– Carl Bidleman
Today’s photo is the work of Paul Kelly of York, United Kingdom. Love the clouds, Paul. And if you like this scene, check out Doug’s essay and video story about his Grand Southwestern Roadtrip.
– Carl Bidleman
Here’s a shot of a place I never knew existed until I stumbled upon it by accident back in 1989. I was traveling from Detroit via Las Vegas to film a television special along the the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I had never heard of Zion. My photographer and I stopped every 300 yards to take stills of a landscape that continually surprised and delighted. Here’s the visual evidence. Thanks to Rene Schwietzke at Flickr.
Photo by Rene Schwietzke
Zion National Park Photo by Flexidan
WATCH THE EPISODE 6 VIDEO ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST
USEFUL LINKS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST EPISODE
– Doug McConnell
Back in the late 60’s, I worked for awhile on the Navajo Reservation and had a chance to explore the Grand Canyon and the colorful landscape of southern Utah quite a bit. I was hooked by its sheer beauty and wildness, and have returned as often as possible to visit some of my favorite haunts and to discover new canyons and vistas.
I’ve been to Zion National Park and its neighborhood many times and in every season. One of my favorite trips was long ago, in the winter of 1971 and 1972. In those days, Zion was very quiet in the “off season.” Which meant it was the “on season” for me. I spent about a week in Springdale, Utah, at the west entrance to the Park. As far as I remember, I was about the only tourist in town and the only guy in Zion for 8 days.
A light snow fell in the first few days I was there, and I spent many hours cross-country skiing absolutely alone beside the North Fork of the Virgin River and beneath the towering cliffs of Zion. It all reminded me of a red rock version of Yosemite Valley.
One day, I took my four wheel drive, an old Ford Bronco, and drove deep into the high backcountry. The snow was deeper there, and as I skied through it the only tracks I saw belonged to a mountain lion. I encountered its large and very fresh prints high on a remote ridge line, and decided it was wise to make a gradual u-turn and descend slowly back towards the car. The lion surely had its eyes on me, but was even more leery than I was I’m sure.
I’ve always loved being in places where I’m not at the top of the food chain. It heightens my senses and gives me a visceral appreciation of the power of nature and the the vulnerability of humanity. It’s pretty humbling really to be in the presence of lions, bears and sharks for example…and we humans need to be humbled every now and then. Hubris will take us long before the lions ever do. Tragedies do happen, and people are killed by predators. I don’t mean to minimize those dangers or make light of deadly encounters, but when you think of the millions of us wandering through their habitats every year, the numbers of human deaths caused by critters is miniscule. They’ve always had much more to fear from us than we have to fear from them. Be smart. Take appropriate precautions. Be alert. And then, with rare exceptions, the animals of the West will give you a wide berth. Frankly, after all my time in the backcountry out this way, I’m still
waiting to see my first mountain lion in the wild. They’re pretty shy.
Zion’s wildness was bracing and beautiful. I hated to leave that winter retreat, but I’ve returned to watch nature’s handiwork there many times since. She always puts on quite a show….and I hope you go see it for yourself.
– Carl Bidleman
We’re back on the road! Thanks to Kaiser Permanente, East Bay Regional Park District, Lake County, California and investors who have hung with us through some very tough economic times, Doug and the crew are on the road and on the air, once again. The work of Doug, Dan Herz, Stefan Reunzel, M’Gee Johnston, Dave Vandergriff, Nick Asbill, Chris Lehmann, Michael Shaw, Stephen Silver and Paul Swensen can be seen, in the Bay Area, on KQED, Mondays @ 7:30 PM. In the fall of 2009, thanks to the efforts of our pals at KQED, we’ll be on the air in cities all over the country. We’ll keep you posted on our progress. Check out Episode 1 on KQED and right here on OpenRoad.TV.
– 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.
