I was driving the back roads to Devil’s Punchbowl when I came around a bend and a quail darted across the road. I slowed down, since more often than not, several quail will follow the lead across the road. Sure enough, that is what happened. It was the last two quail that decided to run halfway across...

It was in the mid 1980s when I first visited Devil’s Punchbowl. At that time I was living at Edwards Air Force Base. It was one of those weeks in which every day was the same and I needed a break from the monotony of the mind-blowing boredom I was experiencing. But where was I going to go? In my...

A couple weeks ago, nature treated me to one of the most incredible bug shows I had ever seen. I was coming back from a couple wonderful days of backpacking in the Los Padres National Forest. No one was in a hurry to get onto the trail right away – it is always hard to leave the solitude of paradise....

My day was like every other day – that is, until I arrived home from work. To escape the heat of my house and enjoy what little of the day I could, I went out to my backyard. Yep, it felt good to be outdoors. The little bit of breeze felt good as it carried the refreshing scent of the spring flowers. I...

When I first moved out to the desert, I was taken by surprise by the amount and variety of plant life that could survive in such a hot and dry environment. It just seemed impossible, unless the plants had roots that went all the way to China. Every time I went hiking, I saw something new or unusual....