Of course the journey is never really over. I didn't get north of Colorado until we made a side trip to Illinois for a nephew's graduation. Finally back in Montana later in May, I went straight to Yellowstone to watch the red dogs amble and scramble behind their bison mamas (they grow up so fast!). … Continue reading Postscript →

I can't help myself. Even though it's essentially over, even though I'm presumably driving from Santa Fe to Denver, I wander. A side trip reveals the restored Sacred Heart church on the Nambe Pueblo. The high road to Taos revisits an old friend - the well-preserved adobe church at Las Trampas (built in 1751). Finally, … Continue reading 4-27-19 →

My route home curved north of the Painted Desert, through the heart of the Navajo nation. I paused briefly to absorb the history of the Hubbell Trading Post (nearly 150 years old) by stepping into historic buildings filled with blankets and baskets both new and old. At the state line I found Window Rock and … Continue reading 4-26-19 →

A final day in Sedona (not "the" final day, because I will be back!). Leaving the AirBnB, I took a lap past other (false) adobe abodes I've lived in: the Buddha house of many windows, many draped scarves, dirty rooms, and no heat, and the Texan's aerie above the west side. Down canyon to Oak … Continue reading 4-25-19 →

Of all the pueblo ruins in this region - Honanki, Palatki, Montezuma, Walnut Canyon, Tuzigoot - none cast a spell over me like Wupatki. Stories echo in the ever-present winds that erode this complex of castles and crumbling huts perched atop the Colorado Plateau. I don't fully understand what forces move me in this high … Continue reading 4-24-19 →

Today was local hiking, so I'll borrow the space for tomorrow's epic day trip. I headed north, beyond Flagstaff toward the ponderosa forests and the looming profile of Sunset Crater, a cacophonous jumble of lava rock and cinders bracketed by pines and the snowcapped San Francisco peaks. On the way home, I went north instead … Continue reading 4-23-19 →

I often imagine living in this wonderland. Or does the magic come in returning, in seeing Sedona and the Coconino with new eyes and discovering fresh wonders on each visit? Spiritual mecca, tourist trap, artist colony, day hiker's dream. Brilliant flavors mingled with brilliant colors. Strange alchemy of ancient wisdom and contemporary quirkiness. Whatever it … Continue reading 4-22-19 →

Easter Sunday! We went all out with the paper plates and fruit cups, and even caught an early church service. We snickered at the white-hair worship band - until they pulled out the guitars and sax and blew our hair back! I ran Jacquie down to PHX for departure, and took time on the way … Continue reading 4-21-19 →

Chasing after my "private artist" has been a joyful Sedona story for nearly a decade. I found her in a renovated garage in Old Cottonwood; lost her for several years; tracked her to a small gallery; and ended up at her home studio, selecting stones and sketching designs. Alas, Robin has sold her jewelry equipment … Continue reading 4-20-19 →

I was incredibly grateful for Jacquie's patience as I wallowed around in a mental fog during the first couple days of her visit, struggling to manage anxiety and lethargy (due, I'm pretty sure, to a Flagstaff medical professional's suggestion to increase medication). I don't like to have memories of feeling low while in this magical … Continue reading 4-19-19 →

I was grateful for one more week in Sedona, this time in an AirBnB. I dipped back to Phoenix to pick up sister Jacquie who graciously agreed to see what all the hype is about (my family do not share my enthusiasm for the desert). We did the things sisters do - eat (at Secret … Continue reading 4-18-19 →

A little shaken but not deterred, I returned to the NAU campus for an extended tour and a good conversation with Brian Beaudrie (who was once a fellow doctoral student at MSU) about grant work and professional learning in our field. NAU has awesome student study facilities and (as already noted) a spectacular campus setting. … Continue reading 4-17-19 →

Not my favorite day. No photojournaling, probably because Tina had me confined to my hotel room. The previous night I ate out with colleagues and was up late, prepping for a statewide conference in Montana that I was somehow directing from 900 miles away. I felt...just bad. Illness, driving, canyon descent, site visit, stress - … Continue reading 4-16-19 →

This was the first day of visiting colleagues at Northern Arizona University. I've always loved this campus, and was "this close" to taking my first job here instead of at UNC - I often wonder where that road would have led. I reconnected with old friends, compared notes with the folks who run NAU's masters … Continue reading 4-15-19 →

Canyon de Chelly - vast, deep, remote, steep - not the smartest recreational choice after stomach flu. A switchback trail where every step inspires thoughts of "I have to repeat this - going up." But I'd waited years to land this particular hike in my bucket, and so I descended. (Sorry Tina, but someone had … Continue reading 4-14-19 →

Palm Springs, you done me wrong, with your lovely sunsets and your ineffectual sinks and your weirdly geometric wallpaper. Had I not been delirious, I might have recognized that I passed through Quartzsite, the boondocking capital of the world (stock photo). Instead, I stumbled into PHX, returned the rental, Ubered back to my Xterra (are … Continue reading 4-13-19 →

After a second night's stay, I left Palm Springs for an easy 4-hour jaunt to Phoenix - so I thought. Maybe it was the long day in Joshua; maybe the Cheesecake Factory pasta. Whatever - I hadn't felt so unwell in years, like "I can't keep driving" unwell. Getting a midday motel room in Blythe … Continue reading 4-12-19 →

Visiting Joshua Tree is like spending a day inside a Dr. Suess book. The trees are the main event, of course, but they play against a backdrop of chollah and grasses and flowers. And rocks. Everywhere, rocks. My dawn-to-dusk traverse began under brilliant blue skies that became flat, matte cloud cover. Sandpits and rockpiles and … Continue reading 4-11-19 →

There is simply no other place comparable to Balboa Island and its environs. So much sensory overload, so many memories! After a farewell to Bumpy and Jim, I stopped across the bay for a last loop through the Fun Zone, past the Pavilion, and out to the Peninsula. Then it was east to Palm Springs, … Continue reading 4-10-19 →

Another lovely, leisurely day in Corona del Mar. The scene unfolds beneath a line of bluffs, some bearing the clinging weight of multi-story mansions. The perfect crescent of the state beach, occasionally interrupted by a scattering of wave-drenched monoliths, looks out on Catalina Island looming in the hazy distance. I lunched on the beachside deck … Continue reading 4-9-19 →