Story Behind the Photo: Thorung La Pass - Nepal's Himalaya

January 25 2019

One of the most stunning places on earth that I've been is the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal's Himalaya. Our 19 day trek around the Annapurna peaks was the ultimate challenge: fun, utterly exhausting, staggeringly beautiful.

This photo is from our 5 hour daunting crawl to the highest point, Thorung La Pass at 17,872 feet. That's my Norwegian trekking partner Kjersti bent over trying to gasp enough oxygen, and Welsh Andrew is the little dot far below.

I got altitude sickness at the top and going down The Other Side, and I just wanted to lay down and die. Kjersti and Andrew wouldn't let me. They helped me stumble downhill 4 hours to the first village where I recovered.

I hear that roads now cover much of this circuit, and I am grateful we had the chance to trek the entire loop.

"The Other Side" is the name of my short ebook on Amazon about this trek.

Story Behind the Photo: Borcan in Egypt

January 11 2019

Yes. That view #BetweenTheEars of my mount, the magnificent blustery white stallion Borcan, is in Egypt - the Step Pyramid in Saqqara. He was the puffiest beautifulest blowhardiest windbag, whose biggest worry was to look magnificent for the fillies who weren't looking at him.

Those ride in the desert among Pyramids on my equine companions were simply magical. I've had the pleasure of visiting Maryanne in Egypt twice.

I'll have a book coming out later this year on one of those trips.

Story Behind the Photo: Rabbit Brush

January 6 2019

This is my horse Stormy, The Most Beautiful Horse on the Planet, hanging out in blooming rabbit brush in the Sierra Nevadas in California. 

A Thoroughbred former racehorse, he’s now 27 years old. I was his groom on the racetrack in Washington where he earned his keep: six wins in 42 lifetime starts, $45,000 in earnings. My housemate kept saying I was going to own him one day. No, no, no, I said; though I loved Stormy, I had no money and no place for a horse. 

But things that are meant to be eventually happen. He’s given me joy now for almost 20 years. Stormy is profiled in my book, Soul Deep In Horses.

Note: this photo was taken around the year 2000, when Stormy was a young buck!