The Bay Area is home to a number of lighthouses, including the very first on the West Coast… constructed on Alcatraz in 1854. Here’s a video visit to three other local light stations, Point Bonita, East Brother and Pigeon Point.
– 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.
– 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.
SEE ALL OF OUR YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK VIDEO STORIES
A 60-second getaway to California’s amazing volcanic landscape.
Photo by Stacy Geiken
WATCH OUR COMPLETE VIDEO STORY ABOUT LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK.
– Carl Bidleman
Been at the computer too long? Need a little break? Take this 20-second vacation. Look, listen and imagine yourself at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Then you can get back to work.
– Doug McConnell
Photo: Pigeon Point Lightstation by Yen-Wen Lu
I watched a piece of CNN’s “Planet in Peril” series last night. I’ve spent quite a bit of time during the past few decades working on programs to help us understand and address the immense ecological crises of our time. In most ways, I haven’t seen much success. While the biosphere doesn’t get any bigger, our appetites for its limited resources seem to grow exponentially. The planet heats, habitats are destroyed and species disappear at rates unprecedented in the past sixty-five million years. Overall, it’s a pretty gloomy picture.
However, there are many signs of hope scattered across the face of the earth. Right here in northern California, I get encouraged every day by the commitments of concerned people and the consequences of their hard work. The Bay Area in particular has long been a leader in environmental action and land conservation. If you visit here these days, (more…)
