Travel with Rick Steves 495b National Parks Dinner Party; The Great Southwest; Utah's Craziest Bike Ride
Nov 29, 2025
Terry Tempest Williams, a celebrated author and conservationist, discusses the unique 'personalities' of U.S. national parks and their cultural significance. Historian Flannery Burke explores Arizona and New Mexico's identities within the Great Southwest, emphasizing their rich Native heritage and contemporary cultural dynamics. Travel writer Christopher Solomon shares thrilling tales from his mountain-bike adventure across southern Utah, celebrating the joys and challenges of backcountry exploration while advocating for outdoor accessibility.
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National Parks As A Dinner-Party
- Terry Tempest Williams visualized her chosen parks as guests at a dinner party to convey their personalities and relationships.
- She grouped trusted parks, dream guests, complicated family members, and provocative guests to shape the narrative of The Hour of Land.
Parks Reflect Evolving National Values
- Cesar Chavez National Monument reframed the National Park idea as evolving, not static, by honoring a community organizer in 2012.
- Terry says this choice shows parks can reflect changing national values and broaden what we preserve.
Grand Teton As Personal Refuge
- Terry describes Grand Teton as her 'mother park' where she found solace after 9/11 by touching the mountain and hiking to Amphitheater Lake.
- She uses that intimate memory to show how parks can provide personal refuge and renewal.
