Jul. 13, 2022
I read an article about national parks in the US. According to the article, the U.S. National Park Service that is responsible for the management of all national parks in the country has decided to waive the admission fee for five days.
The article reportedly says that the nation has more than 400 national parks and among them are such popular sites as Yesemite in California and Yellowstone in Wyoming.
The agency expects the fee waiver will likely boost attendance at national parks, which already saw record numbers of visitors during last year's pandemic. One word of caution, though. The waiving of the fee does not apply to charges for camping and guides.
The article reminded me of the trip to Yellowstone I took with my host father late Marshall Sullivan who was a teacher at Broadus Public High School in Broadus, Montana. I was 16 back then. An over 5-hour drive through first dusty straight roads in Montana and then foresty winding mountain roads in Wyoming took us to the breath-takingly beautiful nature park where that famous Old Faithful Geyser is. I saw a moose for the first time in my life. Wasn't lucky enough to see a wild buffalo, but soaked in the atomosphere fully at every stop we made during the journey.
The host father passed away years ago. I was too young to realize back then, but years later as I grew more mature, I couldn't help but think what a rare act of generosity it was for him to travel in such a beautiful place with a young boy from a country with which his own had once fought a bloodshedding war.
As I look back on that trip, I cannot help but think that there is something about nature that quiets us and makes us humble about how much we can or should change it. Its beauty is enough to make me stop before trying to change even a small part of it to satisfy my selfish need.
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