Many years ago when I was living in Utah with my family, I had an unusual problem with my family that I had never had before. At the time we also had a family dog. My job when I was living at …
The phone rang. Our children invited us to go to Arizona with them. It would be a quick trip, four days, lots of fun, great food, fix my Sweet Al’s hearing aids, celebrate my grandson’s …
At the end of this column will be a disclaimer, but I assure my readers that my words are true. Almost unbelievable, but true. My question to the reader is, why have things changed so …
When the San Juan River flows out of the San Juan Mountains in Southwestern Colorado, it contributes 15 percent of Lake Powell’s water. But there’s a problem: The river carries a …
When my friends and I encountered the fresh grizzly bear scat, we were deep in Wyoming’s Teton Wilderness, 20 miles from a trailhead. I’d seen grizzlies before — from the car. But …
The best of times and the ugliest of times: 2023 gave us things to rejoice over, but a lot to cry about. God hid His face from us. He was there all the time, but we couldn’t see Him. We were …
Moab, Utah, is a growing town of 5,300 that up to 5 million people visit each year to hike nearby Arches and Canyonlands national parks, ride mountain bikes and all-terrain vehicles, or raft the …
On the evening of March 28, 1990, the Chicago Bulls played the Cleveland Cavaliers. Michael Jordan led his team to victory, 117-113. His scoring brought him to a career high of 69 points, giving him …
The experts tell us an energy gap looms. Fossil fuels are phasing out, and solar and wind power can’t produce enough electricity to meet the demand in coming decades. But that’s not …
When God won’t turn loose of us it’s a good thing. He wants something more from us. He becomes redundant, like a gnawing, a constant reminder in our hearts until we say, “OK.” …
When I didn’t think life could get any more ridiculous, people have surprised me. Oh me, the foolishness of this age. Recently, we heard in the news that those who deem themselves …
The long drive between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Reno, Nev., on Interstate 80 feels endless, the landscape timeless. But these basins and ranges of the Great Basin Desert are changing dramatically. …
Exactly what causes people to leave their homeland and make a difficult trek of 3,000 miles? A young woman I’ll call Jhovid, who came here from Venezuela, has asked me to listen to …
The first major battle of the American Civil War, on July 21, 1861, earned the nickname “picnic battle” because spectators showed up with sandwiches and opera glasses. These …
Nearly two decades ago, I moved to the mountains to be a ski bum, chasing snow. I was a stereotype — an East Coast kid pulled west by the promise of bigger adventures and higher mountain …
We begin a new year and leave behind an old one. We lost friends in 2023. The thought makes me ponder as to what we’re doing these last years of our lives. Are we leaving behind anything of …
Are those wings I hear? Yes, they are. I’m taking wings and flying toward a new horizon. I’m trusting others are also moving toward new possibilities in this new year. We need to …
I listened for the soft pitter-patter of feet on our dark, laminate wood floor, but it didn’t come. It wouldn’t come. But how I missed the sound. For 17 years we had established a routine …
This past year, Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in Western Colorado, sent out 52 weekly opinion columns. They were provided free of charge to more than 200 subscribing …
No, this isn’t about those folks who spend their winters in Arizona or Florida. The snowbird behind this warning is an actual bird, the dark-eyed junco, a small creature you probably know if …