Was I lost? It depends if lost means you don’t know where you are or if you don’t know how to get where you want to be? I was a little bit of both but not ready to eat humble pie! I missed a left turn on the 675-mile-long Arizona Peace Trail and found myself in an incomprehensible maze of rugged, century old mining roads. I knew I had to go...
Mastodons! Imagine a world when giant sloths, saber-toothed tigers, vampire bats, horses, camels, tapirs, and pachyderms roamed the earth. This may sound like a Hollywood movie set but, in reality, it was Vail, Arizona about 11,000 years ago. Remains and fossilized evidence of each of these species have been found in nearby caves and archaeology...
By Robert Samuelsen ‘If a tree falls in the forest, does it make sound?’, is the age-old riddle of challenge. Some years ago in northern Ontario, I had just portaged my canoe 3 miles over “the pig” from one lake to the next. It was a brutal day so when night fell, I embraced a nice fire, relaxed with hot cocoa, and bragged about the day’s...
By Robert Samuelsen Pale and shaking, he stood there holding the “stop” sign at the beginning of the road construction site on this remote section of highway. As I stopped, the flagman approached me to show me a bullet hole in his sign, shot by the vehicle’s passenger immediately before me. The shooter had stuck his head and rifle out the window...
By Robert Samuelsen There are hundreds of non-descript sandy arroyos scattered across southern Arizona. Many of them have no names, and the ones that do are typically called “a wash.” Ironically, because of how devoid of moisture they are, they should probably be called a “dry cleaner” rather than a “wash!” About the only time they carry surface...
By Robert Samuelsen Besides blisters, there are so many things that can happen in the outdoors that require some degree of medical assistance. In some cases, it’s best to seek professional help. For this reason, I carry a satellite phone whenever I’m in remote locations. In most other cases, I’ve had to make do with the resources I had. Here are...
By Robert Samuelsen The southeastern corner of Pima County is the dividing line of four different ecosystems – the Rockies, the Sierra Madres, the Sonoran Desert, and the Chihuahuan Desert. While the dividing lines aren’t distinctly obvious, each biome has its unique characteristics. It’s interesting to be living in an ecological melting pot of...
By Robert Samuelsen The desert is binary, survive or perish, depending on one critical factor – the presence of water! If you have it, you survive, if you don’t, you perish. For centuries, the early O’odham, explorers, and missionaries safely traversed through the harsh western Sonoran Desert because they knew where to find the six strategic water...
By Rob Samuelsen Before Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon was settled by homesteaders because of its abundant water and mild climate. Although the impressive red rock was noted, tourism had little to do with the growth along Oak Creek. It was water and historic native gardens that attracted Midwesterners to the area – enough water and soil to prosper...
By Robert Samuelsen Time and travel have a unique relationship. Before the airplane, trains were the main mode of long-distance transportation – roomy, luxurious, and fast compared to a Conestoga wagon! It was the way to travel – and still is if you have the time. As crazy as it seems today, prior to the rail, each town had its own time zone. The...
