Today marks the 100^th anniversary of the official establishment of the National Park Service (NPS) of the United States. As I shared previously, I have had the privilege of visiting many national and state parks throughout my life. The first national park I remember visiting was Everglades National Park in southern Florida. I was a young child then. Since then, I have had the pleasure of visiting the following national parks:

• Denali – Alaska
• Grand Canyon – Arizona
• Sequoia – California
• Yosemite – California
• Everglades – Florida
• Badlands – South Dakota
• Great Smoky Mountains – Tennessee
• Arches – Utah
• Bryce Canyon – Utah
• Zion – Utah
• Olympic – Washington
• Yellowstone – Wyoming
• Grand Teton – Wyoming

In addition to the national parks, I have had the honor of visiting several national memorials, monuments and preserves that are also managed by the NPS.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY WE LIVE IN!

In June, I posted a couple of articles about my family’s adventures this summer visiting and hiking around various state parks in Tennessee and one in North Carolina. Our goal was to visit as many as we could. Unfortunately, at the end of June, unexpected health related events abruptly ended our visits. Now, almost eight weeks later, I finally feel ready to once again journey into the outdoors and admire the wonders of nature. This time, instead of visiting a state park, my daughter and I have decided that in honor of the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the NPS we would visit a national park.

So…we arose early this morning and off to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we went. While there, both of us, just as we have done during our other park visits, took many pictures. To have a little fun, we decided to have a photo contest; to decide who took the best picture in five predetermined categories.  The categories are:

1. Landscapes
2. Water
3. Flower
4. Insects
5. Animals

To determine the winner, we need your help and if you agree to help, you will have the option to enter a drawing to win a free copy of my word search puzzle book U.S. State of Play; which features a puzzle consisting of the names of 50 different national parks.

To participate, click on the following link: http://jbwriter70.polldaddy.com/s/national-park-101

Complete the short survey by selecting the best picture in each category. If you wish to be entered into the contest to receive a copy of my puzzle book, you will have the option to provide your name and email address. The contest will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2016. On Thursday, September 1, 2016, the names of three winners will be chosen at random to receive a copy of the book. The winners will then be contacted via email to obtain a mailing address and the book will be shipped to them free of charge. Please note: Only residents with a United States mailing address are eligible to win the prize.

Good Luck and thanks for your participation.

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