Day 2 of my big road trip from western Nevada to northern Montana then to southern Arizona began with a lovely hike in Lamoille Canyon, eastern Nevada. I then drove north through rolling hills toward Idaho, and without even realizing it, left the Great Basin and entered the Columbia River watershed. No longer in the […]
Listening to big water Read More »
In September, 2016, I set out on a long road trip, from Carson City to northern Montana, and back to southeastern Arizona. The trip took almost 2 weeks and covered more than 3,600 miles. It was a good test for both my little CR-V camper and my recording equipment, as I ran into a wide
Exploring Nevada’s alps: Lamoille Canyon Read More »
In early September, 2016, it was time to head back to my home in Arizona, after visiting my dad in northern Nevada for most of the summer. A friend working in Glacier National Park invited me to visit her, so I decided to make a big road trip out of it, traveling to eastern Nevada, eastern
I had the good fortune in mid-July of this last summer to visit the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in far northwestern Nevada. Along with it’s sister refuge, Oregon’s Hart Mountain Refuge, it preserves a wonderful chunk of Great Basin habitat. Wide, open volcanic mesas and corrugated drainages stretch to the horizon. It is an important
With some writing projects behind me (or at least on someone else’s desk for a while), I finally have some time to get out and do some recording. In mid May, I headed south to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, which is a lovely swatch of rolling grassland and riparian areas, only about 25 miles
Till the cows go home Read More »
I visited Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge in early December, 2015. I had visited a couple of years ago, but was unsuccessful in getting many decent recordings (see Bosque del Apache). This time my goal was to get some recordings of the tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese that winter at the
The language of Sandhill Cranes Read More »
I recently returned to Arizona, after spending the entire summer in northern Nevada. My first stop on my way south was in the newly designated Basin and Range National Monument in southern Nevada. I spent the first night at a little campground on the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, which comprises a series of wetlands near
Seeking quiet in eastern Nevada Read More »
This summer has been a tough one for recording. With much of the mountainous west either on fire, freshly blackened from a fire, or waiting to burn, camping out in the mountains while hoping for something to record is a scary proposition. I’ve spent most of my time sequestered away from the heat working on
One marsh, many voices Read More »
I made my annual summer migration from southeastern Arizona to northern Nevada a few weeks ago, stopping to record along the way. My first stop was in the Blue Range of east-central Arizona, a land of conifers and beautiful grassy meadows. Much of this area was impacted by the 2011 Wallow Fire, and the hillsides
The Upper Gila River ecosystem occupies a good chunk of southwestern New Mexico. It includes the first federally-designated wilderness area, 2.7 million acres of national forest, and is home to mountain lions, black bears, elk, eagles, and Mexican wolves. It’s been occupied by humans as long as almost any place in the country, but because
Back to the Gila River Read More »
Last October, I took a quick trip to the Chiricahua Mountains to do some hiking and camping. I’d been hearing for years that the aspens up on the crest put on a lovely show in the fall, so I decided to check it out. The Chiricahuas (cheer-uh-cow-uhs) are one of the largest of the isolated
Crazy night in the Chiricahuas Read More »
It was one of those glorious days in the fall, when the sun is bright but not hot, and a light breeze makes the golden aspen leaves shimmer. The kind of day that just makes you feel glad to be alive. It was on one of those glorious days, one of a string of similar
Fall afternoon on the Tahoe Rim Trail Read More »
