– Carl Bidleman

If you’re looking to climb Half Dome via the cable route this fall, you’ve got two more weeks to do it.  Loyd Schutte, author of Yosemite Blog, one of my favorite websites, reports the cables are being taken down on October 15th, weather permitting.  (If you love Yosemite, subscribe to the free Yosemite Blog.  It’s a daily pleasure.)  Also, check out our two videos: Hiking Yosemite’s Half Dome about Doug’s overnight climb, and How to Climb Half Dome with expert and author, Rick Deutsch.

– Carl Bidleman

Our good friend and teriffic photographer, Brian Cardello, sent along a tip about a Road Trip exhibit running at the San Jose Museum of Art until January 25, 2009.  He said Charlie McCollom’s article in the San Jose Mercury News made him think of us.  The exhibit looks plenty interesting, especially for those who love the open road.  Check out the photo below.  Don’t you wonder what the hell that girl is thinking?  My sister used to put her arms inside her shirt like that.  The museum website has videos about the art and artists.  Anyone out there seen the exhibit yet?  Tell us what you think.  Guess there’s a road trip to San Jose in my immediate future.  Thanks, Brian and Charlie.

Photo from the Stranded series by Amy Stein

– Carl Bidleman

Our friend Judy McAdoo, aka: yosemitejudy, has posted several new stories including The Hidden Stanislaus River.  Interesting post that includes some nice photos and her adventures with fly fishing.  The only thing missing is the sound of the river so I’ll stop on my next trip to Yosemite and shoot a 1 Minute Vacation.  Thanks Judy.

– Carl Bidleman

Even if you can’t afford or find a new hybrid or CNG vehicle or you’re waiting for the new Chevy Volt, Tesla sedan or the plug-in version of Toyota’s Prius, there are simple, affordable and effective ways to improve your gas mileage.  You can save money and do a little less damage to the environment while enjoying the many road trips featured on OpenRoad.TV.  (These tips also work anywhere you drive, of course.)

EcoDriving USA is a website sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and supported by Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California Bill Ritter of Colorado.  There are driving tips and mileage calculators to point out where you can increase your fuel efficiency.  A good place to start.

What tips do you have on traveling greener?  We’d love to hear them.

– Carl Bidleman
Doug and I had an engaging phone conversation last week with Debby Richman. Debby writes for the Oakland Hills Examiner and interviewed us for a very nice article about the demise of Bay Area Backroads. Production of the show was canceled and the terrific staff laid off a few weeks ago on July 31.  Doug hosted Backroads for 15 years and I was executive producer from 1990, when I arrived from Detroit, until 2001 when I left the show to lay the groundwork for what would eventually become OpenRoad.TV.

Debby did a good job of capturing the feelings Doug and I have about Backroads and all the great people we met over the many years of our travels.  If you like the show, Debby’s article is a good read.

– Carl Bidleman

My good friends Mary & Tony Campbell have been traveling all over the country the past few years.  I’m envious.  Check out Mary’s post from Utah’s national parks.

The incredible cost of filling the tank on their motor home isn’t keepiing Tony off the road this summer.  He’s riding his bicycle across country in support of the Fuller Center for Housing.  Millard Fuller is the founder and former president of Habitat for Humanity.  Check out Tony’s ride here.

– Carl Bidleman

There’s an empty barber chair in Mendocino, California today.

Foggy Gomes has died.

Foggy (as in “old fogey,” not the low clouds), was Mendocino’s volunteer fire chief for 53 years. When not out saving a village made entirely from wood, Foggy could often be found sitting in his barber chair in front of the old fire house on Lansing Street. It’s a chair that won’t be filled any time soon.

Foggy Gomes was an original American character. I only spent two days in Foggy’s company but I consider myself very fortunate. One of those, “Foggy Gomes Day in Mendocino,” stands as one of my very best days ever as executive producer of Bay Area Backroads. I don’t remember the year now but I remember the day vividly. Backroads producer Dan Herz and his wife, Pam joined me and my wife Karen (and our dogs Cody and Buddy) on a beautiful sunny day in Mendocino. Backroads photographer Jack Uhalde couldn’t make the trip so I grabbed the camera (something of a union violation, sorry Alex) and went back to my television roots. It was heaven for me, literally running all over town capturing a wonderful story that unfolded right before our eyes. Hundreds of people. Dozens of fire trucks. Countless smiles and tears and shouts of joy. I got a close-up look at love.

I only get up to Mendocino once a year but ever since I witnessed that festival of gratitude, visiting Mendocino feels a little like coming home. Like there’s family here. I’ll miss seeing Foggy sitting out front but that empty barber chair will bring good memories.

I can’t write anything today that tells the story better than the video from that day. It’s one of those rare occasions where you can turn off the sound and I think you still understand the story. It was a producer’s (and photographer’s) dream. So I hope you’ll take a moment to watch.

WATCH THE VIDEO: FOGGY GOMES, MENDOCINO’S BELOVED PROTECTOR.

– Carl Bidleman

April 30 is Doug’s birthday. We didn’t see him around the office here in Sausalito today because he’s shooting a new story for his other job, Bay Area Backroads. So we thought it a good idea to post the video of one of Doug’s favorite birthdays that we celebrated a few years back. (We’re not saying how many but the video is in color so it can’t be THAT long ago.) The Backroads crew and Doug’s family surprised him aboard the Otis Spunkmeyer for a fantastic and memorable flight above the Bay Area. Have a look. And happy birthday Doug from M’Gee, Stefan, Jim, Paul, Corey, Karen and me.

Doug is still going strong but sadly, Otis Spunkmeyer Air flies no more. Here’s a link to find out more.  And Robert Campbell, our good pal, pilot and legendary aerial photographer has a collection of photos of this historic DC-3.  Thanks Bob.

– Carl Bidleman

Our friend and highly-respected travel troubleshooter, Christopher Elliott has an enlightening post on elliott.org titled Greenwashed: How to spot the Travel Industry’s Eco-lies that’s worth a read for anyone trying to make sense of the trend toward promoting environmentally responsible travel. Reality or marketing ploy? Let us know what YOU think.

– Carl Bidleman

We recently posted Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights, a favorite video story from my long ago days as executive producer at Bay Area Backroads. Producer Drew Burns idolized Lawrence Ferlinghetti and worked for a full year contacting and convincing him to do our television show. (Mr. Ferlinghetti admitted to having a TV but it’s covered by a rug in his apartment.) Drew wrote and produced the story which, as I recall, was his first full-length Backroads feature. He worked pretty hard on it as I made him labor over many drafts of the script and Doug changed it a bit more before he recorded the narration. But I think you’ll agree that it stands up pretty well.

We taped on a spectacularly warm February day and San Francisco’s legendary freedom fighter and poet laureat was welcoming and genuinely seemed to enjoy sharing his neighborhood with us. As you’ll see in the video, watching hundreds of bridesmaids run down the middle of Columbus Avenue straight into a Ferlinghetti poem was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And San Francisco’s North Beach, City Lights Bookstore, and Ferlinghetti himself, are all one-of-a-kind too. Thanks for the memories.

Watch the Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights video.