Changes in life can be exciting and equally scary. You haven’t heard much from me over the past couple of years.

I spent two long years downsizing my home. It’s amazing how much stuff can be collected in nearly 40 years of adult life. After 18 trips to donation sites like Salvation Army and Goodwill, seven trips to my local public library with nearly 400 books, and giving keepsakes and furniture to family and friends, I still have enough stuff for an apartment that had to be put in storage.

I sold my home in northern Illinois earlier this year, moved my life into a 31-foot 5th wheel RV and headed out on the open road. Why? Many reasons really. I wasn’t feeling a connection to where I was living. No particular place was calling my name. I was feeling a little nomadic. I was in the US Navy for 20 years and missed experiencing new places and cultures. Maybe because life’s little surprises need to be dealt with the best way possible. The lose of a loved one or unexpected changes in a relationship.

But just because my home is now on wheels does not mean a life of non-stop traveling. My goal is not seeing as much as North America as possible in some whirlwind tour. My goal is to find interesting and beautiful places, set up a semi-permanent residence, meet the people, see the sites, and document my adventures through the camera lens.

The obvious answer is go to all of the National Parks, state parks, and tourist attractions. While I’m all for visiting these places, the problem is that they have been photographed to death. Pick up any travel magazine or do a Google search and you will find a flood of articles and images about those places.

There are many lesser known places equally beautiful and interesting. So that’s the quest. Find the obscure places people would be interested in seeing photos of, reading about and someday visiting.

As my travels progress, you will be hearing more from me than you have in the past. My goal is to have at least one article each week highlighting my travels along with interesting places to see, some photography techniques and tips, and possibly some discussions on how I process my images.