Reflecting on the September 19th death of 83-year-old Allister Sparks, political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi wrote that fearless journalists like Sparks contributed to the defeat of apartheid. “Theirs,” said the struggle veteran, “was a golden age of journalism which coincided with one of the darkest periods in our history.” For me, a young reporter in Johannesburg from 1974 to 1977, I think Matshiqi has it right. … Continue reading South Africa’s Golden Age of Journalism

In the early 1900s Theodore Roosevelt and his friend John Muir liked to say that wilderness saves the human spirit. That being the case, we in Washington, D.C. are lucky to have wilderness so close at hand. I arrived in Hancock, MD where I-70 veers north into PA at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Leaving the car in the town lot adjacent to the C … Continue reading Wilderness at the Doorstep: People and Bears Between Hancock and Paw Paw

Cathedral City, CA.  The temperature outside my door in Beaumont Friday morning was 47 degrees, a significant drop from the 85 degrees that was the high the previous day. Worse, the wind was blowing strongly. LA TV weather reports warned of heavy winds that would result in rain throughout the area on Saturday.  It was not a promising start. The good news about riding east … Continue reading Beaumont to Palm Springs–Wind

Beaumont, CA. Probably the reason Adventure Cycling starts its southern crossing of the US from San Diego is because it’s too complicated getting out of the L.A. area. I started late from Riverside because I waited until the nearby bike shop on Magnolia Avenue opened at 10. I needed a safety pennant and a Camelbak hydration kit before venturing farther east. I also wanted a … Continue reading Riverside to Beaumont–a Higher Elevation

Compared to Washington’s Capital Crescent Trail along the Potomac, the Santa Ana Trail is a poor cousin. It’s not well marked in places, making it easy to wander into dead end side trails, as I did three times.  But it is a splendid trail for jogging and biking and serves a touring cyclist well by proceeding inland 30 miles, avoiding the road traffic of the … Continue reading Huntington Beach to Riverside