Robert Cross

Q. When is the rainy season, and what does that mean, exactly? A. From November through May, the rain-soaked Serengeti teems with wildlife, feeding on lush vegetation and slaking thirst...

1. Short Grass Plains. The flat, elevated landscape would seem endless if it weren't for the Goli Mountains framing the perpetually close-cropped grasses. Wildebeests and other animals gather here by...

Established as a national park: Oct. 21, 1999. Area: 30,300 acres; a 14-mile segment of the 53-mile Black Canyon gorge. Visitors: 200,142 in 1999 Location: 250 miles southwest of Denver....

1. East Portal A steep dirt road leads down to the Gunnison Diversion Dam, which shunts some Gunnison River water into a tunnel so that farmers in nearby valleys can...

1977 -- 310,467 1978 -- 271,879 1979 -- 234,286 1980 -- 336,119 1981 -- 266,604 1982 -- 227,428 1983 -- 291,618 1984 -- 253,048 1985 -- 266,012 1986 -- 289,117...

Couldn't make it to the New Orleans Jazz Fest this year. So there went the crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo and etouffe. The visit to southern France got canceled. So good-bye, foie...

Established as a national park: Oct. 31, 1994. Area: 792,749 acres. Visitors: 1,320,891 in 1999. Location: 140 miles east of Los Angeles. Flora and fauna: Joshua tree forests, fan palms,...

1. Joshua trees: The park is named for this strange form of yucca, and the trees may be found in clusters throughout the western half of the park. 2. Fortynine...