The Open Road radio series

Here are a few of our favorite episodes. When you click the title of each piece, it will take you to a page on the Savvy Traveler site where you can read the script.

Rafting the Grand Canyon – Hal Cannon and Teresa Jordan spend 12 days on the Colorado River rafting through some of the most extraordinary landscape and challenging rapids in the world.

The Moonlit Grand Canyon – Teresa reflects on the moonlight of the Grand Canyon. We hear the echo of dogs barking and the song of a Havasupai medicine man as he sings to its sandstone walls.

The Loneliest Place, Sheepcamps, ID – Sheepherder wagons are still used as homes on the range for modern day Peruvian shepherds in Idaho. We travel with a shepherd from mountain to desert and find out what it is like to travel by modern covered wagon.

St. Pat’s Day, Butte, MT – From Dublin Gulch, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, we visit a raucous copper-mining clan who celebrates St. Pat’s Day with total abandon every year.

Hawaii – After spurning the tourist machine of the Big Island, we travel with a Native Hawaiian, a beloved elder, Kindy Sproat, and become part of the heart-filled life and spirit of Aloha that he lives each day. Here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Nighttime in Nevada – While Teresa Jordan and her husband Hal Cannon were in Las Vegas for a little R&R, they heard a piece of music that seemed to sum up the city perfectly.

Window to the Universe – If you want to gamble, head to Las Vegas. But if you want to see an unidentified flying object, or UFO, head to Rachel, Nevada, 100 miles north of the gambling Mecca. Rachel is no more than a wide spot in the road, but it’s a very special road. This lonely highway is listed on maps as the extraterrestrial highway, and each year Rachel attracts the curious – believers and tourists alike – particularly on Memorial Day weekend … for the annual UFO/Friendship Camp-In.

Raising the Totem – Beyond the fabulous natural beauty of Alaska, the landscape is rich with ancient tribal cultures. The most sought-after souvenirs are authentically crafted native art. Most especially, perhaps the wood carving of southeast Alaska. Hal visits Ketchikan to see one of the finest collections of totem poles in the world.

Speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats – The ultimate open road is the Bonneville Salt Flats. The bed of an ancient dried lake bottom, men and their machines have gathered there since 1914 to set speed records.

Desert Green – Some die-hard golfers use the British Open in Scotland as their excuse to be away this time of July, but whether you’re interested in golf or not, you’re going to get a kick out of this tournament: the 12th Annual Self-Invitational Black Rock Desert Classic. It is, no doubt, one of the most unusual golf experiences in the world.

Read the story behind The Open Road.

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