Thank you @spaceart.bsky.social for hosting! I'm following you now, so I look forward to knowing what you're up to and what great art will be coming from your experiences! #ParkChat

A11 Get the kids to take photos, and then do self-critique when they get home. Discuss the pictures with them, ask them which ones are the best, and why, and then frame the ones they pick. #ParkChat

A10 I would show before-and-after pictures of Beaver Marsh at Cuyahoga Valley - from a car graveyard to a thriving wetland - to show the restorative power of nature with an assist from human preservation efforts. #ParkChat

A8 Writing is my medium. It would be hard to find any method for getting me focused on my thinking and writing than being away from the bustle of daily life, and in a place without so much Internet access! #ParkChat

A7 Nature photography classes should be a regular offering in every park. I'd take one. #ParkChat

A6 I wouldn't call them works of art, but I've become more of a fan of the park selfie on my last few park visits, now that it's the REAL ME in the photos now! (pic from Blue Ridge Pkwy) #ParkChat

A4 At Big Bend, my late wife bought one of those walking sticks made from a sotol stalk by people in the Mexican village just across the river. I gave it to a friend of ours after she passed. #ParkChat

A3 I think of Yosemite, since Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, had a hand in planning it. It feels like an urban park (complete with urban crowds!) although with a different balance between the natural and the manmade. #ParkChat

A2 Surprising as it may sound, I'm not much of a visually oriented person. I was attracted to the parks more by hearing about them than by seeing images of them. #ParkChat

A1 I used to be a competitive runner, which may come in handy when some idiot makes a wild animal mad by getting too close to it! 😠 #ParkChat

Gen X first date question: “Oregon Trail: are you the type who floats down the river, or do you take the toll road?”

Thank you @campingkiddos.bsky.social for helping us spring into the parks, and land on our feet! #ParkChat

A12 I'm probably not the best salesperson for this anymore. I'll never be a beach bum, but it's harder for me to sell unpredictability now. #ParkChat

A11 My late wife and I visited Death Valley once in March and once in June. You might say we felt a bit of a difference! #ParkChat

A9 I saw a mama and baby mountain goat at Mount Rushmore once. I wish I hadn't lost the pictures. 😢 It was so cute; the baby would struggle to get over the big boulders, and the mama would patiently wait for it. #ParkChat

A8 I already answered this question in Q1, so I'll reiterate with another mountain laurel picture from Shenandoah. #ParkChat

A7 In fact, my last camping experience was in the spring, in South Dakota, and I had unexpected cold weather. That's why it was my last. #ParkChat

A6 It depends on whether I see my shadow. 😏 #ParkChat

A5 It depends on when the wildflower season is in each park. #ParkChat

A4 I've been to Big Bend and Death Valley during spring break, and they weren't that bad. The Florida theme parks can have all the crowds. #ParkChat

A3 I research beforehand to get some idea of where the mud will be. #ParkChat

A2 There's so much climatic diversity among parks that it's hard to give one answer. Spring: deserts Summer: mountains Fall: forests Winter: stay at home with a blanket and cup of tea #ParkChat

A1 I've been to the same parks that everybody visits in the spring (Death Valley, Big Bend), but my most rewarding spring park visits have been to Shenandoah during mountain laurel season. #ParkChat

Je ne vois pas le 🐱caché dans les 🪨🪨.

Thanks @samahill.bsky.social for hosting #ParkChat tonight. See you all in the future!

A10 The pride that we feel knowing that the land is accessible to all of us, and belongs to all of us, knowing that there's a place where we can all be one people, with no division and no hate. I have yet to experience hatred at a NP, and long may it continue. #ParkChat

A9 I'm hoping that there will be a NPS unit in Niagara Falls, and that the National Parks won't look like Niagara Falls. #ParkChat

A8 The possibility of privatization has worried me since I first became a National Park buff as a teenager. It's one of those changes that's hard to undo once you start it. #ParkChat

A6 Rethink what trip planning means. It's not like planning a trip to Vegas. It doesn't just mean knowing how long it takes to drive from Old Faithful to Mammoth, and how long it takes to see everything. It means knowing how to enjoy the park responsibly. #ParkChat

A5 Um, toxic industrial sites that some fools tried to build housing developments on. Ahem. 😏 #ParkChat

A4 Some people's technology will belong at the bottom of the Merced River if I get one more selfie stick in my face! 😡 #ParkChat

A2 Hire more rangers. They are helpful in so many ways, and make the experience so much more pleasurable and enriching on so many fronts. #ParkChat

A1 I've noticed fees and prices getting higher. I haven't really visited enough parks lately to have a deeper answer to that question. #ParkChat

A11 My best morning ever was when I hiked from the rim to the river and back at Grand Canyon before noon! One of my oft-told #ParkChat tales.

A10 In the Black Hills in 2010. It was June, but it rained and got down near freezing our first night. We checked into a hotel in the morning, and I've never been camping since. In case anyone wanted to know the story. #ParkChat

A9 I used to love them, but not so much now. It's a pain to wash the smoky smell out of synthetic hair. 😕 #ParkChat

A8 I used to be up for traveling every day. But now I need to drop anchor for a while. Travel for me used to be about seeing places; now it's about being in a place. #ParkChat

A7 As I get older, I find I need my partner with me to keep me stable, especially when I'm driving. Plus, there's the whole driving-through-the-American-South-as-a-single-transgender-woman thing. #ParkChat

A6 I have my breakfast with a beautiful view of my GF's face. 🥰 #ParkChat

A5 My breakfast is usually just tea and McVitie's digestive biscuits, but the exception is when I'm traveling. I need to fortify myself for the hike. Usually it's make-my-own waffles at the hotel, but if there's a really good breakfast restaurant in town, I might splurge. #ParkChat

A4 I shower at night; I'm not sure I could get to sleep without it. #ParkChat

A3 The first thing I see when I open my eyes is darkness, because I wear a sleep mask. #ParkChat

A2 I get the best of both worlds: I sleep in AND start my day with tea! #ParkChat

A1 I'm facing 68-72 degree weather with humidity between 45-55%, because that tends to be the temperature inside every hotel room. #ParkChat

Thank you @beckyjlomax.bsky.social for taking us on a deep dive into canyons! #ParkChat

A11 I had a tough time choosing between Guadalupe Peak and Devil's Hall when I was at Guadalupe. I went with the peak, but maybe that was just for the sense of accomplishment I felt getting to the top. #ParkChat

A10 I love Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend, not so much for the way the walls look, but for the way they sound. I shout in the USA, and my echo answers from Mexico. #ParkChat

A9 Hold on a minute while I have an argument with me from 20 years ago. #ParkChat

A8 I was surprised by a snowstorm in Bryce in May! And I was surprised at how sticky the soil gets when wet! I got an inch of mud caked to the bottom of my boots in about a half mile! #ParkChat

A7 I saw pueblo ruins at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, along the river. Totally wasn't expecting it! #ParkChat