Hello. Welcome to the website of… Wright (pause…), Tom Wright. That is me, above, at Fort Jefferson, though not exactly looking as suave as MI-6’s greatest hero… you know, Bond (pause…)… James that is. I am one of the 71 million American Baby Boomers living at the turn of the year 2020, which means I have been around the sun a few times. And during those celestial revolutions, traveling roughly 590 million miles a year (you can thank Gravity for the illusion of not moving), I have managed to become attracted to America’s National Parks.
My first experiences with these cultural and historical gems of our country were during those annual “are we there yet” treks taken by young families for their summer vacations. During the 1960s, my father, Bruce, attended an economics conference at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. Audrey (aka Mom) and he felt the proximity to the best-known National Park was perfect reason to introduce Mike (aka Brother) and me to the magic of Yellowstone. Bison, Old Faithful geyser, Yellowstone Falls, and bubbling mud pots made a lasting impact. Watching bears stretch their bodies vertically, noses and paws squeezing through tiny, human-created openings at the tops of car windows, begging for culinary treats, is an unforgettable memory. Please note, this practice is now strictly prohibited so the bears do not become desensitized to humans.
This is me in November-2023 during the Quest. The sign has changed a bit, as has the protagonist (check the mid-section and the gray hair).
Thomas Stone National Historical Site, MD (house and gravesite)
In the subsequent forty-plus years I managed to visit all 423 of the current National Park units (up to 12/28/2023 until Congress added #424 at New Philadelphia… entry on May 2, 2023… I have now been to all 424 parks… on July 25 President Biden established #425; Emmett Till and Mamie-Till Mobley National Monument… I will visit that park on October 8), those which are directly managed by the National Park Service (NPS). My crowning achievement was in 2017, visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore, notching number 417, which at the time was the total park count.
Since 2017, the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal Government added six more parks (now 8 parks as of 7/25/2023). I have dutifully visited seven of those sites. The journey has been fulfilling. I have seen practically every corner of our country, meeting new people, and learning about the heritage of America. Though school text-book education is a necessity for our world to grow and improve, a boots-on-the-ground experience makes for a more meaningful understanding of our country. As American teacher and philosopher Amos Bronson Alcott wrote, “Observation more than books and experience more than persons, are the prime educators.”
In the spirit of observing, I hope you enjoy the photos which are interspersed across the website, taken by me from earlier visits to the parks. I will be adding newer images to the collection as the Quest rolls, starting in January-2023.
Flight 93 National Memorial, PA
The image on the left is from the makeshift memorial people erected after the 9/11 attack. The NPS had constructed a one-person shack in the parking area so a ranger could answer questions and provide the Passport Book stamp (though many days no one was in the shack). The site was accessed from Lambertsville Road, which is no longer available to the public with the completion of the current Approach Road path from route U.S. 30. No visit to the park is complete without driving to the end of the Approach Road and walking by the white marble slabs which comprise the Wall of Names.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, KY, TN, VA