A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Wednesday, in Washington. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

A self-described national park fanatic, Lucas Wall was excited to start a weeklong trip to visit seven National Park Service sites in Virginia on Thursday. The Washington, DC, resident prepaid for a rental car to drive to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park and Prince William Forest Park, among others.

But the government shutdown has thrown those plans into disarray. Wall, a retired writer, is now checking the parks’ websites and reading through the agency’s shutdown contingency plan to see what might still make sense to visit – though he says they aren’t very helpful. He’s hoping he can

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