Eye to Eye With a Rattlesnake When my Canadian friend told me she wanted to see a chuckwalla, I knew exactly where to take her: the Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) round-trip hike with about 660 feet (200 m) of elevation gain, and in my experience, […]
When the Desert’s Timing Goes Off In early spring I was showing a friend the Hi-View Trail at Black Rock Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park. I like this trail: it’s easily accessible, doesn’t require a national park pass, and there are bathrooms. There are several access points, and the trail often gets shown as […]
California lawmakers have passed a historic bill (Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act) to permanently protect the western Joshua tree, making it the first law in the state aimed at safeguarding a species threatened by climate change. The legislation, part of the state budget agreement, is expected to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and take […]
I was reading what I wrote back in October last year about how I needed to step away from the noise and it dawned on me that I actually never truly did step away. In the 9 months since that post, I moved, changed jobs, and never really slowed down. With mental health as such […]
I had to cancel photo shoot plans in Joshua Tree National Park this past weekend due to rain and wind rolling into the Coachella and Yucca Valleys. It wasn’t quite as sad as it may sound. We don’t get a lot of rain here in the Coachella Valley. In fact, we had 209 days without […]
Cleaning up some areas of my desk and drawers, I came across this poem by Marlene Seven Bremner written last year for me on National Poetry Month at the Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA. It still feels as relevant as last year.
We have been flooded with information, noise since February. And it’s gotten louder and louder throughout the year. Part of me can’t believe it’s October already, Where has the time gone? Drowned out in noise, anxiety, so-called “productivity”. I haven’t felt productive this year at all. Yes, I am one of the lucky ones whose […]
As many of you, I find myself with more time on my hand on weekends during the Covid-19 pandemic. After spending the first few weeks getting settled into a new routine, I am now getting back to a more healthy routine, because no one wants to add the ‘quarantine 15’! My new weekly quest is […]
The race started early in the morning. The moon was still up. The sun was slowly climbing up its way on the horizon. It was a beautiful day. Then the next hour and 12 minutes was a slow uphill battle over 3.7 miles (6km), gaining 2,000 feet in elevation. Slowly moving past the sign that […]
I know, right? Why didn’t we come up with this idea? I seriously need to work on my “world famous” art. What world famous thing could I create? The World Famous Crochet Museum was created in 2006 by the artist Shari Elf and is located in the town of Joshua Tree in California, just opposite […]
I signed up for a 5k race in Huntington Beach last year. Race day finally came. This year. It’s been a long and busy summer and I just wasn’t in the mood for running a race. Well, you already know the ending of this story: I ran the race, loved it, and signed up for […]
As I am driving east on Highway 62, leaving Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park behind me, there is nothing left in my view, just a long road through the desert. A few minutes in I see a sign on the side of the road saying “Glass Outhouse Art Gallery OPEN“. I just have […]