In the spring, I see an increase of people exercising, getting ready for bathing suit weather. Now it’s autumn, and thoughts go to cuddling up on the couch in front of the TV and drinking hot cocoa. But exercise should be an everyday activity, not just in the spring. Low-impact aerobic exercise is...

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery, “Anne of Green Gables” Fall began this year on Thursday, Sept. 22, with the autumnal equinox, when the temperatures gradually begin to decrease. I love autumn. It just might be the very best season of the...

I have spent a good deal of my life in the Eastern Sierras, in the Owens Valley area, with my family. I have always been in awe of the mountains, the deserts and the waters that flow from these mountains. The time I spent in this area is what inspired me to climb mountains, strive to keep our corner...

It’s October. And October means scarecrows, harvest parties, the last of our summer fruits and vegetables, and the scariest of holidays – Halloween I’ve researched the scariest places on Earth for you, so you can make your reservations to travel to one or more of these sites for your upcoming Halloween...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the mosquito being the deadliest animal in the world, causing 750,000 deaths worldwide per year. Humans are the second deadliest creatures to inhabit the Earth, causing 437,000 deaths per year. Now that you know that, I thought you might be interested to see what the other...

My parents instilled a love of nature in me from Day 1. We spent as much time as possible in the forests of California – camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, and at night we spent hours staring at the millions of stars above us. The forest was our second home, in a way. For a child like me, there was...

About 45 environmentalists, activists, equestrians, hikers, government officials and many others have been working for more than a year (so far) to develop a new national monument plan. These 45 forest enthusiasts are looking for change – major change – in the portion of the National Forest that...

The mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are at risk of extinction. There are many factors at play here, the primary one being that the lions are trapped in an urban island. They cannot travel easily from habitat to habitat to find food, water or mates. One lion managed to cross the 101 freeway,...

I’ve driven to Vegas dozens of times. Five miles southwest of Baker is an off-ramp sign of a road called Zzyzx. I would always giggle at the Zzyzx Road sign when passing it. I wondered who the heck would name a road Zzyzx (pronounced “Zye-Zix”) in the first place. Such an odd name. On this trip,...

It’s that time of year when fresh figs are in the market. Seeing as how there are more than 750 species of figs, you can never get tired of the varied flavorful fig. Figs grow in almost every jungle, every moist habitat in the world as well as dry, sunny areas. They like rocky areas and deep, fresh...