The Niger river arcs deep into the Sahara Desert reaching it’s apex at the legendary city of Timbuktu. When working in Niger, I took a three week trip through Mali to visit this ancient mythical city. This is the fist part of this story. I this chapter I visit the cliff villages of the Dogon and the inland delta city of Mopti.

Jumping a freight train in the middle of the night. Why, because Waddy’s uncle had great stories to tell from when he was young. We had none.

Now we have a hell of story to tell. Including of the Yuma County jail.

There is nothing more peaceful than running a quiet pine-covered trail in the middle of the night. One’s footfalls are padded by the bed of pine needles. The long shadows and serene surroundings encourage quiet contemplation. The silence is broken by only the occasional owl.

Except when things don’t go that way…

I love telling stories. And a few people have encouraged me to share them to a wider audience. I soon began blogging my stories on substack before I ever thought of managing my own site. But now that I am, those I have told shall migrate here. And new stories will soon appear.

This post explains why I decided to listen to those voices and why I think you might even enjoy a few of them.