Musings

America’s Outdoor Recreation Act – Boon or bust?

Posted onApril 6, 2023AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

America’s Outdoor Recreation Act seems promising. But I see many loopholes potentially exploited for financial interests. Or, business as usual. Read More …

Rock Images Gallery

Posted onJanuary 15, 2023January 15, 2023AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

Over 100 images for your perusal. Mainly The Four Corners area, some from Nevada, the High Plains, and even a few from north of Banff. Updated Jan 2023 Read More …

An NPC in Moab Adventure Land

Posted onJanuary 1, 2023January 3, 2023AuthorPaul Mags14 Comments

For those who live in a tourist community, it sometimes feels like we fill the role of Non-Player Characters (NPCs). Read More …

A look back at 2022

Posted onDecember 31, 2022January 1, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A look at 2022. Some sentiment, some snark, and lots of photos. Read More …

A ritual of the American pasttime of baseball. From the "Made in China

Sunday night rituals

Posted onNovember 6, 2022November 6, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Our Sunday evening ritual means repeating a pattern week in and week out. But one we enjoy. Read More …

Influential Gear?

Posted onAugust 15, 2022August 16, 2022AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

What backpacking gear has become influential in the past few decades? Some thoughts. Read More …

The simple pleasure of bike errands

Posted onJune 29, 2022July 1, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Now that we live near downtown, we find we rarely drive during the week. The addition of a bike trailer made this task feasible. Read More …

Times are a changin’ – Walking in time of weather extremes

Posted onJune 15, 2022August 24, 2022AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

Call it climate change, weather events, cycles, or bad juju. But there are more fires, swings in snow levels, droughts, closures, etc. Some thoughts. Updated June 2022. Read More …

Whaddabouda-ism

Posted onMarch 9, 2022March 14, 2022AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

If you try to prepare for every contingency you may find you end up ill-prepared for what you need to do. Read More …

An influential woman for March 8th

Posted onMarch 9, 2022March 9, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Sr. Helene, a no-nonsense nun, is a woman I think of on March 8th every year. Read More …

2021 : The steady state

Posted onDecember 16, 2021December 16, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

The annual waxing of the poetic and looking at the past year. Or skip the prose and see the photos! Read More …

Happy Holidays – Desert Style!

Posted onDecember 9, 2021December 9, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Happy Holidays from the desert! Read More …

Bears Ears – The enemy is us

Posted onNovember 4, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Thoughts on Bears Ears and what the re-instated protection may actually mean. Read More …

The last journey

Posted onJuly 30, 2021July 17, 2022AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Polar explorers talk about the concept of last journeys. Maybe we are in the age of last, traditionally defined, other outdoor journeys as well? Read More …

Bear spray canister copy/pasta

Posted onJuly 23, 2021October 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags12 Comments

More people insist they need bear spray when venturing into black bear country because “it is better to have it and not need it.”—my boilerplate response. Read More …

Ending campfire romanticism

Posted onJune 21, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags21 Comments

I’ve made a case that campfires belong in the past with other practices. And to make that change, we need to change the culture around campfires—some thoughts. Read More …

To NOT build a fire

Posted onJune 10, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags17 Comments

Why backcountry campfires should no longer be a regular part of the backpacking experience. Updated with modified views. Read More …