The Western Flyer’s legacy isn’t just in books or archives—it’s in people. Scientists, artists, shipwrights, fishermen, students, Steinbeck fans, and first-time visitors have all found meaning in the Western Flyer’s story.
These are their voices—reflections, memories, and stories from our growing community.
Want to share your own? We’d love to hear what the Western Flyer means to you.
What the Western Flyer Means to Me
September 25, 2025Cultural guide and historian Trudi Angell adds her voice to our storytelling series with a reflection on the Western Flyer, Steinbeck’s writings, and the living connections she’s built in Baja California.
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August 04, 2025Author and researcher Eric Steven Rankin kicks off our new storytelling series with a personal reflection on the Western Flyer—and the web of curiosity, connection, and meaning it continues to inspire.
View Full ArticleSongs of the Sea: Spiritual Ditties on the Sea of Cortez
By Liz Heinecke, January 29, 2025John Steinbeck, Carol Henning Brown, and Ed Ricketts all carried music in their hearts—whether it was the structure of Bach’s fugues, the rhythms of jazz, or the melodies of the sea itself. In this special guest blog, author Liz Heinecke explores the soundtrack of their lives and how music wove through their adventures, including their unforgettable voyage aboard the Western Flyer.
View Full ArticleA Glimpse into the Western Flyer’s Mentoring Ecosystem Program
June 06, 2024By Kaitlyn Ponce A hydroid colony no bigger than can be contained in one’s cupped hands may be almost a whole universe in itself – a complete unit of life, with possibly dozens of units in one tide pool – Ed Ricketts, Between Pacific Tides (1939) Kaitlyn sketching marine fossils on the final day of […]
View Full ArticleHow The Log from the Sea of Cortez changed my life
March 24, 2023In this blog, Rom Welborn, a long-time friend of the Western Flyer Foundation, shares his story of how the Log from the Sea of Cortez changed his life.
View Full ArticleReflections on the Western Flyer Foundation by Ted Katzoff
December 31, 2022In this letter, one of our long-time donors, Ted Katzoff, explains why supporting the Western Flyer Foundation is meaningful to him.
View Full ArticleReflections on my grandfather, MA Petrich, Sr., builder of the Western Flyer
November 17, 2022Learn more about MA Petrich Sr., the man responsible for building the Western Flyer, in this latest guest blog by his granddaughter, Caroline Petrich.
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