Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Happy New Year! In 2024 I visited 36 National Park Service units. 17 of them were new to me. I’d planned to attend the National Park Traveler’s Club annual convention in Oregon which would have added lots of new units to my tally. Unfortunately, a major health issue required me to cancel our trip to the Pacific Northwest. I had a successful surgery in August to remove a malignancy. In spite of the setback, I took a few road trips and organized a couple of club meet-ups. Below are the highlights. Eventually they will all make it to the blog.

Battery Gunnison➢

In February, I explored Battery Gunnison/New Battery Peck at Sandy Hook during an open house hosted by volunteers in WWII-era uniforms. The Army Ground Forces Association members shared insights about their restoration efforts and brought the site’s 1943 history at Fort Hancock to life. It was a great opportunity to step inside this historic gun battery and connect with its past.

15. Gateway NRA (revisit)

Flat Hat Award trip➢

Each year, the NPTC recognizes a park ranger or volunteer for outstanding service. Club members nominate individuals who made their park visits memorable. The club officers host a meetup at the winning park unit. In April, we travelled to Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts for the award ceremony for Ranger Will. On this mini road trip, Patty and I squeezed in 5 new NPS units

• Fort Washington Park
• Thomas Stone NHS
• Piscataway Park
• Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts
• Manassas NBP

Hard Hat Tour➢

I’d mentioned the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour to some club members at the 2023 convention. Several people expressed enthusiasm for a group tour, so I decided to organize one in May. Eleven of us had a great tour of the abandoned hospital complex. My husband and I spent some time afterwards on Liberty Island.

15. Statue of Liberty NM (revisit)

NPTC Meetup across the US➢

One of the club members had the great idea to sponsor meetups in all 7 of the NPS regions on one day in June. This year, I hosted the North Atlantic Region at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS. Some folks travelled from as far away as Texas to attend. One couple from Arkansas celebrated their 300th park visit at the meetup. Our group of 14 members began with a tour of the mansion. Next we attended a revolutionary war battle reenactment which happened to be held on the grounds that day. After, we had a group lunch at a nearby diner. I headed to the Vanderbilt Mansion after lunch and was able to get on an afternoon tour.

12. Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS (revisit)
13. Vanderbilt Mansion NHS (revisit)

Railfest➢

Steamtown National Historic Site held Railfest over Labor Day Weekend. Railfest celebrates railroading’s rich past, dynamic present, and promising future. The event comes to life with train rides, special demonstrations, exhibits, visiting rail equipment, musical entertainment, and engaging ranger programs. We reserved the Radisson Tour which provided us a short train ride and guided tour of the historic Lackawanna Railroad Station.

12. Steamtown National Historic Site

Millbrook Village Tour➢

I had previously visited Millbrook Village, part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, on my own. Over Labor Day Weekend, the park hosted a special event, opening the buildings and offering ranger-led tours. Ranger John guided our group through the village, sharing the fascinating history of the buildings and the community they once served.

12. Delaware Water Gap NRA (Revisit)

Glenmont Tour➢

My godson was visiting the NYC area from France, and during his stay, I had the chance to spend some quality time with him. We enjoyed lunch in the city and attended a Broadway play together. For a New Jersey outing, I initially planned a trip to Sandy Hook, but a rainy day forced a change in plans. Instead, we visited Thomas Edison National Historical Park, where we were fortunate to snag two tickets for the Glenmont tour. A ranger led us through the elegant mansion, and afterward, we explored Edison’s laboratory complex at our own pace.

12. Thomas Edison NHP (Revisit)

New England Road Trip➢

In October 2024, Patty and I embarked on another road trip, winding our way through Massachusetts, into New Hampshire, across Vermont, and finally into New York State. Along the way, we explored four National Park Service sites, visited the Hildene mansion, a national shrine, and took in the beauty of several state parks.

11. New England NST
12. Saint-Gaudens NHP
13. Fort Stanwix NM
14. North Country NST

DC Trip➢

Washington, D.C., boasts the highest concentration of National Park Service units of any metropolitan area. When my Congressman finally granted my request for White House tickets, my husband and I seized the opportunity for an impromptu mini vacation in the capital. Over the course of our trip, we toured 20 memorials, monuments, and other NPS sites, along with the Supreme Court, the Capitol, and, of course, the White House. Seven of the NPS sites were new to me, making the adventure even more memorable.

7. National Mall (revisit)
8. Washington Monument (revisit)
9. World War II NMEM (revisit)
10. Constitution Gardens (revisit)
11. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP (revisit)
12. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (revisit)
13. Lincoln Memorial (revisit)
14. Korean War Veterans Memorial (revisit)
15. Thomas Jefferson Memorial (revisit)
16. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (revisit)
17. The White House (revisit)
18. National World War I Memorial (revisit)
19. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
20. Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS
21. Rock Creek Park
22. Ford’s Theatre NHS (revisit)
23. Theodore Roosevelt Island NMEM
24. Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac NMEM
25. Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality NM
26. Frederick Douglass NHS