OCTOBER 2009 | vol 2.1
THIS ISSUE:
NATIONAL TREASURES Delicious Home Libraries Creative Second Homes
MaxAvenue Homeowners Club
A TOUR OF TREASURES A REGIONAL RUNDOWN OF OUR BREATHTAKING NATIONAL PARKS by Leila Kalmbach
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TO YOUR LEFT, A STREAM BABBLES AS IT GLIDES AROUND ROCKS AND THROUGH CREVICES. TO YOUR RIGHT, HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD TREES SHADE THE PATH YOU’RE CLIMBING AND PROVIDE SHELTER FOR BIRDS WHOSE CALLS CUT THROUGH THE AIR. Far up ahead, you can hear the strains of a waterfall propelling itself over a precipice. There is no one else in sight. Since the designation of Yellowstone as the first American national park in 1872, 391 areas covering over 84 million acres have been protected by the National Park System, and are second to none for escaping the pace of city life to reconnect with nature. Our country offers such a varied landscape and so much protected area that travelers can find sanctuary in nature in any part of the country and for any outdoor activity. Here are some of the highlights you might consider visiting if you’re looking to get away. Photo: Lower Falls, Yellowstone National Park
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West The Western United States is huge and lush. Staring out at the enormity of the craggy rock faces in Yosemite, it’s hard not to imagine what early explorers must have thought when they came across the land. Enormous waterfalls cascade down the cliffs, and the acres of sequoia trees, meadows and wilderness areas make for irresistible hiking. Visit the tallest trees in the world at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Mount Hood National Forest offers some beautiful hikes on the forested mountain. For pristine beaches and rain forest, visit Olympic National Park. For cold-weather adventures, Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park offer snow-covered mountains, glaciers and frozen coastline.
Central The Great Plains of the Central United States are home to a wide variety of creatures and some impressive rock formations that rise out of the landscape. Grizzly bears, bison, elk and wolves dot the landscape. Yellowstone’s iconic geysers and hot springs mesmerize guests just like the day they were discovered. Glacier National Park in Montana offers memorable hikes through forests, meadows and mountains and around lakes. Further south, the pointed, snow-covered peaks of Grand Teton National Park rise above Jackson Hole between the Avalanche and Cascade canyons. Utah offers a variety of natural rock formations that appear to be precariously balanced, such as the namesake sandstone arches of Arches National Park, the striated red rocks of Bryce Canyon National Park and the colorful sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park. Head to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to hike through some of the tallest mountains in the country.
Southwest Arizona’s Grand Canyon is almost required viewing for Americans, but despite the hundreds of photos we’ve all seen since childhood, nothing can prepare you for the enormity of the canyon or the intensity of the colors in the rock. Big Bend offers huge cliffs next to the snaking Rio Grande that divides Texas from Mexico. Hike through desert landscape dotted with brightly colored cactus flowers to lookout points or swimming holes.
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Above: Thor’s Hammer at sunrise, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Right: Big Bend National Park, West Texas Below: Grand Teton Nattional Park, Wyoming
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Southeast In Arkansas, Ozark National Forest covers more than a million acres of land, mostly in the Ozark Mountains. It and the nearby St. Francis National Forest along the Mississippi River are ideal places to hike, fish or swim. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia is an ideal place to see fall leaves turn. Enjoy a day on the river whether your passion is rafting, fishing or paddling. In North Carolina, visit the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where sea turtles come to nest in the summer months. Then head to the country’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains. The mountain range that lies along the Tennessee– North Carolina border gets its name from the fog that often hangs over the mountains in the morning hours.
Midwest The natural beauty of the United States doesn’t stop at the earth’s surface. Mammoth Cave is the world’s largest cave system, and its almost malleable-looking limestone formations will awe children and adults alike. In Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National Park follows the Cuyahoga River as it twists through dense forests and trips down stepping stone–like waterfalls. Even more isolated than most national parks, Isle Royale National Park in Michigan is accessible only by boat or plane. The park is on an island in Lake Superior, and is known for its outstanding hiking, sailing and fishing.
Northeast The Northeast United States is known for its fall foliage, and Vermont’s Shenandoah National Park does not disappoint. The park offers mountains, forests and rivers, and is a great place to retreat from the fast pace of nearby Washington, D.C. Relax on the beach at Cape Cod National Seashore, or spend the day hiking or biking. To the north, visit Acadia National Park for a quintessential view of the Maine coastline. If you’re lucky, you may catch the splendor of aurora borealis.
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Above: The great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina Right: Copperhead Falls, Ozark Mountains, Arkansas Below: Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
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