News | Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers & Photographers

JOURNEY TO GREENLAND WAS SUCCESSFUL (or at least the Zoom was)

On Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 7 PM, Maryann Gaug delivered a Zoom presentation on her travels to Greenland in 2019. We anticipate additional Zoom presentations in the spring. If you have not yet received an invitation to join, contact Steve Cochrane and he will send you the necessary link.

What’s Up in that Tree?

Text and photo by Steve Cochrane

porcupine in tree — Porcupine sitting in the upper branches of a tree. © Steve Cochrane

Who knew porcupines climbed trees? This is the normal response when I take clients to view and photograph porcupines.

Los Alamos or Bust!

RMOWP’s 2023 Conference is planned for Tuesday to Friday, October 3 to 6, in and around Los Alamos, New Mexico. Our headquarters will be the Los Alamos County Sheriff’s Posse Lodge. Constructed in 1958, it was placed on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 2012. Conference organizers are feverishly working on potential field trips. Expect to see numerous Puebloan ruins, petroglyphs, pictographs, canyon country vistas and hopefully, cooperative wildlife and birds. Scan through your electronic images as the deadline for submitting entries in our annual photography contest is July 10, 2023. Alternatively, finish writing that great American novel since writing entries are due the same date.

So You Want to Self-Publish?

By David Staat

One of the highlights of this year’s RMOWP conference was a self-publishing panel discussion. Self-publishing a book is a multifaceted endeavor where success comes in many forms. This subject was explored by a panel of experienced self-publishers. As moderator, I was asked to provide a summary of their discussion. The panelists were Ron Belak, John Hanou, Peter Kummerfeldt, and Virginia Staat.

RMOWP Loses Longtime Friend Sue Baker

Sue Baker, a longtime member of RMOWP, passed away in Stillwater, Oklahoma, October 10 at the age of 82. An accomplished artist, illustrator, and teacher, with post-graduate studies in art, Sue was active in the Stillwater Art Guild. She also had a degree in business education and was office manager of Baker Animal Clinic, her husband Jim’s veterinary practice.

A Bad Man But a Great State Park

Text and photos by Don Laine

first grease rack - concrete. Pancho Villa State Park. — The first grease rack – made of concrete. Pancho Villa State Park. © Don Laine

General Francisco “Pancho” Villa was not a nice person, but the Mexican bandit-revolutionary, certainly without meaning to, played a major role in helping the United States prepare for its entrance into World War I.

Today, those traveling in southern New Mexico can drop in to Pancho Villa State Park in the border town of Columbus to learn about Villa and see some of America’s first mechanized military equipment. If your timing’s right you might also see blooming cactus in spring and do a bit of bird watching in winter.

The Legend of Pavla Blanca

Courtesy National Park Service

To the Indians of central New Mexico, one of the most enduring legends is that of Pavla Blanca, the ghost of the Great White Sands. Hidden behind the swirling eddies of the spectral white dunes, her tragic story provides one of the most fascinating tales of the Southwest.

A Look at the Evil Empire

By David Staat

I am not a big social media guy. As a matter of fact, I avoided getting involved for years because of all the negative comments I heard from friends, family, and the media. Last year, however, I decided to experience social media so I could understand the technology pros and cons and could make an informed decision as to whether there was any value in it for me.

New Colorado Fly Fishing Guide

Ron Belak, longtime RMOWP member from Kittredge, Colorado, tells us that he recently published his second book, The Fishing Guide to 800 High Lakes in Colorado. He describes it as “the most comprehensive and up-to-date fishing guide for Colorado’s high-mountain lakes, covering all of the major mountain ranges in Colorado.”

Spring in the Colorado Mountains

By Maryann Gaug

Spring frees the creek to once again jump, gurgle and sing as it wends its way along the trail. © Maryann Gaug

Early April and I am already seeing changes along my favorite hiking trail near my house. No, the wildflowers are not yet blooming. At 9,000 feet elevation they’re still snuggled under at least a foot of snow, gathering nutrients to burst forth in another month or two. In this country May showers bring June flowers. April embodies a battle between Winter and Spring.