Safe Travels

Fred Bunch is the Chief of Resources at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. Fred is a native of Alamosa, Colorado, and has been working at Great Sand Dunes for nearly 40 years.  Fred has a very important role in the park, tasked with protecting and preserving the park's natural and cultural resources. In this podcast, we chat about what those resources are and what it means to Fred to b...

Sierra Willoughby is the Chief of Interpretation at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. Sierra has served at 11 different National Park Service sites and is the definition of a park steward.  In this podcast, Sierra and I discuss Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, from park rules to ways visitors recreate.  Sierra is a wonderful guest who cares deeply about our national park...

Dewane Mosher is a Park Ranger and Wildlife Biologist at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Dewane has had an interesting, and special, journey to the park service after spending two decades in the Army as a mechanic.  In this episode, Dewane and I chatted about the incredible fish restoration story that has taken place in the waters that surround the Great Sand Dunes. We also discuss ho...

Andrew Valdez is a Physical Scientist and is the first, and only, geologist at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. He is a native of Alamosa, Colorado - which is the gateway city to the Great Sand Dunes. Valdez was hired full-time with the NPS in 1994 and his work as a geologist helped lead the Great Sand Dunes to national park status.  In this conversation, Andrew and I chatted all about...

Mak Regan is an ultrarunner based out of Colorado. Mak has an amazing running resume, including competing in multiple 100-mile races. In addition to running, Mak is a chemical engineer and has a passion for thru-hiking and the great outdoors.  Soon, she will be taking off to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a trail that spans 2,650 miles from the southern border in California to the northe...

John Waller is a Park Ranger and Wildlife Biologist at Glacier National Park. He has spent over 20-years at the park and has accomplished many incredible feats during his tenure with the National Park Service.  In this conversation, John and I go in-depth on grizzly bears and the carnivores that roam Glacier National Park. We cover grizzly behavior, share stories about John's incredible wildlife e...

Park Ranger Diane Sine is a fixture at Glacier National Park. She's been recreating and working at the park for 45 summers and is currently the Lead Interpreter at Many Glacier.  In this podcast, Diane and I chatted about her journey with the National Park Service, the geology of Glacier National Park, park history and general information surrounding trip planning to this majestic setting.  Diane...

Scott Niedermayer is a four-time NHL Stanley Cup Champion, two-time Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist as the captain for team Canada and is a Hockey Hall of Famer. Scott is widely considered to be one of the best defensemen in NHL history and the greatest winner of his generation. In addition to his illustrious professional hockey career, Niedermayer is a conservationist with a deep passion for the out...

Kenan Chan is one of the 1,000 NPS Park Rangers that were recently wrongfully terminated. Kenan was a Biological Science Technician at Channel Islands National Park that focused on long term monitoring of kelp forests and intertidal ecosystems.  Kenan's work with the NPS was incredibly impactful for visitors and the ecosystems within the park. In our podcast together, Kenan and I chatted about his...

Dr. Cameron Hummels is an astrophysicist and research scientist at Caltech focused on the formation and evolution of galaxies. Cameron and I recorded this episode at Death Valley National Park during their Dark Sky Festival.  In this podcast, Dr. Hummels discussed the formation and evolution of galaxies, supercomputers, his journey through Death Valley, Occupy Mars, and much more! It was an honor...

We're back among the redwoods! This time, we're at the mouth of the Smith River at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Northern California. We were very lucky to be joined by the Chairperson of Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, Jeri Lynn Thompson. Jeri and I chatted about Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation and their history, their relationship with the National Park Service today, the cultural significance of the redwo...

We've arrived at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona! In episode one from Saguaro, we're joined by Lucas Hetherington who is a biologist at the park.  In our conversation, Lucas and I chatted about the geology of the Rincon and Tucson mountains, the biology of the Saguaro Cactus and the many interactions that the keystone species has with the Sonoran Desert.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with...

There's an incredible story unfolding at Redwood National & State Parks. Redwood National Park Superintendent, Steve Mietz, joined the podcast to discuss the amazing restoration efforts that are happening with the redwood forests in Northern California.  The parks are focused on restoration as opposed to preservation. In addition to restoring old-growth redwood forests, Superintendent Mietz al...

In our second episode from Redwood National & State Parks we sat down with the Burn Boss and Forest Ecologist, Lathrop Leonard. Lathrop has been studying and restoring the redwood forest for nearly 20 years, his passion and love for these trees shone through in this episode as we chatted about the biology and ecology of the redwood tree.  Additionally, we also talked about prescribed fire and...

We've arrived at beautiful Redwood National & State Parks in Northern California! In episode one from the redwoods, we are joined by Redwood National Park Ranger Patrick Taylor and California State Parks Interpretive Ranger Karla Jovel.  In this episode, we explore a high-level overview of the redwood trees, popular areas of the park, wildlife and feature a general overview of the history and...

We're back with another episode from Capitol Reef National Park in Utah! This time, our focus is on the historic orchards that are in the Fruita District at the park. Park Ranger and Horticulturist Fritz Maslan joined us to talk about how he maintains the orchards, the history of the area, how visitors can interact with the fruit trees and much more!  Fritz is incredible! I had such a blast chatti...

We're at beautiful Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah! Visitor Services Program Manager and Park Ranger Shauna Cotrell joined the podcast to chat about geology, human history and wildlife at Capitol Reef. Near the end of the podcast, we also quiz Shauna with some national park trivia cards.   Shauna and I sat in the middle of a beautiful orchard meadow at the park as we recorded our...

Darrin Gobble is a Park Ranger and Vegetation Program Manager at Zion National Park. He is the 'voice' for the plants when the park makes critical decisions that could impact the vegetation in the national park.  In this episode, we chat about botany, the special endemic plants that live at Zion and the invasive plants that are disrupting the ecosystem.  I learned so much in my conversation with D...

I had a blast getting to chat with Park Ranger Charlie Reed! Zion National Park is one of my favorite places on earth, it's always a joy getting to explore and chat about this gem in southwestern Utah. In this episode we chat about the parks geology, specifically the sandstone cliffs and the Virgin River, wildlife and a lot about the dark skies that surround this park. Charlie even shares some tip...

In our final episode from Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, we are joined by Physical Scientist and Park Ranger Armin Howell. Armin joined the NPS in 2024 and is primarily focused on research around water flow, water quality and air quality within the four parks associated with the Southeast Utah Group (SEUG). In this podcast we chat about climate change, how the park is researching and learn...

Arches and Canyonlands park ranger, Karen Henker, joined the podcast to chat about the geology and formation of Arches and different environmental factors that are at play at Arches National Park. Karen has been a park ranger for nearly 20 years and has spent most of her time in Utah at Canyonlands and Arches. Her knowledge, humor and passion for this area is so infectious. You can watch the full...

Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinator and Park Ranger Brian Hays joined us to chat about the search and rescue team at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Brian shares the day-to-day experience working on the SAR team, different types of rescue missions and includes some potentially life saving tips and advice for explorers. Brian was such a fascinating guest and such a joy to meet and talk with....

Canyonlands and Arches park ranger, Karen Henker, joined the podcast to chat about Canyonlands geology, human history and wildlife.  Karen has been a park ranger for nearly 20 years and has spent most of her time in Utah at Canyonlands and Arches. Her knowledge and passion for these parks is incredible and so fun to listen to. I had a blast getting to spend time with her.  You can watch the full p...

Matt Dubeau is an archeologist and curator at Olympic National Park. He joined the podcast to discuss how humans have used the olympic peninsula for thousands of years. Matt also shared insight on archeological digs, how the parks preserve artifacts and how visitors can minimize their impact on culturally significant resources and artifacts. Matt is tremendous! I really hope you enjoy this episode...

Bill Baccus is a climate ecologist at Olympic National Park, his role is described as 'a doctor checking the vitals of the park'. In this episode we explore the health of Olympic National Park, climate change and the role that physical scientist play in each of these national parks. Bill is an incredible scientist and a wonderful guest! We did the podcast with the beautiful Olympic mountains peaki...