“There is nothing so American as our national parks.  The scenery and wildlife are native.  The fundamental idea behind the parks is native.  It is, in brief, the country belongs to the people.”           –President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936

Check out http://www.nationalparks.org for information on America’s 400 parks!

NBC’s Today show has featured America’s national parks this week on their morning talk and news show.  On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service celebrates 100 years of service.

Co-anchors Natalie and Jenna visited three Florida national parks on Monday.  And co-anchors Matt and Al (weatherman, really) showcased White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad National Park on Tuesday.

Jenna Hager Bush and mom Laura Bush shared their new book Our Great Big Backyard that inspires children to ‘look up and see all the magic our world has in it,’ (Jenna paraphrase).  I was encouraged to learn what an avid national park goer Laura Bush was and still is!  For over 30 years she has visited the parks with a group of long time girlfriends from her home town of Midland, TX.  One of her favorite trips was the mother-daughter rafting trip down the Colorado River and hiking out of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Jenna and twin sister Barbara lamented on how their mother loves the outdoors and inspired them to be a part of it, too.

Go to  http://www.today.com to read-view the complete stories from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the week.  I look forward to seeing what parks will be showcased Thursday and Friday.

The Today show’s Centennial National Parks segment has inspired me to dig up old family photo albums from trips to Olympic National Park in WA, Mount Rainier in WA, a multi-generational Yellowstone adventure, and several other recently remembered trips!  My parents instilled a great love for the outdoors in me as a young child; I am forever grateful to them for stretching my horizons.  Looking forward to planning a summer vacation to one of America’s fabulous national parks.  Focusing on America’s National Park Centennial seems like the perfect springboard to launch my Seekingbalancesea blog…