0:00:37 > 0:00:44You can just see in the background what the theme of the last leg of my journey's going to be.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46That little patch of blue there is the Pacific Ocean.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I'm going to go up from California, to Oregon, Washington State, Alaska
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and finally, in the middle of that ocean, the state of Hawaii.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Off we go.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06Its combination of architecture, situation and history make
0:01:06 > 0:01:12San Francisco one of the most distinctive and beautiful cities in the world.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19Even the transport system is a uniquely reliable and lovable mixture of the new and the old.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Chinatown! Chinatown stop!
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Thank you so much.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31A truly cosmopolitan port city, San Francisco has its eyes to the Far East,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34which confusingly, lies to its far west,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39across the great Pacific Ocean from where many of its early immigrants came.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45The Chinese originally arrived here as coolie labourers to help build the railroads.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48They still keep together, giving San Francisco
0:01:48 > 0:01:52the oldest and best-established Chinatown in America.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- These are chocolate ones, aren't they?- Yeah, OK.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Take one? Come on. Would you like to try one?
0:01:58 > 0:02:00- Yeah, I'd love to try one.- OK.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Ooh. They're hot.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Nice. Woah! Really hot.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Good!
0:02:09 > 0:02:10What's my fortune?
0:02:10 > 0:02:11Foo Ling U says,
0:02:11 > 0:02:18"Dedicated bachelor is one who believes in adage of wine, women and so-long..."
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Oh, it's a joke. At least a kind of joke.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22OK.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23Here's my card.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25That's your card. Thank you.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company. How long have you been doing this?
0:02:29 > 0:02:321962... 46 years.
0:02:32 > 0:02:3446 years.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36And are the fortunes always true?
0:02:36 > 0:02:37HE LAUGHS
0:02:41 > 0:02:47Extraordinary that after 46 years, his English could still be quite so eccentric...
0:02:47 > 0:02:49STRINGED INSTRUMENT PLAYS "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN"
0:02:49 > 0:02:53..which could also be said of this rendition of our national anthem.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Though the Chinese always do things their own way, which I suspect is why they've been able
0:02:58 > 0:03:02so successfully to blend their culture with America's without losing their identity.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Passing the now-gentrified quayside where the coolies, prospectors
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and snake oil salesmen once tumbled off their leaky boats,
0:03:14 > 0:03:19I head up to Nob Hill and a meeting with a more recent immigrant to this great city.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25Jonny Ive, Essex-born and Newcastle-trained, is the design guru for Apple.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31The MacBooks, iPods, iPhones and iMacs, they're all his babies.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35- Not many cities can boast such a view, can they? - It's extraordinary, isn't it?
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- And that's the famous prison island, isn't it?- Yes, Alcatraz.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Which only Clint Eastwood ever escaped from. Fabulous.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49It could be said that the two most influential Britons of the past 30 years are Tim Berners-Lee,
0:03:49 > 0:03:56who invented the World Wide Web, and you, who have given us the iPod and all the train of Apple products.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59You've both chosen to live and work in America.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- I wonder if that says something about Britain or, more importantly, America.- I think...
0:04:03 > 0:04:08that there's just a... a conspicuous lack of, um...
0:04:10 > 0:04:15..cynicism and scepticism.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Ideas are so fragile, aren't they?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's so easy to...
0:04:20 > 0:04:26sort of miss an idea, because they can be so quiet, or to snuff an idea out.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I think that the sense of...
0:04:29 > 0:04:35the inquisitiveness and the willingness to try
0:04:35 > 0:04:38is so important for...
0:04:40 > 0:04:44..for design, for developing those tentative,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47fragile ideas into a real product.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52There's nothing fragile about an earlier design classic.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57The Golden Gate Bridge is the gateway to Northern California and my journey up the coast.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01I shall be travelling into Oregon and onto Seattle in Washington State,
0:05:01 > 0:05:06before heading far north to Alaska and finally journey's end in the far south on the Islands of Hawaii.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13California has the seventh largest economy in the world,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16but it's not all high-tech and showbiz.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Agribusiness is huge, and while wine may be the best known,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25it's estimated that the largest in pure dollar terms is weed.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Mendocino County is the marijuana-growing centre of the nation,
0:05:30 > 0:05:36not least because under local law you are allowed to grow up to 99 pot plants for "medicinal purposes".
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Sheriff Tom Allman is on the front line.
0:05:39 > 0:05:46Last year we eradicated 344,000 marijuana plants.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48We eradicate so much marijuana in the summer
0:05:48 > 0:05:50logistically, it's hard to get rid of.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56We had to buy last year a very large 12-inch tree chipper.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Oh, yes, I know the kind of thing.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03We chip marijuana up and if it's on public lands,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07we'll just chip it and let it go into the woods for the wildlife to eat.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So there are a lot of rather dazed birds flying into trees...
0:06:10 > 0:06:12It gives a whole new meaning to birds that are high.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14THEY LAUGH
0:06:16 > 0:06:20At the sheriff's compound, a crack team are preparing for a drug bust,
0:06:20 > 0:06:26but before I'm allowed to join them, I have a very special date with firearms supremo Greg Stefani.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Have you ever fired a hand gun?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- I haven't. This is absolutely my first time.- Really?- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It really is. A rifle at school but that's it. Lying on my stomach.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36We're honoured that you're shooting here.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I brought a Dirty Harry pistol for you.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- No, not a Magnum?- Absolutely.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45God almighty. That would be the greatest honour of my life.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- This is the Dirty Harry revolver. - Oh, my!
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Smith and Wesson Model 29, 44 Magnum.- Ah!
0:06:51 > 0:06:54This one's going to be a bit easier to shoot than Dirty Harry's
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- in that it has some extra weight in the barrel and the cylinder. - Right.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04Now you know the old cowboys used to keep a 20 bill in one cylinder.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- Really? - Because that would be their burial cost if they lost the gunfight.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Oh, my word!
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I know what you're thinking.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Did I fire five shots or only six?
0:07:14 > 0:07:18To tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've lost count myself.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26and can blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question...
0:07:26 > 0:07:27GUN SHOT
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Ah!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Ooh, hot!
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Do I feel lucky?
0:07:33 > 0:07:34HE FIRES
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Aah!
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Mummy!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Well, punk, do you?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Ha-a-a-a...
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Holy mackerel!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Oh!
0:07:49 > 0:07:50THEY LAUGH
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Oh!
0:07:52 > 0:07:55You feel that, don't you? Oh!
0:07:55 > 0:07:58That scares the life out of me, that gun.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03You had the movie lines perfect up to the last part...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Clint Eastwood did not say "Holy mackerel"!- He didn't, did he?
0:08:07 > 0:08:10He just slightly narrowed his eyes.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13That looks big enough for my tummy.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16This is the absolute...
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- newest 2008 model.- Thank you.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- You're welcome. We need to take care of you.- Thank you.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- It goes with my trousers, which are appropriately brown.- We're ready.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27All right, pony up. And it's gonna go well.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I'm following our heavily-armed convoy to a remote farmhouse
0:08:32 > 0:08:37where it's believed a large illegal crop is ready to be harvested.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39We have arrived.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- And this is all based on intelligence from your undercover operatives, is it?- It is.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48OK. So the first units are on scene.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50We have to knock on doors by law.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- We can't just bust in. - Even with a warrant?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Even with a warrant, you have to knock on the door.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- You have to serve it physically? - There's a 10-second time frame.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02You have to announce your presence, and then if the door doesn't open
0:09:02 > 0:09:07and you don't hear people saying, "Just a minute," then you can go ahead and force your entry.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13But forcing your entry sometimes means turning the door knob and opening the door.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Oh, right, it's as simple as that?
0:09:14 > 0:09:18So now they're announcing... Come on out, you can get out now.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- So they've made some arrests, have they?- Sounds like it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24When we pulled up, on the radio, I heard them say they had players inside.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28- Oh, players is the word you use for that.- Players means crook.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Right.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31We got what we came for.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- Which is all exactly as the intelligence predicted.- Yeah.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39We have two grow rooms in here that are full of plants, and there's another grow room up there.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Apparently there's two people in the house who are in custody right now.
0:09:44 > 0:09:4610-4. We'll get you the names later.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52They were pretty quiet - they don't resist arrest?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54No, we don't have them resist at all. We're good.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59No, you look pretty formidable. I don't think I would resist you, I have to say.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00So a good result.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04So, Stephen, if you assume that marijuana is 3,000 a pound
0:10:04 > 0:10:11and each plant can produce two pounds, we're going to see what kind of finished product
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- these people would have. - Oh, my goodness me!
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- Oh, the smell!- So we have another room to our right.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22They look like they're a little smaller. And then we have these.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28And what they're trying to get is, they're trying to get the perfect bud for THC content...
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- The active constituent... - Now it's going to be on your hands all day.- Whoa.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Holy...
0:10:33 > 0:10:37That... It's an oil, isn't it? It's like an oil, almost.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39- Yes, it is.- Whoa.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- That's very strong. - These are all female plants.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47And it's just like life, the females have no use for males whatsoever.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52These people surely can't make a claim in court that they're growing these for medicinal reasons?
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- They would have to be very sick. - Even if they bribed a doctor to give them a...
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- This is clearly a commercial operation that's got nothing to do with...- Yes.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06I've suggested to our elected board of supervisors
0:11:06 > 0:11:09that if its going to be legalised as medical marijuana,
0:11:09 > 0:11:15that we, the sheriff's office, sell these plastic zip ties that would have serial numbers on them,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and they would go on the base of each marijuana plant and we could identify
0:11:19 > 0:11:25that plant as being legitimately medical and we would be able to get some money from it.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Leaving the heady aroma of Mendocino, I drive north to
0:11:30 > 0:11:34the infamously laid-back campus of Humboldt University,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37where I want to find out what's cooking with the new generation
0:11:37 > 0:11:41of the counter-culture from student siren, Carmen King.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44CHEERING AND CLAPPING
0:11:44 > 0:11:48If you've never been here before, it is an all-women open mic.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Only vaginas welcome on stage. Sorry.
0:11:50 > 0:11:56If you have a penis, you are welcome to be in the audience, but you cannot perform on stage unless in full drag.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00What we do that's a little different is we don't have a sign-up list.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We think lists are too hierarchical, so we have a love-bubble sheet.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Thank you, Melody. So if you want to play, just come up.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We'll give you a love bubble and when you're ready we'll just pop your bubble.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12LAUGHTER
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Great! Well, I'm gonna play another song, kinda goes with the last one.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20# She's got curly hair Wearing boys' underwear
0:12:20 > 0:12:23# She's got golden tanned skin Please let me in
0:12:23 > 0:12:26# Let's have some fun, some fun
0:12:26 > 0:12:28# Some dirty girly fun. #
0:12:28 > 0:12:30You know what I'm talking about.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31# Don't have to be the only ones
0:12:31 > 0:12:34# Invite some friends and have some fun. #
0:12:35 > 0:12:38You're a smoker of the weed, are you?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I've smoked weed in my time, I have.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I've smoked my fair share.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46So is this quite a weed-smoking college then?
0:12:46 > 0:12:51I've heard a statistic that only 53% of the students smoke weed, but I think...
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- Only 53?- But I think it might be a little higher than that.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57But what would your mummies and daddies say?
0:12:57 > 0:13:01A lot of their mummies and daddies smoke too, especially if they're from here.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Do you believe it should be legal?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05I do, actually. The city of Denver -
0:13:05 > 0:13:10I dunno if you guys have gone there - they did the Alcohol And Marijuana Equalisation Act,
0:13:10 > 0:13:15and so I mean they just brought it to the point that 20,000 people die of alcohol-related deaths
0:13:15 > 0:13:17in the US every year and none from marijuana.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- You're about to graduate, are you? - I graduate in one month.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27My specialty is energy efficiency. I came actually to study environmental science, but it was just ridiculous.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It was just a bunch of hippies bitching about everything.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34"Oh, this is wrong, this is wrong." And nobody ever talked about how to fix it,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38you know, what to actually do. I call myself a practical idealist.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I'm not running around hugging trees and sitting in them,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43trying to get them to not be cut down.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47I use paper, I live in a wood house, I understand that the economy must go on,
0:13:47 > 0:13:52but the economy is not going to go on if we keep using energy the way that we do.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56California is the only place where the trees literally hug YOU,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01so it's little wonder that this is where tree-huggers, tree-sitters, eco-warriors
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and Earth Firsters started their environmental campaigns.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09The Pacific Northwest has amongst the most ancient woodlands in North America.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Some of the Sequoias, the giant redwoods, are over 1,000 years old.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18For the past 40 years, loggers have been at loggerheads with the Greens,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23for whom the preservation of the forest has become the clarion call for saving the planet.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28The pristine Rogue River Forest in Oregon is one of the key battlegrounds,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32and I'm travelling down the river with two Arborio advocates, Nate and Laura.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38They're taking me to a remote part of the forest to try and track down the red tree vole
0:14:38 > 0:14:40on which the spotted owl feeds.
0:14:40 > 0:14:47Now this owl is an endangered species and as such, under federal law, its habitat must be protected,
0:14:47 > 0:14:53so if they can find a tree with evidence of red vole habitation, then an area of 10 kilometres around
0:14:53 > 0:14:56will be, by law, protected from logging.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01So, the vole's the thing to catch the conscience of the king.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06This is the kind of tree that would have the red tree vole that you've been telling me about.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Yes, this is the one it would be in.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Yes, with the big fat branches they like, and then
0:15:11 > 0:15:14the broken tops that they can get down in the crevices.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18So they live their whole lives up there? They're born, they breed up there?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The females will stay up there their entire lives and breed and have babies.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28The males, however, come up, they have a little visit, and then they go on to some other lady.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Oh, men, honestly!
0:15:30 > 0:15:33I wish I could be going with you, it's just that I have this awful -
0:15:33 > 0:15:36it's a real nuisance - I have this awful cowardice.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It's just come over me. Oh!
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Can you imagine when I woke up this morning and I felt all cowardly, how annoyed I was?
0:15:43 > 0:15:45SHE LAUGHS
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Got it! - It's coming down, bouncing around.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50OK. Send it down.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52It's coming down in between them.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54There you go!
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- You want to test it? - Yeah, you want to jump?- Yeah.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- Come closer. Save me(!)- Oh!
0:16:05 > 0:16:09So the way we test it is if you can put two people's weight on it, you know it'll work.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- Then it's good to go. - So put it between your legs.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- So what we do is go like this, and so...- See that? Watch your head.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18That's why we test it.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Bits do come down?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22So now it will go up again.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25But the actual limb didn't snap? Because it's a huge branch.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30But it's better to have a break before you go up than when you're up there. It makes you nervous.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Are you good to go?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Yeah, we're ready to go.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Incredible.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41The Douglas fir bark has all these like prickly things, like little splinters, where if you hug it -
0:16:41 > 0:16:45you don't want to hug this tree, because it will put pricklies in your arms.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Really? That's not very friendly.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53What's your view of the tree-hugging classes and the people who stay on trees
0:16:53 > 0:16:56to stop the developers or the loggers?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Oh, I was one of them. - Oh, were you?- Yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- So you're a big supporter? - That's where I met Nate.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04It was out at a tree sit.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09I definitely support it but I think, you know... There's all sorts of tools you need in your tool box.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- Can you check that branch?- I haven't gotten there yet, hang on a second.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Let me get a little higher.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16I haven't checked the first branch.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- This is no time for a domestic spat! - It looks like there's a nest in it.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25- I see branch clippings sticking out. - You see branch... Ow!- At least you both wear glasses!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27There's a nest right here on this branch.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- A vole nest?- You found one!
0:17:29 > 0:17:31There's one inside this dead branch.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- Are you getting a sample, Nate? - I'm getting a picture.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35Hooray!
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Yes, this whole branch here is hollow,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- and it's just full of vole stuff. - Would that photograph constitute proof?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- No, they'd have to have one of their climbers look at it.- Oh, I see.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Cos the nest material and faecal matter they leave in there is specific to the vole,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and so we just take a pinch out and put it in a plastic baggy,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59and use the GPS unit to mark where the tree is, and then submit that.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- Goodness me!- Do you want to pinch a sample?- Yeah, I'll do that.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Can you save some faecal matter for me?
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- I'll bring you down a little bit. - Thank you!
0:18:07 > 0:18:08It smells piney fresh.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10STEPHEN LAUGHS
0:18:10 > 0:18:14That the forests still stretch for hundreds of miles is in large part
0:18:14 > 0:18:17due to the activities of people like Nate and Laura.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22And it is in this vast hinterland of Oregon that a creature
0:18:22 > 0:18:25even more endangered than the spotted owl is reputed to live.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Well, according to Matt Johnson.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33We want to prove the existence of the animal officially,
0:18:33 > 0:18:40and therefore get it listed on the endangered species list and protect its habitat.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Right, tell me how you know that he does exist.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Well, my family and I, we went through the Oregon caves,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and we decided to hike the big tree loop trail.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55So we were about a mile up the mountain, around 5pm or so,
0:18:55 > 0:19:02and we started smelling something coming downwind,
0:19:02 > 0:19:03down the hill.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08And then we hear this noise, as we walk.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Very deep, bass, guttural, mammal
0:19:13 > 0:19:18and much louder and more bass than I can do right now, but it went,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22"Wuh, wuh, wuh, wuh."
0:19:22 > 0:19:26And we're like, we stop. It stops.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29And we're looking at each other like, "What is that?"
0:19:29 > 0:19:35We walk again, it, "Wuh, wuh, wuh."
0:19:35 > 0:19:36We keep going.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40We eventually get to a point where Mother Nature's knocking on my door...
0:19:40 > 0:19:45- Oh, right! Yes, go on. - ..so I have to hike up the hill,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49through the brush, probably about a good 60, 80 feet
0:19:49 > 0:19:53away from my family, and I'm behind some brush and trees, doing my thing.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59Then all of a sudden, out of the left corner of my eye, I saw something move and I turned my head.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05And I looked down, and that's when I saw Bigfoot
0:20:05 > 0:20:10walk off the pages of myth and legend into reality.
0:20:10 > 0:20:16You know, I had some people afterward say, "Well, why didn't you stop and take pictures?" And it's like,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I have my family there.
0:20:19 > 0:20:27And I'm not going to stop and take pictures and risk losing my family.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29So you're talking about a hairy primate.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31We're talking about...
0:20:33 > 0:20:38We're talking about a very tall hairy primate that walked upright like a human being.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43After we got off the mountain, we made a report to the park headquarters, and he said,
0:20:43 > 0:20:49"You need to know that the park has a policy where we will not publicly
0:20:49 > 0:20:51"acknowledge the presence of a sasquatch."
0:20:51 > 0:20:54What is it that they are trying to hide, do you think?
0:20:54 > 0:21:00All I'm going to say, and it's just a guess, is that you saw what happened
0:21:00 > 0:21:03over 30 years ago when they declared
0:21:03 > 0:21:08the spotted owl an endangered species. It locked up a whole
0:21:08 > 0:21:13lot of timberland, shut down a whole lot of logging companies and towns.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19The State Of Oregon is still recovering from that 40 years later, economically.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Now, can you imagine what would happen if you identified
0:21:23 > 0:21:28a seven-to-nine-foot primate species living in these mountains,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30how much land that would lock up?
0:21:30 > 0:21:34What kind of economic devastation that would
0:21:34 > 0:21:40create for the entire Pacific Northwest? Northern California?
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Personally, I think its existence is about as likely as me playing in a cup final.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52But Matt is certainly convinced, and if more of this extraordinary
0:21:52 > 0:21:56ancient woodland can be preserved, so much the better.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Heading up the Oregon coast into Washington State,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and the raw energy of the Pacific Ocean is ever-present.
0:22:06 > 0:22:13It's a different but equally invigorating energy that awaits me in the eclectic city of Seattle.
0:22:13 > 0:22:20Seattle is a more urbane version of Liverpool - energy, wit, and a centre for new music.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25At Pike Place market, I meet up with Christoph Snell.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30He owns Seattle's Can Can Cabaret club and is a bringer-on of young talent,
0:22:30 > 0:22:36who relishes the edginess and creativity of this major Pacific port.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Oh, you see, I mean, this is fabulous, it really is.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43I mean, not many European markets can compete with this, actually.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Fresh fish off the boats, baked goods they bake right here in the market.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Look at that.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Whoa! That's...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Turns it into an art form.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- Whoa...- Oh, yes!
0:23:00 > 0:23:02There it is!
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Thank you. You've been a wonderful audience.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- Oh, my, it's so soft.- Steam.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Melts in your mouth.- Oh, my Lord!
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Oh, they are...
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Oh!
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Seattle of course has got a reputation as...
0:23:20 > 0:23:26Well, 15 years ago it was the centre of the musical universe, wasn't it?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- Absolutely.- With that wonderful word "grunge",
0:23:29 > 0:23:32but is it still a place of lively music?
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Yeah, absolutely.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The music scene, you know, we're in the heart of it because we get to see the beginnings of the music.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53When someone is starting out, they're playing at our club.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Ladies and gentlemen, she just turned 15 years old!
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Please put your hands together and give a warm round of applause
0:24:01 > 0:24:05for Hannah Weeks!
0:24:05 > 0:24:06CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:24:06 > 0:24:11# Just because I hold your hand doesn't mean that you're my man
0:24:11 > 0:24:17# I believe in second chances but three is more than two
0:24:17 > 0:24:20# You say you'll prove me wrong this time, but I... #
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- The suicide rate in Seattle is very high, isn't it?- It's very high.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28As is the heroin use, and so these kind of....
0:24:28 > 0:24:32So, despite the fact that it's a vibrant and wonderful place,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- it's also a place where kids are very disaffected and alienated? - Absolutely.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Is that also because it has maybe three of the most famous businesses in America?
0:24:41 > 0:24:47You've got Microsoft, you've got Boeing, who make all the aeroplanes
0:24:47 > 0:24:52and jumbo jets that aren't made by Eurobus, and you've got...
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Starbucks. I mean, they are three very, very famous world brands
0:24:56 > 0:25:00and maybe the kids are all, are they kids of executives or something?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Is that why they all commit suicide -
0:25:02 > 0:25:04because they've got hideous corporate parents?
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Exactly! The weather has a huge part in it, I think, you know.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12There's also a certain melancholy state that is conducive to creating art.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18# Right now
0:25:20 > 0:25:22# Put your lips at my command
0:25:22 > 0:25:24# Right now
0:25:25 > 0:25:27# Fly me off to lovers' land
0:25:28 > 0:25:29# Baby
0:25:30 > 0:25:33# Don't you leave me at the post
0:25:33 > 0:25:34# Kiss me
0:25:35 > 0:25:37# You can feel it coast to coast
0:25:37 > 0:25:39# Right now... #
0:25:42 > 0:25:49The Pacific Ocean defines Seattle, and while its weather may contribute to its citizens' overall melancholy,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52the sea breeze certainly helps with a hangover.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57A stone's throw from the Can Can, I have a rendezvous with some aquatic denizens of the city.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Carol, CJ and Barney, who has a personal hygiene problem.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04He has his own toothbrush...
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Oh! An electric toothbrush!
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- Sonicare.- You lucky fellow.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Yeah, nothing but the best.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Now if we don't do this, he'll get gingivitis.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Harbour seals in the wild have been found with gingivitis.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20I was just going to say, in the wild, they don't have this regime...
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- No.- Even with manual toothbrushes in the wild.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24No, there's hardly any of that!
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Now they really are like dogs in some ways, those faces.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30They're very trainable.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- They bark and they have pups. - They don't bark.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37They will make a growling noise at night, but we don't really know what...
0:26:37 > 0:26:38HE BARKS
0:26:38 > 0:26:39No, kind of like...
0:26:39 > 0:26:40SHE GROWLS AND SNARLS
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- Yeah, kind of like that.- OK.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45How old is he?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Barney's 22.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52He's an old guy, but probably in the wild we don't really think they probably live that long, it's just
0:26:52 > 0:26:55that they're so protected from predators and bad food here.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59And like a lot of old people, he's decided to take fish oil supplements...
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- All his life, and look what it's done for him.- It's clearly good.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06OK, get in the water. Yes, right there. Ready?
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Get it!
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Yeah!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- Yeah, sometimes we get a little wet. - Yeah, that's fair enough.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17CJ has another treat in store for me.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22These are northern, or Alaskan sea otters.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27They tend to spend a lot of their time diving up to 200 feet or more,
0:27:27 > 0:27:33and then they have loose pockets of skin right underneath their arms and they'll stuff those like a kangaroo
0:27:33 > 0:27:38full of food, and then bring it to the surface and use their tummies as a dining table so...
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I've noticed they're swimming backwards. It's charming.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45We used food colouring to bring out the patriotic aspect of it...
0:27:45 > 0:27:46That's beautifully done!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- There you are.- You'll see.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52I think he stood to attention, you know!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55He went right for the red stripe.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58He's got the fish straight away. Now he's greedy.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01He's got the Union Jack and the ball of...
0:28:01 > 0:28:04They eat up to 25% of their bodyweight a day.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Yeah, your own bodyweight in quarter-pounders, isn't that amazing?
0:28:13 > 0:28:18This, Washington, is the 48th of what they call the contiguous states,
0:28:18 > 0:28:23the states that adjoin each other on the continental landmass.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Only two more to go now,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Alaska and Hawaii.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29And I'm afraid there's no room
0:28:29 > 0:28:36for our cab in the snowy wastes of Alaska, or across the Pacific, so this is where we say goodbye.
0:29:10 > 0:29:17My first port of call in Alaska is Kodiak Island, the second biggest island in the US.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28State number 49. Alaska.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31And what a state!
0:29:31 > 0:29:37The largest in America by far, it's over three times as big as France and 13 times the size of England.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40What many people don't realise about Alaska is
0:29:40 > 0:29:43that for much of its recent history it was owned by Russia, not America.
0:29:43 > 0:29:49The United States paid the princely sum of 7.2 million for it back in the 19th century.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53That was two cents an acre. There are actually signs of that
0:29:53 > 0:29:58Russian ancestry all around in the names of the roads and particularly
0:29:58 > 0:30:04in the methods of worship that are still practised in this community to this very day.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09The Russians first came to Alaska as their empire expanded eastwards under Tsar Peter the Great.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14After Vitus Behring's expedition of 1742, sea otter pelts, which
0:30:14 > 0:30:18are the warmest of any fur, became a major source of revenue.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24Realising how efficient the native Aluit peoples were at hunting, they were effectively enslaved
0:30:24 > 0:30:29by the Russian merchants, and both otters and the Aluits were to be driven to the brink of extinction.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31THEY CHANT IN PRAYER
0:30:37 > 0:30:44With the merchants came the Russian Orthodox church, which in 1794 set up this mission in Kodiak.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Some missionary churches were not welcome by the local people.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55Was yours?
0:30:55 > 0:31:00Missionaries originally came to minister to the Russian fur traders that were here.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- When they first landed... - Oh, so not to convert?- Right.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04But it changed very, very quickly.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10Almost immediately, when the missionaries, led by Saint Herman,
0:31:10 > 0:31:17saw that, in fact, many of the natives, local native folks were being enslaved and treated poorly
0:31:17 > 0:31:21by the Russian fur traders, and that allowed them to begin
0:31:21 > 0:31:26to minister to the native communities which led to the church becoming indigenous very, very quickly.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31'It's estimated that over a million of these delightful sea otters were hunted for their fur.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35'Today, their numbers have recovered, although they are still endangered.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40'I'm eager to see them in the wild, and Lee Robinson, a local fisherman,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42'takes me to the far side of the island,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45'where he says he sometimes sees rafts of up to a hundred of them.'
0:31:45 > 0:31:48I'm astonished by how beautiful Alaska is.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I've been saving up the knowledge that I'll be coming here,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54and thinking, "wintry wastes", you know...
0:31:54 > 0:31:57kind of ghastly cold winds...
0:31:57 > 0:32:01but you're not prepared for how... It's a very subtle and extraordinary kind of beauty, isn't it?
0:32:01 > 0:32:05- Yes, it is.- What is it about this kind of living that you like?
0:32:05 > 0:32:07Or do you think you are an unusual person...
0:32:07 > 0:32:09you don't like the human race?
0:32:09 > 0:32:11I think I'm not unusual.
0:32:11 > 0:32:17I think most men that live in Alaska want to do this same thing.
0:32:17 > 0:32:18It gets into your soul, does it?
0:32:18 > 0:32:23Yes. I'm only being blessed because I was able to find the land,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26and I got a great wife that will live in the wilderness,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28who will live out here with me.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33So what's your attitude towards the rest of the United States of America? How do you refer to it?
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Do you call it "the mainland"?
0:32:35 > 0:32:37"The Lower 48".
0:32:37 > 0:32:39The Lower 48?
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Is that contemptuous?
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Oh I don't... That's what we call it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49The Lower 48. You know, we're up north, they're down the lower 48.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50That's true.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52So what have we got here? Is this bait?
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Yeah, this is bait. It's herring.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I've cut it and salted it.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02And then we've got a jig there with a single little squid.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06- Little plastic squid.- If the bait falls off, we've still got the squid.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- That's clever.- The one thing I don't have down here is hot running water.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14You've just wiped your hands in freezing sea-water.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- Smell them!- I suppose it's better than having them fishy.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- Smell it? Smell it?- Yes, charming.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- Hang on here a minute, we're going to move over to our spot.- Oh, OK.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Come on, fishy...
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Come on, halibut, just for the hell of it!
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Just for the halibut... how big can a halibut get?
0:33:32 > 0:33:35I think the record sport-caught is out in Dutch Harbor...
0:33:35 > 0:33:38it's real close to 500 pounds.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43- Good gracious me! - You get me out here. I miss my cabin!
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I'm sure I can... I'm sure I can feel something.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50- How do I reel it in?- Just spin.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52- Shall I pull it up?- Yeah, yeah.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Bring it in. See what we've got here.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Most definitely... I can see it!
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- Oh, what is it? - Oh, it's an Irish lord.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Has it any idea how ugly it is?
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Yeah, I think it does. Here, go ahead and bring it to me.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Ugly beast. Surely you can't eat that.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Oh, sorry.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- Is that edible? - Um, I usually don't eat them.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- So he lives in the deep?- Yeah.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18I've found that generally speaking, the fish, the lower down they are...
0:34:18 > 0:34:22- The uglier they are?- They don't need to be pretty because...
0:34:22 > 0:34:23Look, what are you?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26You silly thing! Oh, an Irish lord?
0:34:26 > 0:34:31Irish lord. They've got a few mechanisms here that kind of hurt.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Yes, a lot of spikes going on.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35See, these are spines.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41Oh, yeah, if you get those stuck on you, they're really kind of poisonous.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Goodbye, Irish lord,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46and bless you.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50There he goes!
0:34:52 > 0:34:59Leaving my lucky lord and happy Lee behind, I'm heading north a thousand miles to Barrow.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Perched on the Chukchi Sea area of the Arctic ocean,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08it's almost entirely inhabited by Inuit people called the Inupiat.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40I've come as far north on my journey as I can.
0:35:40 > 0:35:46In fact, I've come to the farthest north city in all of America.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49It's called Barrow. It's more of a village really.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51It's right within the Arctic circle.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Behind me the sea is frozen.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56This looks like a desolate place.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00It's certainly as far north as I've ever been or would ever want to go,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04and as cold as I've ever been or would want to be, but despite appearances,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07this is a very exciting time of year for Barrow,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10because the sea is actually breaking up,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12and that means a great deal around here.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18'Henry Kiniak is captain of one of Barrow's whaling boats that are allowed by international law
0:36:18 > 0:36:22'to hunt the bowhead and beluga whales that cruise these Arctic seas.'
0:36:22 > 0:36:28Inupiat people are entitled to hunt for whales but no-one else is in this area, is that right?
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I think 10 communities that can whale.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Right. And how many are you allowed to capture in one year?
0:36:34 > 0:36:37In one year we can...
0:36:37 > 0:36:39they gave us 22 strikes.
0:36:39 > 0:36:44So it's not as if you are slaughtering huge pods of whales, are you?
0:36:44 > 0:36:47We don't call it slaughtering.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- We are feeding the community.- Yes.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52You know, to me...
0:36:53 > 0:36:59I thought that my mom and my dad breeded me for hunting.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01When we are whaling, this is what we use.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Oh, my goodness!
0:37:03 > 0:37:05It's a whalegun.
0:37:05 > 0:37:06A whalegun?
0:37:06 > 0:37:08It's so heavy!
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- It weighs about 60 pounds.- 60 pounds!
0:37:12 > 0:37:19There's a propellant charge that's...a primer, like a primer.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24- Oh, I see.- And then from there, then the shell is about this big.
0:37:24 > 0:37:25Oh, my goodness!
0:37:25 > 0:37:27What's the best part of the whale?
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- Everything is the best. - You love it all.- Yes.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34There's different ways that you could eat it. You could eat it raw, frozen.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- You could cook it. You could ferment it.- Really?- Yeah.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43And the fermenting is "mikiup"...
0:37:43 > 0:37:44that's what they call it.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47And you let it age for about a week.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49All my kids love it. And me.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51The whole family.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56- It is getting kind of warm, because this time of the year it would be really, really cold.- Oh, really?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- You don't call this cold, then?- No.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02To us, it's kind of warm.
0:38:03 > 0:38:0620 past 8 in the evening...
0:38:06 > 0:38:08And the sun is still out.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10And how long will it stay light for?
0:38:10 > 0:38:16Right now it stays nice and bright until...October.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20- Good lord. And it stays bright all through the night?- Yeah.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22So it never sets?
0:38:22 > 0:38:27If it's winter when of course there's no sun at all, do you ever go out?
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Yeah, we have to go out.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33It doesn't matter if it's day or night.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39You know, we go caribou hunting in the winter and sometimes it gets dark.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41And do you find your way by the stars, then?
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Yeah. Stars, or GPS!
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Modern technology!
0:38:53 > 0:38:59Henry, one thing that Alaska is becoming famous for also is oil and gas.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01The oil companies been coming up here,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05talking to the whaling captains and the community,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10- and they want to try to drill here on the ocean.- Really?
0:39:10 > 0:39:15I say no to it because this is our food, this is our livelihood right here.
0:39:15 > 0:39:22If something happened and the oil rig or something breaks down and oil starts coming...
0:39:22 > 0:39:24it would contaminate our food.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Our garden.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Yes, your garden. That's a very good way of putting it.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31A cold, wet garden.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37'The wind changes direction and threatens to break up the frozen sea.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41'The fragile sealskin boats are easily crushed by breaking ice.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45'Thoughts of finding a bowhead whale are shelved for the time being,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47'as everyone scrambles to get back to land.'
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Right now, this is not a good time to try to harvest the whale in these conditions,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10because of the west wind and the currents keep changing.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I can see the white on the horizon.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14It's kicking up waves, isn't it?
0:40:14 > 0:40:16And the flocks of birds are coming in here.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18We call them eider ducks.
0:40:18 > 0:40:24Eider ducks. Famous for their feathers, making good quilts.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26- Eiderdown.- Oh, yes. Good eating too.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29- Are they?- Yes, they're the best!
0:40:32 > 0:40:36When we harvest that whale, we work all night.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40It takes about 24 hours, by the time we are done with a whole whale.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45How do you hide the smell from the bears, because they have an amazing sense of smell?
0:40:45 > 0:40:46Well, that's the thing. We can't.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50They come to the area where we're butchering, and we give them a warning.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54We give them a warning shot and if they don't acknowledge it,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57we shoot them right there to protect the rest of the people.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00That's how dangerous they are. They're a supernatural being.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Just one blow, it can crush your skull.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Just like how they do it with the seals.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09One blow, that's all it takes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11So what do you do if you don't have a rifle?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Well, you hightail and run!
0:41:13 > 0:41:16On a snow machine, or literally with your legs?
0:41:16 > 0:41:20A snow machine or boat. Sometimes we got chased before.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28There will be no whales today, but over the three-month season,
0:41:28 > 0:41:34the Inupiat will harvest their allotted 22 bowheads, enough to tide them over the long winter.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49Well, if I seem a little inappropriately dressed for the Arctic Circle, it's because
0:41:49 > 0:41:54I'm saying farewell to Barrow, northernmost city of the United States.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58And I'm going to say hello to the southernmost part of the United States.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I'm on my way to Hawaii,
0:42:00 > 0:42:06which is apparently 3,450 miles in that direction.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12MUSIC: Theme from "Hawaii Five-O"
0:42:38 > 0:42:42'On Honolulu's famed Waikiki Beach on the Island of Oahu,
0:42:42 > 0:42:47'I ingeniously disguise myself as an absurdly-dressed overweight tourist
0:42:47 > 0:42:51'for a meeting with Terry Pennington, a private investigator.'
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Is there a noticeably dark side to paradise here?
0:42:53 > 0:42:58Well, I guess there is, like there is in any US city.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03There's an element of crime and drugs and prostitution,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- government corruption.- Really?
0:43:06 > 0:43:08We do a fair amount of criminal defence work.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Are they often innocent, or can't you tell me that?
0:43:11 > 0:43:17I would have to say more often than not, they have actually participated in some degree or another.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19But you might be able to reduce the sentence?
0:43:19 > 0:43:24Right, right. But they have the right to a fair trial and we do our bit.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26I guess, for me...
0:43:28 > 0:43:31the reward, or what I enjoy in the job, is helping people.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35Yeah, I suppose if I was to imagine trying to do your job,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39the thing one would most find pleasure in would be finding a missing person for a family.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42- Is that something you've done? - Many times.- Really?
0:43:42 > 0:43:46We found a homeless guy from the mainland who was
0:43:46 > 0:43:50actually an heir to a multi-million dollar fortune, and he...
0:43:50 > 0:43:51You're kidding me!
0:43:51 > 0:43:5715 million had been put in trust for this kid, but he couldn't handle the money.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00He would end up using it on drugs and alcohol...
0:44:00 > 0:44:03So are there many down-and-outs in Hawaii?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06You know, like any city, there's a fair amount.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10I think what attracts more to Hawaii is the warm climate.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13I mean, the beautiful scenery, you can essentially live on the beach here.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15But you need the money to jet over here.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20Well, you do. And at times in the past, we've discovered
0:44:20 > 0:44:23different governments, municipalities on the mainland,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25to get rid of their homeless problem,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28were actually sticking a plane ticket in homeless people's hands.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Dropping them off at the airport...
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Go to Hawaii but don't sit on the sidewalk selling false watches!
0:44:34 > 0:44:37- It's a one-way ticket.- Yes.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40- Well, it could be worse. - It could be worse.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44On the other side of the island from Waikiki, the north shore,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48there's a more relaxed ethos, but there's no relaxing for me.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Well, this is a first for me. I've never swum with sharks before.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58I've been in a boardroom full of television executives,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00which is not that far off.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02You don't throw them fish, though.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Hob-Nobs yes, but fish, no. I may try that in the future, if it works.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11So wish me luck. I have to confess, I'm a little nervous.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13- Right, thank you. - Take a deep breath.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18'Joe Pavcek, an ex-PI and friend of Terry, has been running shark tours for over a decade.
0:45:18 > 0:45:23'He says these Galapagos sharks are docile. Docile?!
0:45:23 > 0:45:29'They eat seals even bigger and blubberier than me, for goodness sake!'
0:45:29 > 0:45:30Say goodbye to the people.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Goodbye, everybody.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- Right.- It's been nice being your host for how many years?
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Quite. I'm not very good with snorkels either.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40I tend to drown - well, gulp.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45That's a dry snorkel, so you won't get water in it.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46Just float it to the other side.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Shoot to the back and grab on to the bar.
0:45:51 > 0:45:52That's right.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09There are sharks there,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11believe me!
0:46:31 > 0:46:33They're very close to the cage.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Hey, Steve,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- are you scared?- Sorry? - Are you afraid?- No.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Isn't it great how you transform?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Yeah, absolutely. I have to say.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14It's not frightening at all. It's...
0:47:14 > 0:47:18just beautiful. They're wonderful animals.
0:47:18 > 0:47:19Really wonderful.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27Joe, when did you first come to Hawaii?
0:47:27 > 0:47:30I moved here in 1969 from San Diego.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32In 1969?
0:47:32 > 0:47:35I'm only 27!
0:47:35 > 0:47:41In 1969, I guess it was a lot less developed, especially on the south side of Oahu?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45Especially on the south. There's so much development that has gone on over there.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48It's kind of an island divided into two, isn't it?
0:47:48 > 0:47:53- North shore and south shore.- And we're on the north shore, and you're a north shore kind of a guy, yeah?
0:47:53 > 0:47:56- Well, this is country. - In fact I'm wearing this T-shirt...
0:47:56 > 0:48:00defend Oahu...and it's all about the country on the back it says,
0:48:00 > 0:48:05because it's constantly under threat from the kind of development that's ruined Waikiki.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Well, since we've lost our sugar cane and pineapple,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11all the developers eyeballing all this land.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Right there, you can see, everything would be ocean view.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Yeah. That's so beautiful. So do you think you've got a chance, though?
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Of sticking it and keeping this place free from development?
0:48:24 > 0:48:25- No.- Really?
0:48:25 > 0:48:28Have you seen any place that's been free from development?
0:48:28 > 0:48:33I think, alas, Joe is not being unduly pessimistic.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36It's the curse of tourism to destroy what it most desires.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Hawaii survives on tourism and with good reason.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44Its 19 islands, the tips of a mighty chain of volcanic mountains,
0:48:44 > 0:48:47are all staggeringly beautiful and surprisingly different.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51A short but incredibly scary flight from Oahu,
0:48:51 > 0:48:53and I'm approaching the dramatic coast of Kauai,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56the oldest of the islands,
0:48:56 > 0:48:58and to many, the most Polynesian of them all.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01Titus Kinimaka is a native of Kauai,
0:49:01 > 0:49:06and a celebrated champion surfer and mean plucker of the ukelele.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09TITUS PLAYS UKELELE
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- Lovely, isn't it?- It is just heaven.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45It's really a special place.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Kauai is...very special.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52And in Hawaii, of all these islands, the first island out of the sea.
0:49:52 > 0:49:58This island has been populated by Hawaiians for thousands of years.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00You're also part of America.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05Yeah, we've become very, er, "civilised".
0:50:05 > 0:50:10Do you feel American? If someone asked you what your nationality was, would you say American?
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Er... I'm Hawaiian, and I will always be Hawaiian.
0:50:14 > 0:50:22And my family, I can trace back my family about...500 years.
0:50:22 > 0:50:23Really? So that's before...
0:50:23 > 0:50:25And our family's from Kauai.
0:50:25 > 0:50:30So that's before the British, which I notice is still in the Hawaiian flag,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Captain Cook, before he arrived?
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Captain Cook, he was probably the one that started it all, yeah.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Yes, I apologise for that. And then do you know,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40after him it was Thomas Cook, the holiday man.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44You know, they came over here...
0:50:44 > 0:50:46I believe in timing, you know.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49I guess they had bad timing.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52- He ended up in the pot. - He did, didn't he.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Yes, the first time he came here he was welcomed. The second time, eaten.
0:50:56 > 0:51:01'But the cooking of Cook didn't deter tourists for long.'
0:51:01 > 0:51:04All round the world you see local people who are courting the fact
0:51:04 > 0:51:08that tourism does bring in instant cash and therefore is very tempting.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11And then on the other hand, it completely changes the very thing
0:51:11 > 0:51:14that was special to them and to the rest of the world.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Exactly, which is the values that we should, all us Hawaiians
0:51:19 > 0:51:25hang on to, because as soon as there's a hurricane here in Hawaii, everybody's gone.
0:51:25 > 0:51:31Everybody who supposedly lives here in Kuaui goes back home to wherever they've come from.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35So they've got another house somewhere else, but we're still here.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38So do you resent that because obviously rich people...
0:51:38 > 0:51:41No, I don't resent that. I don't resent that.
0:51:41 > 0:51:47I just...like to make it clear that I know that when storms come,
0:51:47 > 0:51:49everybody else has a place to go.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52- It's a definition of a fairweather friend.- Exactly.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56'Titus inveigles me to join up with some of his family
0:51:56 > 0:51:57'for a quick paddle to his home,
0:51:57 > 0:52:01'on one of the most stunning beaches I've ever been to.'
0:52:01 > 0:52:05It's quite hard to resist humming the theme tune from Hawaii Five-O,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08which everybody does, of course.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10It's a terrible cliche, but it's hard to resist.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14No, that's it. That's what everybody can relate to in the world.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16It's Hawaii Five-O and canoe paddling.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Yeah, you're actually doing it.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22That's it. I never thought the day would come.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Oh! I like that.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40- Thank you for that. - A hike and a paddle.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43A hike and a paddle. What a day!
0:52:44 > 0:52:49'Polynesian hospitality requires Titus to prepare a traditional Hula.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52'That means singing, dancing and the obligatory piglet.'
0:52:52 > 0:52:55It's not like you go to the office every day.
0:52:55 > 0:52:56This actually is your life.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59This is how people live, with music and food.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Yes, this is magic. Look at this.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05It sometimes gets as cold as 72 degrees, doesn't it?
0:53:05 > 0:53:08That's bad. It gets chilly, man, I have to put a long-sleeved shirt on.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12A long-sleeved shirt?! Well, there, that's the reason I have to leave.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16I couldn't possibly live in a place where I'd have to wear a long-sleeved shirt.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Yeah, it's hard.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22But we try to endure it.
0:53:22 > 0:53:23You lucky swine.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Talking of swine, shall we have some more of this?
0:53:40 > 0:53:44Big Island is, as its name suggests, the biggest island of the archipelago,
0:53:44 > 0:53:47and it's also the most recent.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52The tallest of its five volcanos, Mauna Kea,
0:53:52 > 0:53:56rises 14,000 feet above sea level.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59High above the clouds and the distorting effects of
0:53:59 > 0:54:05the earth's atmosphere, it is one of the very best places on the planet from which to observe the heavens.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17The Keck observatory has the largest optical telescope in the world.
0:54:17 > 0:54:23Its stereoscopic lens allows it to probe deep into space to the very origins of the universe,
0:54:23 > 0:54:28which is why astrophysicist Alex Filipenko loves the place so much
0:54:28 > 0:54:30that he even got married here.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Let me show you the most powerful explosion we've ever found.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Oh, yes, please.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41OK. This is a fabulous one. Watch the star.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Before it exploded, it actually had a double ejection like this.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48This was not the end of its life.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52That was an explosion before the end.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54There's the explosion at the end.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58So those two sort of, like bags, what are they?
0:54:58 > 0:55:02They're lobes of debris.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04Double lobes.
0:55:04 > 0:55:11This star ejected maybe 10 or 20 years before its colossal death.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13So there is this relatively gentle ejection.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17- That's relatively gentle.- Wouldn't want to be in the middle of it!
0:55:17 > 0:55:21And then a colossal explosion, just bam! Right?
0:55:21 > 0:55:26Not only are they billions of times more powerful than the sun,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28but they're crucial for life as we know it.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Did you realise that the heavy elements of which you are made,
0:55:32 > 0:55:33the carbon in your cells,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35the calcium in your bones,
0:55:35 > 0:55:39the oxygen that you breathe, the iron in your red blood cells...
0:55:39 > 0:55:44all of those elements were cooked up in the nuclear furnaces deep inside
0:55:44 > 0:55:49stars, and then blown out into the cosmos by these colossal explosions.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53So you, as Carl Sagan used to say, are made of star stuff.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Are you an optimist about Man's place in the universe?
0:55:56 > 0:56:01Do you think that we'll screw it up before we get a chance to save it, or save it before we screw it up?
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Well, that's the million dollar question.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06One depressing possibility
0:56:06 > 0:56:13that explains why we haven't found any clear signals from any extraterrestrials
0:56:13 > 0:56:19is that something that comes along with higher intelligence is this self-destructive ability.
0:56:19 > 0:56:25So what if civilisations out there, the intelligent ones, just go flash in the night?
0:56:25 > 0:56:28They don't last long enough to explore the rest of our Milky Way galaxy.
0:56:28 > 0:56:33Maybe cultures and societies are like the systems you discover, they have their supernovas too?
0:56:33 > 0:56:39Well, I'm hoping that humans will overcome their difficulties and will last a very, very long time.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44And will someday go out and populate planetary systems around other stars.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50'I leave Alex and his wonderful and very American sense of optimism
0:56:50 > 0:56:57'for a flight over the lava fields that are still spewing forth molten rock that cools to form new land.'
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Wow, that's extraordinary.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Nature's furnace.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10You can see why people used to believe in Hell.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13It looks like the entrance to the underworld, doesn't it?
0:57:14 > 0:57:16And you'll have to take my word for it,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19you can actually feel the heat from up here.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28I've never seen anything like that in my life.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37Well, here my journey has to end because here America ends.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41This is as far south as you can get in the whole United States.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44Actually you know, America doesn't end here.
0:57:45 > 0:57:50Because new America is being made all the time by these extraordinary volcanic forces.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55In fact in the last six weeks, a whole 20 acres of new America was made.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58It's a country that's constantly being re-born.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04'Looking down on the geological melting pot of America,
0:58:04 > 0:58:11'I think back over the weeks of this astonishing journey through 50 states of being.
0:58:11 > 0:58:17'United or not, a force for good or ill, they make up the United States Of America,
0:58:17 > 0:58:22'a land of matchless variety, beauty, energy and life.'
0:58:38 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:42 > 0:58:44E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk