Still time to enter the 2011 National Park photo contest

The National Park Service encourages all Americans to participate in the Share the Experience Photo Contest and join the ranks of Ansel Adams, Thomas Moran, and others who have created masterpieces depicting the nation’s public lands. The photo taken by the grand prize winner will appear on a 2012 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. He or she will receive a prize package that includes a trip for four to a federal recreation area, photography equipment and a pass to the national parks and other federal lands for 2012. Second-, third-, and fourth-place winners, and 10 Honorable Mention winners will also receive prizes.

The contest runs through December 31, 2010. Amateur photographers canparticipate by uploading photos on www.sharetheexperience.org or through Facebook, Flickr, or Shutterfly to the contest website.

“We always encourage the American people to visit and experience their national parks,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis. “We especially do so now, in the weeks before the Share the Experience deadline. Photography is very much about seeing. Head to a national park and really see it through the lens of your camera.”

Few Americans live far from one of the country’s 393 national parks. These protected places come in all sizes. They can be found in cities (for example, Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco) as well as in areas on which humans have had less impact. They preserve natural features like the Everglades and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and historic sites like Independence Hall and the farm on which Abraham Lincoln lived as a boy and a young man.

Share the Experience, the official photo contest of America’s national parks and federal recreational lands, is sponsored by Olympus and the National Park Foundation. Olympus and the National Park Foundation offer Share the Experience in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The annual Share the Experience contest showcases the more than 500 million acres of federal lands and draws entries from all across the United States. It is the largest national park and public land photo contest for amateur photographers.

“We always tell people in parks to take only pictures and leave only footprints,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Our annual photo contest is a great reason to get outside and capture the incredible places preserved in our national parks.”

Free admission to National Parks for Veterans Day on Nov. 11

In honor of current and former servicemen and women, entrance to all of America’s 393 national parks will be free for all visitors on Veterans Day, November 11. Besides the fee waiver, national parks will offer opportunities for visitors to pay tribute to the members of our country’s armed forces.

For example, on Veterans Day, the World War II Memorial on the National Mall will host a ceremony to honor all of America’s female veterans of the war as well as a wreath-laying to honor members of the 82nd Airborne Division who died in the conflict. Also in Washington, DC, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Veterans Day will be observed with speeches, speakers, a color guard and a wreath-laying ceremony, all in honor of all those who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War and America’s other wars, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After sunset on Saturday, November 13, 2010, participants in the evening program at Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Virginia will place a candle at the grave of each of the more than 6,000 soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Union in the Civil War. This luminary event, held by the staff of Petersburg National Battlefield, will include the music of bagpipes and selected stories of people who laid down their lives for their beliefs.

Glen Canyon may be your fall "stopover" ticket

As winter moves, so do the snowbirds. The cold, Arctic blasts seems to send a precursor signal to those RVers in the north, and they begin their annual migration toward the south before the snow flies. Many turn their GPS pointers to Arizona, where the winter sun keeps frosts at bay.

If a southern route is in your plan, a 'drop in along the way' to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area may be just the ticket for some new eye-openers. Glen Canyon encompasses thousands of desert acres (1,254,429 to be precise), but don't imagine for a moment that all those acres are vast tracts of sparsely vegetated soil. The Colorado River flows through the canyon in wet abundance, making this a popular destination for boaters, fisherfolks, and others who love the lap of water. The backup of river water has created Lake Powell, a huge recreational oasis. Think classy houseboats and water skiing.

But Glen Canyon's popularity peaks in summer; as winter rolls around the crowds depart. This could be attributed to the high desert nature of the area--it does tend to get cold. Come December and January, the freeze point will often be seen. But November--ah November. Warm days (60s and 70s not uncommon) and cool, crisp nights can be just the right amount of cold for the snowbird--a reminder of what they're leaving behind without the associated pain of the snow shovel or heating bill.

Where's to stay in Glen Canyon? If you like up-ticked, complete with restaurants, boat rentals, and 50 amp electric service, the Park Service has farmed out several popular campgrounds to the auspices of commercial vendors. You can find out more about these at the Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas web site. Golfers will find the Glen Canyon Country Club near Page, Arizona may suit them to a tee (time).

For RVers with a liking that shifts more to quiet and boondocking, then Lee's Ferry Campground, operated by the Park Service is the place we call home on our southern sojourn. Up on a bluff overlooking the Colorado, the campground offers no electrical hookups, but is one of the most beautiful stretches of the river in the area. Not far upriver from the campground is a put-in spot for folks doing float trips down the river and on into the Grand Canyon. If you're into fishing, there's plenty of action within walking distance of the campground.

You'll find a lot more on this huge recreational draw on the Park Service website dedicated to Glen Canyon. But don't wait too long--winter will definitely arrive, and snowbird may find the cold then way too much like home.