Page 14 - Volume 14 Issue 3

The USS Constitution is usually moored at the Boston National Historical Park in Boston, Massachusetts, though it is currently in dry-dock undergoing restoration at the time of this writing (January 2020). “Old Ironsides” is the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat, having been first launched in 1797. When not undergoing restoration or repairs, she’s open for tours year-round and typically sails a couple of times a year. She’s the only survivor of the original six frigate warships built to help form a U.S. Navy fighting force.
public lands that do not fall under the NPS. Many BLM sites are every bit as impressive as NPS sites and are equally accessible.
It has been said that the U.S. National Park System is America’s best idea. The concept of setting aside areas for protection and preservation and making those areas equally accessible to all citizens was a globally unique idea when it began in the U.S. in the early 1900s. In the century-plus that has passed since, many countries around the world have created their own similar systems, some quite impressive in both scale and long-term vision. So, while this discussion is specific to the United States, similar concepts can certainly be applied to flying and touring in many countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe.
Scenic Drives
Of course, many of our National Parks are enormous and could take years of dedicated visits to fully explore. Again, that’s not the sort of touring one would do on a layover, nor it is necessary to do so. Many parks include one or more scenic drives that can be done in a matter of hours or less (if driven straight through) or can be extended to all- day trips if partaking of various side excursions and/or making frequent stops along the way. The following are some examples of common King Air destinations with scenic NPS drives nearby.
Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: The site of the most famous of Civil War battles and President Abraham Lincoln’s equally famous Gettys- burg Address, is only a 45-minute drive from Pennsylvania’s capital of Harrisburg. In an hour or just slightly more, it can be reached (by car) from several of Maryland’s most popular airports, such as Hag- erstown, Fredrick and Baltimore. While this drive through southern Pennsylvania’s rolling farmland (in- cluding many Amish homesteads) is beautiful in and of itself, it is the history lesson on the Civil War that is truly unforgettable. The number
oversight of 61 official National Parks, it operates over 400 indivi- dual units, each into one of 19 dif- ferent NPS naming designations. These include national monuments, lakeshores, seashores, memorials, battlefields, historic sites, etc. National Parks often begin as one of these lower tier sites before being expanded and upgraded to National Park status. The point is, if you have interest in the U.S. National Park System, there are units dotting the width and breadth of the country and they encompass far more than just National Parks, for example,
The Grand Canyon. NPS sites make a great layover list to pursue. Best of all, an annual NPS pass is only $80 and can be used to visit any unit or site within the NPS system, as often as you like, for a full year from purchase date. An annual pass is typically valid for its holder, plus a spouse or guest (such as a co-pilot) and dependent children. It is truly a bargain that’s hard to beat, as just a couple site visits (paid at the single- visit rate) can often exceed the cost of the annual pass. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protects and manages many
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MARCH 2020