This classic song from from Bob Dylan released in 1963 had been on my mind for a while, given the general upheaval in our country and all the revelations attached to the #metoo movement. And while watching the protests after the Parkland School shootings, it really grabbed me and inspired me to finish adding some new lyrics to adapt it to today's happenings. The song copyright belongs to Bob Dylan, of course. To see more of Bob Dylan's music and check out tour information, go to https://www.bobdylan.com/

This performance was by The Slickrock Stranger at the 2018 Utah Arts Festival and is posted for entertainment purposes only.

That’s Even Stranger (Nick Boyer) on guitar and Wayfaring Stranger (Anastasia Lund) on fiddle.

A few years ago, a couple of Boy Scout leaders from Utah felt unsafe in the backcountry in Goblin Valley and decided that the desert's natural erosion process was a little too slow for their liking and they thought it would be wise to speed things up by toppling some rocks.

It got me to thinking that to help folks feel safe in the backcountry, I should start a new non-profit organization with the sole purpose being to spend as much time as I can roaming around and documenting all the loose rocks in southern Utah.

I'm thinking spring patrols in the Canyonlands area, patrolling other national parks and BLM lands in the fall, and of course, summers on the river!

It'll take years for sure, but with YOUR support, I'm the right guy for the job!

Wanna see the actual toppling? Click on the arrow in the screen.

The You Tube link to the same video is below.  You'll have to copy and paste. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYFD18BwmJ4

A 170 million year-long erosion process changed in an instant. 

Think our national parks are safe??? This potential head-banger was discovered hiking along Sulphur Creek inside Capitol Reef National Park in August of 2015.

Be careful taking a shade break in this spot. Heads up! 

There's danger on the ground as well with this sea of unstable ankle-twisting rocks in Sulphur Creek. Proceed with caution.

Taking a well-deserved shade break along Sulphur Creek reveals no place in the canyon country is without conditions to be cautious of.  

A shade break inspection reveals this unstable situation with mid-section fractures and a loose rock that will definitely come down, possibly within the next 500 years.  

A posse of Loose Rock Safety Patrol volunteers gather in the shade ready to set out into various side canyons to document dangerous conditions. 

If you happen to see a LRSP volunteer out in the backcountry, please thank them for their efforts to keep us all safe. 

This cairn in Sulphur Creek is well constructed. Danger rating negligible. 

This cairn in Arches National Park is a disaster waiting to happen. A real ankle-breaker. Unstable rating, but a righteous tip o' the cowboy hat for creativity.

This dangerous cairn situation was also found in Arches National Park. Unstable rating.

Excellent design on this cairn in Arches. Light, stable, and does the job of marking the trail. No danger.

Don't be walking under Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. When it falls, it's definitely gonna leave a mark.

A closer look at the cracking foundation holding up the iconic Balanced Rock in Arches National Park portends the very real possibility that something will be happening in the centuries ahead.

This right side of this cliff face near Torrey, Utah shows you need to be on the lookout everywhere you go.

If you think the big ones don't come down, see the next photo.

I was lucky enough to be in Castle Valley, Utah outside Moab the morning this slide happened with rocks breaking loose from Porcupine Rim in 1986. We had just come off a river trip and camped in the valley. We were coffeeing up for the ride home when we heard the sounds. Not my photo.

Possibly a once in a lifetime treat to be able to see an event of this magnitude. Warren Scott took this photo.

Loose rock safety awareness includes being alert not only in the backcountry, but on our roads also, as this hillside dramatically illustrates. Be careful folks.

This picture of this boulder-strewn hillside taken from a road illustrates just how careful you need to be, even in your vehicles. Had these boulders traveled just a little farther, who knows what damage could have been visited on an unsuspecting traveler.

These dangers are not only present in the canyons of southern Utah, the canyons of northern Utah present many dangers as well.

Visitors to the canyons outside Salt Lake City, including tourists here for Utah's skiing, need to be alert also, as this sign in Big Cottonwood Canyon warns.

So you really should consider becoming a Loose Rock Safety Patrol volunteer!

I went up to see some cowboy buddies in Wyoming and we went over to the Targhee Bluegrass Festival, which is always a good time with all that pickin' and grinnin', not only on the stage but in the campgrounds too.

I videotaped this fine band, The Infamous Stringdusters. Check out their website http://www.thestringdusters.com/home for more information, more video streams, and soundboard downloads of their shows, including this one. Better yet, go see 'em!

I took this picture at their 2013 appearance at Targhee.

This is a video of The HillBenders performing The Who's "Tommy" at the 2016 Targhee Bluegrass Festival August 14, 2016.
Unfortunately, I was 5 minutes late to the performance so the very beginning is missing. Also, there's some occasional wind noise as will happen on the mountain at 7,800 feet.
Not only did they play this early afternoon set, they also played the Trap Bar for a couple of hours that night and then went into the campgrounds after to jam late into the night with festival attendees. What a great group of guys. And thanks for their permission to post this. Pick up the "Tommy" album and other merch at http://www.hillbenders.com/ .
There's also other You Tube videos of the The HillBenders, and you can read about the band meeting up with Pete Townsend in 2015 here http://www.cybergrass.com/node/4584#s... .
The HillBenders - Jim Rea - Guitar / Nolan Lawrence - Mandolin / Chad "Gravy Boot" Graves - Dobro / Mark Cassidy - Banjo / Gary Rea - Bass. That's Betse Ellis from Betse and Clarke and formerly of The Wilders as the "Acid Queen" in this Targhee performance.

If you'd like to see their performance of "Tommy" at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival on October 2, 2016, go here. http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.co... Please be aware technical difficulties have the sound kicking in at about 5:20 in the video.

For Utahns, The HillBenders will be performing "Tommy' in Logan in April of 2017 at the Eccles Center.

From the ground-breaking New Grass Revival to today's Sam Bush Band, Sam has been one of the most respected and talented bluegrass musicians in the history of the genre. I once had the pleasure of interviewing Sam on the day of Jon Randall's last show with the band. Sam was kind enough to let me into the board that night to record. It's a humdinger of a show. Look for the SBD of 3-1-03 on the download sites. Please go to Sam's website at http://www.sambush.com/ to learn more about these fabulous musicians, pick up some of Sam's music, and check out the tour schedule to check him out in your area. Sam is joined for a spell by the Dawg himself, David Grisman, during this 2016 Targhee Bluegrass Festival performance.
 

I took this photo at Sam's 2013 performance at Targhee.

A great set from some of the most amazing players in bluegrass. Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, Cody Kilby on guitar, and the IBMA's 2017 Bass Player of The Year award winner Alan Bartram on bass. See them whenever you get a chance. Their website with tour information is here http://www.thetravelinmccourys.com/ .

Rhiannon Giddens is known as the lead singer, violinist, banjo player and a founding member of the Grammy-winning country, blues and old-time music band Carolina Chocolate Drops. She is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, an alumna of the elite North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and a 2000 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory where she studied opera. In addition to her work with the Drops, Giddens has released two solo albums: Tomorrow Is My Turn and Freedom Highway. Her website is here: http://www.rhiannongiddens.com/ where you can buy her music and find out more Rhiannon and her incredible accomplishments.