Jim Conrad's
Spring Comes to the
DESERT
SOUTHWEST

January 1 to
April 12, 1988

INDEX
(Book can be downloaded in various formats here.)

1. The Escape -- On the day after Christmas I leave Kentucky for the Desert Southwest

   AMISTAD RESERVOIR NEAR DEL RIO, TEXAS: Shaded-relief map of region

2. Dog-Bill's Walk -- Dog-Bill introduces me to the local flora
3. A Gully-Mud Skull -- How identifying a skull found in the desert becomes a meditation
4. Four Deserts from A Wet Tent -- An overview of   North America's four deserts
5. Gnawings, Nibblings & Scats -- Interpreting the leavings of jackrabbits, deer and others
6. Bird List #1: The Desert's Edge -- Birds seen one morning along Amistad Reservoir

   BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS: Shaded -relief map of region

7. Big Bend's First Lessons -- I am chastened during my first moments at Big Bend
8. Seven Peccaries -- A close call with some peccaries
9. Big Bend Backpacking Trip #1 -- Six days in the desert, and spring's first signs
10. Bird List #2: Big Bend as Spring Begins -- Birds seen during three hours of the above hike
11. Big Bend Backpacking Trip #2 -- Five and a half days in the Chisos foothills
12. Cactus Orientation -- Looking at the basics of cactus identification
13. Slumgullion #1 -- Miscellaneous short notes from Big Bend

    CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST, NEW MEXICO: Shaded-relief map of region

14. Across the Continental Divide -- From Big Bend to New Mexico's Peloncillo Mtns.
15. Denizens of a Strange-Feeling Forest -- Trees, wildflowers and cacti around my camp
16. Six Mexican Jays -- A story of six jays with strong personalities
17. Hiking to Skeleton Canyon -- Meeting some interesting birds, ferns and more
18. At the University of Arizona -- A Sunday morning on the UA campus

    FIVE MILES SW OF SELLS, ARIZONA: Shaded-relief map of region

19. Saguaro Country -- Entering the Sonoran Desert with its Saguaro cacti
20. Random Sonoran Observations at Dawn -- Just that
21. Saguaro by Starlight -- Sleeping next to a Saguaro

    TEN MILES SE OF AJO, ARIZONA: Shaded-relief map of region

22. Bird List #3: A Sonoran list -- Special notes on a Gambel's Quail and a Raven
23. Six Spring Wildflowers -- Profiles of six Sonoran wildflowers
24. Looking for Lizards & Mammals -- A trip finding some lizards and squirrels
25. A Mouse's Tale -- I build a non-violent mousetrap
26. Slumgullion #2 -- Miscellaneous short notes from the Sonoran
    

IMPERIAL SAND DUNES WEST OF YUMA, CALIFORNIA: Shaded-relief map of region

27. Sand Dunes -- First impressions are a bit numbing
28. The Sand at Dawn -- Discoveries among the dunes
29. Two Roundtail Ground Squirrels -- Mysterious behavior of two small ground squirrels

    BESIDE THE SALTON SEA, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

30. 232 Feet Below Sea Level -- First birds and plants seen at Salton Sea
31. Tilapia Island -- A big wind heaps up dead fish along shore

    NORTH OF YUCCA VALLEY, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

32. Juan Calderregel -- While repairing Henry I meet a Mexican
33. Wildflowers of the High Mojave -- More spring wildflowers blossoming than seen so far
34. The Big Joke -- Philosophy inspired by desert and bombs

    THROUGH DEATH VALLEY: Shaded relief map of region

35. Death Valley -- Awed by the Valley but unable to find a place to stop

    MINING AREA NEAR BEATTY, NEVADA: Shaded relief map of region

36. Rocks & Minerals -- Interpreting the geology of an unvegetated valley
37. Slumgullion #3 -- Miscellaneous short notes from near Beatty

    PEACE CAMP NEAR MERCURY, NEVADA: Shaded relief map of region

38. Peace Camp -- I fall in with some protesters
39. We are All Crystals -- Philosophy among the protesters at the entrance gate

    EAST SLOPE OF CHARLESTON PEAK, NEVADA: Shaded relief map of region

40. Sky Island -- Climbing to the snow line on Charleston Peak
41. A Two-treed Forest -- Woody plants at 8000 feet elevation

    BESIDE LAKE MEAD EAST OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Shaded relief map of region

42. Bird Lists #4, #5 & #6 -- Three short lists from places with few birds

    ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH: Shaded relief map of region

43. Into the Great Basin Desert -- A mind-boggling drive to Zion
44. Backpacking Zion National Park -- Three days of hiking

    DESERT 20 MILES EAST OF KANAB, UTAH: Shaded relief map of region

45. Walking through Sagebrush -- Lay of the land here and how it feels
46. Confessions from beside a Sagebrush Fire -- Why I'm not going to Grand Canyon
47. Mule Deer -- A mystical experience with a beautiful creature

    PARIA CANYON UTAH, 30 MILES NW OF PAGE, ARIZONA: Shaded relief map of region

48. Backpacking Paria -- Wandering a very rugged, daunting landscape

    LAKE POWELL ON THE UTAH/ARIZONA BORDER

49. Slumgullion #4 -- Miscellaneous notes from along Lake Powell

    WITH THE HARRISES IN MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH: Shaded relief map of region

50. The Harrises' Front Yard -- Diane Harris introduces me to the plants around her house
51. Skin Walker -- Diane tells me her Skin Walker story
52. View from The Mesa -- Last views and thoughts