Hobby Thread - June 29, 2024 [TRex]

MisHum has had a busy day of posting, so let's give him a break with a good hobby thread. Welcome hobbyists! Do not adjust your interweb. This thread is headed to the great outdoors. A spin of the Ace of Spades wheel of hobbies has come up with national parks.

National parks aren't themselves a hobby, but they are a place where many hobbies flourish. Travelers enjoy visiting. Military historians scout battlefields and learn about tactics from the past. Geologists observe timelines of earth and stone, caverns, remnants of lava flows, waterfalls, and other natural wonders. Climbers scale cliffs. Photographers and painters translate and record scenery. Hikers wander though forests, mountains and beaches. Animal lovers watch birds, bison and bears. Astronomers revel in the dark skies above undeveloped land. Campers get away from urban life and sleep under the stars. Canoers paddle in peace.

The United States has a wide variety of parks. Other countries have their own national parks as well. What parks have you visited? What are your favorites? Which ones are hidden gems? Which ones are high on your list to visit someday? Do you have a personal goal to visit all national parks? Do you remember family vacations that toured parks? Do you have favorite memories made in national parks?

As usual, keep this thread limited to hobbies. Politics and current events can wait for other threads.

Hobby threadists are smarter than the average bear!

Top photo - The The Battle of Antietam was fought in Maryland. The battle takes is name from a creek of the same name that wound its way through the battlefield. It was the first Confederate invasion into the north. The south called the same fight the Battle of Sharpsburg, named after the town nearby.

It is known as the deadliest one-day battle in American military history. Surely the sunken road is haunted. Seeing the tophography and walking around the stone bridge, it is very difficult to imagine contesting the ground under fire. The area lights up in the fall as the trees turn vibrant colors but a black and white photo seemed more appropraite.

The largest US National Park by acreage is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. How big? At 13.2 million acres, the park is bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined. It isn't alone for large national parks in Alaska. Seven of the ten biggest national parks are in Alaska. For example, Denali is 6.1 million acres.

Everybody has opinions on hidden gems, underrated parks and best kept secrets:

10 Underrated National Parks You Have to See

America's best kept secrets: 20 unique national parks

America's Best Kept Secrets: 10 Hidden Wonders Of U.S. National Parks

20 Epic Day Hikes in the National Parks - Good photography.

10 of the Most Famous Hikes in the US National Parks. More good photography.

Full list of national parks in order of 2023 vistation numbers.

If you're a stats geek, raw visitor stats are available on the NPS website. Stats are available at a national level and for each specific park.

Yellowstone Act, Approved March 1, 1872

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming, lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, and described as follows, to wit, commencing at the junction of Gardiner's river with the Yellowstone river, and running east to the meridian passing ten miles to the eastward of the most eastern point of Yellowstone lake; thence south along said meridian to the parallel of latitude passing ten miles south of the most southern point of Yellowstone lake; thence west along said parallel to the meridian passing fifteen miles west of the most western point of Madison lake; thence north along said meridian to the latitude of the junction of Yellowstone and Gardiner's rivers; thence east to the place of beginning, is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed therefrom. 16 U.S.C. 21

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in...Colorado. Surprise!

Mount St. Helens is purportedly the second most wired volcano for monitoring in the world next to Mt. Fuji. Don't know who tracks these things but that's what the interwebs tell me. I didn't know that you can climb to the top:

The National Park Service looks after 429 sites known as units, but only 63 are formally designated as national parks. There are 84 national monuments, 19 national preserves, 75 national historic sites, 18 national recreation areas, 10 national seashores and three national lakeshores. There are 11 national battlefields, 9 military parks, 4 national battlefield parks, and a single national battlefield site. The battlefield/miltary terminology appears to be a relic of Congressional word choice at the time of designations rather than anything substantive.

Seeing a volcanic lava flow pour into the ocean is on the TRex bucket list:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

Did you miss last week's hobby thread with an astronomy theme? The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content. Memorable comment:

If national parks are not your thing and you have trouble finding something in the content that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different hobby next time around. Send thoughts or suggestions to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Yogi and Boo-Boo may or may not have endorsed this thread content. Thanks for being here.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

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