Ode To My National Parks
by The Russler

1 You'll write home about Yellowstone!
(Or perhaps, instead, use the telephone.)
2 O, you giant trees of Sequoia,
You must know how much I enjoy ya.
3 A wonderful place is Yosemite;
Many waterfalls grace the proximity.
4 The innate beauty of Mount Ranier
Is natural art without veneer.
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6 I'll tell of the boxwork in Wind Cave,
If you enjoy hearing your friend rave.
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9 You'll sleep good up in Rocky Mountain;
Them sheep, ya know, won't need no countin'.
10 Happy sights at Haleakalā?
Delightful and jolly rock lava.
11 I say come see Hawai'i Volcanoes
And really doubt that y'all say no.
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14 Perhaps you've not been to the Grand Canyon;
It's time for a trip; if you can, plan one.
15 If you have a house at Acadia,
And mine's in New York, then I'll trade ya.
16 Between the steep sidewalls of Zion,
Watch for mule deer and mountain lion.
17 Souvenir hunting can be done at Hot Springs;
Last time I went, I confess, I bought things!
18 I enjoy all the scenery at Bryce;
The canyons and hoodoos are nice.
19 From a distance you can see all the Grand Tetons;
For close-ups you need carabiners and pitons.
20 Down in the caverns of Carlsbad
There's one twisty hallway that snarls bad.
21 Up in the mountains called Great Smoky
I think that everything is okey-dokey!
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23 I'd spend many days up there in Olympic;
If you've been there too you won't think me eccentric.
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25 I'm going again to visit King's Canyon.
Please come along and be my companion.
26 There are miles of cave trails in Mammoth;
You could take years exploring the gamut.
27 Much time in the heat of Big Bend
Makes me a little bit pig-skinned.
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30 Go for a walk in the Petrified Forest,
But climbing the trees will make you the sorest.
31 After venturin' into the Canyonlands,
These people are singin' and dancin' fans.
32 A hike on the slopes of the Guadalupe,
And I come right back down with my body droopy.
33 Picture perfect North Cascades:
A peaceful scene the Lord has made.
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35 Ah, summertime spent at the Arches!
The rocks amaze and the sun parches.
36 The colorful cliff sides of Capitol Reef
Artistically display a dappled motif.
37 I'll write a line or two about Voyageurs,
Because I know how much you enjoy a verse!
38 Take me out to the Badlands,
If you want to make me a glad man.
39 In the midnorth, there's Theodore Roosevelt
With its buttes, rivers, plateaux, and veldt.
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41 The keys and bay we call Biscayne
Have a certain appeal that's hard to explain.
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48 The glaciers at Wrangell - St. Elias
Bring pleasures no one can deny us.
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52 Tree huggers, steer clear of Saguaro,
Or your wounds will stay past tomorrow!
53 I'm planning to visit firsthand Death Valley,
Right there on page nine of my Rand McNally.
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55 At Black Canyon Of The Gunnison,
Leaned over too far and dropped my honey bun.
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57 Take a long hike around Congaree
And find many examples of humonga tree.
58 I sing of all the Great Sand Dunes
With windswept words and haunting tunes.
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60 The best times to visit Gateway Arch
Are April through December and January through March.
61 The birds to see at Indiana Dunes
Are grebes, herons, swans, and loons.
62 Wear shades when you go see White Sands,
'Cause you've never seen such bright lands.
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See the "Map of the Parks"!
See the "Plan For Visiting"!
See the "Quiz on the Parks"!
See the "Mythical Parks"!