Tonight I am still feeling lifted from my experience this Martin Luther King Jr. memorial morning when I joined over three-hundred people from all walks of life to beautify and restore a section of Richmond California’s Greenway.
Several local groups organized the event or provided volunteers to do a wide variety of tasks in the event’s fifth year.
Check out more photos from the event:
Everywhere I looked were scenes of people of all races, ages, classes, and persuasions cheerfully coming together; helping and learning from one another while doing the environment a …

About a dozen Outdoor Afros met this sunny, crisp morning in Oakland, Calif., for a post-Thanksgiving paddle. We had a wonderful mix of folks of all ages, and embarked on a one-hour kayak with stunning views of the Oakland skyline reflected on the glassy waters of Lake Merritt.
I applaud the participants; most had either never kayaked before, or had not done so in their adult body. At about $12 an hour for a double-kayak, it was an affordable and memorable thrill for all.
Here are our photos:

The trip reminded me that …

“Concerns about dirt, crawly critters, outhouses, bears, and bugs top the list of real and imagined outdoor pet peeves.”
If you have been following Outdoor Afro for a while, I am sure you have gathered by now that we are striving to connect people to the outdoors in a variety of ways. But far too often, I hear people say they don’t like to camp, or fear trying because of perceptions about what must be given up in order to experience nature. Concerns about dirt, crawly critters, outhouses, bears, and bugs top …

Eliss Jackson shared on facebook a photo where she was recently SOS (Spotted on Sunday). I asked her to share more, so here is her wonderful report (Thanks Eliss!):
This month, my fiancé Joseph and I rented a log cabin on Mt. Lemmon. We went because we needed a break from this chaos called “life,” and we wanted to relax. With us both working demanding jobs, coupled with me going back to school…and planning a wedding, stress has been knocking on our back door.

We’re both lovers of nature, and live in …

Contributed by Outdoor Afro Gloria Knox of Los Angeles, CA
This summer my family took the opportunity to reconnect with nature.  In planning the obligatory summer vacation, my husband and I realized we were short on time and funds. We decided that a trip to an in-state National Park would maximize our summer vacation experience and be cost effective. We visited both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California, and it was one of the best experiences we could have had.

 
Our initial plan was to rent a recreational vehicle to take to the …

The Seward Military Resort has four deep-sea halibut charter fishing boats that operate seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day on Resurrection Bay.  All fishing equipment is provided, but we obtained our fishing licenses, and brought our own rain slicks and rubber boots to help keep dry in anticipation of wet weather.
On the morning of the trip, we woke just after 5AM. Once outside, we were uncertain about the trip’s status, as we felt strong gusts of wind at the resort suggesting the bay might be too choppy for fishing.
But the …

Alaska is not much for words.
It is entirely about the experience. We have all grown up with the iconic byline of Alaska rendered on a US map in a tiny square smaller in scale than the state of California, almost as if an afterthought. But the state is much bigger than you think.

For years, the image of Alaska simply conjured up for me an unknown territory of unforgiving cold. But for many others, Alaska is imagined with much more complexity and considered the last American frontier.
The Alaska I finally experienced …

Our last stop before turning in our teardrop trailer on Sunday was to check out nearby Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. It was our intention to learn about gold panning and history of the California Gold Rush.
James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in the valley known as Cullumah by the Nisenan Indians who lived in the area sustainably and peacefully. But Marshall’s discovery led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere, and it was the …

It’s been a wonderful summer of travel for Outdoor Afro, but the highlight was our RV Trip to the Sierra Nevada region in California last week! Check out our story…
First off, my family remains filled with gratitude for the support of Camp California, the leader in camping and RV’ing in California. With their partnership, we were able to spread the word far and wide about this fun filled event, and connect with trip sponsors with the shared goal of connecting more Americans to nature through the RV experience. We …

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending time on Maryland’s Eastern shore with colleagues, Akiima Price, Chief of Education Programs at the New York Restoration Project, David Greaves, the Black Employment Program Officer for the EPA, and Nick Clemons, a National Park Ranger at Assateague Island National Seashore. Hosted and organized by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and Assateague State Park, Get Out! Get Green! Get Paid! was an important opportunity to connect with nearly 200 youth, ages 14-25, to help them consider a sustainable career and lifestyle within nature.

The Maryland Coastal Bays Program …