In the winter of 1985 I was driving through the Mojave Desert with a friend, talking about our apparent need for new river gear. As we passed the Twenty Nine Palms Marine Base, a man unexpectedly appeared on the side of the road selling used ammo cans. My friend and I laughed wildly and quickly came to realize that the moment was "All In A Days' Karma". This blog contains the occasional ramblings of a died-in-the-wool westerner who loves seeing, understanding, and being alive upon these landscapes. I cherish the moments of bliss and irony that come to all of us as we explore the planet and its residents (and perhaps visitors) in the short time we are here.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Phantom Ranch

This 9 minute video captures some of the magic to be found at Phantom Ranch - one of my top three favorite places in the world. Kick back and enjoy the wonder of it all.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Video of Pompeii's Destruction

Watch this 8 minute video from Australia's Melbourne Museum of the the city of Pompeii being destroyed in 79 AD.




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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Depression Era Photos from Around the USA

Check these out: http://photogrammar.yale.edu/map/

The corner of Route 66 and San Francisco St. in downtown Flagstaff, AZ in March, 1943
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

The Grand Canyon Escalade? Hopefully Never!

A travesty in the making:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/opinion/sunday/two-development-projects-threaten-the-grand-canyon.html?_r=0

Drawing by Simon Roussin

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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The Nature Conservancy Stands Up For The Colorado River


You will love seeing this video production by Peter McBride on the Colorado River.
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Monday, June 30, 2014

Phil Collins (Genesis) Donates Western Memorabilia

I am a huge fan of the band Genesis. Recently, Phil Collins donated his entire collection of Alamo 
memorabilia. 
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Monday, June 23, 2014

Taos, New Mexico - The Renaming of the City's Kit Carson Memorial Park

Kit Carson
An interesting row has blossomed in Taos, New Mexico regarding the name on the city park. It was recently changed from Kit Carson Memorial Park to Red Willow Park. The Albuquerque Journal ran a bang-up article about the fracas here. (You might have to answer a silly question to read the article and see the photographs).

I read the book mentioned, "Blood and Thunder," by Hampton Sides and found it to be a fair treatment of all sides involved. I liked the book and highly recommend it if you like Western history. It is not biased toward any one side.

Atrocities were committed on both sides of the "Indian Wars." Kit Carson was genuinely conflicted about how to deal with the Native peoples of the US. It is a complex issue.

Perhaps the tribes who advocated for the name change can issue some kind of statement to the effect that the name change was not undertaken to demean or denigrate Kit Carson per se, but meant only to remove the controversy from the name of the park. Kit Carson did some things to promote the good of Native Americans and using selected deeds from his life serves only to forget the rich and complex history involved with this time period. Read the book!
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