deerstalker
http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/find-park-take-advantage-national-park-service/
A week ago, I spent a day river floating down the 48-mile Chattahoochee River in metropolitan Atlanta, and wading into the river to learn how fly fishing enthusiasts cast and back cast. Back casting is easier!
(Keri Hilson leads a group down the Chattahoochee River. Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
What a fun way to learn about the offerings of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area—established as a result of legislation Rep. Andrew Young introduced and President Jimmy Carter signed into law in 1978.
Nature, the Best Educator
The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area gets more than 3 million visitors every year, putting it in the top 35 of all 417 National Parks in the National Park Service.
(Cedric Talley, Visual Information Specialist at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Image: File)
Maybe that’s because of the proximity to urban Atlanta—the river is within the city limits, although you’d never know it by the number of enormous trees on the river banks. I saw a couple of deer during my trip, as well as a blue heron and osprey flying above, but other wildlife also make their appearance—including muskrats, alligators, and the occasional bear.
There’s also tons to do in the park—paddle boating, river floating, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as simply hiking or running the 83 miles of trails.
School groups come to the park to get hands-on lessons in nature, wildlife, insects, and the abundant flora. The state of Georgia stocks the river with rainbow trout and striped bass, which survive because of the river bottom’s cool temperatures.
(Raukisha Talley told us about the history of the park. Image: File)
This place is a naturalist’s dream. My son was an avid nature lover when he was little—and this was the kind of park he would have loved visiting. If you’re in or near Atlanta, you must take your kids for a day trip.
Class I Rapids
“People see the river as a real asset,” Bill Cox, superintendent of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, told a group of us in the park’s visitor’s lodge, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Bill Cox and Hilson. Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
The park’s vast 7,000 acres create a serene space for people living in the city. It’s accessible and free, though if you want to fish you need to purchase a permit and license; there’s also a cost to rent paddle boats.
But hiking, walking, or riding your own bike is free—and you still get to commune with nature and de-stress.
I’m glad the rapids were Class I when we floated down the ’Hooch, as locals call it, although water released from the dam causes the river depth to change rapidly—so checking the release schedule is advised.
(The author, ready to wade in the ‘Hooch. Image: )
Keri Hilson, the singer, songwriter, and actress, is an ambassador for the National Park Foundation. She regularly takes advantage of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
“I’m an outdoorsy girl,” she told me. “Fitness is important to me, so I run in the park.” Being in the park elevates Hilson’s senses and puts her in a meditative mood.
(Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
The great news is that you don’t need to live in Atlanta to run in one of the National Parks. With 417 National Park Service areas, chances are good that there’s one near you. As the National Park Service campaign says, Find Your Park!
A week ago, I spent a day river floating down the 48-mile Chattahoochee River in metropolitan Atlanta, and wading into the river to learn how fly fishing enthusiasts cast and back cast. Back casting is easier!
(Keri Hilson leads a group down the Chattahoochee River. Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
What a fun way to learn about the offerings of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area—established as a result of legislation Rep. Andrew Young introduced and President Jimmy Carter signed into law in 1978.
Nature, the Best Educator
The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area gets more than 3 million visitors every year, putting it in the top 35 of all 417 National Parks in the National Park Service.
(Cedric Talley, Visual Information Specialist at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Image: File)
Maybe that’s because of the proximity to urban Atlanta—the river is within the city limits, although you’d never know it by the number of enormous trees on the river banks. I saw a couple of deer during my trip, as well as a blue heron and osprey flying above, but other wildlife also make their appearance—including muskrats, alligators, and the occasional bear.
There’s also tons to do in the park—paddle boating, river floating, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as simply hiking or running the 83 miles of trails.
School groups come to the park to get hands-on lessons in nature, wildlife, insects, and the abundant flora. The state of Georgia stocks the river with rainbow trout and striped bass, which survive because of the river bottom’s cool temperatures.
(Raukisha Talley told us about the history of the park. Image: File)
This place is a naturalist’s dream. My son was an avid nature lover when he was little—and this was the kind of park he would have loved visiting. If you’re in or near Atlanta, you must take your kids for a day trip.
Class I Rapids
“People see the river as a real asset,” Bill Cox, superintendent of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, told a group of us in the park’s visitor’s lodge, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Bill Cox and Hilson. Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
The park’s vast 7,000 acres create a serene space for people living in the city. It’s accessible and free, though if you want to fish you need to purchase a permit and license; there’s also a cost to rent paddle boats.
But hiking, walking, or riding your own bike is free—and you still get to commune with nature and de-stress.
I’m glad the rapids were Class I when we floated down the ’Hooch, as locals call it, although water released from the dam causes the river depth to change rapidly—so checking the release schedule is advised.
(The author, ready to wade in the ‘Hooch. Image: )
Keri Hilson, the singer, songwriter, and actress, is an ambassador for the National Park Foundation. She regularly takes advantage of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
“I’m an outdoorsy girl,” she told me. “Fitness is important to me, so I run in the park.” Being in the park elevates Hilson’s senses and puts her in a meditative mood.
(Image: CatMax Photography/National Park Foundation)
The great news is that you don’t need to live in Atlanta to run in one of the National Parks. With 417 National Park Service areas, chances are good that there’s one near you. As the National Park Service campaign says, Find Your Park!
Acts of betrayals, public declarations of hostilities, the calling of loyal bannermen (bannerfans?), and two famous names in open war against one another? Things have never been worse between House Swift and House Perry, so what better group of people to “sing” Taylor Swift‘s newest single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” than the characters of Game of Thrones>
This video comes from the YouTube user Matthijs Vlot, who stitched together the men and women of the Seven Kingdoms participating in the biggest karaoke event in Westeros history.
We’d say no one’s appearance has changed more than Tyrion’s over the years, but Daario Naharis literally used to be a different person.
If someone in Westeros released a song badmouthing another great house the way Swift and Perry have, they would have slightly bigger concerns than how people responded on social media. By now Katy Perry would have allied with Lord Kanye of House West to try and even the numbers with Swift’s Squad, but it wouldn’t have mattered because Lady Gaga would have had already claimed the Iron Throne while they were fighting one another.
Also, everyone would be dead. But unlike the old Taylor Swift, that wouldn’t be as big a problem if someone called looking for her.
What is dead may never die, so they can still come to the phone.
Yeah, okay, that joke was terrible. Hey! Characters from Game of Thrones singing Taylor Swift, look what you made me do.
Now we’ve got bad blood.
…I’m going to stop now.
What other song would you like to hear the characters on Game of Thrones sing together? Tell us in the comments below.
Images: HBO
Want more Game of Thrones?
- See how Game of Thrones made greyscale.
- An awesome grandma cosplays Olenna Tyrell.
- View a fierce hand-sculpted Drogon statue.
Colin Kaepernick has remained a news fixture for well over a year now and was even brought up during a riveting panel at Black Enterprise’s inaugural Black Men XCEL Summit.
(L-R: Keith Clinkscales, Stephen A. Smith, and Rod Strickland. Image: File)
The panel, “Black Men in Sports: The Good, the Bad, and the Reality,” featured iconic figures in the sports industry including ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith and retired NBA player Rod Strickland. The panel moderator was Keith Clinkscales, founder and CEO of The Shadow League.
During the session, Clinkscales remarked that the discussion that’s “going on all over the place” is what is happening with Kaepernick.
Strickland weighed in. “My whole outlook on it when I look at it—it’s just kind of strange because we had somebody who made a stance and he made a stance because he felt there was racial profiling, blacks were being beat up by cops and there was injustice…,” he said.
Smith, known for his fiery and often controversial commentary was much more impassioned with his opinion on Kaepernick.
“My only issue with Colin Kaepernick is when he announced to the world that he’s not one to vote. If you are black and you don’t believe that it’s important to vote, just do me a favor and stay the hell away from me….don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, I’m not interested in hearing that level of ignorance,” Smith said.
“Because it is ignorant. Because outside of money, the No. 1 instrument of change in our nation is the power to vote. And if you don’t exercise it, you’ve disrespected yourself, you’ve disrespected our ancestors, and you’ve disrespected our history and I have no respect for you.”
Kaepernick became a center news item again just this week after the arrest of Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett. Bennett shared on social media that he was roughed up and thrown to the ground by Las Vegas police officers after an incident in a casino and was also threatened with a gun.
Bennett has shown solidarity with Kaepernick in his protest against police brutality and racism. In June, Bennett spoke out about Kaepernick remaining undrafted by any NFL team.
“Of course I think Kaepernick’s being blackballed,” he told Power 105.1 FM’s The Breakfast Club, reports CBS Sports.
Watch the entire video of Stephen A. Smith’s remarks on Kaepernick’s at the Black Men XCEL Summit: