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EXPLORE TO THE MAX

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The San Rafael Mountains Northwest View.

The world is an immense place with a great diversity of complex environments, spectacular vistas, fascinating species, and vibrate cultures. It is only when one analyzes all of this diversity that he/she can truly begin to comprehend the big picture. The satisfaction of experiencing this great shift in perspective is the main force compelling us to explore. So get out there and see the sights! Even if it is just taking a walk through the local woods, making a trip to the farmer's market, or going on a school field trip, you are sure to see something new and enlightening. Then, you may find that seeing the world is fun, and may want to explore that mountain over there or that cavern and see where it leads. One step will lead to another and before you know it, exploration will be one of your favorite activities. You may not realize it, but the more you explore, the more global your perspective on the world and life will become.

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PICTURES OF ME EXPLORING THE WORLD

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SOME OF THE PLACES I HAVE EXPLORED

Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The Golden Trout Wilderness in the Sierra Nevadas

The Golden Trout Wilderness in the Sierra Nevadas

The Big Sur Coast

The Big Sur Coast

Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest

Hidden Valle in Joshua Tree National Park

Hidden Valle in Joshua Tree National Park

The Santa Monica Mountains

The Santa Monica Mountains

The Carrizo Plain

The Carrizo Plain

The Wekiva River in Central Florida

The Wekiva River in Central Florida

The Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Las Cruces Biological Station in Southern Costa Rica

Las Cruces Biological Station in Southern Costa Rica

The Santa Barbara Region

The Santa Barbara Region

Serrano Valley in the Santa Monica Mountains

Serrano Valley in the Santa Monica Mountains

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WHERE I HOPE TO EXPLORE SOMEDAY

THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY IN EASTERN AFRICA

For a naturalist, few places are more interesting than the heart of Africa. From the cool cloud forests and their endangered gorillas, to the open savannah and its charismatic megafauna, the contrasts and richness of this land is breathtaking. This is a place that I simply must experience before I die.

AUSTRALIA

The land down under has become so unique due to its isolation, that many aspects of its cultures and inhabitants of its ecosystems are synonymous with itself. The marsupials, eucalyptus woodlands, egg-laying mammals, rich coral reefs, and unusually high diversity of lizards are just some of these features. The rearrangement of the senses that this land creates is something that I need to experience.

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

Arguably the most diverse land ecosystem in the world, this haven for the strange and fascinating is exotic in all meanings of the word. It is also threatened in all meanings of the word. Time is running out to understand and learn from this place, so it must be done quickly.

MONUMENT VALLEY IN UTAH

I don't know why, but we always seemed to skip Utah on my family's Summer road trips. The fact that I have not been to a single one of the big five even though I have been to National Parks all over the United States is just weird. Someday, I will see those winding canyons and orange rocks of the Great Basin Desert.

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT

This is the most diverse section of the Sonoran desert within the United States. I have been to the Sonoran Desert before, but the remote wilderness of the organ pipe cactus has eluded me. It won't be long until my love of the desert pulls me out there.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

Nestled along the border between Mexico and the United States, this wilderness is in the middle of the remote Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas and does not get a lot of visitors. That being said, it is nonetheless a beautiful landscape filled with great vistas, pretty plants, and amazing animals. As a desert lover, it is only a matter of time before I pay this remote wilderness a visit.

THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

The land that long ago enlightened one man's perspective on the world is still as pretty, strange, and life-changing today. The animals here are a great example of the great lengths that animals will go to in order to take on any challenge and seeing these animals at work would be a great learning experience.

INDIA

Home to a great diversity of life forms and with one of the worst population problems in the world, India is one of the most important places to understand. It is a land with huge sustainability issues, but it is also a land with vibrant cultures. I hope that someday I will get to see this place and experience it for myself.

SOUTH AFRICA

This land may be at the bottom of Africa, but it is certainly not the lowest in biodiversity. A plethora of wildlife calls the dry grasslands and deserts home. What is more is that the cape is the mixing ground of two ocean currents that together create one of the richest ocean exosystems in the world.

KOMODO ISLAND IN INDONESIA

This is one of the few places in the world where a reptile still dominate the top of the food chain. When you step off the boat and land ashore, you enter the domain of the largest lizards in the world. As an extreme reptile enthusiast myself, it is only a matter of time till I set foot on that island.

HAWAII

Through my trips around the United States with my family, I have been lucky enough to so see all of the lower 48 states and Alaska. Now, all that remains is an island paradise that lies in the middle of the pacific ocean. How can I say no?

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