CURRENT MISSION

A solo motorcyclye trip from the Twin Cities to Grand Island, NE, for the total eclipse, then west to Northeastern Colorado to visit friends. From there, I'll be heading North to the Black Hills and then Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Western North Dakota before heading home again.

ABOUT ME

I have wry sense of humor, seasoned by a healthy skepticism about virtually everything. A dilettante in all but more former profession, my interests are broad but shallow: food, film, books of many types, astronomy, tech, scientific frontiers, politics, history, other cultures. ;-)

40+ years ago, I hitchhiked or drove around a good deal of the country, sleeping where I could, whether a gas station parking lot in Eastern Montana, a beach in Southen California, the Arizona desert, or in a car transporting Weimaraners to a dog show in Bismark, North Dakota. Since then, I've traveled with my wife through most of the country and to a few other nations. Most recently, we've visited Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, the UK, and Iceland.

Since acquiring my current motorcycle five years ago, I've enjoyed solo road trips, including a 2014 trip to New Orleans and a 2015 trip around most of Lake Superior. My currently planned trip to Colorado and points North originally was scheduled for 2016 but was derailed when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. After removal of part of a lung, I'm ready to go again this year.

I am a gregarious person who enjoys meeting and talking with people wherever I go.

PHILOSOPHY

YOLO, before it was reduced to a bumper sticker. As an atheist, I believe that this life is all we have. We can make it harder or easier on ourselves and one another by our actions. I choose to make it easier for myself and others.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Not quite a virgin. 40+ years ago, I hitchhiked or drove around a good deal of the country, sleeping where I could, whether a gas station parking lot in Eastern Montana, a beach in Southen California, the Arizona desert, or in a car transporting Weimaraners to a dog show in Bismark, North Dakota.

I am a gregarious person who enjoys meeting and talking with people wherever I go.

Interests

Books, film, travel, food, motorcycling.

• dogs
• books
• dining
• flying
• politics
• technology
• traveling
• atheism
• astronomy
• history
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

My tastes are eclectic. I might put down The Glory and The Dream and pick up Again, Dangerous Visions or open a new James Lee Burke "Robicheaux" novel. My Netflix list is filled with everything from foreign films to cheap SciFi. Musically, I haven't moved too far beyond about 1976, though I can recognize and appreciate a few more recent artists.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing a moonbow at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky, in April, 1969.

Exploring the Mayan ruins at Copan, Honduras.

Standing before a 5,000 year old dolmen on the Irish Burren at dawn.

Flying from Des Moines, IA, to Minneapolis, MN, in a WWII B24-J Liberator bomber.

Lying naked in Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, Idaho, while the snow fell upon my face.

Strolling with my wife along the walls of Quebec City in the fog, listening to Somewhere Over the Rainbow played on crystal goblets.

Watching bald eagles feed along the Apgar River in Glacier National Park.

Eating abalone for the first time.

Driving the Coastal Highway in California, from San Francisco south.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am unable to host due to my wife's discomfort with the concept. I am available, however, for recommendations on sights to see in the Twin Cities and Minnesota generally, as well as affordable places to eat while here.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Taiwan, United States, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States