St. Andrews Abbey: A World of Wonder - In every man lives the heart of a boy, an innocent child. Even in the esteemed personage of 81-year-old Father Maur van Doorslaer, the artist-in-residence at St. Andrews Abbey in Valyermo. It didn’t take much encouragement for the nimble van Doorslaer to show off one of his model cars on the floor of his studio where he is busy creating his world-famous ceramic plaques and collectibles.  More...

Carrizo Gorge - A Ride on the Impossible Railway - It was at the very turn of the century that a group of people hiked into the deepest part of San Diego's back country along the old railroad tracks. Weeds and shrubs had grown tall between rail ties. Rockslides buried the rails in mountain passes. Sand had shifted over the tracks in the desert. Many of the tunnels shorn up nearly a century ago with thick redwood timbers had caught fire and caved in.  More...

Burning Man 2008 - Out and About on the Playa - Burning Man 2008, a mixture of the bizarre and the sublime, lived up to its reputation for dust storms, heat, art and counter culture. The burning of the Man, the central celebration of the festival, was delayed due to extreme weather, ie whiteout conditions. Though plans for the usual pyrotechnic show were said to be abbreviated, the fireworks were still impressive and the burn occurred as planned Saturday night, Aug 30th at about 10:30 pm. Pacific Time. More...

Mosquitoes in the Southwest - Worldwide, mosquitoes represent a far more deadly force than even Al Qaeda. Mosquitoes kill and sicken millions in a typical year. The terrorists murder and maim only thousands. Well over 3000 known species of mosquitoes exist around the globe... More...

Leeches - You may be surprised to discover that you can find a respectable community of leeches, including blood sucking species, in locations such as our quiet river basin wetlands and high country ponds.  More...