Welcome to the Park Avenue Photo Friday diary and open thread. Each Friday, people are encouraged to join us in sharing their pictures of the national parks, state parks and other major parks and to vote on which park will be the subject of our next Things to Know Before You Come column of travel advice and tips on visiting the parks.
First a recap of the Group's activities...
We've just completed the third in our series of user contributed features on the parks. So far, the group has published features on Jackson Hole National Monument, Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine and Capitol Reef National Park. Next week, we'll learn about the Petrified Forest National Park, to be followed the week after by a feature on Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. These features are released each Thursday at 11:30 am ET (8:30 am PT).
If you are interested in writing a feature about your favorite unit of the National Park Service, please sign up at our Google form: Daily Kos Park Avenue group Park Signup Form.
This week we also started our Thing to Know Before You Come column where we encourage people to discuss tips on visiting specific parks, giving people potentially planning a trip to the park the chance to ask questions of those who have been there to get answers to make that trip a little extra special. Last week we looked at Yosemite National Park. You can vote below for what park gets featured next Tuesday at 11:30 am ET (8:30am PT).
Now let's get to some pictures!
Sunset at Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park
My "Beautiful" Picture of Mount Rainier
I swear its there! And to think is was mostly clear when my brother and I set out for the park from Seattle. By the time we got there...this was the best shot we could get of the mountain.
A panorama from Lacey Point in the northern section of Petrified Forest National Park
And finally, one for the birds...or birders: a wood stork in Everglades National Park
OK. Gals & guys...your turn.