Rocks Of Ages

Some of the most incredible landscapes in the world are hewn from sandstone. Take a 3.700 miles journey zig zagging through the unspoiled wilderness of the American West. Witness Slot Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the granddaddy of them all, the Grand Canyon. Plus you'll see how the ancients dwelled in the pueblos.

Hawaii is a state in motion, formed by magma spewing volcanoes that turn into basalt. It is the only rock that you will see in solid and liquid form. The native population of Hawaii considers 1,200 degree hot lava, which buries everything in its path, not as an instrument of destruction- but of creation. When you are a homeowner in the path of a lava flow that perspective is difficult to remember.

Our journey begins in Brittany, France. The Chateau de Kérouzéré, a relic of the 15th century, has imposing walls up to 12 feet thick. The Menhirs, tall upright stones, erected during the stone age in the mysterious "Alignments of Carnac" attracts thousands ever year. Mont Saint Michel monastery, constructed over 500 years, is granite incarnate.

Marble, the work of masters. To mine marble, you must move mountains, literally. The largest mountains in the world are home to the huge Indian quarries that produce truck load after truck load of noble Makrana marble. Its perfection and endurance are epitomized in one of the eight architectural wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal.

Journeying back in time to the edge of a 50,000 year old crater large enough to accommodate San Francisco's downtown, we see what a strike from outer space can do. Meteorites, meteor showers and shooting stars hold a special fascination over us. They are like witnesses from another world. There are a cadre of meteorite hunters reaching for the stars, and thousands of dollars a "stone."