Five great adventure travel videos and songs from Youtube

November 4, 10:59 PMChicago Adventure Travel ExaminerTed Nelson

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music and travel definitely go together
original photo by Ted Nelson

Adventure travel and music are two entities that go well together.  I grew up in the back of my family's van listening to my walkman as we went from one park to the other.  Now that I am older I have my trusty XM stereo to listen to or an IPOD as I venture around the midwest in search of good hiking, canoeing, fishing, and adventure in general.  In honor of two of my favorite hobbies I am combining the two here as they definitely go hand-in-hand.

5. Natural Wonder – The Coalmen
This is the only entry on the list from an up and coming group. The Coalmen out of Nashville, Tennessee are a blend of smooth country sound with great guitar work from front man Dave Coleman with his magnificent gretsch guitar. This song is actually about a Kentucky girl, but Coleman’s mom is a long time ranger with the National park service so the metaphor definitely comes from someone with adventure travel in his genes.

4.  Hyena - R.E.M.

The top adventure travel destination is an African safari, and although not one of Africa's big five, the charismatic hyena is definitely on everyone's short list of animals to see while on safari.  The fourth track off of R.E.M.'s seminal Life's Rich Pageant is not one of the bigger hits, but one that true fans love.

3.  Mother Nature's Son - The Beatles

From the Beatle's White Album this is a song that gets overlooked although it was covered by the man who is number two on the list.  This song is not high on the Beatle song list radar because of their huge mountain of work plus this song is on side three of the White Album.  Many people listen to Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, and all the other classics on side one and two and many times pass on side three and four.  With lyrics like "sit beside a mountain stream, see her water's rise, listen to the sound of pretty music as she flies," is is a shame it is under the radar for a Beatle song.

2.  Rocky Mountain High - John Denver

If there is such a thing as a genre for adventure travel music it starts with this man.  Country Roads is another song that could easily of made the list as well as a number of other great ones.  John Denver was also way ahead of his time as far as the green movement and protecting the environment.  He pretty much sums up adventure travel when he said "you know he would be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly."

1.  In God's Country  - U2

If there is a cliche in adventure travel writing it is calling a place "god's country."  Ever since Old Style introduced the term in order to trick us that their beer was made with pure water everyone has borrowed the term to apply to a place of natural beauty.  The term is no cliche when Bono is singing and the Edge is laying down his signature guitar sound.