Today is Flag Day in the USA. Happy Flag Day everybody! A couple of weekends ago, the US "celebrated" Memorial Day. "Celebrated" in quotes because the extent of the celebrating I know of was one friend who invited me to attend the closest local parade. Looking to join, I mapped it. Three neighborhoods (meaning "towns" … Continue reading Flag Day 2017: Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
Author: Camp Host Chad
Book Review: Anna Pigeon Series
Over a series of 19 books (as of this post), the author Nevada Barr has guided the fictional character of National Park Service employee Anna Pigeon through various adventurous mysteries, each one of them set primarily within the boundaries of a national park, a national monument, etc. Rather than review one or more of the books (which … Continue reading Book Review: Anna Pigeon Series
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Patterns vs. Variations
Nature does not turn out her work according to a single pattern; she prides herself upon her power of variation. ~ Seneca the Younger Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that there would not be one that resembles another, and not only plants as a whole, but among their branches, leaves and … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Patterns vs. Variations
Volcanic Storytelling: Introduction
An oft highlighted feature of Lassen Volcanic National Park, referenced in every description I've so far read about the park, includes a version of this claim: Represented in the park are all four types of volcanoes found in the world--shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome. ~ NPS Website: Lassen Volcanic National Park In contrast, check out … Continue reading Volcanic Storytelling: Introduction
Roadside Art: Goldwell Open Air Museum
This place, just outside Death Valley, is like the motherlode of roadside art. If you want to visit with no expectations, look away, get in your air-conditioned car and go. Find Rhyolite on the map and head there. However, for a much faster visit, take a peek below. And if you want more info try the website or … Continue reading Roadside Art: Goldwell Open Air Museum
Scooter-Man
During a camping trip to Lake Nacimiento over Easter weekend two years ago, a solitary camper caught and held the attention of our entire crowd. We nicknamed him "Scooter-Man," and we all enjoyed witnessing his independence as he came in alone, set up his campsite (pulling everything out of what we imagined to be a clown-car sized storage … Continue reading Scooter-Man
Roadside Art: Sunburst Sculpture
The above sculpture was photographed on an approach to the NW entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, at 71047 CA-62, a.k.a. the "Twentynine Palms Highway." A little research revealed the artist is named Simi Dabah, and that there is a nearby studio (near to the sculpture, that is), containing more than 600 sculptures! On the one hand, knowing the details … Continue reading Roadside Art: Sunburst Sculpture
Book Review: Legendary Truths
Reading through Ken Johnston's Legendary Truths: Peter Lassen & His Gold Rush Trail in Fact & Fable, I kept asking myself, "Who is this written for?" Sara Balmuth - in her review found here - addresses the same issue (and gives a fair summary of the book, a bit more than what is already covered in the title). Her conclusion … Continue reading Book Review: Legendary Truths
Roadside Art: Beautiful Death Fence
Take a morning stroll down a familiar city neighborhood - you're daily commute, for instance, unless you only travel freeways - and you'll notice details easily missed when speeding through (not only commonplace details like the numbers on the houses, but the stuff between the houses that gets overlooked at first glance): lush gardens, animals in their habitat, quirky … Continue reading Roadside Art: Beautiful Death Fence
Campfire Chronicles
One of the unique pleasures (some would say "torture") of camping - even less remarked upon than the phenomenon of how food tastes better outside - is the people-watching. A campground is like an apartment complex without walls, a workplace with all the cubicles removed. I believe the term is "fishbowl environment." About the only privacy a … Continue reading Campfire Chronicles
Campfire Tales 