Park-to-Park 2010: An Exploration of the Western National Parks

It's snowing here in New Jersey. Some 12 - 15 inches are expected. What better day to start thinking about the the western mountains and plains.

I am in the midst of planning this summer's sabbatical to explore America's Western National Parks. This theme has gotten great attention this year, as we celebrate 150 years of their history and preservation. Filmmaker Ken Burns's series for PBS, The National Parks: America's Best Idea was the glamour feature of the fall 2009 PBS lineup, but the documentary that captured my attention was another documentary entitled Paving the Way: The National Park-to-Park Highway , which retraced the route of good roads advocates who braved the poor roads between and through the Western National Parks for 76 days in 1920. The film's website describes the reason for the tour: 

"[At the time,] roads for automobiles were crude at best.  There were no reliable maps, gas stations, or convenience stores.  Accommodations were few, far between, and expensive.  Because of this, the newly established National Park Service decided to promote both tourism to the National Parks and the good roads to get there with the National Park-to-Park Highway.

Two characters played major roles in organizing the inaugural tour of this highway.  Stephen Mather, the director of the National Park Service, was the major advocate for the highway linking the National Parks.  However, Anton Westgard, a pathfinder for AAA, was the one who mapped the route through the parks and led the motorists on the tour.  One provided the idea, the other provided the manpower."

The film was inspired by the excellent book The Playground Trail: the National Park-to-Park Highway by Lee Whiteley and Jane Whiteley, which documented the trip with historic photos and copies of original materials. 

I decided that this year, I would try to discover parts of this country that I had never seen before - starting with the Western National Parks. Not only for their natural beauty (which will make a fine subject for my photographs and perhaps later paintings), but also for the park architecture, the landscape design and engineering work that helped frame vistas, bridge chasms, and harness mighty rivers.The trip itself should take some 4-6 weeks. 

This journal is part of this expedition. I have named it Ribbons and Lines, for the highways that carry us through our remarkably beautiful landscape. I dedicate it to my father, Raymond W. Delaney, who filled me with a love of the road.