Parks & Travel

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show with the National Parks Arts Foundation features acclaimed illustrator Andrés Vera Martínez whose artistic focus is on illustrating and writing graphic novels for middle school and young adult readers. 

Andrés is best known for his work on his wife's graphic memoir, "LIttle White Duck: A Childhood in China," and Neal Shusterman’s YA graphic novel, "Courage to Dream: Tales of in the Holocaust." Watch for his middle grade graphic novel series with Jorge Aguirre, "Monster Locker" and the adaptation of "Esperanza Rising", plus, his illustrations in Marie Alohalani Brown’s "Hawaiian Myths, Gods, and Heroes." More at: https://www.andresvera.com/ 

Learn more about the National Parks Arts Foundation's unique artist residency programs in parks across the country at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

It's all about the historic Petroglyphs of Pony Hills in remote Southwest New Mexico on this episode of Big Blend Radio's WORLD OF ART Podcast with artist Victoria Chick. Read Victoria's article about Pony Hills, here: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/petroglyphs-of-pony-hills/  

Along with a great discussion about the potential meanings and symbolism behind the petroglyphs, we also chat about the Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center project that she has spearheaded in local Silver City. More here: https://www.southwest-art-museum.org/ 

Also see her stories and podcasts covering:

Victoria Chick is a contemporary figurative artist and early 19th/20th century print collector based in Silver City, New Mexico. Visit: https://victoriachick.com/ 

Victoria appears on Big Blend Radio every 3rd Saturday. Follow the podcast: https://worldofart-victoriachick.podbean.com/ 

This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Way Back When," "Toast to The Arts," and "Parks & Travel" Podcast Channels. Check out our network of shows: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

From Yellowstone and Bryce to Death Valley and the Grand Canyon, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Quiltripping Travel with Rose" Podcast with travel writer Rose Palmer focuses on the wonderful and different winter experiences you can in America's National Parks. Check out Rose's National Park Stories: https://quiltripping.com/category/travel/north-america/usa/national-parks/ 

Follow Rose's adventures on her site: https://quiltripping.com/  

Follow Big Blend Radio's "Quiltripping Travel with Rose" Podcast here: https://quiltripping-travel.podbean.com/ 

This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Parks & Travel" and "Vacation Station" Channels. Check out our Big Blend Radio Network of podcasts here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast to The Parks & Arts" Show features Tanya Ortega, photographer and founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF).

Hear about the organization's unique month-long artist residencies in locations like Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, and Hawai'i Volcano National Park. Plus, this year's opportunities for park destinations and artists of all genres to be part of their programming. 

NPAF is a non-profit offering unique Artist-in-Residence Programs, Museum In-Loan Programs, and Workshops inspired by our National Parks, National Monuments, and World Heritage Sites. NPAF has supported over 300 programs, over 120 artists, and been the conduit for over a million dollars in artwork donations.  

Watch for Big Blend Radio's NPAF Retrospective, a digital publication featuring 8 years of podcast interviews with artists and park representatives! Keep up with us by getting our newsletter at https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/join-our-newsletter/ 

Learn more: https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

Are seeing those iconic Giant Sequoia Trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest, on your bucket list? 

From hiking and wildlife watching to chasing waterfalls, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Sequoia Country" Podcast focuses on what you can experience in these must-visit parks and forests, as well as their charming local art and agricultural communities that make up Tulare County, California including Visalia, Tulare, Exeter, Dinuba, Porterville, Three Rivers, Lindsay, and Woodlake.  

Featured guests from the Sequoia Tourism Council include 

Plan your visit to Tulare County, at https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/ 

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Historic Jefferson Highway" Show focuses on the new digital Jefferson Highway Travel Guide being produced in partnership between Big Blend Magazines and the Jefferson Highway Association.

Featured guests are Roger Bell - President of the Jefferson Highway Association, and Nancy Reid & Lisa Smith, the mother-daughter travel team who have owned and run Big Blend Magazines since 1997. Learn more about this exciting project and be part of the effort, here: https://jeffersonhighwaytravelguide.com/ 

The Jefferson Highway Association originally founded the Jefferson Highway in 1915. This international highway is also known as "The Pines to the Palms Highway," that runs from Winnipeg, Canada to New Orleans, Louisiana. Learn more at https://jeffersonhighway.org/  

This Big Blend Radio "Historic Jefferson Highway" Podcast airs every 4th Thursday at 6pm CST (except on holidays). Follow the show here: https://jefferson-highway.podbean.com/ 

It's all about Petroglyphs on this episode of Big Blend Radio's WORLD OF ART Podcast with artist Victoria Chick. There is hardly a country in the world where petroglyphs do not exist. The United States is rich in petroglyph art, especially within National Park or National Monument boundaries or within National Forests and public lands where they are protected.

Read Victoria's article about Petroglyphs, here: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/petroglyphs-prehistoric-rock-art/ 

Also see her stories and podcasts covering:

Victoria Chick is a contemporary figurative artist and early 19th/20th century print collector based in Silver City, New Mexico. Visit: https://victoriachick.com/ 

Victoria appears on Big Blend Radio every 3rd Saturday. Follow the podcast: https://worldofart-victoriachick.podbean.com/ 

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel" Show with IFWTWA, travel writer Jo Clark talks about her top four park destinations in Sonoma County, California.

Hear about Point Reyes National Seashore, Jack London State Historic Park, Sonoma Botanical Garden, and Sonoma State Historic Park, and read Jo's article about these parks here: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/top-4-parks-to-visit-in-sonoma-county/ 

Learn more about the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) at https://www.ifwtwa.org/ 

Follow this podcast here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm1chVylr9kzBMftUgBoLS-m 

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show features acclaimed trumpeter Delbert Anderson, the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

A Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, Delbert stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly integrates Navajo "spinning songs" of love, healing, and courtship with jazz and funk, thus marking him as a community-minded Indigenous individualist. Through his Delbert Anderson Quartet, Anderson revives the improvised sounds of the Diné circle, blending them with jazz, funk, and hip-hop. His compositions are inspired by Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events, and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history. More: https://delbertanderson.com/ 

Learn more about the National Parks Arts Foundation's unique artist residency programs in parks across the country at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

From outdoor adventures and snow play to seasonal shopping, events and festivities, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Sequoia Country" Podcast focuses on winter and holiday fun in Tulare County, California.

Located in Central California, Tulare County is home to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest, and charming art and agricultural communities including Visalia, Tulare, Exeter, Dinuba, Porterville, Three Rivers, Lindsay, and Woodlake.  

Featured guests from the Sequoia Tourism Council include 

Plan your visit to Tulare County, at https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/