Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Well, if this isn't a bit bittersweet, revisiting Bears Ears just as the size of the monument--and of Grand Staircase-Escalante , another favorite stomping ground--is being slashed by an entity I shall not name. If you think these photos--or the others from my trips to these areas--show something special, maybe lift up your voice and let Congress know we aren't happy about this latest move. I try not to get political on this blog, but sometimes silence is not acceptable. Shrinking this monument and others in Utah is unacceptable.  Two years ago I spent a week backpacking Grand Gulch in the Bears Ears (see link above). This time I was in transit, and only had a few hours in the Monument. I made the most of them. Stop 1: Mule Canyon/House on Fire It was almost 4 p.m. when I headed up Mule Canyon on the 1 mile walk to House on Fire. The weather wasn't wholly cooperative. I almost turned back when it started to rain, but such desert showers don't usually last, and it didn...

Why, yes, I do believe I am making progress!  The cover art is progressing nicely--I'm hoping to be able to reveal that soon. Meanwhile, I have (with much help from my friends--special thanks to fellow writers  Ronel  Janse van Vuuren and Lisa Frieden ) finalized the back-cover blurb! I'll share that below. If you don't like seeing how sausage is made, skip the next paragraph!   In other news, I've drafted a whole new ending for  Logged Off,  which I think works better and makes more sense than the original version. Of course, I still have to beat it into shape, then go back and make sure everything in earlier parts of the book fits the new ending.    In spite of this, and my travel plans for August, September, and October, I am on track to release the book in November. I've also polished up a few short stories to send out in search of a home. In other writerly news, I've been going to lots of street fairs and hawking my books with the Author Eve...

I've been reading and enjoying the works of Craig Childs for a long time now. His combination of environmentalism, history, and adventure suits me.     Title : The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light Author : Craig Childs.  Read by Tom Perkins Publication info: Tantor Audio, 2026. 7 hours. Original hardback by Torrey House Press, 2025, 212 pages. Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (via Goodreads): At a time when most people on Earth live in regions of acute light pollution, Craig Childs takes us on a journey to rediscover the awesome power of night itself. A night sky is not an absence of light; it is the presence of the universe. In The Wild Dark, master storyteller Craig Childs embarks on a quest to bike from the blinding lights of the Las Vegas Strip to one of the darkest spots in North America. Childs is a fearless explorer of both the natural world and the human imagination, making him the perfect guide to help us rediscover the heavens and ...

After finishing our Gila backpack, I drove into Silver City for lunch (also because to get home, I needed to drive to Silver City first), then continued on up US 190 to Catwalk Canyon, near Glenwood, NM. I know I claimed I'd share photos from the Bears Ears today, but I'm not done with those photo edits. Bear with me :D It was hot, and I'd already hiked some 4 1/2 miles that morning, so I wasn't looking for a long outing. But I'd been told about the "catwalk," the bridges built into the side of the canyon, so I thought I'd take a look. I'd driven out from under the large rain event that had dampened our visit to the Gila Ruins (see last week's post ). The area is an official Recreation Area, so you need a Parks Pass or to pay a parking fee. I happily whipped out my NPS Geezer Pass and headed up the trail.  At first it's a stroll along the stream in the trees, with zillions of locals playing in the water. Then you move onto something more li...

I'm posting this morning with the Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop. The hop is sponsored by  Greg Pattridge of Always in the Middle . Check out Greg's blog for a list of additional middle grade reviews.    I'm pretty sure I got the recommendation for this book from another MMGM poster. I got the book from the library :)    Title : A Sky Full of Song Author : Susan Lynn Meyer  Publication Info: 2023, Union Square Kids; 272 pages Source : Library Publisher's Blurb (Goodreads): North Dakota, 1905   After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, eleven-year-old Shoshana and her family, Jewish immigrants, start a new life on the prairie. Shoshana takes fierce joy in the wild beauty of the plains and the thrill of forging a new, American identity. But it’s not as simple for her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village and doesn’t pick up English as quickly or make new friends as easily. Desperate to fit in, Shoshana finds...

Hey, Happy 4th of July (Independence Day to my US readers; just another summer Saturday for the rest of you).    This is my third post from the Gila Wilderness, way back in May! Our last couple of days hiking out were short days, with us shading up at mid-day and refusing to go any farther, as the heat was getting a bit much, and the distance remaining was modest. On our 5th day, we were happy to find in the morning that the bear hadn't come near us overnight (as the designated banger of pots in the event of a raid, I was particularly grateful for this). There were some long stretches early on without crossings, once we did an initial crossing. I was happy to find stones we could use to keep our feet dry, a definite luxury. On a shelf well above the river. This day's hike took us through the narrowest narrows, which we mostly navigated by climbing above the inner canyon. As we climbed another slope to get above the gorge, the canyon appeared to be giving us the finger. Cool ro...