Valley Forge National Historic Park

Reading Revolutionary War accounts in the history books gives some understanding of the suffering of our Colonial soldiers, but not until you visit Valley Forge, Pa., can you fully comprehend the hardship endured by Gen. George Washington and his troops during that terrible winter of 1777 to 1778. Poorly clothed, ill-fed, wet and cold, 2,000 of the 12,000 soldiers died due to sickness and disease. Twelve men crowded into log shelters measuring 14 by 16 feet.

Reading Revolutionary War accounts in the history books gives some understanding of the suffering of our Colonial soldiers, but not until you visit Valley Forge, Pa., can you fully comprehend the hardship endured by Gen. George Washington and his troops during that terrible winter of 1777 to 1778. Poorly clothed, ill-fed, wet and cold, 2,000 of the 12,000 soldiers died due to sickness and disease. Twelve men crowded into log shelters measuring 14 by 16 feet.

Veterans Day may be best spent outdoors because national parks and forests offer free admission Thursday and state parks are marking the day with some special events. National parks will waive admission fees Thursday in honor of Veterans Day. In addition, some will have special ceremonies. For example, Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania will have a moment of silence and wreath-laying ceremony in tribute to Revolutionary War veterans. Go to the National Park Service website to find out more.

When Congress created the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in 2000, marble bathrooms and four-car garages probably weren't part of the vision. Yet that's exactly what's being built inside the desert wilderness near Palm Springs, on land that federal park officials had hoped to acquire. Indeed, our nation's special places are under siege.

A federal law taking effect Monday may alter the standard checklist for many Americans as they pack to visit their national parks: insect repellent, snacks, hiking boots . . . double-barreled shotgun. Visitors now can pack heat in any national park from Gates of the Arctic to Everglades, provided they comply with the firearms laws of the park's home state, according to the new law that was passed as an amendment to credit-card legislation. In some instances, they may carry concealed and loaded firearms, including at campsites in Yosemite Valley, along trails at Yellowstone and at the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Because it is facing a major face lift, Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia will be named today by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the country's most endangered historic places. The trust will place the 66-year-old Santa Anita Park on its annually issued endangered list, along with 10 other sites such as Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania and Abraham Lincoln's retreat in Washington, D.C.

Volunteers will paint the buildings on the 19th century iron plantation of Hopewell Furnace in Elverson and help cut the grass at Ft. Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington, Pa. They will also greet visitors to Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, N.Y. More than ever, National Park Service officials say, volunteers are being called on to help many of the 388 national parks deal with tight budgets. This year's Park Service budget is $2.

Five-day tours of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country leave weekly from March 15 to Nov. 15. Participants have opportunities to personally interact with Amish people, including sharing a traditional dinner as the guests of an Amish family in their home. Guests visit the homes of Amish quilters and crafters, and will have the chance to purchase handcrafted items.

A nine-night springtime motor-coach tour, April 27-May 6, through northern New Mexico and Arizona's canyonlands, features visits to private homes and artists' studios in Santa Fe; open-air Jeep tours narrated by Navajo guides in Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley; walking tours of Bandelier National Monument; Los Alamos, N.M., and the historic plazas in Santa Fe, Taos and Las Vegas, N.M.

Several biking tours through western Massachusetts are scheduled for this summer and fall. Tour dates are set for July 26-30, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, Sept. 27-Oct. 1 and Oct. 18-22. The five-day cycling routes take riders through the Berkshires' valleys, with farmlands and streams, graceful 19th-Century estates and the quaint New England villages of Lenox and Stockbridge. In the autumn, the region is famed for its outstanding foliage.

The cuisines of coastal regions of Spain will be explored on an 11-day trip that will visit Barcelona, the Basque region and Galicia. The group will learn to cook paella and other seafood dishes, survey the appetizer-size delicacies known as tapas and visit one of San Sebastian's private cooking clubs. The tour, operated by International Dining Adventures of Seattle, will take place from Sept. 5 to 15. Ernesto Pino, who studied cooking at the Instituto Culinario de Granada, will be the guide.