Every day, a long line of black ants marches hopelessly skyward. They climb to the top of a great hill, disappear behind it, then momentarily reappear to make their way back down. The ants have nothing to gain,...
MEXICAN HAT, Utah — I just wanted to write that dateline. “What a racist name for a town,” I thought, before looking up. “Well…I guess it really does look like a Mexican hat.” The founders could have gone with “sombrero,”...
There are places where the broken bones of this country stick up from the soil, where shadows of old wounds and past victories are still laid bare for all to see. These are the places where you can...
Thunder and lightning rolled through the campsite. Rain and wind pounded the windows of my car, and I was glad. “Criminals are lazy,” I thought. “The weather will keep them away.” The reality is that I probably had...
The valley lies in the shadow of the Black Mountains. Its name is Death. If you go there, your skin will scorch. You will roast in the triple digit sun. You will look for desolation, and you will...
Round 1— The fight began early. I struck the first blow while the night was strong: a daring, pre-dawn assault on the lower 48’s highest peak. It started at 7,800 feet. Crashing waterfalls greeted me in the dark,...
A raven greeted me at the gate. The view of Yosemite — like a great blade sliced the Earth and shattered itself into a thousand shimmering pieces on the valley— took my breathe away. Or, maybe it was the altitude:...
It didn’t feel right…leaving without saying goodbye. So I turned the car around, pointed south down the 101 for the final time, and I went to say farewell. She’s been with me for over a week now—the Pacific....
I wandered into the heart of a battle, but the warning came too late. “Big Sur is burning,” the radio crackled. “There’s fire all over the place.” I already knew. I knew because before the morning voice broke...
“Western Australia,” she said. “Perth?” I replied. “Perfect,” I told the stranger. “We were looking for Australians.” We were looking for Aussies because our motley crew of travelers had already gathered an Olympic level of nomads: Irish, English,...
