Whether you pronounce it RODE-ee-oh or Row-DAY-oh, it’s a fine place to grab a seat and watch one of nature’s most interesting air shows… pelicans in flight.

A trip to Alpine County takes you far, far away… deep into the sparsely populated California back country.

Link to Sorensen’s Resort in Hope Valley

– Carl Bidleman

There’s an old saying that we are “loving our parks to death” and it’s certainly true that during peak visitation times there are so many of us trying  to enjoy the natural wonders of our western parks that we get in the way of the experience we’re seeking. The hike to the top of Half Dome is the latest example of this.  It’s rapidly increasing popularity has been causing traffic jams on the top of the world.

Two of OpenRoad’s good friends are experts on Yosemite and Half Dome and they have posted information about the new quota rules on their excellent blogs.  Check out Loyd Schutte’s Yosemite Blog and Rick Deutsch’s Mr. Half Dome’s Blog.

Then watch the video of Doug’s experience climbing Half Dome several years ago.

And if you decide to try it yourself, watch this video of tips from Mr. Half Dome before you go.

Watch our full videos on Pt. Reyes:

Pt. Reyes Beauty and Birds

Pt. Reyes Light and History

Check out our full story on the Alabama Hills Movie History.

Watch a couple of our videos from California’s North Coast.

– Carl Bidleman

I admire Shelton Johnson.  He is a gifted musician and an even more gifted storyteller.  John Muir would have loved Shelton’s stories. He has a passion for National Parks, especially Yosemite, which I have come to love. And he’s a native Detroiter.  A west sider, yes, but a Detroiter none the less.  (We can’t all be blessed to have come up on the sunrise side of Woodward.) Shelton Johnson embodies many of life’s good things.  And thanks to Ken Burns, the whole world now knows about Ranger Johnson.

I thought I’d share a couple of videos that I shot a few years ago on a beautiful November Sunday afternoon.  I never published these clips because I realized Shelton’s history walk would be better covered with two cameras instead of one.  So they languished on the shelf.  But when I took another look this weekend, I realized Shelton’s great storytelling skills trump my lack of shooting skills.  I’ll edit the rest of the 90-minute tour in the coming days but here are two of my favorite moments of Shelton’s history walk.  Enjoy.  And check out more of Shelton’s work on the 9th Cavalry here:  http://shadowsoldier.wilderness.net/

Below: Shelton Johnson (as Sgt. Bowman, Sir) tells how being called “Buffalo Soldier” was better than being called “Nigger Cavalry”.

Below: Shelton Johnson (as Sgt. Bowman, Sir) tells tales of the 9th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers’” duty in Yosemite and meeting Mr. John Muir.

Find OpenRoad.TV’s other Yosemite videos and stories on our interactive map.

See more of the Gold Country here.