Lauren Danner
@laurendanner.bsky.social
Pretty much only here for #ParkChat. Writing a book about Washington state parks. Also interested in: design (especially Scandinavian) and modern architecture.
A6. From the summit of Capulin Volcano, the geology of where the Rockies meet the Great Plains is visible and stunning. So many volcanic features everywhere. #ParkChat
November 6, 2025 at 2:38 AM
A6. From the summit of Capulin Volcano, the geology of where the Rockies meet the Great Plains is visible and stunning. So many volcanic features everywhere. #ParkChat
A5. Mesa Verde is stunning, but if you want fewer people and tons of ancient architecture, try Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients national monuments nearby. #ParkChat
November 6, 2025 at 2:33 AM
A5. Mesa Verde is stunning, but if you want fewer people and tons of ancient architecture, try Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients national monuments nearby. #ParkChat
A4. People rightfully go to Bandelier to see the amazing cavates and pueblo structures, but the Frey Trail, which follows the old road to the rim, is well worth the hike. I have never met anyone on that trail. #ParkChat
November 6, 2025 at 2:26 AM
A4. People rightfully go to Bandelier to see the amazing cavates and pueblo structures, but the Frey Trail, which follows the old road to the rim, is well worth the hike. I have never met anyone on that trail. #ParkChat
A7. We’ve been to Carlsbad Caverns, Wind Cave, and Jewel Cave. Only one was open, and we did get to see the bats! Does Ape Cave at Mt. St. Helens count, @mtmagog.bsky.social? #ParkChat
October 30, 2025 at 1:39 AM
A7. We’ve been to Carlsbad Caverns, Wind Cave, and Jewel Cave. Only one was open, and we did get to see the bats! Does Ape Cave at Mt. St. Helens count, @mtmagog.bsky.social? #ParkChat
A8. c? That seems really tall for an East Coast tree, but I dunno. Maybe. The pic is on Whidbey Island, where there are some massive old trees. @mtmagog.bsky.social #ParkChat
October 2, 2025 at 1:40 AM
A8. c? That seems really tall for an East Coast tree, but I dunno. Maybe. The pic is on Whidbey Island, where there are some massive old trees. @mtmagog.bsky.social #ParkChat
A7. Petroglyphs or rock art. I think some are a “Kilroy was here” type of marker. Some are cultural markers, telling stories and holding traditions. Many we have no idea. These are all in Washington. #ParkChat
October 2, 2025 at 1:37 AM
A7. Petroglyphs or rock art. I think some are a “Kilroy was here” type of marker. Some are cultural markers, telling stories and holding traditions. Many we have no idea. These are all in Washington. #ParkChat
A3. Is it Delicate Arch? I don’t know. But Mount Rainier National Park has a natural arch. You’ve got to work for it, though—13 miles one way into the backcountry. Worth it. #ParkChat
October 2, 2025 at 1:21 AM
A3. Is it Delicate Arch? I don’t know. But Mount Rainier National Park has a natural arch. You’ve got to work for it, though—13 miles one way into the backcountry. Worth it. #ParkChat
A2. People visit the PNW and are awed by the trees in the neighborhood. Then they get to the parks! Big evergreens are standard here. All three WA national parks have old trees: 1000yo cedars in the North Cascades, ancient redcedar in Olympic, Doug-firs in Rainier. #ParkChat
October 2, 2025 at 1:15 AM
A2. People visit the PNW and are awed by the trees in the neighborhood. Then they get to the parks! Big evergreens are standard here. All three WA national parks have old trees: 1000yo cedars in the North Cascades, ancient redcedar in Olympic, Doug-firs in Rainier. #ParkChat
A5. Washington has several state parks that are of national park quality. Luckily, they're not national parks so they're (mostly) not overrun. Deception Pass, Steamboat Rock, Cape Disappointment, Palouse Falls... #ParkChat
August 28, 2025 at 1:35 AM
A5. Washington has several state parks that are of national park quality. Luckily, they're not national parks so they're (mostly) not overrun. Deception Pass, Steamboat Rock, Cape Disappointment, Palouse Falls... #ParkChat
Totally agree. The trails around Newhalem VC in North Cascades are totally worth it--a chance to get a close up with the Skagit River and see a centuries-old rock shelter. Plus all the plants and animals and geology. #ParkChat
August 28, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Totally agree. The trails around Newhalem VC in North Cascades are totally worth it--a chance to get a close up with the Skagit River and see a centuries-old rock shelter. Plus all the plants and animals and geology. #ParkChat
A4. A few years ago I was visiting my kid in Baltimore and we checked out Hampton National Historic Site with no preparation other than mapping "national park." It was so interesting, and of course delightful to explore with her. #ParkChat
August 28, 2025 at 1:23 AM
A4. A few years ago I was visiting my kid in Baltimore and we checked out Hampton National Historic Site with no preparation other than mapping "national park." It was so interesting, and of course delightful to explore with her. #ParkChat
A11. Here’s a self-made panorama I took in 1980 with my Kodak Instamatic 110 (note the original caption!). Everyone told me my pictures wouldn’t work but I ended up with some great shots. #ParkChat
August 14, 2025 at 1:59 AM
A11. Here’s a self-made panorama I took in 1980 with my Kodak Instamatic 110 (note the original caption!). Everyone told me my pictures wouldn’t work but I ended up with some great shots. #ParkChat
A7. I haven’t taken a course, but I have watched a bunch of YouTube videos about how to take pictures with a phone and with a point and shoot, and I have found those very helpful. My photography definitely improved. #ParkChat
August 14, 2025 at 1:38 AM
A7. I haven’t taken a course, but I have watched a bunch of YouTube videos about how to take pictures with a phone and with a point and shoot, and I have found those very helpful. My photography definitely improved. #ParkChat
I can’t remember where this is from, but I’m sure I was experimenting with the dark sky mode on my little Canon. It works surprising well and was great for the aurora borealis a couple of years ago, too. #ParkChat
August 14, 2025 at 1:34 AM
I can’t remember where this is from, but I’m sure I was experimenting with the dark sky mode on my little Canon. It works surprising well and was great for the aurora borealis a couple of years ago, too. #ParkChat
A8. Alpine, subalpine forest and meadow, middle lowland evergreen forest ecosystems. Like all Cascade peaks, Rainier wrings out wet clouds coming from the Pacific and sends them east as ethereal white puffs. The Cascade crest is a varied climate with unpredictable weather. #ParkChat
August 7, 2025 at 1:49 AM
A8. Alpine, subalpine forest and meadow, middle lowland evergreen forest ecosystems. Like all Cascade peaks, Rainier wrings out wet clouds coming from the Pacific and sends them east as ethereal white puffs. The Cascade crest is a varied climate with unpredictable weather. #ParkChat
A7. Every park has indigenous history. Mount Rainier, or Tahoma, is important symbolically and economically for many Northwest tribes. There are numerous archaeological sites in the park that attest to its millennia of use by indigenous people, uses that continue to the present. #ParkChat
August 7, 2025 at 1:45 AM
A7. Every park has indigenous history. Mount Rainier, or Tahoma, is important symbolically and economically for many Northwest tribes. There are numerous archaeological sites in the park that attest to its millennia of use by indigenous people, uses that continue to the present. #ParkChat
A8. Head to the forest, where it will be 5-15 degrees cooler. Natural air conditioning. Lowland hikes at any of Washington's national parks will fill the bill. #ParkChat
July 31, 2025 at 1:40 AM
A8. Head to the forest, where it will be 5-15 degrees cooler. Natural air conditioning. Lowland hikes at any of Washington's national parks will fill the bill. #ParkChat
