5.15

I believe that the NPS and BLM were established to maintain the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Their existence is a model for other countries and sets us apart from lesser nations. We should support them and empower them. I've visited about a hundred parks, monuments, and landmarks in the last two years, and every single one of them made me a richer person.
I learned more about what it means to be American at the Washita Battlefield in Oklahoma. I felt how small I was at El Morro. I reconnected with family memories at Mount Capulin volcano. I made new friends on the Blue Ridge Parkway. In fact, these small monuments that are out-of-the-way like Alibates Flint Quarries and the Julian Weir Memorial were far and away my favorites. At Alibates, I was riding my bicycle and so extremely stressed that I would miss the opportunity to take the only guided tour of the day, but the ranger was so extremely kind to let me go even though I arrived almost an hour after the scheduled time. The relief I felt was so extreme after the stress of an hour of bicycling that the memory was burned into me indelibly. Seeing the quarries and the debitage utterly blanketing the ground, I was overcome with my closeness to an ancient people. At Julian Weir, I talked to a woman and man who were emigrants from Germany, people who were old enough to remember the other side of World War II. I only know a little German, but I will forever remember her saying "I was just very lucky to be sent to the United States before the worst of it." And he only blinked, and said "I was not so lucky." It was all he needed to say. Without these places, I would never have gotten to experience the breadth of humanity. Please preserve and protect this great American institution. Preserve and protect NPS lands. Thanks.


Please go support Bears Ears and other monuments.
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