National Parks Traveler

The 1950s and 1960s were a period of strife coupled with significant progress in America’s struggle with civil rights. Marches, sit-ins, and violence were accompanied by legislation, desegregation, and, in some instances, accommodation. Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, Greensboro, and Washington, D.C. are remembered as some of the principal battlegrounds in the conflict and struggle for equal rights.

Over the years park rangers have demonstrated some impressive talent, but when it comes to securing a place in entertainment history, few can compete with Stan Jones. He was working as a ranger in Death Valley National Monument in the late 1940s when a series of serendipitous events led to a remarkable new career, and his story is told in an entertaining new book, Ghost Riders In the Sky: The Life of Stan Jones, The Singing Ranger.

When hauling a 40-foot-long RV through traffic, you can easily lose sight of the traveler's mantra: “It's the journey not the destination.” During those stressful drives when adventure takes a back seat to practicality, that's when a GPS like the new Magellan RoadMate RV9490T-LMB really shines.

With more than 100 units of the National Park System that charge fees of some sort, keeping track of proposed fee increases is not easy. Among the latest is one from Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where officials are proposing higher fees or visiting Muir Woods and Alcatraz, along with higher parking fees for the NRA and the Presidio.