Photo by angeal

– Doug McConnell

One of my favorite regions on earth is the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. It embraces a huge and magnificent territory including Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. I’ve been traveling there since I was very little. I’ve been there in every season and never tire of the landscape, its history and its wildness.

Some years ago, it got a little wilder when wolves, once exterminated in the region, were reintroduced after years of contention and controversy. The return of the wolves has not been cheered by one and all. Their return has been challenged by local ranchers and others. Emotions have run high on all sides and legitimate debates about the fate of the wolves have ensued over the years.

I suppose it’s easy for an outsider to say, but I’ve favored bringing the wolves back home to Yellowstone for a very long time. They belong in these mountains and they help complete the ecosystem. I’ve lived in wild places around the West, and the presence of wolves has always moved and inspired me. The first time I ever saw a wolf was on a lonely road late one night many years ago in Alberta, Canada. I was driving to Alaska and the wolf, in a sense, welcomed me to the wildness ahead before loping off into its dark domain. That moment remains etched in my memory.

We human beings have initiated the earth’s greatest extinction episode in 65 million years. It heartens me to see us try, here and there, to reverse the tide. We’ve taken so much of nature out, it’s good to see us put at least one piece back where we found it.

I hope you enjoy a journey we took, early one morning, to YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK AND WOLVES. Then check out another of our other stories about the region: GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK.

– Jim Wirth

The folks over at the Monterey Bay Aquarium posted a neat video in their blog yesterday, on how to feed a white shark.

The bizarre thing is that while I write this post, playing on the TV is the Discovery Channel’s “Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever,” a documentary about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, which had been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945 in the Philippine Sea. An amazing story, and very well done documentary narrated by “Mr. Hooper” himself, Richard Dreyfuss.

Well, we absolutely love the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and highly recommend it to anyone traveling near Carmel or the Monterey Peninsula. We’ve got a terrific video here on OpenRoad.TV where Doug McConnell goes behind the scenes to see otters, penguins, sharks and jellies: Monterey Bay Aquarium Inside Look. And when you have had your fill of undersea critters, you can watch another great video we’ve got online – Monterey on Foot, where Doug discovers the local flavor and side streets of historic Monterey with world-renowned chef, John Pisto.

– Carl Bidleman

Photo by Rick Audet

I’m surprised how often I need to be reminded to get out of my car and walk. Every time I do it’s a revelation. The world passes by much more slowly and you can actually SEE it when you walk. What a concept! San Francisco is an especially interesting city to see on foot. The architecture, landscaping and people are so varied and fascinating. And there’s so much more to see when you look UP. Bay windows, second floor temples, rooftop gardens…things you’ll never see through your car window. What reminded me of the benefits of seeing the world on foot is a video we posted this morning about three guided walking tours of San Francisco. Greg Pabst, a University of San Francisco professor and tour guide, tells Doug about San Francisco City Guides’ tours of downtown, the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown. Take a few minutes to watch the 3 San Francisco Guided Walking Tours video then make time to walk them yourself.

– Jim Wirth

Photo: maggie loves hopey

The OpenRoad.TV crew uploaded a new video today, San Francisco’s Presidio & George Lucas, which takes you to a place not too many people think to visit when they are in San Francisco.  Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Presidio covers 1,491 acres and was in continuous operation as a military base from 1776 through 1994.  On October 1st of 1994, the Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service as it was no longer needed by the United States Military. 

While the Presidio offers a great mix of scenery, history and nature to its visitors, it does have its dark side.  One of the lesser known facts about the Presidio is that there is a cemetary on the grounds where visitors can pay their respects at gravestones bearing names like Mr. Twister, Raspberry, Tex, Saucy, Wilbur and Copper…  the beloved critters of the many military pet owners stationed at the Presidio throughout the years.

Oh, I bet you thought I was speaking of another dark side…. like maybe the dark side of the force!  In 1999, Star Wars creator George Lucas won the development rights for 15 acres of the Presidio, where he proceeded to construct approximately 900,000 square feet of offices to house 2,500 employees.  The new Letterman Digital Arts Center, named for the Letterman Army Hospital that was previously occupying the site, replaces the Industrial Light and Magic and LucasArts studios in San Rafael.  The video uploaded today at OpenRoad.TV gives you a very special inside look into the creative genius of George Lucas and his staff, which is a real treat since their offices are not open to the public.

Mindy Roberts, author and publisher of TheMommyBlog.net, makes her second appearance in Life Outside the Box and tells Doug about some of her favorite kid-friendly places she likes to escape to in the San Francisco Bay Area.

– Jim Wirth

The San Jose Mercury News’ online publication MercuryNews.com ran a great article yesterday about how to Plan a trip to Southwest Utah, written by Associated Press Writer Roger Petterson.  In his article, Petterson provides a handful of very useful recommendations on destinations like Cedar City, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and Zion National Park, complete with driving routes, and links to websites with even more helpful information.  Petterson has a real knack for writing  about trip planning for popular destinations throughout the United States, and you can find over 50 of his archived articles at The Free Library – you might just find what you’ve been looking for to plan your next trip.

If you are planning on visiting Southwest Utah anytime soon, in addition to visiting the websites recommended in Roger Petterson’s article, you will find some great videos to help with your planning right here on OpenRoad.TV:

          –  Grand Southwestern Roadtrip

          –  Canyoneering near Zion Park

          –  Picture Perfect Zion Park

          –  Moab Mountain Biking

          –  Colorado River Rafting

Photo by Utyf

– Doug McConnell

I gave a talk recently at a California Heritage Tourism Conference in Monterey, and was told by one of the attendees that Moaning Caverns in California’s Gold Country near Columbia State Historic Park and Sonora, has added a new and very fast feature to its offerings. You can see me and my son, Patrick, repelling into the Moaning Caverns but now we’ll have to get back try out a zip line that apparently rockets from the hill directly above the Caverns down towards a canyon far below. It sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. Here’s a link to the Moaning Caverns website.