Kansas bound? Focus on Fort Scott

Scandal. Political intrigue. Inferred election fraud? No, we're not talking about Quartzsite, Arizona, but the mid-1800's in Fort Scott, Kansas. If you're a history buff, and just like prowling around "old stuff," then Fort Scott National Historic Site is the stop for you. And thanks to the National Park Service, the place is still holding together, and ready for visitors.

It's a place rife with old buildings and old furniture. While you may not run into any "spirits" the spirit of frontier history still lives on. Fort Scott focuses on many historical topics: Westward expansion. Civil War. The treatment of American Indians and Black slaves. History is interpreted through the site's structures: A total 0f 20 of them, of which 11 are the original item.

Fort Scott's designer, one Thomas Swords, desired to make Fort Scott the "Crack Post of the Frontier." We're not so sure that Swords should have given up his day job. Few of us, including military enlistees, would enjoy sleeping two in a bunk, a Sword's 'better idea.' But you may be intrigued by the period artifacts including dishes, furniture, and a surgeon's field surgery set--but that didn't include an MRI machine.

It's not "dead history," the Service also provides revived living history programs. Coming up on the first Friday and Saturday of December comes the annual candlelight tour, where full dress actors reenact history. This year the focus of the program will be the Civil War and Fort Scott's involvement. During summer weekends be prepared to stop up your ears during artillery demonstrations, or for those of us on a diet, stopping up your nose to ward off that wafting odor of fresh baked bread.

In any event, point your web browser to the Park Service's official web site.

nps photos

Rocky Mountain NP gets IPhone app

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams

Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand

The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

John Denver, Rocky Mountain High

The question is this: In his steps of quiet solitude, did he carry an iPhone to help him find the way? Probably not, since Chimani didn't release their app for the Rocky Mountain National Park until early this month. But if you've got an iPhone and a yearning to technologically traipse any of those 265,770 acres that make up this huge Colorado park, Chimani will be happy to oblige you for a mere $4.99.

Says the company news release, "The Rocky Mountain app is a great resource for first time visitors looking to explore the high alpine beauty of Trail Ridge Road, or seasoned visitors heading off for their favorite backcountry hike around Longs Peak. " says Chimani President, Kerry Gallivan. “The app is full of all the essential details and ready to go where you are.”

"All the essential details" include a map interface that is custom-made, GPS-enabled, includes every hiking trail in the park, and displays interactive points of interest. Unlike other apps for the park, the map works without the need for a cell phone or data connection and is specifically designed for the mobile app platform. Since the park has 359 miles of trails (not to mention 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams) there's a lot of data stuffed into this one little app.

The new app also features a section dedicated to the core Leave No Trace principles of outdoor ethics. "I couldn’t think of a more appropriate Chimani national park app to launch this exciting new partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics." says Chimani's Gallivan.

Snap up a download from Apple's iTunes App Store or the Android version from the Android Marketplace using the keyword: "chimani".

photo: Ute Trail near crossing with US 34, Wikimedia Commons

Mammoths and saber tooth tigers now gone from Ice Age National Scenic Trail

Though just a mere 15,000 years ago during the Ice Age, RVers' wildlife viewing might have included mammoths, saber tooth cats, and cave lions that then roamed the Earth.

Not that we didn't love them, but those days are gone when much of North America lay under a huge glacier. Now some of the best evidence of its presence is found in Wisconsin’s many lakes, river valleys, gently rolling hills and ridges.

Today's national park visitors can discover the glacier’s handiwork along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which stretches nearly 1,200 miles across Wisconsin and traces the former glacier’s edge. There are hundreds of access points along the trail between its western end in Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River in Polk County and its eastern end in Potawatomi State Park on Green Bay in Door County.

The Ice Age Trail provides visitors an opportunity to enjoy many rewarding experiences as it meanders through towns both large and small,connecting with a host of natural areas from valleys to hilltops, prairies to forests, and everything in between. There is something to enjoy in each changing season.


Start planning your hike along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail through these National Park Getaways, that will take you to places brought to you by the National Park Service and its partners.