Our lives have become incredibly homogenized. On a daily basis, many of us leave our cracker box, high rise apartments or condos and cookie cutter, well-manicured subdivision homes, marching off to our monotonous careers, eating at the same chain restaurants, shopping at the same chain stores, and vacationing at the same tourist traps. Tragically, we often fail to open our eyes and realize this country of ours is teaming with unappreciated natural beauty and diversity. Cinematographer David Fortney has done us tremendous service by capturing some of the most amazing visuals of life within our National Parks. From mountains, forests, and deserts to rivers, lakes, and oceans, these National treasures are beautiful to behold. Fortney's mix of aerial, still, and time lapse photography transport us from the comfort of our living rooms to Death Valley to witness the passing of a thunderstorm, to Joshua Tree where we marvel at the age old rock formations, to Redwood where the majesty of its resident trees dwarf all other surroundings, to the Grand Canyon where the hand of mother nature herself has carved indescribable artwork over thousands of years. Our 45 minute journey takes us through 18 different National Parks -- Arches, Banff, Bryce, Canyonlands, Death Valley, Denali, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Jasper, Joshua Tree, Olympic, Pt. Lobos, Redwood, Salt Point, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion -- each with its own unique and distinct architecture and splendor. This is a trip everyone can and should experience, granting us a much needed perspective that we are merely one small part of something much larger, grander, and more important.

Our lives have become incredibly homogenized. On a daily basis, many of us ...