Flashback to the past at St. Xavier Mission near Tucson
by Glancing off to the west from the 19 Freeway, I glimpsed what the St. Xavier del Bac mission must have looked like in the 1700s: …
Tombstone: a fading Disneyland for cowboy fans
A year ago I took a trip up high in the mountains of southern Arizona to visit the legendary town of Tombstone. Here is what …
“Nothing to see here”. Visiting Nogales Mexico
Visiting the border at Nogales was light years away from my experience at Calexico. First of all, I went across the border into Mexico to …
Avoid Scottsdale. Take a hike instead.
The city of Scottsdale claims to be a western town. Well, maybe it is if you consider it a 21st Century Western town. Not much …
See Apache houses at the Desert Botanical Garden
While I was in Phoenix I made a quick visit to the Garden to see what was new. The entrance and the area right behind …
Arcosanti, a 1970s dream, fading into the Arizona desert
70 miles north of Phoenix, off a winding dirt road is the experimental village of Arcosanti. This collection of structures built into the side of …
“Nothing to see here”. Visiting Nogales Mexico
Visiting the border at Nogales was light years away from my experience at Calexico. First of all, I went across the border into Mexico to …
Adios romaine and rice. Hello solar and concertina wire.
The biggest surprise as I drove along a rolling backroad across the desert toward Calexico were the miles of farmland where romaine, radishes, and rice …
‘Mary’s Nest’ is the place to stay near San Diego
My very first Airbnb stay was in Escondido, a town in the hills about 25 minutes north of San Diego. Escondido recently appeared on a …
The luxury of stopping by the side of the road
South of Dana Point on the 405 freeway I saw a sign reading ‘Vista Point Ahead’ and decided to stop to enjoy whatever view the …
Franciscans at the historic San Luis Rey Mission?
In 1834 the Mexican government secularized all the now-historic Franciscan Missions in California. The Franciscans were booted out, their enormous holdings of land and cattle …