Miracle Staircase at the Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe - In the year 1852, seven nuns of the order Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross chose to answer Father Jean Baptiste Lamy’s call to help bring education to the impoverished, Spanish-speaking children of the desert Southwest. They could scarcely have anticipated, however, the hardships they would endure, the educational challenges they would face, or a certainly marvelous — perhaps a miraculous staircase — their efforts would yield.  More...

Intimate Landscapes - Slowly, quietly, I crawled on my knees over the rocky desert pavement in the Eastern Mojave Preserve in Southern California, trying not to disturb any wildlife. I was decked out in my signature hunting gear (stained, tacky khaki pants and a decrepit T-shirt), and the latest in knee pads from Wal-Mart (because the key word in "rocky desert pavement" is "rocky"). More...

Riding Over Gold in Your ATV in Ocotillo Wells - ATV riders and OHV enthusiasts may not be aware of the legend of Pegleg’s lost gold or its rumored whereabouts. If you ride out in Ocotillo Wells or the surrounding recreational areas, you may want to take some time to search for three buttes covered with rocks coated in desert varnish. You might just find what prospectors have been searching for since the mid 1800’s.   More...

Southwest Collectibles: Mystical Icons - The icons of the Native Americans offer tantalizing – and mysterious – clues to their world views, mysticism, cultural interchanges and mythology. The sheer diversity and number of images point to labyrinthine complexity and long-term evolution of spiritual belief and ritual. Some – for instance, the plumed serpent, the outlined cross, the storm god, the Thunderbird, the hump-backed flute player and many others – reflect millennia-old threads of religious and philosophical beliefs that span the deserts of the Southwest, much of Mexico and even regions in South America. More...

Anza Borrego Points of Interest - From Hwy S22 at Arroyo Salado Primitive Campground you can 4WD or hike to the 17 Palms Oasis, 5 Palms Oasis, Una Palma and the Pumpkin Patch at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Read about the origin of Truckhaven Trail Junction, the Oases, and the Pumpkin Patch, and how to get to them, here! More...