With almost every snowstorm, Local TV stations send their trucks to Blue Canyon in Placer County on Interstate 80 to transmit a live shot back to their studios in Sacramento. Although occasionally some veteran reporters have to pull the duty, it’s usually of a young newbie standing out in the cold darkness with the snow pouring down. From there they report on predicted snowfall and traffic and ski conditions.
(Camera: Canon 20D. Lens: Canon 17-55mm @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/250th sec. @ f/4. ISO: 100)
I’ve always wondered why it seems all the channels choose Blue Canyon. Is there a meteorological weather station there? Maybe there’s some sort of historical significance, like the Donner Party finally finding its way out of the wilderness or something like that. Or perhaps it’s a place of mystical allure like some new-agers see in Mount Shasta. The answer is much more mundane.
I talked with KCRA 3 cameraman Will Heryford, and he told me that Blue Canyon, with an elevation of more than 5,200 feet, is chosen because it’s the farthest east you can go and still have the ability to send a microwave signal back to the studio. Also that portion of the highway has a wide shoulder for truckers to pull over to check their brakes, which makes it ideal for the TV stations’ live trucks to park and transmit.
(Camera: Canon 20D. Lens: Canon 17-55mm @ 40mm. Exposure: 1/250th sec. @ f/4. ISO: 100)
On the way back from my family’s recent snow day at Soda Springs, I was a bit curious, so we made a brief stop at Blue Canyon. Most of the reporters do their live “stand-ups” in the dead of night so they probably don’t see further than their camera’s lights. I looked out onto the vista and saw a gorgeous landscape. The sun was setting in the west and a warm glow started to fill the sky. Snow powdered the ground and trees, and across the ravine patches of white dotted a sea of pine trees. A slight wisp of a cloud swirled by.
Perhaps for the TV stations Blue Canyon is just a wide spot in the road from which they can send a signal, but there is a certain magical natural beauty to the place that their broadcasts don’t show.
