Southern Utah is arguably one of the most striking and spectacular examples of natures vast and varied art. It's a canvas of desert sand and sandstone punctuated by a floor of juniper, grass and cactus. Arches: Over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, the most famous is Delicate Arch, plus many other unusual rock formations. In some areas, millions of years of geologic history have been exposed by the forces of nature. The unique features of this park create a breath taking of contrasting colors, rock formations and character.
Canyonlands:
Preserves a colorful landscape eroded by the Colorado River and its tributaries into countless cuts, canyons, mesas and buttes. The rivers divide the park into four distinct districts each with it's own personality.
Rock Crawling:
An exciting avocation pursued by enthusiasts on nearby non-park lands near Moab.
Natural Bridges:
One of the finest examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest with three natural bridges formed when meandering streams slowly cut through the canyon walls
REVIEW: Video Librarian
Beginning in Arches National Park, home of the iconic Delicate Arch, the travelogue offers an introduction to the 76,000 acres of sandstone arches, buttes, and other geologic wonders, capturing 17th-century Native American art painted on desert rocks, while a park ranger offers explanatory comments.
In nearby Canyonlands, trails lead intrepid visitors deep into the back country, while the raging Colorado River offers a perfect (if also dangerous) venue for whitewater rafting. The filmmakers also stop at the Natural Bridges National Monument (established by Theodore Roosevelt and boasting fantastic stone formations), as well as ancestral Pueblo sites.
Highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)
REVIEW: The Midwest Book Review
Available on both DVD and Blu-ray (for the same affordable price!), four new additions to the Discoveries... America National Parks series offer wonderful armchair travel experiences in glorious high definition. "Arches: Canyonlands and Natural Bridges" (9781604901610) explores the striking rock formations of southern Utah, canyonlands carved by the Colorado River, natural stone bridges, and even an excursion by adventurous rock-crawling enthusiasts.
"New Orleans Jazz and Acadian Culture: Jean Lafitte, Creole Natural Trail, Natchitoches and Rural Mardi Gras" (9781604901627) is the next best thing to a personal visit the National Historical Park in New Orleans' French Quarter, a rural Mardi Gras run, the Prairie Acadian Culture Center in Eunice, coastal wetlands and wildlife refuges of the Creole Nature Trail, and Natchitoches, Louisiana's oldest town.
"Yellowstone Dual Personalities: Spring and Winter" (9781604901597) allows the viewer to viscerally experience the magnificence of Yellowstone National Park, from its abundant wildlife to its steaming geysers, its opportunities for boating/hiking/horse riding, and its dramatic transformation in winter to an icy wonderland where the primary modes of travel are snow machine, snow coach, or cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
"Dry Tortugas: Fort Jefferson and The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center" (9781604901603) explores one of America's lesser-known and geographically removed national parks, the Dry Tortugas, located just off the southernmost tip of Florida. Its strategic location made it historical site of military and piracy legends; Fort Jefferson once oversaw Spanish explorers, Gulf Coast merchants, and more people who transformed the New World.
The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center is also featured, with an eye-opening glimpse of the beautiful terrestrial and marine native plants and animals of the Keys. All four DVDs are as captivating as they are educational, and worthy of the highest recommendation especially for public library collections.
