Bob Janiskee


Biography

While serving 33 years on the faculty of the University of South Carolina, I taught a national parks course, helped get Congaree National Park established, and worked as a V.I.P in that park. Now retired as Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Geography, I want to continue visiting parks, thinking about parks, and writing about parks until I assume room temperature. To help keep me focused and busy I teach “America’s National Parks” and several other courses through the University’s Independent Learning division.



Bob's Most Recent Comments (view all)
  • 1/05/2009 11:21 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : Uh...... I hope you're not suggesting that I visit Gates of the Arctic this month, JimFrom NewYork. January visitation for years 2003 through 2007 [i]COMBINED[/i] was 25, and in three of those years there were no January visits at all.
  • 1/05/2009 10:33 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : Thanks for the suggestions, SaltSage. I'm afraid that Colorado National Monument will be out of reach on this particular trip. My host and driver, who lives in Nederland (home of the annual Frozen Dead Guy Days festival), wants to head straight to the southwestern reaches of Colorado so we can ...
  • 1/05/2009 7:56 am - Get Me to the Park on Time…….. : Well, since I was hired on to do that for (two) cross-country bus trips, the job specifications can't be very strict. I'll look into it. Meanwhile, I do know that, for western bus tours, it helps to look the part. Get a cowboy hat, boots, and jeans. Make sure they ...
  • 1/04/2009 2:43 pm - This Park Combines Scenery and History on a Desert Island : Precipitation isn't the issue. They're the[i] Dry[/i] Tortugas because there aren't any fresh water sources on the islands. You have to capture and store rainwater artificially (in cisterns, traditionally) or ship fresh water in from the mainland.
  • 1/04/2009 7:48 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : Thanks for the tips, treehugger99; I like the TR pics, too. This kind of feedback is very helpful to me! I wish I had lots of time to spend on Wetherill Mesa during our scheduled visit to Mesa Verde. Alas, I won't, and there's another problem too. Long House and ...
  • 1/02/2009 1:12 pm - Upon Further Review - Let Sleeping Snakes Lie : Paul? You mean your name is really not Barky?
  • 1/02/2009 11:42 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : Thanks for the reminder to include the smaller, less visited national parks in our travel plans, dlmatz. We try to remind [i]Traveler[/i] readers about these opportunities, even though we do focus more of our attention on the larger, more popular parks. BTW, our regular readers may recall that I wrote ...
  • 1/02/2009 10:56 am - Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009 : My sincere thanks to readers who've offered encouragement and suggestions for my 2009 parks-visiting itinerary. Since I managed to go through 2008 without adding a single new national park to my "been there, done that" list, I have very high hopes for a breakthrough year. Barky, I've only seen a ...
  • 1/01/2009 9:02 am - Some Things We'd Like 2009 To Bring to the National Park System : Funny you should mention African American representation in the Park System, Barky. I recently finished an African American-themed quiz for the weekly series and loaded it for "release into the wild" on Wednesday, January 21st. I'd be interested to know how you do on this quiz.
  • 12/31/2008 6:42 am - Pouring Sand Down a Rathole: The $100 Million National Visitor Center Fiasco : Kurt, it seems only reasonable to expect a little ambiance at Union Station. After the Park Service finished pouring $100 million down the National Visitor Center rathole, Congress enacted the Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981 and by 1988 an [b]additional [/b]$160 million was spent on a three-year project to ...


Bob's Most Recent Articles (view all)

Rules! Rules! Rules!

Yes, yes, I know that you always consult the Superintendent’s Compendium of designations, closures, permit requirements and other restrictions as required under Title 36 Code of Federal Regulation § 1.7(b) before visiting a national park. But do you really know all you need to know to be a responsible park visitor?

Get Me to the Park on Time……..

The trooper who pulled us over said he’d clocked us at 91 miles an hour. Our tour bus driver later told us that it was probably closer to 95, and we believed him.

Affiliated Area Review: Chicago Portage National Historic Site

It’s sometimes said that national parks “tell America’s story.” Of course, lots of sites outside the National Park System also tell America’s story. From the geographical perspective, none of these “other sites” is more interesting than Chicago Portage National Historic Site, an Affiliated Area that celebrates its 56th anniversary today.

Resolved: I’ll Visit at Least These Five National Parks in 2009

In the past, my national park visiting has been too intermittent and unfocused for comfort. But this year my New Year’s Resolutions are going to provide a sense of purpose and direction. Five parks is a very doable agenda. My list includes three Sure Things, a True Confession, and one Unfinished Business.

National Park System Quiz 35: Newbies

The New Year is only hours away, so let’s orient this week’s quiz to new-ness (loosely defined). Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll put you in charge of Traveler’s new Complaint Department.

Update: Will a “Chop and Drop” Strategy Rescue the Presidio’s Contemporary Art Museum Project?

Harsh criticism forced the Presidio Trust to rethink its plans for the new Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio. A new "chop and drop" proposal emphasizes smaller, better located structures built largely underground.

Pouring Sand Down a Rathole: The $100 Million National Visitor Center Fiasco

The National Visitor Center was a bad idea that came to a bad end. When it was abolished on December 29, 1981, the NPS breathed a huge sigh of relief. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that $100 million back?

Mount Rainer National Park Offers a Snowplay Area and Guided Snowshoe Walks

A snowplay area and guided snowshoe walks are now available at the Paradise area in Mount Rainer National Park. Here's your chance to slide and 'shoe in the world's snowiest place.

Have You Ever Sneaked Into Shiloh National Military Park?

Established on December 27, 1894, Shiloh National Military Park was transferred to the NPS in 1933. Some Civil War buffs have a very special way of visiting this park and honoring those who fought there.

Nevada Barr’s Latest Anna Pigeon Book is Set for April Release

There’s good news for Nevada Barr fans. The best selling author has sent another manuscript off to the printer. “Borderline,” the 15th novel starring super ranger Anna Pigeon, is due out in April. This one’s set in Big Bend National Park, and Nevada’s sister Molly says it’s a dandy.