For two months I have stared at a blank screen some how waiting for the words to miraculously appear from a journey which some would call a futile effort, yet others would say it was the time of my life, but for me I think it will be the first of many adventures that cannot be summarized in a mere blog post. The range of emotions ran the gamut from the calmness and serenity of the sun setting in the desert, to sheer and utter terror on a four mile hike out through Chiracahua Canyon in the dark seeing large close-set eyes following me.

As the country was being divided by the media, and a President who sought to unravel works of former administrations of protecting places for our enjoyment and the conservation of ecosystems that support diverse life. I was envisioning fulfillment a dream that had built in my soul since I saw the works of Ansel Adams the amazing photographer, and advocate for the National Parks.

There I was with my 40th birthday soon staring me in the face and little I had planned to carry out by 40 actually finished. Which I suppose is what most of the people feel when they hit 40 since most of their great things in life probably weren’t planned at all. I read Kerouac’s On The Road many years ago and it rang so true in certain parts. The excitement of the open road the dotted lines flying by, the T in the road with an arrow in either direction that you just ask yourself for the answer, or when it comes down to it a flip of the coin. So I started to set the plan in motion to rid myself of the chains I had wrapped myself in by society telling me I needed the newest things, a nice apartment, a great paying job, and a hefty savings to enjoy my life when I retire. As I begin to rid myself of things and wants or expectations of what my life should be, I found a greater understanding of what makes my life fulfilling to me.

So this is the first post of many about my travel, and the places I have seen, and hopefully my skills as a landscape photographer can get you some enjoyment and a feeling that our National Parks, National Monuments, and national forests/grasslands need to be protected. You may say wait a minute these places are Federally protected. Well there are many things that threaten these places as well as our environment in general. I ask you to join me here and to keep checking back as I post experiences and photos over the last 6 months. A journey through our great American shrines to the beauty that brought our immigrant ancestors to this land and shaped generations of conservationists, artists and scientists to ask questions and fight to save them. These are the places we think of when we try to explain the beauty of our country to others.

This is Oxbow Bend in the Grand Tetons National Park. When we visit serene places like this we can take in the view and gain perspective of trivial problems and hit the emotional reset button. In our lives we have been conditioned to distance ourselves from nature so we can be closer to Modern conveniences, cell coverage, shopping, restaurants, a comfortable bed and wifi. The understanding I have gained in my travels, that although these things are nice they distance us further from our natural place on this earth and the connection we have with it. This is the first to come of many so stay tuned you can follow me on twitter, fb, linked in just click link on top right.