Law Great American Outdoors Act

[jk7707]

Yeah, fair enough. Mather Campground is a decent jaunt to the rim, but still too close to comfort and overall an awful place to go sleep walking, lol.



Lilly Endowment, huh. That's interesting. I've always thought it was predominantly a conservative organization that donated to churches and religious liberty causes.





Fuck these people. I'd call them animals, but that would be a slight towards the wildlife with far more inherent value than they possess. The crazy thing is that Rancheria Falls isn't even located in one of the popular areas, but Hetch Hetchy -- a once lush and extraordinary valley that was flooded in the early 20th century to create a reservoir for San Francisco’s municipal water supply. And, this was done after Yosemite had already been designated a National Park. If I ever see someone doing this shit, they're going to be forced to clean it up and at gun point is optional.

Yosemite visitors trash park with toilet paper. ‘Just wrong and shameful’

Park officials posted a photo on Instagram on Tuesday of multiple toilet paper rolls abandoned near Rancheria Falls.

www.latimes.com

WTF.



I was actually supposed to go there earlier this year in May, but parental obligations and responsibilities got in the way. I'm even more thankful now that my kid's first NP experience was the Grand Canyon. On that front, I can wholly recommend that it's worth basing an entire individual trip around separate from any other parks like @Long Dark Blues has decided on doing next year. Especially for someone who would be coming from a place like Finland and is used to European landscapes, it would be an especially unique mindfuck. It's dangerous as hell with tons of unspoiled nature and many opportunities for insane physical challenges and terrain to conquer for people up to it.

Aramark is a scourge on everything they touch in the park service. The food they serve is garbage and overpriced, the gift shops they operate are the same. They treat their employees like absolute shit. I mean, downright dangerous living conditions, and they don't care because many of them are stuck in the parks they are working in and can't go anywhere else.

Crater Lake took the extraordinary step recently of straight up terminating their contract in the park early because things were so bad.

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-...ter-lake-operator-ending-aramarks-tenure.html

I make a point when I visit parks I know have contracts with them to make sure they don't get a cent of my money. Fuck Aramark.

 

[Deorum]

Aramark is a scourge on everything they touch in the park service. The food they serve is garbage and overpriced, the gift shops they operate are the same. They treat their employees like absolute shit. I mean, downright dangerous living conditions, and they don't care because many of them are stuck in the parks they are working in and can't go anywhere else.

Crater Lake took the extraordinary step recently of straight up terminating their contract in the park early because things were so bad.

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-...ter-lake-operator-ending-aramarks-tenure.html

I make a point when I visit parks I know have contracts with them to make sure they don't get a cent of my money. Fuck Aramark.

All of the concessionaires are shit for the most part, but Aramark is the undisputed champ. The result of the "glorious" private sector when it has a captive market with no competition in sight. My criticisms of the NPS are few, but it certainly doesn't help that such long-term contracts are often awarded to these shithouse corporations. It leaves little room for consequential performance evaluation and even less incentive to provide decent services when they're locked in for a decade. On another note, one of Xanterra's disgruntled employees (A Florida Man) potentially could've pulled off a mass shooting at Yellowstone on the 4th of July this year.



End of Agreement: 07/04/2024. FFS.

 

[jk7707]

All of the concessionaires are shit for the most part, but Aramark is the undisputed champ. The result of the "glorious" private sector when it has a captive market with no competition in sight. My criticisms of the NPS are few, but it certainly doesn't help that such long-term contracts are often awarded to these shithouse corporations. It leaves little room for consequential performance evaluation and even less incentive to provide decent services when they're locked in for a decade. On another note, one of Xanterra's disgruntled employees (A Florida Man) potentially could've pulled off a mass shooting at Yellowstone on the 4th of July this year.



End of Agreement: 07/04/2024. FFS.

Xanterra is another one right on the level with Aramark. Same problems. My wife worked for them for a season in Yellowstone when she was in her early 20's and the shit she talked about going on in the "housing" was downright scary. It's another consequence of the NPS not being funded properly by congress. You outsource all of these services to giant corporations that don't give a flying fuck about the mission of the NPS, and do everything they can to fuck over their employees to make more money while requiring them to provide top notch customer service to visitors.

It's a stain on the NPS. What Crater Lake did was an important step in the right direction.

 

[Deorum]

We decided on 2 nights in Vegas, 2 nights at Grand Canyon and 1 night at Death Valley. I'm sticking with the African Rangers for this trip.

How do you plan on tackling Death Valley? It's so damn fun, with so many different features. It's eerie and out of this world but the total area that it encompasses is absolutely massive, and it's the largest national park in the contiguous United States. DVNP covers 3.4 million acres. That's 1.2m more than even Yellowstone, which is the second largest.

The difference between them is equivalent to the total acreage of the NPS protected sections of the Grand Canyon, which can be either the most convenient and condensed experience in the entire park system or one of the most extensive depending on what you do. In Death Valley, you are driving. Like, a lot. It is a road trip in and of itself. Imagine breaking down when it's legit 130 fucking degrees in July, lol.

 

[Mr Holmes]

How do you plan on tackling Death Valley? It's so damn fun, with so many different features. It's eerie and out of this world but the total area that it encompasses is absolutely massive, and it's the largest national park in the contiguous United States. DVNP covers 3.4 million acres. That's 1.2m more than even Yellowstone, which is the second largest.

The difference between them is equivalent to the total acreage of the NPS protected sections of the Grand Canyon, which can be either the most convenient and condensed experience in the entire park system or one of the most extensive depending on what you do. In Death Valley, you are driving. Like, a lot. It is a road trip in and of itself. Imagine breaking down when it's legit 130 fucking degrees in July, lol.

Not quite sure yet. We'll probably do 1 or 2 of the signature hikes and a lot of driving around to overlook points. A lot is going to depend the temperatures. Our hotel is actually in the park - https://www.expedia.com/Death-Valle...he-Park.h893189.Hotel-Information?langid=1033

 

[Deorum]

Not quite sure yet. We'll probably do 1 or 2 of the signature hikes and a lot of driving around to overlook points. A lot is going to depend the temperatures. Our hotel is actually in the park - https://www.expedia.com/Death-Valle...he-Park.h893189.Hotel-Information?langid=1033

That's a historic property, and it's very charming -- just make sure to lower your expectations with Xanterra (could luck out). I'm guessing you also have one of their hotels on the South Rim of the GC unless opted for Yavapai Lodge (Delaware North). The entirety of the rate charged is based on the convenience of the location. If you aren't bringing or making your own food, don't eat at the Saloon! Again, the interior decor is really nice and worth checking out, but the food is insanely overpriced. It's worth going up Highway 190 to Stovepipe Wells and eating at Toll Road instead. It's in the same vicinity as the Mesquite Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon (which has a beautiful little out-and-back trail).

Ed actually stopped by and talked to some of us during that same training. They brought him in specifically because he was a lawyer. They wanted that to head off any legal pitfalls that could come with this massive 250 billion dollar water system replacement across the canyon.

This will never happen because it goes against the second half of the NPS mission. The trend for some of these extremely crowded parks is to go to times entry to control crowds. And it works, but it's also extremely unpopular with local towns that benefit economically from having as many visitors as possible.

 

[Mr Holmes]

That's a historic property, and it's very charming -- just make sure to lower your expectations with Xanterra (could luck out). I'm guessing you also have one of their hotels on the South Rim of the GC unless opted for Yavapai Lodge (Delaware North). The entirety of the rate charged is based on the convenience of the location. If you aren't bringing or making your own food, don't eat at the Saloon! Again, the interior decor is really nice and worth checking out, but the food is insanely overpriced. It's worth going up Highway 190 to Stovepipe Wells and eating at Toll Road instead. It's in the same vicinity as the Mesquite Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon (which has a beautiful little out-and-back trail).

We decided to stay here for GC - https://www.expedia.com/Grand-Canyo...nd-Canyon.h1707.Hotel-Information?langid=1033

 

[jk7707]

That's a historic property, and it's very charming -- just make sure to lower your expectations with Xanterra (could luck out). I'm guessing you also have one of their hotels on the South Rim of the GC unless opted for Yavapai Lodge (Delaware North). The entirety of the rate charged is based on the convenience of the location. If you aren't bringing or making your own food, don't eat at the Saloon! Again, the interior decor is really nice and worth checking out, but the food is insanely overpriced. It's worth going up Highway 190 to Stovepipe Wells and eating at Toll Road instead. It's in the same vicinity as the Mesquite Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon (which has a beautiful little out-and-back trail).

Yea they're in stage 4 water restrictions, which means no showers, and flushing toilets with buckets of water. They're usually pretty good at finding the breaks and at least temporarily fixing them.

 

[Deorum]

We decided to stay here for GC - https://www.expedia.com/Grand-Canyo...nd-Canyon.h1707.Hotel-Information?langid=1033

Reliable.

If you have any specific inquiries or questions, feel free to ask (including DMs, too). My enthusiasm for this shit clearly has no limit, lol. I have a sense of "ownership" over GCNP in particular, not just because it's my local park but because I've donated thousands of dollars and volunteered dozens of hours of my time to help preserve and protect it in part for people like you. It is the greatest geological spectacle on the planet, not just - nor even primarily - because of its massive size and aesthetic beauty, but the scientific value: its exposed record of geologic events is unparalleled to any other place on Earth. Most people don't care about the specifics around that, but it's a cool fact to consider when you're there. It'll probably help to sort of familiarize yourself with the layout beforehand.

South Rim Pocket Map (pdf)

The first day, you'll probably just want to chill and take in viewpoints from the rim. There are no bad overlooks, but some are better than others. And fortunately, the best ones are NOT where the largest crowds congregate. In fact, two of my top five are not even listed on that map. The entire length from Hermit's Rest to Desert View Watchtower is around 32 miles, the best perspectives (IMO) going W2E: Pima Point, The Abyss (sheer drop is fucking sick), Grandeur Point (not listed), Shoshone Point (not listed, 1 mile hike through pines), and Lipan Point. On the second, hike the interior as far as you can go: either Bright Angel or South Kaibab. They're both great -- BA is more gradual, SK is a rapid fire descent. It makes BA a longer hike back up, but SK more strenuous.

I also assume a trek up to the North Rim isn't the cards.



That's alright, there is still hope! Especially LDB since it will be his first full-fledged national park experience and the one all others in the future will invariably be measured against. I want to put it completely out of reach for them -- the park itself will do all the heavy lifting, but there's so many different ways for it to be enhanced -- from planning it around new moon cycle to reserving specific numbered spots on the NR campground.

Next summer we have the Grand Canyon road trip planned for my eldest's 25th and my youngest's 16th birthdays! We are flying out to Chicago to pick up my eldest, renting an RV, and road trippin' down Route 66 from there.

The plan was to do Route 66 this summer with my brother-in-law, with a detour to the Grand Canyon, but he came down with diverticulitis, so it will have to wait. North America has some insane vistas and I'm with you in being happy to give credit to anyone who takes concrete actions to preserve them.

 

[Deorum]

I’d really like to get back there, I was only there once when I was a kid. My gf was there with her sisters this past spring, it was their first time seeing it and of course they were blown away.

"The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity, and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But you can keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see."

Yes, that's the Colorado River 5,000 feet below being framed by a natural arch (Angel's Window) on a limestone cliff outcrop. This footage is also like, illegal. I've watched videos of onboard GC river rafting trips with comments talking about how the canyon walls don't really seem very high up, apparently referring to the rim, lol. They're looking at and talking about these.

 

[Deorum]

Release The Birds.