At the entrance gate I witnessed a tiny power struggle, a microcosm of bigger things afoot.

BBC: Meeting the king of simmering Bahrain

More recently, the couple installed a 5-foot-tall metal gate at the home's entrance.

WSJ: James Patterson's Big Home Overhaul in Palm Beach

In the darkness before dawn, they drive the 60-kilometer (37-mile) road from Sesriem and line up at the entrance gate, then gingerly navigate the rough road about 5 more kilometers to the first dunes.

CNN: Romancing the dune in Namibia

At many of the US's busiest parks, the pass lets you join a shorter line at the entrance station, or at least gets you waved through faster once you reach the gate.

BBC: Finding solitude in US national parks