Crystal Mill

Bisti Badlands

Bisti Badlands

Aspen Grove

Bisti Badlands

Bisti Badlands

When I was in high school, one of my nicknames was Mountain Man. I enjoyed learning wilderness survival skills, animal tracks, bird and tree names, etc. In college, I backpacked a lot out west - CO, CA and elsewhere. After that, I wanted to move to Boulder CO. But at that time, like most college students, I was a poor college student. After graduating with a Master's Degree, I applied to numerous companies in Denver and Boulder. No takers. The closest job offer was in Chicago. As much as I love visiting Chicago, I do not think I could live in Chicago.

Living in Colorado had always been a dream for me, but as the years turned to decades, now, I look at Colorado and see a place that I enjoy visiting but no longer want to live in. That said, in the last 10 years or so, I have fallen in love with southern Utah. Maybe now my nickname should be Desert Rat? Regardless, I still live in southern WI, but "go west young (old) man" as 0ften as I can.

All of these images were taken with a 4x5 inch large-format film camera and processed in my traditional (wet) darkroom. This also means that I was carrying a lot of camera gear. For instance, for the Bisti shots, my pack was 30-35 lbs and I was hiking on average 12-15 miles a day (and camping in a tent).

3,200 Years

Bristlecone

Bristlecone