After a long work-imposed exile from his brilliant photography, our friend and advisor Jason Weisberger has picked up the camera and gotten back to it. He clearly hasn’t lost his touch. You can see some of his other work here. Good to have you back, man.
Muir Beach by Jason Weisberger
– 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.
Take a 1-minute vacation… look, listen and imagine yourself at Stone Lake, just south of Sacramento, California.
– Carl Bidleman
Today’s photo is the work of Thom Watson, a Virginia boy who now lives in Daly City, CA. Thanks, Thom.
If you’ve got a few minutes, check out the OpenRoad video story of William Randolph Hearst’s castle and ranch.
– Doug McConnell
Lost Coast photo by yourmap.
The sensational coast of California is famous around the world and one of our state’s finest but most vulnerable treasures.
The coast and ocean are spectacular to look at, but the aquatic ecosystem beneath the waves is under grave assault from overfishing, pollution and global warming. Too many of us are demanding too much of this rich but fragile environment, and we have to back off a bit right away.
We Californians have done a terrific job in many ways over the past half-century in protecting the land along the coast, especially from Santa Barbara north. OpenRoad.TV features many stories about famous locations that have been set aside for nature’s sake and for future generations to experience, including Big Sur, the San Mateo Coast the Marin Headlands, Pt. Reyes, the Lost Coast and much, much more.
We’ve saved the land, but to a large degree we’ve allowed the ocean to fend for itself. It’s time we save the sea as well.
The good news is that a solution is at hand. It’s a plan created over three years by many people representing many interests working closely together in an open and transparent process. People in fishing, science, conservation, business, recreation and tourism have joined together to recommend a plan with a boring name but an inspiring vision.
The INTEGRATED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE PLAN (not too snappy) calls for the establishment of a network of marine parks, reserves and conservation areas off the coast from San Mateo County in the south to Mendocino County in the north. These parks and reserves will be the Yosemities of the sea and will allow nature to care for itself and give the ocean a fighting chance to thrive in the decades ahead.
The ocean environment desperately needs the protection and so does the ocean economy which is worth $22 billion to the state every year and provides nearly 400,000 jobs. If the ocean’s health falls apart, the ocean economy won’t be far behind.
There’s a lot more to say about this urgently needed plan. But here’s the important point. On August 5th, the California Fish and Game Commission will decide the fate of the plan. So the fate of our coast hangs in the balance this week.
To find out more and how you can help, go to www.caloceans.org. Then, get out to the coast and enjoy the view.
