Red Rock Writer

8 Ways on How NOT to Die in the Southern Utah Desert

2010-08-18T22:59:00.005-06:00

There are two remarkably simple yet easily prevented ways to die in the desert during the hot summer months. (Check out Craig Childs' fascinating book on this subject for more in-depth analysis and tales.) 1) Thirst 2) Drowning The first one seems obvious, of course. Deserts = dry, godforsaken places in most minds. But are you remotely surprised by #2? Then read on. My desert home rests at

It's Thundering...Must be Summer

2010-07-30T13:01:00.000-06:00

I love the midsummer thunderstorms we get here. They're huge, awesome, loud, rolling, drenching, dark, kind of scary sometimes. Looks like another great one is building right up this afternoon over the Boulder. If I get any good pictures I'll post them. I almost got out the other day during a big storm to see if anything was flashing that I might photograph, but that didn't pan out. It would be

and the seasons, they go round n' round...

2010-04-05T22:47:00.000-06:00

Ah. So much, recently. Too much for here. But a few things in my life are as thus: My Babcia, my grandmother, died on Good Friday. I think she would have been highly pleased by the fact that Pope John Paul II also died on Good Friday, five years ago. I'm not as happy at the moment. Of course, I want more time with her. Have recriminations. Wish some things had gone differently. Want to hug her

introducing a new blog!

2010-03-19T20:46:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in another post that I would soon be sharing another blog with the world. (To be more precise, with all 14 of you faithful readers out there. Hee.) Anyway...drumroll please.... Introducing my NileGuide Blog! I am super stoked about this. The folks over at Nile Guide have been nothing but enthusiastic, helpful, fun, and supportive of their Local Experts. (Such as moi. Hey,

when things fall apart...

2010-03-14T14:41:00.010-06:00

...I feel like dogshit. Sigh. This is going to be one of those personal posts, a revelation that I am indeed a human being, complete with warts, histrionics, bad temper, evil thoughts, tears, fears, helpless anger, and ridiculously faithful hope. Beware: ramble ahead! When I consider everything that I do, want to do, and

holy snowfall, batman

2010-03-08T07:57:00.006-07:00

Wow. We are getting hammered here in southern Utah! I woke up yesterday morning to five fresh inches...which mostly melted by afternoon, leaving a soupy, muddy bentonite mess out there. Went on a walk with Pip and we slogged through much muck. My NEOs are still in my truck, wrapped in plastic and by-now-hardened red mud.So imagine my, ah, surprise when I got up this morning, staggered out into

get out into the snow

2010-03-02T12:17:00.007-07:00

Winter Hiking Tips & Tricks 101 Hiking in the winter? In snow? In cold? Can you even find the trail? Yes, yes, yes, and (sometimes) yes. Really! And you don't even have to be Davy Crockett. The key, however, is to do it the old-fashioned way: using your two personal sherpas, otherwise known as your legs. Wintertime exploration on foot is a sublime experience. Why? 1) Unlike a ski resort,

Things I Realized While Snowshoeing

2010-02-21T20:04:00.009-07:00

I've gone snowshoeing once or twice before, about a decade ago. I remembered it being hard. Even so, when a friend recently mentioned he was selling his snowshoes, I jumped at the chance to try them out. Lately, my home has been that good ole winter wonderland, and it is driving me nuts that I can't run. Here's what I discovered from my new obsession. 10. Snowshoeing not only really rocks as a

snowy silent morning

2010-02-06T08:44:00.007-07:00

What a spectacular morning. For no good reason whatsoever (well, mind control from Pippin, apparently, who shuffled into the bedroom and stared at me until I got up to let him out), I was awake at 5:30 this morning. I don't mind getting up early, if I've gotten a good night's sleep. That's not necessarily the case today, sigh. But here I am, tapping away at the keyboard.But the main thing I

the only chance we get

2010-02-05T12:06:00.012-07:00

"Life is too short to be living somebody else's dream." (I rather wish this quote wasn't from Hugh Hefner but oh well--apparently, it is.)This quote jumped out at me on Twitter today. As I age, every second and every day, it does strike me that life is indeed short. Shorter than most of us want it to be. My neighbor and good friend, who in a former life was a nurse, once told me that people in

the lessons are tumbling upon me

2010-02-02T20:33:00.003-07:00

Oi...I am once again way behind! In posting on here, on working on my deadlines, in all sorts of things.Well, let me tell you, if I told you about all the madness I recently experienced, you might cast a less disapproving eye upon me. Lessons, lessons everywhere!I went to Hawaii. I went skydiving. I went horseback riding. I stood slack-jawed at pristine white sand beaches lapped by turquoise

Everett Ruess: Iconic Mystery (Still) Everlasting

2009-12-01T19:44:00.001-07:00

Oh, Everett Ruess. Did we ever know you? Did anyone? Such a short life. How many people have revealed all of themselves at 20? I barely know myself yet at twice that age. Yet paeans have been written to the lost poet's name, songs and laments and glorifications. So many projections have been flung upon this poor young man he's probably twitching in his grave, wherever that may be.Everett Ruess,

top 5 reasons to visit Cedar Mesa, Utah

2009-11-22T12:02:00.004-07:00

Sometimes I do lag in posting, don't I? Hard being a freelance writer yet also a lover of the wilderness who adventures a lot! (Ok, ok--I'm also a bit of a procrastinator. Just a bit!)I recently traveled to Mancos, CO, to visit a friend. Great trip...especially the drive over Cedar Mesa. Now, this is an area I have driven through many, many times when I lived in Durango yet felt compelled to

hiking in my southern utah stomping grounds

2009-11-09T22:47:00.006-07:00

I realized I don't much talk about specific hikes around here. Recently, I mentioned Spooky and Peek-a-Boo slot canyons, and those are super cool hikes not to be missed. (As long as you are neither claustrophobic nor well-nourished, as noted.)Last year, I posted pics and raves about how gorgeous Lost Lake, up on the Boulder, is. (This post also somehow morphs into Hillary Clinton, the Milky Way,

a day in my life

2009-11-08T20:32:00.015-07:00

Okay, these would be from several different days, but you get my drift.Have I mentioned yet that I live in paradise and I love my job(s)? Capitol Reef is a really sweet place to call home. See below for verification. ;)Working. Really. (Apparently with a tree growing out of my head, but anyway.) The incredible background of my home behind me, Doc standing very nicely.Pippin hard at work on one of

thoughts on life in a small, rural, mormon town

2009-11-08T08:38:00.006-07:00

Torrey is one of nine towns in Wayne County (WC), Utah. It is inarguably the most "liberal," "open-minded," "accepting" of all the towns here. Why do I use quote marks? Because, dear readers, your definition of those appellations and WC's definition probably vary wildly.Torrey, as I may have noted before, actually has three churches, as opposed to the other towns only having the dominant LDS (

a natural high: drunk on the beauty of the red rocks

2009-11-03T09:01:00.009-07:00

Oh, it is so spectacularly beautiful this morning in Torrey. The sky is a crisp blue, the sun is uncovered, there's a light breeze rustling the changing leaves of the nearly-bare aspen trees, and the red cliffs are just begging to be explored and climbed.Hmm, I've mentioned before that I live in paradise, no? This is a sublime time (ooh, bad rhyme! Ha.) of year to visit. The nights are definitely

the bittersweet season

2009-10-24T14:33:00.004-06:00

It's fall here...I love it, yet it brings an anxious pang to my heart every year. Fall is when the colors burst from the deciduous trees, the sky is even more brilliant blue than usual, and the weather is mostly awesome for hiking in desert canyon land. I can relax...explore...revel in uncrowded beauty here. I made apple pie with the fruit from the trees in my back yard. Leaves are thick on the

shameless self-promotion

2009-10-20T16:31:00.007-06:00

Well, but I'm also promoting southern Utah, the land of my heart and soul. Damn, I'm actually promoting it all over the place, these days. Can't help it, I love this area so much. I want others to love it too...responsibly. (Do you hear me, silly NYT article that did NOT include a useful sidebar telling visitors how to behave when visiting the perilous desert? Grumble. I hold you responsible for

oh, summertime, how I love thee...

2009-08-09T21:48:00.008-06:00

...but how you make my writing suffer! I knew it had been some time since I blogged on here, but I was utterly aghast to realize it'd been almost two months. Mea culpa!!! A thousand times over. Not like I have a huge readership or anything. Yet still, the responsibility hangs heavy on me at the moment.As you may know, in the summer I am paid (paid, I tell you! Miraculous.) to play outside. Ride

don't twig out: the creepy connection between pot hunters & meth

2009-06-16T09:07:00.004-06:00

Ever hear of a "twigger"? Yeah, neither had I, until I read this aptly-titled article ("Drugs, Guns and Dirt") in the March/April issue of Archaeology Magazine. Wow. Twiggers: methamphetamine users (often called "tweakers") who apply the drug's obsessive-compulsive drive to search methodically through archaeological sites, loot them thoroughly, then sell their illegally-gained finds on the black

Peek-A-Boo & Spooky

2009-06-13T11:26:00.013-06:00

No, it's neither a child's game nor time for Halloween. Rather, it's two great little slot canyons, the classic beginner ones that everyone who wants to hike a slot canyon should do. I first hiked them about six years ago, and yesterday had the privilege of taking a friend who had never in her life been in a slot canyon! Lookie here for some of what we experienced:Yes, ooh & aah. That one is

Pot hunting. Yeah, it doesn't pay.

2009-06-11T08:33:00.005-06:00

I firmly, albeit sadly, believe that greed will always be a part of the human condition. I suppose that's not all bad...it leads to lessons, no? But it sure as hell is disappointing most of the time. Take this SLTrib article about looters of ancient artifacts in southeastern Utah. It's a big bust, and it just went down. Hoo-rah!It's aggravating. Annoying. And yet...I feel the oddest little

little green buds

2009-05-26T08:03:00.006-06:00

Ah, Utah. Home to glorious red rock vistas, alpine meadows, sunny blue skies (or tempestuous storms as have lately been visiting us), and...uh...pot farms?Yep. One of the larger busts of a pot plant "grow" was just discovered right by my house (relatively speaking), up on Boulder Mountain in lil' ole Wayne County. There is a rich history of growing marijuana in southern Utah, it seems. (Who knew.

for Ronan

2009-04-29T20:37:00.003-06:00

Ronan, I don't know if you can hear me, but listen to me now: You ARE my family. Peace and amazement to you on your journey, which has come too soon.At last you have departed and gone to the Unseen.What marvelous route did you take from this world?Beating your wings and feathers,you broke free from this cage.Rising up to the skyyou attained the world of the soul.You were a prized falcon trapped