This appears to be late but we were here yesterday and no one showed up so we took off.
- Look for a slightly less pristine experience in your national parks this summer. You shouldn’t let that stop you from going: any visit there will still be a deep dive into unparalleled natural beauty. Or a pleasant dip into some pretty interesting history. But it will be a little less than it might once have been. Because of money. President Obama’s budget calls for no increase in the NPS budget; since some programs have necessary increases, some other programs will be cut. Specifically, “the newest budget strips $3 million from the funds for visitor centers, information booth, cleaning and safety.” Initial reports make the current shortfall seem like a modest inconvenience: “more trash on the trails, longer lines at service booths and fewer rangers.” Also, possibly, fewer campgrounds and traffic back-ups. And that assumes the budget doesn’t get whacked by Congress, which has a tradition of chronically underfunding the parks and hoping that everything will work out. Because of magic.
- Don’t expect better conditions at your state parks. Budget woes are forcing California to close 54 of its parks this summer and other states are looking at substantial cutbacks. Many are managing through the crisis, though. If you don’t have a lot of traffic or a lot of services in the first place—which is often the case with these little-known gems—reductions aren’t going to translate into a noticeable change. And there are gems: Consider South Dakota’s 109-mile Mickelson Trail, a former rail bed that’s been converted into a biking and hiking trail. It’s in the middle of the scenic and popular Black Hills—running from Deadwood to Edgemont—but off the tourist track and locals say it’s “never busy.” You pedal through national forest (as well as some private land), over 100 converted railroad bridges and through “four hard-rock tunnels.”
- This is a little late, but when you’re talking about a 101-year-old marathoner, time and distance get skewed. So this might be right on time. The legendary Fauja Singh has written a nice piece on the secret to his longevity, which he says is vegetarianism: “Age may bring wisdom, but if you want stamina, endurance and a lifetime of good health, turn to nutritious vegetarian foods.” Singh has retired from marathon racing but still runs every day. The 101-year-old’s next goal is to climb the 101-story Taipei Tower. “And when I reach my destination, I will be able to say that no animals had to suffer because of my food choices along the way.”
- This reminds us of a Mayo Clinic study published last winter that underscored how diet affects your mind as well as your body. “Overeating is associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in people 70 or older, researchers are reporting.” We were a little sad to hear that people consuming a mere 2,142 calories daily had “nearly twice the risk of MCI as those eating fewer than 1,526 kilocalories a day.” Worse still, the greater the caloric intake, the higher the MCI risk.
Hubble Space Telescope image of a raucous stellar breeding ground in 30 Doradus, located in the heart of the Tarantula Nebula, via Wikimedia Commons.
