Gilligan's Isle, Greek Style

Navagio Beach, on the northwest coast of
Zakynthos Island

January

Navagio Beach is located on what Greek island?

We'll be on "island time" during 2016. Each month will feature a different island.

For January, we have Navagio Beach, an isolated -- accessible only by boat -- sandy cove on the northwest shore of one of the Ionian islands of Greece.

Resting on the white sand are the remains of Panagiotis, a ship that ran aground here in 1981. Believed to have been a smugglers' ship, its presence here gives the beach its nicknames: Smugglers Cove and Shipwreck Beach.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Valley Forge National Historical Park

December

What national park is synonymous with the bleak
midwinter?

The name of this national park is virtually synonymous with winter -- and a harsh winter at that. Originally established as Pennsylvania's first state park in 1893, it became a national park in our bicentennial year of 1976.

Though no battle (against the Brits) was fought here, the Continental Army, led by George Washington, spent the third winter of the Revolutionary War here in a different sort of battle -- against the elements.

Did you know:

• Approximately 12,000 troops encamped here during that fateful winter of 1777-1778.
• The park covers 3,500 acres and is visited by more than 1.2 million people each year.

Sam's Somewhat Alliterative Nickname

Yosemite National Park

November

What's the name of this "killer" national park?

This park, which gets its name from a Miwok word meaning "killer," is visited by more than three and a half million folks each year. About 95 percent of the park is designated as wilderness, including the many giant sequoias growing there.

Did you know:

-- The seed for the giant sequoia, the biggest living thing on Earth, is the size of a piece of oatmeal.

-- Abraham Lincoln signed a bill protecting the valley portion of the park; later, John Muir lobbied to protect the surrounding mountains and forests as well.

Wet 'n Wild

Everglades National Park