a Geographer's Place

I've told this story many times over the years and to many different people. But I've never actually taken the time to write it down. Well...now's that time! So first some backstory... Where I went to elementary and secondary school, everyone knew that if you took three years of Spanish in middle and/or high school, you would be eligible to participate in "The Mexico Trip" (what I would today call a "Short-term Travel Study"). It was basically 10 or 12 days in Mexico, starting in Mexico City, having a short homestay in Guadalajara, and then a few final days in Mazatlán. This was a program that had been set up and run since the 1970s and into the late 1990s. And it was always run by the Spanish teacher(s) -- not an EF Tour or other tour guide-led type of program. The Spanish teacher was  the tour leader. I had two (?) older siblings that took advantage of the opportunity in the mid-1970s and, although I was very young when they did, their stories were hou...

For those who don’t know it, one of my interests is the US-Mexico border. Last weekend, a professor and myself took some students to investigate the towns of Sasabe, Arizona and Sasabe, Mexico in the Altar Valley. (Go find it on a map…pic below). In Sasabe, AZ, there are maybe a few dozen residents with a single store (that has EVERYthing—literally…mattresses, shoes, pork & beans, curling irons, Fruit Loops, you name it!) and post office; ranching is the main form of livelihood. In Sasabe, Mexico we estimated the population to be 3,000 to 4,000 people. The main form of livelihood in Sasabe, MX is anyone’s guess...the town is not much to speak of, as this photo shows. One thing that IS present? The ever-watchful eye of “Big Brother”. The US Border patrol has a real, on-the-ground fence (see pic), mobile watchtowers (see pic), and a virtual fence that looks like a radio tower but is actually a sophisticated surveillance system, complete with 24/7 Pinkerton security! The US-Mexico...

I LOVE being "in the field"! It was one of the things that drew me to Geography! My first experience with REAL field studies was at Weber State with Dr. Murphy. He is a great Geographer and really loves field work (and traveling!). His love of the field rubbed off on me. Even today I play in the field as much as I can. This picture was taken on a recent field excursion through the Sonora River Valley in Mexico. I was driving along, observing the landscape, when all of the sudden we see this road cut that has a volcanic dike shaped like Mexico! How cool! (That's me, squatting on what would be the Yucatan Peninsula...) Of course, we HAD to pull over and take pictures! (The word "MEXICO" had already been painted on the road cut). I love finding "Natural" features that represent everyday objects. And this was one of the coolest representations I've found!