After creating a page about the site I realized it might be polite to mention a little more about myself.

We each are the sum of all of our days whether we are aware of them or not.  I’m not going to go into that much detail so you’ll just have to live with the fact that reading this page won’t tell the full story.   Read my stuff and you’ll learn plenty about me I’m sure including stuff I don’t know I’m saying if you are perceptive.  Still, a little background might give some context to the other stuff I post here.

I have spent most of my life in three very different geographic areas; Central Wisconsin, Southern California and now Coastal Maine.  Each has very different landscapes and weather and getting out into them has always been the happiest part of my life.

I grew up on a small dairy farm where work came before play and depending on the season there was always something that needed to be done outdoors.  Summers were long and Winters were longer, but the rolling farmland had a big sky above and my sense of wonder at being under it was born there.  We didn’t camp when I was young, too busy with work, but we had nature all around us to enjoy.  I did make several trips to the Porcupine Mts of Upper Michigan and one very memorable trip to the Bighorn Mts of Wyoming in my late teens and my love of backpacking began.

As an adult I bounced my way up through the larger cities of WI and then made a visit to Southern California.  I mailed my apt key and never looked back.  California brought mountain camping, beach camping and surf.  The camping took me from San Diego County to the inland mountains of the Angeles, Cleveland and Los Padres forests as well as some magical coastal spots never to be mentioned aloud.  The surfing took me to pretty much every break from Huntington to the Mexican border and eventually as far as Costa Rica.

Sadly work began to take up all my time as I did important things for a big company. First the surfing stopped, then the camping and then pretty much everything else in life.   Luckily the big company was nice enough to toss me aside after almost two decades since I’d already done all the important things.

Sudden freedom led to a lot of thinking and the realization that it was time to leave California behind.  The years had changed me and the place til we were no longer compatible.  My wife having never really taken to the place after moving there a few years earlier agreed and we began dreaming of our escape.  One of our dreams was living in Maine and while we laughed about it we began to make that dream come true.  Now a few years later we find ourselves living a very different life with a mortgage and a child we never could have dreamed of but love dearly.

Having had the opportunity to reinvent my life I have opted to focus on living it rather than making a living.  Getting away on trips is not always possible as a family man, but if I can’t travel far I at least try to get out under the sky for a while every day.  After years spent hidden in computer caves it is good to be out in the fresh air.  In that spirit I’ve also rekindled my love of road cycling and ride as often and as far as my schedule permits.

When I can travel I enjoy backpacking as much as possible for as long as possible and as far from other people as possible. I’ve debated becoming a licensed Maine Guide which would allow me to combine what I enjoy with making a living, but then I’d have to take people with me which might spoil the fun.  I do go with family and friends whenever possible; I’m not entirely antisocial heh.

That’s me for now.  I imagine I’ll have to update this once it no longer reflects who I am then…

Lone Stranger