| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Kay |
Posted - September 28 2009 : 10:59:19 AM
Anyone watching Ken Burns new series on PBS? It started at our house last night. Makes me want to go west! I want to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon and let it take my breath away, to run my hands over the bark of the great redwood trees, and feel the heat of the geysers in Yellowstone. You should of seen some of the photographs taken of tourists at Yosemite from the 1880s through the turn of the century. They were standing on the very edge of these rock overhangs inches from death in the valley below. They were sticking one foot over the edge and all those daredevils tricks. I wonder if any of them did get too close with unfortunate results! I'd love to hear anyone's stories if they've been to these places!
Kay
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| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Obediah |
Posted - October 22 2009 : 12:55:54 PM
Repeat after me: S-M-O-G ... yup, 'fraid so. Anything adjacent to the Central Valley in California is covered in smog during the warm months, which comes in from the SF Bay Area!  As far as people, well, Cali is growing as fast as a 3rd-world country. |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - October 19 2009 : 12:16:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Obediah
... way too much smog!
What??? Smog in Yosemite Valley??? No! Never say it, Obi!!
Is that really what you meant? Has it infiltrated there, too? |
| Obediah |
Posted - October 19 2009 : 10:23:10 AM
Was only able to watch the 1st two episodes--typical Ken Burns' quality. The fellow who portrayed John Muir could have been his twin! Mrs. Obi & I both grew up tent camping in various parts of Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP, in fact we honeymooned near Grant Grove!
We actually prefer a different Sequoia grove (which is a 2.5 mile hike away from the nearest road), called Muir Grove (or as my father-in-law always called it, Manure Grove...funny man). Since there is virtually no-one there, there are no fences; you can just walk up & touch the big trees if you wish or just stand/sit & listen to, well, nature...
Even though we live live less than 2 hours away from Yosemite valley, we haven't been there since 1987! -- Way too many people & way too much smog! We just never seem to have the time to go in the winter, when there are NO tourists & NO smog. |
| Kay |
Posted - October 07 2009 : 12:48:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Wilderness Woman
I have always wondered why people have the urge to travel to other countries before they have seen all the wonders there are to see in this great land of ours. There is so much! I wish I had the money and the time to see it all. To be able to thoroughly explore every state in our country is definitely on my Bucket List.
I agree! It's part of my bucket list too!
Kay |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - October 06 2009 : 12:33:57 PM
Unfortunately, I was not able to watch any more of the episodes beyond that first one. I will have to try to catch them in reruns or rent the series.
I have always wondered why people have the urge to travel to other countries before they have seen all the wonders there are to see in this great land of ours. There is so much! I wish I had the money and the time to see it all. To be able to thoroughly explore every state in our country is definitely on my Bucket List. |
| Kay |
Posted - October 06 2009 : 10:40:42 AM
Hey I understand how you feel Rich! I got lumps in my throat through the whole series and I've never even been to these places! It took my breath away watching it on tv- I can't fathom how great it will be on the day I actually get to see these places for myself. I want to lose myself out there (not literally), but go somewhere where there is no one else around- to feel what it was like when man wasn't there and do some camping too!
Kay |
| Theresa |
Posted - October 04 2009 : 6:47:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Kay
Hey! I didn't realize that Bobby Horton was in on this series! We're actually making a mid-Victorian suit for him! I've gotten to talk to him on the telephone!
Kay
Great guy! His band, "Three On a String" is very entertaining. He is not only a great musician but a very comical showman. |
| richfed |
Posted - October 04 2009 : 12:21:53 PM
I caught Episode 6 [last?] yesterday ... WOW! ... typically touching Ken Burns stuff. I hate to admit this, but, especially during the last 30 minutes, or so, I was crying. Many of the accounts people gave could have been mine. I so enjoyed my early years brought to places by my father and they [the memories and lessons] lasted through my entire life. Then I brought my own children to experience the fabric of this country through the NPS. This show brought back many, many sentimental moments to me - through the words, images, and music. Great stuff all around. |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - September 29 2009 : 11:10:52 AM
I have been watching it and am enthralled! I DID see the guy who drove the first automobile up to the South Rim (I believe) of the Grand Canyon...said it took him 4 days to accomplish being there was no road and the photo of him with the auto parked not more than 6 to 8 feet from the edge and him sitting with is legs dangling off the rim took my breath away! I have been to the Grand Canyon and it is breathtakingly beautiful. When we were there in 1993 there was a crowd of hundreds of people and you could have heard a pin drop it was so awesome...no one dared say a word. We also on that same trip visited the Sequoia Forest...I am terrified of heights and my husband drove our van up the side of the mountain to where the tallest of the trees was to be seen. About halfway up, I had a panic attack and he had to turn the van around and take me back to the visitors center where I kissed the ground, found a nice picnic table surrounded by sturdy turf and lots of trees and proceeded to read a good book I bought in the visitors center while my husband went on up the mountain. He has never let me forget that trip! Visited the painted desert too and that was beautiful in its own right. |
| Kay |
Posted - September 29 2009 : 09:28:05 AM
Hey! I didn't realize that Bobby Horton was in on this series! We're actually making a mid-Victorian suit for him! I've gotten to talk to him on the telephone!
Kay |
| Theresa |
Posted - September 29 2009 : 07:27:32 AM
...and the music you are hearing is from Alabama's own Bobby Horton. Great guy...great musician. |
| richfed |
Posted - September 28 2009 : 6:08:21 PM
I will have to see this ... I have been to so many ... Shenandoah, Great Smoky, Everglades, Mammoth Cave, Pipe Stone, Badlands, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Bryce Canyon, Redwood, Death Valley, Zion, many more ... not to mention countless historical and military parks and forests. TREASURES!!!!! |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - September 28 2009 : 1:13:52 PM
Unfortunately, I missed the first hour of last night's show. The second hour was absolutely fascinating.
I have been to Yosemite in California. Words cannot describe its grandeur. It is absolutely breathtaking. I have also been to Sequoia National Park, and those trees are incredible. John Muir is a hero!
One thing that struck me so strongly, and it was something I didn't know, was how the National Parks system almost didn't make it. Yellowstone was nearly ruined shortly after it became a National Park! The power of the railroad lobbyists, and the lack of interest on the part of Congress and much of the public, very nearly made it sink before it even got going. Thank goodness for a few men who really cared about the beauty of the place and fought to save it and help make it what it is today.
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