I’m not even 40 yards from the trailhead sign at China Ranch when I approach a bend in Willow Creek. The gurgle of the creek hits me first, a warm laughing sound seldom heard in most reaches of the Mojave. A slight clearing in the mesquite bosque draws me forward,...
There is something special and almost sacred about a first impression. When faced with something new and mysterious, we tend to pay closer attention. Every slight gesture or nuance of a stranger commands our attention because we don’t yet know what is and isn’t...