The Mitchell Caverns are not as large as those at Carlsbad, New Mexico, or as well known — but are local, every bit as dramatic, and come complete with a history made for movies. I …
April 22, 2018
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Stories by James Michael Dorsey
The Mitchell Caverns: California's sacred caves
China Lake: California's rock art library
At night, especially under a full moon, the locals say you can hear the voices of the ancient ones. They ride the wind, telling the story of their people as they glide across the rocks. …
July 15, 2017
Antelope Valley's fields of orange
Officially known as the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, the rolling hills of the southern Mojave, 15 miles west of Lancaster, explode with color each spring as 1,745 acres of wildflowers end their hibernation and burst …
February 23, 2017
The Birds of Bodega, CA
In 1963 the smash-hit movie The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, terrified film audiences and was the talk of the town for months after its opening. The story of a small California town under siege …
May 3, 2016
Take a ride on Cambodia's Bamboo Train
On my third run I am getting the hang of things, taking cues from the pig next to me to see how far he leans into the turns while ducking in time to avoid the …
January 18, 2016
A glimpse of old Burma on Yangon's Circle Train
Nyein Sanda works in an office not much larger than a closet in the central train station in Yangon, Myanmar. His ticket booth on platform 7 hosts a constant stream of tourists looking to ride …
August 22, 2015
Mud and infidels: Djenné, Mali
When the first rays of sunrise strike the great mosque at Djenné, many believers fall to their knees from its beauty. Djenné, Mali, is a fly speck on a map. Overlooked by most travelers, it's …
April 7, 2015
Journey to ground zero: Hiroshima, Japan
Stepping off the bullet train into a cold Hiroshima morning, we could sense the past. My wife Irene and I became immersed in its history by chance. A journey through New Mexico took us to …
February 3, 2015
Ringing of the bells: St. Petersburg, Russia
Cemeteries have always fascinated me, and I have visited them all over the world. On a recent trip to Saint Petersburg, Russia, I visited the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Founded in 1710, it contains some of …
The Maasai: East Africa's ambassadors
There are some images so iconic, they're forever associated with a particular place. Certainly among the foremost would be the Maasai and East Africa. More than any other tribal culture, the Maasai embody both the …
Tanzania: the Stone Age lives
The diversity of cultural groups in Africa is unrivaled by any other continent. In East Africa, Kenya and Tanzania alone can boast close to 200 different tribal groups. The East African sites of Olduvai Gorge …
April 27, 2014
Siem Reap: my gift in the jungle
I've always found travel to be its own reward, but on rare occasions it also gifts some of us with a life-altering experience. While visiting friends in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I hired a tuk-tuk driver …
March 31, 2014
Faith at Lima's witches market
Sometimes the power of belief is the most important part of a medical treatment. At the witches' market in Lima, Peru, the curanderos gather in early morning, setting up their stalls and hanging their banners. …
February 24, 2014
Flying like a bird in the Mojave
The Air Force prayer has a line that goes, "I slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God." That’s pretty heady stuff – but the next time you're feeling trapped by …
January 24, 2014
Randsburg, CA: a living ghost town
If you're a fan of Westerns, at one time or another you've seen one filmed in Randsburg, where the spirit of the old West is alive and thriving just three hours' drive from San Diego. …
December 27, 2013
California's castle in the sand
When castles and California are mentioned in conversation, Hearst Castle, which dominates a stretch of Central Coast skyline, usually comes to mind. You might be surprised to learn that a less opulent but even more …
December 7, 2013
Cambodia: one mine at a time
Stepping into a mine field gives one a whole new appreciation for the word "concentration." Akira tells me to follow him closely, and I am practically in his back pocket. The sun is a swirling …
November 7, 2013
Meteora, Greece: The Old Master
In the mountainous interior of Greece near Meteora, gigantic granite outcroppings, most of them topped with Christian monasteries, point skyward like fingers tipped in prayer. They are a stone’s throw from the pass of Thermopylae, …
August 29, 2013
Perception vs. reality: Peru's Amazon
My wife and I were deep in the Amazonian rainforest of northern Peru, traveling on a small river boat. Our local guide, Uciel, was born and raised in this tropical jungle, and his passion for …
July 30, 2013
Burkina Faso: remote logic and the almighty dollar
In my long-range travels I have learned two great lessons: 1) the people most removed from the modern world not only think differently than I do but are far more logical, and 2) Western-style capitalism …
July 11, 2013
A night at the (Chinese) opera
“Tonight we will see living national treasures!” our guide, Bao Chui, announced dramatically while poking his chopsticks around our noodle lunch in Beijing. To the uninitiated, the Beijing Opera can be either a dazzling visual …
June 20, 2013
Real Russian shots: Moscow
The bar at Moscow’s Marriott Grand Hotel on Tverskaya Street – a hop, goose step and jump up the road from the Kremlin – is the place to learn the fine art of drinking vodka, …
June 7, 2013
Mali: my almost nomad wife
In my capacity as a travel writer, I journeyed through much of Mali's Sahara Desert with the fabled Blue Men in the years before it was desecrated by Al-Qaida. For two thousand years, Tuareg nomads …
May 16, 2013
Magic lives in Kanas
Magic lives in a remote corner of China. In the northwestern corner of the country, where a bony finger of land divides the land from Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, the traveler will find myth, legend …
April 23, 2013
Leopard Lessons from the Maasai
Spending time in Kenya with my Maasai friend Moses was an education in animal behavior. Wandering through the bush around his village together, he would point out tracks and scat, patiently explaining to this greenhorn …
The Fetish Market in Lomé, Togo
The fetish market in Togo, Africa, is a one-stop shopping paradise for witch doctors and medicine men – as well as a must-see for tourists. This dusty lot in the center of town covers an …
February 26, 2013
Caution: Whales at Work
Our whale-watching excursion in San Ignacio, Mexico, turned into a close whale encounter in the literal blink of an eye. On the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula, there is a large lagoon where gray …
February 15, 2013
Riding with the King in Burkina Faso
I had been photographing for about two weeks in Africa when I heard about a king. Africa has many kings, and I've met more than a few, but had never before sought one out. Africa's …
February 5, 2013
Cambodia's Khmer Legacy
The temples of Cambodia arguably stand alone as the finest blending of art and architecture in the world. Most people are aware of the monumental achievements in building championed by the Greeks, Egyptians and Mayans. …
January 17, 2013
A Priceless Photo in Timbuktu
When you travel far enough for long enough, sometimes very cool things happen that sound like a far-fetched story to many. I have traveled both long and far enough. Photographing in Mali, West Africa, I …
January 8, 2013
Cambodia's Creepy Crawly Market
While on a recent visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to see friends, I got to know my tuk-tuk (taxi) driver rather well and relied on him to take me places most tourists don’t get to …
December 18, 2012
Tanzania: Meeting the King
On safari in Tanzania, a close encounter with the king of beasts moved from a wonderful experience, to an ordeal, then finally a funny story. Spotting a pride of lions, our guide parked us within …
December 10, 2012
Kanas, China: Following Genghis Khan
In the northwestern corner of China, where a pointed finger of land pokes into Russia and separates Kazakhstan from Mongolia, the last physical remains of the army of Genghis Khan stand watch. The area is …
November 29, 2012
Groovin' with Bob in Ethiopia's Danakil Desert
After a week of photographing remote volcanic lakes in the desert of Ethiopia, Irene was tired and elected to stay with the vehicle while I went to shoot one last thermal pool. Assured of her …
November 15, 2012
Xi'ian's Silent Army
Once in a great while, the simplest of acts, even performed inadvertently, can have far-reaching effects. In Xi'an, China, there is a massive army that has stood in silent formation for more than two-and-a-half thousand …
November 5, 2012
How to Hunt a Lion
After two years of invitations, I finally made it to Africa to visit my friend Moses, a Maasai elder, at his village in Kenya. That first night, while sitting around a fire, he offered to …
Moscow's Love Lockdown
There is an old Russian folktale that says that in days gone by, young married couples were locked inside a granary shed for privacy during their wedding night. True or not, it’s a story that …
October 18, 2012
Giving Face in Kashgar
It was my final day in Kashgar, China. I had all the photos I needed and was ready for a good meal before catching my flight out, when I noticed a tiny man sitting outside, …
October 9, 2012
Benin, West Africa: Begging for an Education
In the first century A.D. a Christian mystic named Augustine said, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read but the first page." Those words have guided a great deal of …
October 2, 2012
Tonlé Sap, Cambodia: What's in a Word?
Winston Churchill once said the Americans and British are two peoples separated by a common language. The more countries I visit, the more this seems to be true around the globe. For better or worse, …