Voyage of Discovery
Story by Staff Writer, Tabitha Yates. October 22024
Whether navigating the treacherous Arctic ice floes of the elusive Northwest Passage or working to ensure unrestricted access to fresh, healthy water in America's Great Lakes, Southeast or West, Richard and Christine Olsenius have been drawn to water throughout their lives. So, how did they end up living in Quail Creek?
Their story begins in a photography class at the University of Minnesota in 1968. Something more than film developed in that classroom and Richard and Christine married three years later. Then they embarked on the journey of a lifetime as they traveled, made art, created change, and highlighted the wonders and complexities of the world and its inhabitants through photography, journalism, art and music composition.
After graduation from college, they both began working at the Minneapolis Tribune. During his eleven years as a staff photographer with the Tribune, Richard was sent to cover the horrific genocide of Cambodians by dictator Pol Pot. In 1980, Richard was honored to earn the World Press Photo Award for his coverage of the heart-wrenching plight of Cambodian refugees.
Richard’s love of photography began as a youngster. He did a lot of street photography and developed an early love of the black and white genre. Despite his early fascination with the visual arts, Richard took time to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves for six years. Even then, he would photograph life on base and always found visual stories around him. In fact, his 50-year career as an award-winning photographer, music composer and videographer has taken him throughout North and South America, Asia and even across the Arctic Ocean.
Christine is an environmentalist and writer, working with Richard on many of his projects as well as serving on various boards, primarily focusing on protecting western water resources. After their stint at the Tribune, Christine and Richard made the unconventional choice to take a year-long sabbatical, buy a boat, and sail throughout the Caribbean. They left Florida for the Bahamas without any advanced navigational equipment. Richard says, “We had the mentality of retire now and work later.” It was thrilling for the couple to live out this dream, but they began to feel the urge to get back to their respective careers. However, they didn’t have to worry about settling into a predictable, “status quo” lifestyle. That’s because many exotic and exciting adventures awaited! They never lost their love of sailing and they have owned a total of nine boats that they have skippered around Ireland, through the Northwest Passage, most of the East Coast and from Alaska to Seattle — twice.
After returning to the Tribune from their Caribbean sabbatical, Richard was given the opportunity to work with National Geographic Magazine and on book projects. He was a contract photographer and photo editor for National Geographic prior to working at National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. He helped to develop National Geographic’s first website as they entered the digital realm.
Richard had countless adventures through his assignments with the magazine, like covering the attempt by the first American yacht to successfully travel the Northwest Passage from west to east. The Passage is a notoriously elusive waterway through the Arctic archipelago that links the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and has an extensive history of stranded ships, abandoned expeditions and lost crews. An Arctic explorer, John Bockstoce, had tried for five years to sail from Alaska to Greenland through the Passage. Richard shares, “He was going for his fifth attempt, so I flew up and joined the crew of Belvedere for 40 days, much of the voyage being lost. We had no advanced navigation, no GPS, and we were just picking our way through ice floes and icebergs. However, forty days later, we sailed through the ice pack to Greenland. The American military had done it. The Canadian military had done it. But never had a private yacht accomplish this amazing feat of transversing the Passage…until we did.”
After this adventure, National Geographic told Richard, “Well, why don't you go back and spend a year traveling with the native Inuits?” So, he started in Alaska and went out with whale hunters, tagging polar bears, traveling to various villages with a team of Inuit natives and scientists. During one such trip to Canada, as he was documenting Inuits hunting Beluga Whales, Richard’s snowmobile fell through the ice, plunging him into freezing waters. He explains, “We're chasing whales along the edge of the ice and I'm racing behind with two cameras, and I fell through the ice. They were way ahead of me, and as I'm going down, I'm holding the camera up and shouting ‘help!’ One of the guys turned around and luckily reached me. He leaned over and could barely catch me, but he showed me how to lock hands and he was able to pull me out!”
Christine has lived an equally impactful life working in the environmental arena. After graduating with a degree in International Relations, Christine found her calling in environmental work, directing three different environmental organizations that had to do with protecting water resources. Christine elaborates, “I actually worked on western water issues for years, and traveled out here and to most of the western states trying to help people to understand the importance of water quality, not just water quantity. I spent a lot of years trying to educate people about why we need to preserve water quality and supply.”
Christine was Vice President of the Fresh Water Foundation. Then she spent some time working on international issues at Lake Superior Center, before going on to serve for ten years as the Executive Director of The Southeast Watershed. While living in Annapolis, Christine also had an office in Nashville, Tennessee and she joked that she and Richard would sometimes pass each other and wave hello in the airport as they each pursued their passions.
She has put together a number of coalitions, including a Health and Environmental Network with the Fresh Water Foundation that involved the medical community in water issues and educated doctors about water quality. In the Great Lakes, Christine created a coalition of industries, environmental organizations, tribes, and local government to form a true binational forum to deal with some of the pertinent water issues in the area.
“And although we were both always working on our own projects, we were also working together,” continues Christine. “I worked on all of Richard’s books including Dog Stories, The National Geographic Field Guide for Digital Black and White Photography, and The National Geographic Field Guide for Digital Video.
Additionally, Richard produced eight feature stories for National Geographic Magazine, appeared in sixteen National Geographic books, book chapters, Traveler articles as well as In Search of Lake Wobegon, Wisconsin Travel Companion, Minnesota Travel Companion, Flight, and even had an art calendar released- Midwest Art Calendar. This work has received numerous honors and awards throughout a half century of creative work and collaboration including - Best use of Photography award, Pictures of the Year from University of Missouri, William Randolph Hearst Photojournalism Scholarship Winner, Certificate of Merit from the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Bronze Medal at New York International Film Festival.
What beckoned Richard and Christine out west? Richard shares, “One year, we embarked on a cross-country trip. We visited national parks and followed the plains and prairies. Then we got into the Rockies, which enthralled us. We came to Green Valley to see a cousin and we saw the Santa Rita’s, and we were astounded by the beauty. After traveling around the world and living for twenty-three years in Annapolis, Green Valley is exactly what the couple desired — lots of history and amazing landscape, and an energy that is still very much electric and inspiring for creative souls. Richard was drawn particularly to the clouds in the area and has been keenly photographing them. He is still actively working on composing music in his Quail Creek home and will never stop desiring to create something new and beautiful. The couple’s work can be found on their website- americanlandscapegallery.com.
Christine served locally on the board of directors for the Friends of Madera Canyon. She has helped with fundraising and both she and Richard worked on creating a nonprofit fundraising video. “We've just got such wonderful organizations that are out there supporting the arts and supporting places like Madera Canyon. It’s such a vibrant area to live in!” exclaims Christine.
Richard and Christine are excited to find people here who are still creating, not yet ready to quit or retire. And they have found that Quail Creek has no shortage of these people. “There’s a lot of creative energy here,” says Richard. “Whether it comes from pottery or art or writing books. Folks are still putting themselves out there…still creating.” Christine agrees, “It's an energy that's here, people who are still very much alive that have a spirit to be active and get out there and chase the beauty all around them.”
We thank Richard and Christine for their commitment to nature and creating so much beauty and art for us to enjoy. We are grateful to them for making Green Valley a special place, indeed.