A Spark in the Dark

04/14/2026

A page from the life of your humble host, if you're into it:

I just experienced the oddest thing with Sonora.

I was recording something into my phone and walking through the living area of my trailer. When I glanced down at Sonora, curled into a half-moon in her favorite chair, she was staring at me. Directly at my face, tracking me across the room.

Her one open eye was locked on mine while the other was closed in the deepest, longest wink any dog has ever winked in the entire history of winking.

After a couple more strides, I had to stop to understand just what the hell was happening right now.

Sonora held that wink for another moment, then slowly opened her mouth like she was about to tell me something. Something obviously very important. Possibly the most important thing I would ever hear!

And then, before a single sound came out, she shut the other eye and sneezed so violently it felt like the kind of sneeze that should come with hand-drawn cartoon fur flying off her face in every direction.

The whole event was so traumatic she appeared to completely forget she was just seconds away from revealing the secrets of the universe.

Prophecy lost to this damned dry Arizona dust.

[Anyway - I shared my post and a pic of Sonora with Gemini and told it to give me something passable without wasting my credits on a bunch of micro iterations so... here you go. Surrealist, but what else would you expect? 😆]

04/11/2026

A wise person once said:

"I've got a hundred bug bites -
and still lovin' those starry nights."

Find your wisdom right here - at A Spark in the Dark Campground. :)

Send a message to learn more

03/15/2026

This is the newest entry in my guest book from a younger human:

"I love the stars and the signs. PS - and jelly."

Coincidentally, I love the same things, little Dude!

01/20/2026

Another Dog Rescue at The Spark!

Today this fella got rescued! Duke has been hanging around the campground the last several days, barking throughout the nights. He was homeless, in pain from a broken and infected paw, and surviving sub-freezing temperatures... not to mention a very active coyote pack making the rounds!

​But today, the perfect opportunity presented itself. I called Katrina Karr from Yavapai Humane Trappers Animal Search and Rescue to formulate a plan. While we waited for Kat to arrive, Duke actually followed one of our Sparkling guests, Erica, from the south side of the property right up to my trailer!

​When Kat and her crew arrived, they fed Duke some hotdog bits spiked with a few 'chill pills.' We all hung out and waited for ol' Duke to take a nap—which he did in short order. Then, Katrina crept up behind him like a ninja and made the nab!

​The whole thing was perfect. Even the capture was gentle. Duke snapped awake, but the moment he realized he was safe, he calmed right down and let us all give him some love before we loaded him up.

​Next stop for Duke: a better life. ☺️

12/11/2025

You guys know how much I love tech and gadgetry. But do I rely on electronics and gadgets and innovation in my life a little too much?

Hard to say. But for perspective: I just started walking down my driveway to pick up a package I’d been tracking online all morning and into the afternoon — and had literally just watched Amazon deliver to my main gate.

About 50 feet in, I stopped cold, patted my empty front pockets, and slowly turned back toward my trailer.

I had left my phone on the kitchen counter.

And my first thought was, “Oh my god… no one knows I’m out here.”

So to answer the question: maybe. ;)

[Anyway, quick note to guests interested in staying a while, Amazon now delivers here.]

11/14/2025

Check it out! Gary Golding of Naked and Afraid, is staying at my campground!

He has appeared on over 70 episodes and is sometimes known as the guy who will eat anything. The Tarzan of Los Angeles Himself!

How cool is this? Right here at A Spark in the Dark Campground. :)

10/31/2025

It’s happened again. Another person was spotted staggering back to camp under the weight of a full-blown case of “rock fever.” Dirty hands… obscene, bulging pockets—all the signs were there.

I get it. I really do. The desert rocks call out to all of us—those glittering, multicolored, multifaceted little gems that wink in the sunlight and whisper to us, “Take me home, big fella.” And the very next thing, there just aren’t enough tiny display shelves in the world to hold the trophies spilling out of your struggling pockets.

While I can’t officially endorse this behavior… I totally understand it. Hell, this post might even be about me specifically—because posting about it is easier than coming straight out and asking friends for something like an intervention. Who’s to say? ...haha...

Anyway, what can be said is that if you find yourself out here whispering sweet nothings to a hunk of rose quartz or a shiny sliver of jagged-in-all-the-right-ways obsidian, just know—you’re among friends. ;)

10/31/2025

My heart goes out to anyone who’s hurting and unsure how they’re going to make things work. It’s a hard time right now, and you are not alone.

My gate’s always open if you need a quiet spot to catch your breath. And if you could use a little extra attention from a playful little mutt, my Sandy Dog’s an expert. :)

www.TheSparkCampground.com

10/30/2025

With my "Time For A Change" 2-week campsite special, you’ll have plenty of time to find your peace—and then hold onto it for a while. :)

Two weeks to breathe. Stay 14 nights, pay for 12. Boondock under the Milky Way at A Spark in the Dark—quiet, dark skies, and zero rush.

10/05/2025

I just got a call from an investigator at Missing In America Network 🇺🇸 looking for this guy right here. He's been reported officially missing and last know location was between Williams and Flagstaff, Arizona in early August. Their investigation finally got them access to private messages and phone records that showed he was looking into staying at my campground here as he was passing through on the way to New Mexico in very early August.

The flier is incredibly detailed. Maybe someone remembers something about him or potentially giving someone a jumpstart around August 4 or 5 in the area as he was having issues with his battery.

Tip line and police dept numbers are on the flier if anything here jogs a memory for anyone!

10/02/2025

Check out this cool oyster shell! It traveled all the way from Rhode Island to Arizona and was donated by a very thoughtful guest... It looks like a little fossilized hand!

09/23/2025

I've got 99 problems... but finding a peaceful place to pitch a tent isn't one of them.