Kasbah Tiffoultoute: Morocco’s Desert Fortress of Film and Memory Nestled just a few kilometers west of Ouarzazate, the gateway to Morocco’s Sahara, stands the majestic Kasbah Tiffoultoute—a fortress of red earth and ancient echoes. With its crenellated towers, labyrinthine passageways...
Twentynine Palms: Where Marines, Devil Docs, and Desert Dreams Collide If you’ve never been to Twentynine Palms, California, let me paint you a picture: endless desert, Joshua trees doing interpretive dance, and a Marine Corps base so massive it feels like someone dropped a small city in...
Rock Climbing, Hiking, and Laughing Our Way Through Joshua Tree When you’re stationed at Twentynine Palms, you learn two things fast: The desert is hot enough to melt your soul. If you don’t escape occasionally, you’ll start naming tumbleweeds like they’re your pets. So when Commander...
Bowling, Beers, and Big Ten Pride: The Legendary 2009 Pub Crawl in San Diego October 2009. San Diego. The air was crisp, the football season was in full swing, and the Big Ten Club of Southern California was ready to throw down in true Midwestern style. Their annual Big Ten Pub Crawl took...
2009 was a simpler time—skinny jeans were in, flip phones were still clinging to relevance, and I thought going to a No Doubt concert would be a chill night of ska nostalgia. Spoiler alert: it was chaos wrapped in Gwen Stefani glitter, and I loved every second of it. The Lineup:...
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the San Diego Purdue crew joins forces with the Henry’s Pub staff for a night of bowling, let me paint you a picture: neon lights, craft beer, and enough gutter balls to qualify as a natural disaster. This wasn’t just...
On May 17, 2009, Petco Park was buzzing as the San Diego Padres wrapped up a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. It wasn’t just any Sunday—it was a day for Padres fans to savor a classic pitching duel, a clutch home run, and a complete-game gem that reminded...
Ash, Ice, and Alarms: My Experience During the 2009 Eruption of Mount Redoubt Volcano In March 2009, while working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), I witnessed firsthand one of Alaska’s most dramatic natural events: the eruption of Mount Redoubt Volcano. Nestled on the west side of...
Victory, Vibes, and Boilermaker Brotherhood: The 2008 Purdue vs. IU Game Watch in San Diego On a crisp Saturday in November 2008, the Purdue Alumni Club of San Diego turned Henry’s Pub & Grill into a black-and-gold fortress of pride, passion, and pure Boilermaker energy. The occasion...
Boilermakers, Breakfast, and Black & Gold Saturdays: The Purdue Alumni Club of San Diego’s Breakfast Club Tradition In the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, where palm trees sway and the Pacific breeze rolls in, a loyal group of Purdue alumni gathers each Saturday during NCAA...