looked over and smiled, her focus meandering as the athletes passed. She used to run 10Ks herself, she said. She always regretted it in the moment. “While I’m running, it’s like, ‘Why did I do this?'” she said.

Romney laughed, and then stopped laughing. This seemed to remind her of something.

“Yeah.”

— With His Wife’s (Eventual) Blessing

In 1994, Mitt Romney had set off on his first brilliant political gambit — trying to beat a Kennedy in Massachusetts — when an adviser handed the family a novel to read: “The Last Hurrah,” about a politician who hangs on too long.

“A couple days later I saw Ann and she said, ‘I can’t believe he lost in the end! That was so sad!'” the adviser, Charley Manning, recalled. “Her belief in Mitt was just so total that she thought somehow in the end, he would win.”

He lost to Sen. Ted Kennedy by 17 points that year. It is unclear if the book ever made it to the other side of the bed. “Ann read it,” Manning said. “I don’t know if Mitt ever did.”

Days before that election, with her husband dozing beside her on a campaign road trip, Ann Romney had told a Boston Globe reporter, “You couldn’t pay me to do this again.”

Eight years later, she was the first lady of Massachusetts.

Then came 2008: “I need to write myself some notes,” she said at the end of it, after Mitt Romney lost the Republican nomination for president. “Just to remind myself, ‘If you’re tempted, the answer is no.'”

And 2012: “We’re done,” she ruled, as her husband prepared a concession speech on election night. The family believed her this time.

And yet here they are, hugging distance runners in a parking lot.

Mitt Romney has told associates it was his wife who gave the nudge, comparing her view of politics to her efforts at childbirth.

“Every time after my mom had a baby, she was like, ‘All right, that’s it. No more. Never having another kid,'” said Josh Romney, one of their sons. “And then a year would go by, and she’d kind of forget about all the pain.”

They have five boys, one for each campaign.

After the loss in 2012, the family settled in the Salt Lake Valley. Ann Romney wrote a memoir about her struggles with multiple sclerosis and helped to open a center for neurological diseases in Boston.

Mitt Romney appeared at peace in relative obscurity, friends say, though whenever he would inch back into the public consciousness, the megaphone he retained pleased him. “He was surprised that he could still get on any TV show,” Josh Romney said.

He flirted briefly with a run for president in 2016, before reconsidering. The Senate opening, with Orrin Hatch stepping away after seven terms, made him think harder, with bipartisan encouragement.

In fact, a funny thing had happened to Romney when he receded from view: People got to know him better. A documentary in 2014, “Mitt,” captured shades of character that his campaigns never could, for all the millions spent on messaging. He was warm, self-deprecating, cleareyed about his weaknesses. Romney had long been such a stylistic throwback — a man whose idea of profanity was “H-E-double-hockey-sticks,” edging into a theater of insults — that his earnestness qualified as refreshing. He does not swear. He does not drink. He does not age.

“People need to see the real Mitt,” said Fraser Bullock, who worked with Romney at Bain Capital and as a top lieutenant for the 2002 Olympics. And the Senate campaign, friends believe, is a last chance to do it right.

They do not fault him for de-emphasizing his past rejection of Trump, observing that he has not explicitly disavowed the remarks, either. Romney recently told NBC News that he does not consider Trump a role model for his grandchildren.

“He’s not running against Donald Trump. He’s running for Mitt Romney,” said Thomas Rath, a former top aide on his presidential campaigns. “I haven’t heard him say that he withdraws his previous reservations.”

— A Family Thing

“Look at the ducks. Look at the ducks. There’s a duck! There’s a duck. Hello, ducks.”

His wife was freezing, damp babies were crying, and Romney was admiring farm animals.

“Hello, ducks,” he said once more, as if a response was forthcoming, admiring the petting zoo at a festival in Vineyard, Utah.

Ann Romney was asked if it was fun to be on the trail again. “It’s part of it,” she said. “It’s just” — she held for several beats — “part of it.”

The rhythms of a state-level race have long been more familiar to Mitt Romney, who in his youth watched not only his father’s runs but a Senate bid by his mother, Lenore, in 1970.

While his wife looms largest in his life and decision-making, former aides and advisers say Romney’s aspiration to live the lessons of George Romney cannot be overstated. When he debated Barack Obama in 2012, Romney scribbled a single word atop his notes to anchor himself: “Dad.”

“His dad’s legacy weighs into every decision he makes,” Josh Romney said.

After George Romney left office in Michigan, his son recalled in 2014, he grew “quite frustrated” at his diminished relevance, saying that Washington was “the fastest place to go from ‘who’s who’ to ‘who’s that’?”

Mitt Romney plans to avoid a similar coda. He has already spoken in private about serving two terms. He hopes to join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, among other assignments. And he has told supporters he wants to become a leading voice on fiscal discipline and immigration policy — about which he has said he is “more of a hawk” than the president.

“He’s hesitant to even bring up his name,” Josh Romney said. “He doesn’t want it to be about Donald Trump.”

Nor do the voters, in a state Trump lost decisively in the 2016 Republican caucus, seem especially inclined to make Romney talk about him. At the festival, Romney fell into conversation with firefighters, a sheriff, a former volunteer on his presidential race. “Wish I’d have won,” Romney told the man. “I apologize.”

After some 30 minutes, the Romneys returned to the parking lot. Romney was asked how the gathering compared to the Iowa State Fair, a summer mainstay of the national political calendar.

“This is colder,” he said, looking at his wife. Ann Romney smiled. It was time to go.

The pair hopped in the family pickup — just the two of them — and Mitt Romney steered them back into the fog.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/06/world-romney-wants-in-again-there-is_11.html

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bisoroblog · 6 years

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Forest Preschools Let Kids Run Free, But Can They Change to Reach Diverse Families?

A 2½-year-old boy named Ben was ankle-deep in a Jefferson County creek when suddenly he lost his footing and plopped onto his bottom in the cold shallow water. The fall didn’t faze him. Neither did his dripping shorts. He got up and kept playing.

About a dozen children frolicked in or near the creek that day — making pretend tea in small metal buckets, building dams with sticks and mud, or inspecting bugs that flitted nearby.

It was a typical day at Worldmind Nature Immersion School, one of a growing number of programs where toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners spend all their time outside — no matter the weather.

“When children look like they’re playing in nature, huge amounts of learning is taking place,” said Erin Kenny, founder of the American Forest Kindergarten Association and the co-founder of a pioneering outdoor preschool program in Washington state.

Established first in Scandinavia, such “forest schools” occupy a steadily expanding niche in the American early-childhood landscape. But even with the movement’s popularity, advocates wonder if it can reach beyond the homogenous slice of families — mostly middle-class and white — it now serves.

Advocates like Kenny lament the academic push found in many traditional preschools and say that young children thrive outdoors — developing independence, resilience, and other valuable social-emotional skills.

Parents say their kids like the expansive space, non-stop play, and dearth of rules in outdoor classes. And as long as they’re dressed for the conditions, they take rain, snow, or frigid temperatures in stride.

Megan Patterson, the founder of Worldmind Nature Immersion School, pretends her preschool students are penguin chicks. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

“I think it’s great to come in bad weather,” said Denver parent Tracy Larson, who has two children in the Worldmind class. “It makes us go outside when we’re at home in bad weather too … You’re not afraid of it.”

Forest schools nationwide face significant regulatory and logistical barriers to expanding their footprint — and serving students of color and those from low-income families.

“This movement is not going to move forward or it’s going to be stigmatized if we don’t rapidly move the needle from white middle-class to all-inclusive,” said Kenny.

Perhaps the most immediate problem is that states have no rules for outdoor-based programs that serve young children and thus, no way to grant them child care licenses. Besides signaling that programs meet basic health and safety rules, a license opens the door to state subsidies that help low-income families pay for child care.

In Colorado, the inability to get licensed means that forest schools can only have up to four young children in a class or, as is the case at Worldmind, must require parents to stay for each session. But licensing rules here could soon change. The same is true in Washington state, where there are dozens of outdoor preschool programs.

Government officials in both states are working with outdoor preschool providers as part of pilot programs that could lead to creating a child care license for outdoor preschools. The idea is to ensure children’s safety without stamping out the creek-wading, tree-climbing sensibilities that make the programs what they are.

Kenny said there are now around 50 forest preschools in the U.S. and another 200 “nature schools,” which put a major emphasis on outdoor learning but have buildings, too. Colorado and Washington are the only ones she knows of that are actively exploring special licensing classifications for outdoor preschools, but hopes their pilot programs will build momentum nationally.

“I used to feel I was riding the crest of a wave,” she said. “Now I feel the wave has crashed and it’s moving in ripples everywhere.

TESTING THE MODEL

In Colorado, two providers — Worldmind and a Denver-based program called The Nursery School — are participating in the state pilot program. It starts this month for the Nursery School and in August for Worldmind. Both providers will be allowed to serve up to 10 children ages 3 to 6 during half-day sessions without parents present. The schools must adhere to a staff-student ratio of 1 to 5 — stricter than what is required in a traditional preschool.

They’ll also have to abide by other rules, including keeping tree-climbing children within arm’s reach and seeking indoor shelter in extreme weather.

In addition, both programs will track heaps of data, ranging from hourly weather changes to the circumstances behind any wildlife encounters or potty accidents. State licensing officials will also visit each program regularly. The pilot will run through February — to capture all kinds of Colorado weather — with a licensing decision possible in the summer of 2019.

Matt Hebard, a former preschool teacher and early childhood school district administrator, launched The Nursery School with Brett Dabb last fall at Denver’s Bluff Lake Nature Center. In recent weeks, the handful of children enrolled there have spotted newly hatched goslings and mule deer, and made “snowmen” with fluff from cottonwood trees.

The two men first conceived of the school in 2013 during their time in an early childhood leadership program and soon after discovered the long, bureaucracy-laden road to state recognition. There were waiver applications, denials, a hearing before the state attorney general, and even a look at whether state legislation would further the cause of outdoor preschools in Colorado.

“It’s been slow going,” but worthwhile, Hebard said. “It’s going to allow other practitioners to open outdoor preschools … It’s going to give parents another option.”

A child plays in the limbs of a tree at Matthews/Winters Park in Jefferson County. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

Megan Patterson, a former elementary school teacher in Alaska and Colorado, launched Worldmind in 2015 — complying with state rules by offering “child and caregiver” classes at local parks and botanical gardens in Boulder County and metro Denver.

“I studied urban ecology in Boston and after that I realized … how important it is to connect kids to places around where they live,” she said. “I finally found the type of education I believe in 100 percent.”

State officials say they have been approached by other outdoor preschool providers interested in the pilot, but don’t plan to expand it beyond the two programs, and the roughly 40 children they’ll serve during the pilot period.

“We feel the model needs to be even more rigorous in the state of Colorado,” said Erin Mewhinney, director of the state’s early care and learning division in the office of early childhood.

She said while forest schools are popular in United Kingdom — where leaders of Worldmind and The Nursery School have both attended special teacher training courses — Colorado weather and terrain pose different challenges

“We all love the outdoors, but we all know how dangerous it is and we’re trying to strike a balance with that license type,” she said.

A SENSE OF FREEDOM

The recent Worldmind class where 2-year-old Ben plopped in the creek took place at Matthews/Winters Park in Golden on a warm, sunny May morning. While Patterson offered some general structure to the dozen kids in attendance — a snack break, a brief discussion of a picture book they’d read, and a chance to feel animal pelts, the kids were mostly free to do what they wanted.

Their parents lingered nearby, chatting with each other, chasing after younger siblings, or joining their kids in the creek or on a green tarp laid out nearby. It felt like a big, free-flowing playdate in the woods.

To be sure, there were the usual little-kid frustrations. One small girl, after repeatedly scrambling up the bank of the creek without much trouble, was reduced to tears once her hands went from merely dirty to muddy.

Worldmind’s upcoming pilot program class will look similar to the child and caregiver class, though without the parents. It will take place at Denver’s City Park, with the adjacent Denver Museum of Nature and Science serving as a backup in case of extreme weather.

Several parents who attended the recent class at Matthews/Winters Park said they planned to send their children to the pilot program. They often used the same word to describe why they liked the outdoor classes: Freedom.

Brittany Courville, of Lakewood, said she brought her 5-year-old daughter Siena to her first Worldmind session after the family relocated to Colorado from Texas a few years ago. The move had been jarring for the then 2-year-old, but the outdoor class seemed to restore her spirits.

“She loved it … It was freezing and she didn’t want to leave,” said Courville. “You know, you go to library story times — ‘Sit down. Do this. Do that’ — and she came here and there were other kids she could play with and also be herself and just explore.”

A girl plays during a Worldmind Nature Immersion School class at Matthews/Winters Park in Jefferson County. (Chalkbeat/Ann Schimke)

Brit Lease, a Denver resident and the mother of 2-year-old Ben, has friends who are excited that their daughter’s preschool has pledged she’ll be reading on a first-grade level by the time she starts kindergarten. But Lease doesn’t want that for Ben.

“What social-emotional learning did they miss out on or interpersonal kinds of things did they miss out on because they were so focused on learning how to read?” she asked.

While she talked, Ben growled like a tiger and showed off his “sword” — fashioned out of two thin branches bound together with black cord.

“My theory right now is just let them be kids as long as they can because it does start sooner,” Lease said. “Kindergarten is no joke anymore.”

A BIGGER TENT

While Patterson launched Worldmind with a primary focus on getting kids outside, she’s lately shifted her goals. The organization is revamping its mission to aim for racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ability diversity.

If Worldmind becomes licensed, she also plans to accept state child-care subsidies. Tuition for four half-days of forest school during the fall semester of the pilot project runs about $2,900.

But like other outdoor preschool providers, Patterson knows the typical part-day forest school schedule doesn’t work for everybody.

In part to accommodate working parents, Patterson hopes by the fall of 2019 to open a brick-and-mortar child care center that would still focus on outdoor learning, while enabling Worldmind to serve infants and toddlers, and offer full-day care for children up to age 6.

Megan Patterson, the founder of Worldmind Nature Immersion School, talks with two children while others play nearby. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

Hebard said he doesn’t plan to accept child-care subsidies because they come with requirements he thinks don’t apply to an outdoor preschool model. These include evaluating students using a state-approved assessment tool.

Still, he would eventually like to raise money for a scholarship program. But with only a handful of tuition-paying families enrolled now and much of his extra time spent working nights at UPS Inc., that reality could be a ways off.

“It would be nice to have a broader demographic,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for any child.”

Nationally, some forest preschools have come up with creative ways to open their doors to a wider slice of their communities. For example, the Forest Freedom School, based in Oakland, gives students of a color a 30 percent break on tuition. It’s billed as the “Struggle Is Real” discount.

Aside from financial obstacles, there can be cultural barriers that make outdoor preschools perplexing or unthinkable for some families. These may include worries that children will get sick if they spend time in the rain and cold or simply the sense that school isn’t an outdoor activity.

Hebard said a colleague at another organization told him about concerns voiced by parents about plans to replace the preschool’s brightly colored plastic play equipment with a nature-themed playground. Some of the parents worked outside all day and were put off by the idea of their children playing in the dirt at school.

Overcoming those perceptions will take parent education and outreach to local groups that work with communities of color, forest school leaders say.

Kenny said programs must be aggressive about serving all kinds of families. And it’s not just tuition help that’s needed, she said. Because children are outside in all kinds of weather, families may need help ensuring their children have access to high-quality clothing and gear.

“It’s incumbent on these schools to offer some kind of assistance because right now the government’s not doing it, nobody’s doing it,” she said.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Forest Preschools Let Kids Run Free, But Can They Change to Reach Diverse Families? published first on https://dlbusinessnow.tumblr.com/

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perfectzablog · 6 years

Text

Forest Preschools Let Kids Run Free, But Can They Change to Reach Diverse Families?

About a dozen children frolicked in or near the creek that day — making pretend tea in small metal buckets, building dams with sticks and mud, or inspecting bugs that flitted nearby.

Megan Patterson, the founder of Worldmind Nature Immersion School, pretends her preschool students are penguin chicks. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

Forest schools nationwide face significant regulatory and logistical barriers to expanding their footprint — and serving students of color and those from low-income families.

“This movement is not going to move forward or it’s going to be stigmatized if we don’t rapidly move the needle from white middle-class to all-inclusive,” said Kenny.

“I used to feel I was riding the crest of a wave,” she said. “Now I feel the wave has crashed and it’s moving in ripples everywhere.

TESTING THE MODEL

They’ll also have to abide by other rules, including keeping tree-climbing children within arm’s reach and seeking indoor shelter in extreme weather.

“It’s been slow going,” but worthwhile, Hebard said. “It’s going to allow other practitioners to open outdoor preschools … It’s going to give parents another option.”

A child plays in the limbs of a tree at Matthews/Winters Park in Jefferson County. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

“We feel the model needs to be even more rigorous in the state of Colorado,” said Erin Mewhinney, director of the state’s early care and learning division in the office of early childhood.

“We all love the outdoors, but we all know how dangerous it is and we’re trying to strike a balance with that license type,” she said.

A SENSE OF FREEDOM

A girl plays during a Worldmind Nature Immersion School class at Matthews/Winters Park in Jefferson County. (Chalkbeat/Ann Schimke)

“What social-emotional learning did they miss out on or interpersonal kinds of things did they miss out on because they were so focused on learning how to read?” she asked.

While she talked, Ben growled like a tiger and showed off his “sword” — fashioned out of two thin branches bound together with black cord.

“My theory right now is just let them be kids as long as they can because it does start sooner,” Lease said. “Kindergarten is no joke anymore.”

A BIGGER TENT

If Worldmind becomes licensed, she also plans to accept state child-care subsidies. Tuition for four half-days of forest school during the fall semester of the pilot project runs about $2,900.

But like other outdoor preschool providers, Patterson knows the typical part-day forest school schedule doesn’t work for everybody.

Megan Patterson, the founder of Worldmind Nature Immersion School, talks with two children while others play nearby. (Photo by Ann Schimke/Chalkbeat)

“It would be nice to have a broader demographic,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for any child.”

Overcoming those perceptions will take parent education and outreach to local groups that work with communities of color, forest school leaders say.

“It’s incumbent on these schools to offer some kind of assistance because right now the government’s not doing it, nobody’s doing it,” she said.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Forest Preschools Let Kids Run Free, But Can They Change to Reach Diverse Families? published first on https://greatpricecourse.tumblr.com/

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e-fanuc · 7 years

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Population growth creating apartment affordability crisis in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s growing economy is great for business, but it’s creating an affordability crisis for renters. The KSL Investigators found as more people move to the region, the demand for apartments has outpaced the supply, pushing up rents faster than wages.

West Valley City resident Janice Thompson has felt the pain.

"It is definitely difficult to find something that I can afford, even when I was looking for this place it was hard," she said.

For the last three years, Thompson and her cat, Lynx, have called a studio apartment in West Valley home. But at the end of February, they’re moving out.

"When I park at night, I’m scared to walk from my car to my home, and I’ve had some bad experiences here," Thompson said.

She’s seen fights. Her car window was busted out. A neighbor set the building on fire. West Valley police data shows 237 crimes have been recorded in her neighborhood near 4000 South and Redwood Road over the last month. On top of all that, her rent has shot up from $575 per month to $800 per month.

"There’s like a gap that keeps building and building, and now I’m in debt and I can’t make ends meet," Thompson said.

Thompson, who earns about $30,000 a year, said she has given up Netflix and internet service as the price of rent has outpaced her pay. Still, she said she’s been forced to use credit cards to make ends meet.

"The cost of living is so high — it’s not just this apartment complex, it’s apartments all over the valley," she said.

Federal data show she’s right. Rent has risen 20 percent, on average, since 2010. Over the same time period, a two-bedroom apartment in St. George increased 24 percent. The data show two-bedroom prices in Grand County jumped 42 percent as well.

But what does that mean for apartment hunters? The KSL Investigators compared rental prices online for a two-bedroom apartment in a dozen cities across the state.

Not surprising, Park City ($1,567) and Salt Lake ($1,456) are the most expensive. But it’s not much cheaper in Cottonwood Heights ($1,208) or Sandy ($1,008). St. George is $1,166. The most affordable on our list: Cedar City, at $716 a month.

Average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment, by city:

Cedar City: $716 Ogden: $768 Tooele: $813 Logan: $937 West Valley City: $978 Sandy: $1,008 Magna: $1,046 Bountiful: $1,058 St. George: $1,166 Cottonwood Heights: $1,208 Salt Lake City: $1,456 Park City: $1,567

Salt Lake City recently commissioned a housing study to come up with a five-year housing plan. It found rent rose twice as fast as people’s pay between 2011 and 2014. It also found half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their monthly take-home pay on rent. That’s a figure the government considers unaffordable. Salt Lake City leaders believe if unchecked, the problem here will only get worse.

"I would say nothing’s really affordable. People are really struggling to figure out how to stay in the city," said Melissa Jensen, Salt Lake City’s housing director.

The housing study showed a deficit of around 7,500 apartments in Salt Lake. Jensen said the city needs cheaper apartments and more of them.

The shortage of affordable housing squeezes people earning under $20,000 a year the most, Jensen said.

"That means they’re giving up food, they’re not paying their bills, they’re maybe not fixing their car," she said.

She pointed to the 9th East Lofts, owned by the Salt Lake City Housing Authority, as one solution to the housing crunch. It’s mixed income, meaning 14 apartments charge the market rate, which is $1,450 for a two-bed, two-bath apartment. The other 58 units charge between $303 to $950 a month, based on a person’s take-home pay.

The 500-square-foot apartments come with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and even a marble surround in the bathroom.

Jensen said the city wants to encourage more developers to build affordable housing, but big buildings aren’t the only answer. The city wants more duplexes, rowhouses, and even more mother-in-law apartments. All of those can blend in with the city’s existing neighborhoods. She said the city can’t afford to become unaffordable.

"If everybody moved out of this city who couldn’t afford to live here, imagine the commute coming in, imagine the effect on air quality," Jensen said.

Thompson was lucky. She found a new place for her stuff and her cat. But for so many others, the cost of housing is growing unaffordable here in Utah.

"We all need a place to live, but we all deserve to live somewhere that’s safe," Thompson said.

One solution not under consideration is rent control. The Utah Legislature banned rent control back in 1987.

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