R Scott Jones » Washington DC

An updated listing of our National Parks quest

Scott — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:36:54 +0000

An updated map of the National Parks we've visited

Here’s an updated list of National Parks that I’ve visited as part of my quest. After last week’s trip, my total now stands at 189 of the 392 total units (or 189 of the 348 units in the continental US shown on the map above). Over the next week or so, I’ll update my main NPS quest page and break down the units into categories.

In general, I’m surprised at how far we still have to go on the quest. We’ve been taking several trips a year for a decade, and we’re not even halfway yet. As you can see from the map, we’ve covered a lot of ground. But having completed only a single trip to the East (a few days in Washington DC for Kim’s 30th birthday), we haven’t had many opportunities to log a bunch of units in a short drive.

We’ve also nearly exhausted driving trips – we probably have two roadtrips left that make sense to drive. That means that costs will increase as we have to fly, rent a car, and stay in hotels. It will also get increasingly difficult to do the often grueling (but incredibly fun!) trips we’ve been used to once we become parents.

Luckily, this is a life goal…so we have some time.

National Park units I’ve visited (189/392 total)

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
Amistad National Recreation Area
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Arches National Park
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Badlands National Park
Bandelier National Monument
Bents Old Fort National Historic Site
Big Bend National Park
Big Hole National Battlefield
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Big Thicket National Preserve
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Blue Ridge Parkway
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site
Bryce Canyon National Park
Cabrillo National Monument
Cane River Creole National Historic Park
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyonlands National Park
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Chamizal National Memorial
Channel Islands National Park
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
Chiricahua National Monument
City of Rocks National Reserve
Colorado National Monument
Congaree National Park
Constitution Gardens
Coronado National Memorial
Cowpens National Battlefield
Crater Lake National Park
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Craters of the Moon National Preserve
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Death Valley National Park
Devils Tower National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
El Malpais National Monument
El Morro National Monument
Federal Hall National Memorial
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Point National Historic Site
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Fort Union National Monument
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Fossil Butte National Monument
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
General Grant National Memorial
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
George Washington Carver National Monument
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Great Basin National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Preserve
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Homestead National Monument of America
Hot Springs National Park
Hovenweep National Monument
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Jean Lafitte National Historic Park
Jean Lafitte National Preserve
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jewel Cave National Monument
John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
John Muir National Historic Site
Joshua Tree National Park
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Lewis & Clark National Historic Park
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little River Canyon National Preserve
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove
Mammoth Cave National Park
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Mesa Verde National Park
Minidoka National Historic Site
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area
Mojave National Preserve
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Moores Creek National Battlefield
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Muir Woods National Monument
Natchez National Historic Park
Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
Natchez Trace Parkway
National Capital Parks
National Mall
Natural Bridges National Monument
Navajo National Monument
New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park
New River Gorge National River
Nez Perce National Historical Park
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Obed Wild & Scenic River
Olympic National Park
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Padre Island National Seashore
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park
Pea Ridge National Military Park
Pecos National Historical Park
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
Petrified Forest National Park
Petroglyph National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Pipe Spring National Monument
Pipestone National Monument
Point Reyes National Seashore
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Poverty Point National Monument
Redwood National Park
Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
Rock Creek Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Russell Cave National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Sequoia National Park
Shiloh National Military Park
Stones River National Battlefield
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Tupelo National Battlefield
Tuzigoot National Monument
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Washington Monument (National Memorial)
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
White House, The
White Sands National Monument
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
Wind Cave National Park
(National) World War II Memorial
Wupatki National Monument
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park

There are also a handful of units that I haven’t listed above that we have, indeed, been to (including Yucca House National Monument, Hohokam Pima National Monument, Nez Perce National Historic Park, and Curecanti National Recreation Area, among a few others). Our standard has been to only count visits where we spent some time at the unit and got some value out of it. For a variety of reasons, we have a few units that we’ve been to but don’t want to count them yet until we get more time there.

In addition to the official units listed above, here are some quick visit stats on other National Park Service lands. We don’t include these in our quest, but we try to hit them on trips.

National Park Affiliated Areas (3/25 total)

Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Oklahoma City National Memorial
Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site

National Trails (16/24 total)

Note that there are a few national trails that are technically considered units and count towards the 392 total. The National Park Service has some odd ways of counting when it comes to what’s considered a “unit” and what’s not.

California National Historic Trail
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Nez Perce National Historic Trail
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Oregon National Historic Trail
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

DC travel troubles – or never stay in the Washington Hilton

Scott — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:36:38 +0000

I spent the last week at a conference in Baltimore with a couple days of meetings in Washington, DC. When I travel for work, I’m usually staying in relatively nice places and enjoying the experience. However, this trip included some annoyingly bad travel experiences.

While the site of the conference in Baltimore, the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, was mostly pleasant, it was unfortunately situated near what seemed like some rough neighborhoods and required nearly a mile walk in the cold to find some decent restaurants. In an even more annoying development, the hotel only had two elevators working throughout the time we stayed there and it took forever to get from one floor to the next. About halfway through the week, I gave up on using the elevator at all during normal hours, resorting to chugging up and down 6 flights of stairs instead.

Snowy scene from the Marriott in Baltimore

Despite its faults, the Marriott was heads and shoulders above our our DC accommodations. We stayed at the Washington Hilton – yes, the place Reagan was shot – after negotiating a discounted rate of $209/night. The Hilton is a few blocks off Dupont Circle, around which our DC visit would be centered. Unfortunately, the location was about the best thing the hotel could offer. The first major flaw was the fact that the hotel is undergoing a major renovation. That means that a good chunk of the windows have construction bags flying, good chunks of the hotel are off-limits, there are construction guys wandering around like they own the place, and there will be the sounds of demolition. The clerk checking us in said as much when he offered to put us in the “back of the hotel” where “it would be quieter.” Not a good sign.

The hotel room itself wasn’t that great – I’m surprised this renovation hadn’t happened long, long ago. The carpet in my room was terribly uneven and dirty, the layout was less than ideal, and frankly, things were falling apart. There were two thermostats, neither of which seemed to have any control over the room temperature. There wasn’t enough room for what the hotel has to offer, so the window sill (which had entire wood panels falling off) was apparently the home for things like the coffeemaker, even though it was plugless and could not be used there. The hotel offers corded internet access, but you’ll have to pay $12.95/day for the privilege and struggle with a short cord that forced you to work on the right side of the desk. Internet access that puttered so slowly through that cord that it was virtually impossible to watch a youtube clip or browse the modern web without wondering if you had been time-warped back to the era of 33.6k dial-up modems.

Ridiculous bathroom at the Washington Hilton

The bathroom was pathetic - when laying out the room, the designers evidently forgot that guests would want a toilet in there, as it was unceremoniously stuffed under the sink. Yes, you read it correctly, the toilet was under the sink…which meant that you (1) couldn’t put the toilet seat up, (2) had to bend over and reach under the sink to find the flush handle, and (3) couldn’t use half of the sink counter without leaning over the toilet. Unbelievable.

The bed and sheets weren’t up to $209/night standards, but that hardly matters when you have to deal with the nearly constant sound of jackhammering. The racket seemed to start about 7:20am and last until 6-ish, which is a tad early to start waking up your guests but otherwise acceptable. At least it would be if it was minor noise, muffeled or “background” noise thatone could work through. Unfortunately, it was not. It was shaking-the-picture-frames, rattling-the-heater-vents, drive-everyone-insane style noise. Absolutely unacceptable.

I should mention that we were planning on holding our upcoming board meeting at the hotel. We will certainly be taking our business down the road instead, and I never, ever plan on staying there again. EVER. I routinely have significantly better experiences in a $42/night Motel 6.

I have to say, I was also under-impressed with the Dulles airport. First, I wasn’t very impressed with the crazy shuttle (designed by a sci-fi geek, I’m sure of it) that you have to board to get to the other terminals. Not sure why, but it’s a bit creepy. Second, the place is friggin’ packed. There’s not nearly enough space to sit down at your gate, and the restaurant options are both limited and overcrowded, making it virtually impossible to grab a bite to eat without arriving 2 hours early for your flight. The most annoying thing, however, was the lack of electrical outlets. Dulles has a few of these “charging stations,” which feature a whopping four plugs, all of which have evidently been used by the travelers who’ve been living in the airport for the past few days. After searching the entire terminal, I only found 6 other outlets, and only one that was open (only because someone had just unplugged as I walked by). In 2009, that’s a problem, and certainly shows that the airport doesn’t care much about customer service.

So, there you have it – my travel troubles and complaints from this week’s business trip. I hope your next trip is more satisfying.

Attending the Inauguration

Scott — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:15:15 +0000

I leave on Monday for Washington, DC, a city engulfed in excitement for a historic Inauguration. Not only does it mark the first time that an African-American–indeed, something other than a white guy–is sworn in as President of the United States of America, but it also marks a sea change in what kind of man is running the free world. Gone is the empty ego, the ideological warrior, the shallow thoughts of George W Bush, and in is the quiet confidence, the steady and intellectual approach, the even-handed statesman, Barack Obama. I hope I’m not overselling this, but it’s hard not to feel really proud and eager as an American to see this change take place.

I’ve decided to forgo many of the traditional inauguration festivities – I’m not attending any balls, for instance. Instead, I’m hoping to spend some time with friends and colleagues, and in particular, soak in the radiance and hope from the public at large. In fact, I think that will actually be more inspiring than anything Obama says during his inaugural address, though I expect that to be first-rate as well. But there’s just something about standing in a crowd of hopeful, proud, and inspired Americans during such a historic moment.

One thing I’m not looking forward to is the weather. Nasty, bitter cold, I’m expecting, and as an Arizonan that refuses to spend time anywhere near such things as snow, rain, and ice, I’m woefully under prepared. Alas, I don’t even own shoes that don’t have mesh in the sidewalls. Even so, I’m looking forward to the trip, even if it means I’ll be couchsurfing a few nights, freezing my ass off, and then spending several days in planning meetings for work.

Washington, DC, here I come.