Following his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo makes a trip to the jewel in the crown of America's National Parks, Yosemite, to behold its towering granite cliffs, its giant sequoia trees and cascading waterfalls. He discovers how early conservationists fought to protect it in law and encounters a 'buffalo soldier' in the heart of the forest. In Berkeley, Michael uncovers a catastrophic event, which hit the city of San Francisco hard in 1906. He heads for the University of California's department of seismology to hear of a devastating earthquake and the inferno which followed it and to find out what's being done to secure the region against future damage.\n\nIn Stockton, Michael discovers tractor heaven and learns how caterpillar tracked vehicles were developed to work the deep peat soils of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. Continuing south through the heart of Silicon Valley, Michael visits a high-tech bar, where the waiters are robots. He discovers the origins of modern-day search engines and social media in a Californian institution founded by a railroad baron. At tech giant Intel, Michael glimpses the future on a test drive in an autonomous car.\n\nAt San Jose, the biggest city in the valley, Michael visits Japantown to meet members of a far eastern community who settled here peacefully during the 19th century but faced hostility during the mid-20th. He is then beaten over the head and body by youngsters a third of his age as he attempts to learn the martial art of kendo. A ride aboard the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad takes Michael through groves of mammoth trees - the magnificent California redwoods. Emerging from the forest on a second vintage railroad, Michael hits the beach and takes to the waves - on a surfboard.
Source: BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 9. Chicago To Champaign, Illinois
16-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 5. Santa Fe, New Mexico, To The Grand Canyon
09-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 4. La Junta To Colorado Springs
05-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 2. Sedalia To St Joseph, Missouri
04-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 1. St Louis To Jefferson City, Missouri
02-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 4: 10. Edmonton To Jasper
Michael Portillo continues west through the Canadian Prairie on his thousand-mile rail journey from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Jasper, Alberta. Following his 1899 Appleton’s g ...
11-10-2022
BBC 2
Series 4: 5. Kamloops To Calgary
Clutching his 1899 Appleton’s Guide, Michael Portillo boards one of the world’s most famous trains, the Rocky Mountaineer, to cross the backbone of the North America ...
26-09-2022
BBC 2
Series 3 Reversions: 5. Los Angeles To San Diego
Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California roll and paints a pretty picture in Lagu ...
11-06-2018
BBC 2
Series 2: 10. Albuquerque, New Mexico, To The Grand Canyon, Arizona
03-02-2017
BBC 2
Series 3: 19. Los Angeles To Laguna Beach
Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California Roll and paints a pretty picture in Lagu ...
07-12-2022
BBC 2
Series 4: 6. Halifax To Prince Edward Island
Michael Portillo begins a new journey on the tracks of the Ocean line to explore Canada’s maritime provinces en route to Quebec City.\n\nClutching his 1899 Appleton’ ...
27-09-2022
BBC 2
Series 3 Reversions: 6. Boston To Concord
Armed with his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100-mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the ...
12-06-2018
BBC 2
Series 4: 1. Ninilchik To Wasilla
Michael Portillo heads for the last frontier of the United States, armed with his 1899 Appleton’s Guidebook to Alaska.\n\nBeginning his journey amid the snow-capped mounta ...
19-09-2022
BBC 2