Part 1, The Stone Horse (1986) Summary and Analysis

In this collection of essays, noted writer, traveler and environmental activist Barry Lopez travels to remote regions of North America to explore the interaction between humanity and nature. Common themes in these essays include the humanity's relationship with nature and the relationship between landscape and the human experience.

The essay begins with a summary of the geological and human history of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in southern California, and how, in the 20th Century, that history has been neglected, ignored, abused, explored, and unfortunately often vandalized.

Following the reluctantly offered directions of an archaeologist (who wants to prevent the object of the author's quest from being exploited), the author finds his early-morning way to the remote, barely visited location of an intaglio of a horse. As he looks down at the eighteen-by-eight foot portrait...