It's National Picnic Month

The weather is warm, hopefully sunny, time to enjoy having a picnic with family and friends. What about

hiking to your picnic site? Don't feel like hiking? Most, if not all, of these parks have access to the most scenic views via the family car.

America's National Parks, a series of twelve titles geared toward the middle school reader, covers different national parks across the country. From Acadia National Park in Maine, to Everglades National Park in Florida, to Yosemite National Park in California and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, this series helps in discovering national parks close by and what experiences to expect when you arrive.

Of the national parks featured in this series, the closest one to our office is Acadia National Park. Located on Mount Desert Island, this family vacation site is has hiking trails, wildlife, beaches, and amazing views from the top of Cadillac Mountain. Acadia is located in a part of Maine called Down East, which gets its name from when ships sailing from Boston or Portland to the Bar Harbor area would sail east along the coast. The prevailing winds were usually at their back, helping the ships along. This is known as downwind, and in this case it became known as sailing down east.

What national parks have you visited? What are your memories of these parks?