Since this is my personal web site, some background information about me seems appropriate.

Growing up, I loved camping. We did it several times each summer, generally long weekends. Bacon, eggs and hot chocolate every morning. Swimming every afternoon. Baths? Hah! Fishing, picking raspberries and blueberries, visiting nearby Civil War battlefields...it was a blast! Then I became a teenager...sports, TV, and hanging out with friends were more interesting than the "great outdoors." A hot shower, air conditioning, and no bugs was the life! As I grew older, concerts, bars, and museums attracted my attention. After college, I moved to France and my transition was complete. Forget High Point State Park! Show me Paris, Florence, Rome, Bruges, London, and Amsterdam! I visited the great museums, whiled away my time at countless cafes, went to organ concerts in some of the great cathedrals of Europe, tasted champagne at les caves in Epernay and Reims, and bought my food at the outdoor market on Saturdays.

Then my work permit expired. I returned to the US, landing a job in Las Vegas. What a contrast! While most stores in France closed between 5 and 7 PM, in Vegas the lights were flashing, bells were ringing, and people were out and about at 10 PM when my flight arrived. The days passed quickly, with friendly people, dozens of clubs, and hundreds of bars all competing for my attention.

After a few months, someone said I just had to visit Zion National Park. I didn't give it much thought - after all, what's a bunch of rocks? Couldn't compare to the Vegas nightlife or the Musée Marmottan or Venice...right? But when I had a free weekend, I decided to take a drive up there and see for myself...and fell in love. I hiked up to Angels Landing, a steep trail with an even steeper dropoff...not good for someone who used to be terrified of heights. But the view! 1500 feet above the valley floor. Rock walls ranging in color from brown to light orange to white. Crazy people about the size of ants clinging to the rock, trusting their lives to fingertips and a rope...the ground a thousand below.

Since that day, I have returned to Zion and many of the other parks and monuments in the Southwest. I've met wonderful people, who went out of their way to give advice, rides, and directions. Best of all, my love of the outdoors has been restored. The desert southwest has a character all its own, with stark landscapes, big vistas, and amazing colors. It's like fall year-round! The soft, rounded hills of the Mid-Atlantic region, covered with trees that hide the view from hikers, just can't compare...

The Southwest has also changed my interest when it came to vacations. I used think a day here and a day there was the perfect way to use up my two weeks. Now, I go for the "big" vacation and use up most of my vacation time in one fell swoop. (I use quotation marks, since I only get three (previously two) weeks a year. I've thought about quitting my job and traveling the world for a year, but I enjoy what I do and my job does take me all over Europe. Since I can get my Euro fix with my business trips, my vacations have been to other parts of the world. My last two "big" trips have been to New Zealand in 2000 and Peru in 2002. My 2003 trip is looking like Costa Rica, after seeing the pictures from my sister's trip and hearing from several friends who had been there (including one on his honeymoon!). However, I'm still drawn back to the Southwest, and usually manage a short escape there every year.