While I have a local emphasis in the Northeast, there’s much to be said for the near-exact opposite:  the eons reflected in the sands and stone of the Southwest Desert, and the grand vistas of the stone formations of the National Parks in Utah, Colorado and Arizona.

There, I’ve also ventured into the mountains of the west:  the Rockies of Colorado, the Grand Tetons, the Olympics and the Sierra Nevada.  I’ve also enjoyed the merger of both in the rainforests and sea stacks of the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve ventured into the winter wonderlands of Yellowstone National Park.

I find all of the glory of the universe in each of these locations.

But, I have to confess, as much as I enjoy the occasional good fortune of capturing unusual features or conditions in these playgrounds, what I really hope for the viewer is that my images provide some connection to the unique beauty of these places, and the need to preserve them, as well as a sampling of the pure awe and enjoyment I had just being there.  For me, the effort and travails, the planning, the timing, the runs, crawls, and climbs, the early rising, — often through rain, mud, ice or snow — in equal parts add to both the experience and the reward.