When I think back on many of the best moments of my life, several common denominators can be observed. One of the most typical of these is the type of places that these occurred.
My family has always seeked out places of natural beauty for our vacations and other recreational pursuits. I certainly continue this legacy, as I am always heading out to some beautiful place to pursue my latest photographic or hiking pursuit. Since meeting my wife, we have planned vacations that centered around places like this. Lucky for us, some of the most spectacular scenery to be found on terra firma is right here at home and it’s open to us all.
Whether it was combing the surf battered rocks of Oregon’s coast or craining our necks to see the canopy of a virgin redwood forest, most of these moments occured on American public lands. We are fortunate that our country was expanded and settled in a time when awareness and respect for the natural environment wasn’t far off in the future. Even more so that we had visionaries like Gifford Pinchot, Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Thomas Moran, and countless others influencing/creating national policy towards our wild treasures.
We hear a lot about what has made our country great in terms of our economy and our tenacious defense of liberty. Our beautiful (and plentiful) public lands are one of the things that sets us apart from other countries. Achievements like creating the world’s first national park and the Wilderness Act of 1964 have made us a worldwide leader in the preservation of earth’s natural treasures.
Below are some of my favorite memories created on our public lands:
View from the Iwa Jima Memorial – Netherlands Carillon
Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon
Looking north along the Allegheny Front
Isabelle Glacier – Roosevelt National Forest
Indian Peaks Wilderness – Roosevelt National Forest
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Monongahela National Forest
North Fork Mountain – Monongahela National Forest
Spruse Knob – Highest Point in the Mountain State – Monongahela National Forest
Milky Way over Spruce Knob Lake. Located deep in the mountains, the Allegheny Highlands boast some of the darkest skies in the Eastern US
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Tidal Basin – National Mall & Memorial Parks
Ft. Moultrie – Ft. Sumter National Monument
Charles Pickney National Historical Site, South Carolina
Congaree National Park, South Carolina
C&O Canal National Historical Park
View from the Lincoln Memorial
At the top of Mt. St. Helens – National Volcanic Monument – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Trail up the South slope of Mt. St. Helens. On my way to the summit, below the treeline
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Moonrise over Crater Lake National Park
Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
South Umpqua River – Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
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