Long before the sun came up over the Four Corners Monument on Monday, about 1,000 people from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah huddled in the cold for their chance at a few seconds of camera time and a glimpse of America’s most famous weatherman: NBC’s Al Roker.
“We’ve been watching him since we were kids,” said Lynn Yazzie, of Shiprock, who drove over to the monument with friend Lakota Benally and three sleepy-eyed children, Tylynn, Denette and Diego Yazzie. “We’ve been up since 2 a.m.”
Among the mass of Colorado attendees were about 10 Osprey Packs employees, outfitted with company gear and colorful handmade signs in true “Today” show fashion.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” said Osprey employee Crystal Tyndall, of Dolores. “We’re so excited.”
Also representing Colorado were several members of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. Rosalina Tom drove up to the monument with her cousins from Towaoc to take part in the early morning filming.
“I watch him every morning, I’m very excited. ... I haven’t seen him yet,” said Rosalina Tom, of Towaoc, bundled up behind the crowd.
Mark and Kathy Stieglitz, of Albuquerque, drove through the night for their chance to get their “Flat Brice” – a cardboard puppet featuring their grandson Brice’s face – in a photo with Roker.
“Our Flat Brice has come with us all over this summer on vacation, and we wanted to come up and get a chance to get a photo of him with Al,” said Kathy.
As of 4:30 a.m., the two hadn’t had any luck getting screentime with Roker, but they weren’t giving up.
Roker’s visit to the Four Corners Monument is a part of his Rokerthon 2 extravaganza. On what NBC called”Monster Monday,” the network said Roker had 13 states on his itinerary: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. He covered Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado at the Four Corners Monument.
The “Today” show personality is again completing a marathon 34-hour weather forecast, with plans to report from all 50 states within a week. His quest began Friday in Honolulu. If successful, he’ll try to have it certified as a Guiness World Record.
The “Today” show personality, a year after completing a marathon 34-hour weather forecast, plans to give reports from all 50 states within a week starting last Friday. If successful, he’ll try to have it certified as a Guinness World Record, not that anyone has done it before him.
NBC hoped for a huge crowd from each of the states to greeting Roker during his weather broadcast at the Four Corners Monument on Monday, Nov. 9 from 5 to 8:14 a.m. NBC and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe requested that each of the four states be represented by its Native American traditional/cultural during the event.