End Pavement

Today would have been John Muir’s 169th birthday, but considering all he did in his life, he lived every year like two. From Wikipedia:

John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914) was one of the first modern conservationists. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, and wildlife, especially in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, were read by millions and are still popular today. His direct activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. His writings and philosophy strongly influenced the formation of the modern environmental movement.

The Sierra Club website has a John Muir Exhibit which includes Google Earth tie-ins to follow along with his adventures.

John Muir led a life that mixed high adventure and heartfelt advocacy for the protection of wilderness — an approach to living summed up in the Sierra Club motto: Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.

Now, you can explore some of the important places and moments in Muir’s life with Google Earth, powerful mapping software you can download for free.

Give the nearest patch of dirt a friendly pat tomorrow and wish the planet a happy Earth Day while you’re at it. ;)

And then on Monday, wish my wife Denyse a Happy Birthday! ;D

Thanks to Gadling for the story — “Hiking Hollywood: The M*A*S*H Trail” — on visiting locations where M*A*S*H was filmed (not to mention all kinds of other movies and folderol) in the Santa Monica Mountains:

The movie location is located in Malibu Creek State Park. The 4.5 mile hike follows Malibu Creek past Rock Pool (where Planet of the Apes was filmed), Century Lake and eventually onward to the M*A*S*H site itself where fans of the series can reminisce over a stripped-down jeep and ambulance. Not much else remains from the show.