EDITORS BLOCK “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide From wildlife safaris in Botswana and Namibia to boating adventures in the Bahama’s and America’s East Coast, this spring/summer issue of Parks & Travel Magazine is chockful of park destinations and travel stories, along with event and festival news, responsible travel and tourism advice, and all kinds of interesting interviews with park artists-in-residence, authors and travel writers, filmmakers and history experts. We’re excited to announce that we are officially on the Love Your Parks Tour, traveling full-time to document America’s parks and public lands, and to share their community stories. From California’s sequoia country to the desert southwest and historic Louisiana, many of the articles featured in this issue are part of the new Love Your Parks Tour ‘Mission Possible’ Stories assigned to us by our Big Blend partners. To map and document the parks we have visited (currently over 100) as well as the towns and cities, we launched LoveYourParksTour.com. We also have a fun new Love Your Parks Tour Blog with posts by Priscilla, our pink sock monkey travel mascot! Have you seen our Love Your Parks Tour Tshirts? We now have three designs, and along with the art and gifts in our new Love Your Parks Tour Fine Art Shop, 50% of the proceeds of all sales are being donated to non-profits like the National Parks Arts Foundation and The Independence Fund. To keep up with our new stories and destinations, visit NationalParkTraveling.com and subscribe to our weekly Big Blend eNewsletter, or follow us on our various Social Media channels. Happy Travels & Park Adventures, Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith Big Blend’s mother-daughter publishing, radio and travel team
FRONT COVER PHOTO: Colorado River at the East Wetlands, a part of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area in Yuma, Arizona. Photo by Lisa D. Smith. Story on Page 10. BIG BLEND MISSION STATEMENT: Big Blend is a company based on the belief that education is the most formidable weapon that can be waged against fear, ignorance and prejudice. It is our belief that education starts at home and branches outward. Education leads to travel, and travel leads to understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of cultures and customs different to our own, and ultimately to world peace. Our company is further based on the principle that networking, communication, and helping others to promote and market themselves leads to financial stability; thus paving the way to better education, travel, and the spirit of giving back to the community. This magazine is developed by Big Blend Magazine™, copyrighted since 1997. No part of it may be reproduced for any reason, without written permission from Big Blend Magazine. Although every effort is made to be accurate, we cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies or plagiarized copy submitted to us by advertisers or contributors.
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