desert riding
What the Dunes Remember: Mule Tracks in the Imperial Sand
They once called it The American Sahara, that line of sand dunes that drifts from Yuma toward the Salton Sea.
Then some geographically correct person re-baptized them the Imperial Dunes. As in the Imperial Valley where they grow truck loads of lettuce and alfalfa. Suddenly the dunes sounded tamer. Smaller. It sissifies a mountain of sand to re-name it after a garden, even if… Continue reading
Two Miles Per Hour: Arizona Through the Eyes of a Mule Rider
The joy of mulespeed is the ease of stopping. At 2 miles per hour, the mind slows to the speed of the scenery. From there, it ain’t much of a leap to standing still.
Standing still is where my mind sees the day’s last photos.
I always keep a camera handy and the photos usually just compose themselves. I just have to press the shutter. The following are just a few Arizona mulespeed scenes.
How America Finds You: A Cowboy Song in New Mexico
“I grew up a-dreamin’
of bein’ a cowboy,
Lovin’ the cowboy ways…” Billy’s voice rasped softly above his guitar, out across the desert scrub.
“Pursuin’ the life of my high-ridin’ heroes,
I burned up my childhood days…”
Billy had finally found me.
This was a welcome change. For once it wasn’t me looking for the way.
People often ask me in an assertive tone “How’re you finding your way across America?”. They assume a great amount of planning… Continue reading
