Photo by robh

– Doug McConnell

Here at OpenRoad.TV we focus on the big, broad and beautiful West, from Alaska to Mexico and the Rockies to Hawaii. It’s a pretty nice territory to live in and explore, and we hope you find ideas here that will help guide your travels.

But our fundamental concept is that, no matter where you travel on earth and no matter where you happen to be, if you slow down and look and listen carefully, you’ll find terrific stories, adventures, characters and experiences that will enrich your life. After wandering around all my life in search of curiousities and tales to tell, I’m convinced there are fascinating treasures to discover everywhere….and they’re usually hiding in plain sight right under our noses. I love to go to the far corners of the earth on grand journeys, but I also like to poke around my own neighborhood to be surprised and learn something new.

So it was when we shot a story recently on San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf. The Wharf is one of the San Francisco’s most popular tourist destinations, so much so that locals tend to stay away in droves. It’s sometimes said that if you live in the Bay Area and want to have an illicit affair, just go to the Wharf and you and your partner will never run into anybody you know. Now I’m not endorsing that particularly, nor is that particularly true, but the fact is that many of us who live around here and many of you who come to visit, too, think of Fisherman’s Wharf as a to-be-avoided tourist trap. We think we know the neighborhood, but really don’t; if you watch the story, you’ll find that the historic legacy of the Wharf is being kept alive in a variety of ways by some delightful and hard-working people. You’ll discover, as I did, that if you walk a few feet off the beaten path you’ll leave the crowds behind and begin to find the heart and soul of the place. I loved my day seeing my own backyard in an unexpected and brand new way.

– 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.

– Carl Bidleman

Growing up in Detroit, mountains were not part of my everyday experience. Glaciers left southeast Michigan flat as Kansas and the western landscapes on television and in the movies fascinated me. So imagine my delight when I moved to Marin county in 1991 and discovered that I had acquired my own local mountain. Mt. Tamalpais rarely has the snow I captured in this photo but always has the landscapes, wildlife and reservoirs to provide a wonderful natural escape that begins just down the street. Our latest post includes a very nice Mt. Tamalpais video.  It’s called Mt. Tamalpais’ Land of Lakes and gives you a good look.