National Park Closings Are National Disgrace

A view of Acadia National Park — before the shutdown.

I was lucky enough to be in Acadia National Park along the stunning Maine coastline a few days ago, which is luckier than anyone who tried to enter the park today (October 1 as I write this).

Because of the federal government shutdown, Acadia — along with all other national parks and monuments — are closed today, and will be until Congress agrees to fund the government again.

The day I was there was a perfect fall day in Acadia: blue skies, blue sea, rugged rock formations, hiking trails snaking up hillsides and down to beaches, popovers baking at Jordan’s Pond House.

The rounded top of 1,500-foot-high Cadillac Mountain — offering panoramas looking out over Penobscot Bay, Bar Harbor and the heavily forested Maine countryside — was teeming with visitors enjoying the views, snapping pictures, and clambering over the rocks.… Continue reading →