Sweltering in the summer heat and no beach in sight? You know what that means. It’s time to head up to Colorado’s high country.
Continue reading “Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park”
Hot off the press: Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks guide
Without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite projects was working on this national parks guide to one of the most beautiful corners of the globe. Excited to finally see it in print – and just in time for the NPS centennial!
If you’ve yet to be inducted into the Utah fan club, it won’t take much: this is a state where labyrinthine canyons, red-rock spires, moonlit desert arches and slickrock playgrounds reign. It doesn’t matter if you’re a couch potato or hardcore thrill-seeker equipped with a GoPro. Grab a bike, rope or paddle and get out there and have fun!
Dreamer
Dreamer, your midnight river
is only navigable in an old
leaking canoe, a torch mounted
to the bow, casting shadows
across the fathomless surface
fluid ribbon of darkened waters.
Paleodog
Introducing the new family comic strip, Paleodog.
Elevator Music
If there is a passage
that leads to the stars
then to open the door
music is the key.
Stag
It was midnight when we saw
the solitary buck
parading down the suburban sidewalk
his crown of antlers reflecting
the pale moonlight,
head held high, as majestic as a king
deposed, in a realm unworthy
of such grace.
Waiting Room
Watching the wind grab the snow
with bunched fists
and scatter it across the lapis sky
above the distant ridgeline
it’s like the breath of some god
made manifest before our eyes.
And indeed, the breath of some god
is what we are all waiting for
here, in the hospital,
where the chemo patients sit
in armchairs looking out
through giant windows
at nature’s cruel majesty,
which is cell by undying cell
gradually doing them in.
Lonely Planet Kids: The Travel Book
Did you know that Myanmar’s snub-nosed monkey sneezes every time it rains? That the British Navy defended the Somalian coastline from pirates by blasting Britney Spears? That the, ahem, Mongolian death worm allegedly kills its prey with electric shocks that shoot out of its eyes? This was one editing project where I constantly had at least one child looking over my shoulder, and the entire family is very excited to now see it in print!
If you’ve got a child who loves learning about the world (or is perhaps studying for an upcoming Geo Bee), grab a copy and read up on all those fascinating facts about our planet’s 196 countries.
Traveling in the Mountains (Du Mu)
A rocky path twists through the mountain’s chill
clouds gather and part
revealing distant homes.
I stop the cart amid twilit maple trees
frosted leaves glittering more red
than any of spring’s
most brilliant blooms. Continue reading “Traveling in the Mountains (Du Mu)”
Lake Merritt Blues
An ode to Oakland’s tidal lagoon.
From the 609 Central analog archives; featuring Munson Wu on the rhythm sticks.