Seven days in Baja California Sur exploring edible, medicinal, endemic and rare plants of the region. But not hesitating to stop for waterfalls, hot springs and natural pools. A photo review. All images subject to copyright, Jess Starwood 2021.
Category Archives: Writings
Edges. An Alaskan Journey.
As I start to wrap up my fifth summer of solo travels, I can’t help but look back on the journey so far. Five years ago I hopped in my Subaru and explored through all the western states, traveling alone for the first time in my life. It was eye opening and life-changing, which ledContinue reading “Edges. An Alaskan Journey.”
The Shaman
The shaman put the blindfold over my eyes. Lying on my back, I was instructed to let out a slow deep breath, and then another. Silence settled in, filling every pocket of space around me and I noticed the rhythm of my heartbeat. As the shaman began to shake the rattle nearly at the sameContinue reading “The Shaman”
The Guardians of Mojave
Thank you to the desert for this short story. “The Guardians” The sun lingered, still bright and glaring in the late afternoon yet dipping down past the ridge line of the western bluffs. To the east, the shadows of the cholla and dried shrubs began stretching across the rugged canyon. Dusk was still a fewContinue reading “The Guardians of Mojave”
Call of the Wild (Food)
A food journey. 2008-2020 My life, for the most part, seemed to be pretty typical and average. Degree. Job. Married. House. Fancy car. Up until one life-changing day that I held my two month old first born child, who cried nonstop in my arms for an endless twenty-four hours after an adverse reaction to aContinue reading “Call of the Wild (Food)”
I wrote a book.
I wrote a book. I accomplished my biggest life goal today. So here is my long, exhaustive story of writing a book, in case you are interested in how this journey has come to an end: From the time when I first learned to read and write, excelling in all the advanced reading and EnglishContinue reading “I wrote a book.”
The Quest for Saguaro Fruit
The quest for Saguaro Fruit… is it the journey that makes it that much sweeter? Deep into the heat of the Sonoran desert, the hottest days of the year, the giant saguaro cactus offers its deeply hued fruits to the winged folk—the white-winged doves, the woodpeckers and the bats—up to sixty feet above the ground.Continue reading “The Quest for Saguaro Fruit”
Foraging Baja 2019
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full ofContinue reading “Foraging Baja 2019”
The Unexpected Journey—Stories of a Solo Traveler
The Unexpected Journey—Stories of a Solo Traveler “What am I doing?!” I said to myself as intense panic began to set in. I was standing on the edge of a mountain, 20 miles deep into Montana’s national forest with no phone service or map after I had wandered off in search of a trail withContinue reading “The Unexpected Journey—Stories of a Solo Traveler”
Jess Starwood 