Breanna Claire
@1breannaclaire
Writer and art historian. Lover of women. Devotee of great books. Unorthodox Jew. Retired world traveler. Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson are my girlfriends. Alive since 1978, living since 2021.
A7 Shenandoah was the first NP I visited, because my grandparents lived in Virginia. It's also the last park I visited, because my mother decided to move back to her native state after she retired. #ParkChat
A3 I love Old Rag! Not all Shenandoah hikes are the same! 360 degree views are a payoff for a challenging rock scramble. #ParkChat
A9 Cape Cod National Seashore. The beaches and nature trails were a vital part of my boyhood, and my womanhood. #ParkChat
A6 I'd probably give the same answers as in A3. Great history can happen in a small place! #ParkChat
A5 My highest hike was to Lassen Peak in 2002; a very memorable hike. Out East, I tried to hike up Mount Washington, but aborted a short way in and took the railway instead. Getting soft in my old age. #ParkChat
A3 Part 2: And how could I forget Women's Rights NHP, which I visited at age 16; it was one of my "egg cracking" moments. #ParkChat
A11 I have plenty of mountain laurel pictures from Shenandoah saved up for moments like this! #ParkChat
A10 Touro Synagogue NHS, an early testament to America's (inconsistent) tradition of religious liberty. I didn't just visit it, I attended a Sabbath service there. Of course, I had to sit upstairs with the other ladies. A little equality here, a little inequality there. #ParkChat
A7 Not around animals, but I did plan my last trip to Virginia to correspond with the mountain laurel bloom in Shenandoah. #ParkChat
A10 I had a mountain laurel photo from Shenandoah saved for this question! #ParkChat
A1 Why post a picture of a rainbow when I can post a picture of two rainbows! Rainbows are of course very important to me as a symbol of diversity, pride, and acceptance. #ParkChat
A8 My first wife was into historic hotels, and I stayed in a few more when I gave myself the gift of travel after coming out. Now I'm not so choosy. #ParkChat
A5 My late wife was into hauntings, so we really took to ghost towns. This is from Rhyolite, Nevada, near Death Valley. #ParkChat
A2 I've visited it twice, but interestingly, I've never visited the arch and seen a hockey game in the same trip! #ParkChat
A1 I've been to Petrified Forest 3 times. I've vacationed the past 4 years in Santa Fe, which was on the original Route 66, and I've been able to visit Bandelier and Pecos in that time. #ParkChat
A12 As of Friday, I am married once again! I have now had the unique experience of being both a groom and a bride! #ParkChat
Old Rag! The rock scramble will bring out your adventurous side, and 360 degree views at the top! #ParkChat
A11 Cape Cod National Seashore! 'Cause I know where all the good hangout places in P'town are! #ParkChat
A7 My next visit to Shenandoah will be in August, just because that's when I'll be there. I'd much prefer to go there in late May-early June, like last time, to see the mountain laurel in bloom. #ParkChat
A6 Who needs to stay overnight in Mammoth Cave? I wondered. But on my 2nd visit, I got us a cabin for the night, I saw the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in a NP. #ParkChat
A3 I don't know if it was better or worse, but my second trip to Death Valley was definitely hotter! #ParkChat
A11 I've stayed at Crowne Point Inn on both my trips to Provincetown. It's in a sea captain's house from the 19th century. And any hotel that has a complimentary wine and cheese hour is my kind of place! #ParkChat
A10 Gatlinburg is the shoulder town that everybody loves to hate, but they fit a lot of amenities in a space that's severely constrained by topography, and provide all the necessary amenities for a gigantic body of tourists. #ParkChat
A5 You already know what my answer to this question is! P'town provides the entertainment, Cape Cod National Seashore provides the recreation. And I'm confident that no visitor center staff will ever enforce any stupid Federal government bathroom order! #ParkChat
A2 Maybe because I've been there so often, I'm partial to Southern Shenandoah and environs. Charlottesville to the east, Staunton to the west. Nice arts scene in both towns. #ParkChat
Transgender Day of Visibility. Unlike my persecutors: I don’t need armchair psychiatry. I don’t need pseudo-religious dogma. I don’t need validation from politicians. I don’t need to hide behind the anonymity of a username. I just need to be seen.
A6 I wouldn't call them works of art, but I've become more of a fan of the park selfie on my last few park visits, now that it's the REAL ME in the photos now! (pic from Blue Ridge Pkwy) #ParkChat