»»» When Life Takes Its Turns    March 17th, 2006:
  It has been too long since my last entry. I have had quite a few things happen in my life during the last half year. Like a roller coaster ride, my life took its twists and turns. Now I'm back to dust off the site and give it that lemony-fresh scent. Plus, I've got a lot of great stuff to share with you!

  Travels: Since my last post some five months ago, I had gone on a few adventures. To celebrate my big three-oh birthday, my family and I stayed a week in a cushy resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was great to go on a "vacation" and spend time sitting around a pool with my sunscreen-covered nose buried in a book. It was one of my goals to just relax, after all. However, I did complete a couple other personal goals: be the only 'gringo' on a local bus, experience the local day-to-day lifestyle of the area, and explore the jungles of the Sierra Madre.
  Mexico was my only international trip, but I took some local weekend trips in the past five months as well: two trips to Death Valley and two trips to Joshua Tree. I will post photos of all of these trips shortly.

  Websites: In my last entry, I talked about how I was going to be working for "weeks" on a new section of my site called "The Explorer's Library". Well, those weeks became months, and the section became a new website called retrotravels.net! I realized that I have enough information and resources on the subject of travel during the "Golden Age" (1890-1939) to create a new and unique website. The process of transforming the information from the pages of vintage guidebooks into html is taking longer than I expected, but I should have something more than a blog up soon.
  I have also become a co-partner and web designer for a new project called eurotrek.net, a website that will be dedicated to helping out budget travelers. As we build the site, you are free to ask questions on our large message board filled with many travellers with years of experience.
  And if that's not enough, I am also working on yet another website which will sell podcasts of walking tours of the Los Angeles area. When it rains, it pours, eh?

  Upcoming Events: I'll be going on a few local trips in the next couple months. In about a week, I'll be making another run out to my favorite National Park with a few friends. They haven't been to Joshua Tree and I'm sure it will be easy to show them why I love it so much while we're camping and hiking for two days. In April, I'll be flying into central Oregon to explore the area for a week. Originally planned as a reconnaissance mission to find a job and an apartment, it is now simply a chance to enjoy the outdoor wonders of the high desert, like kayaking the Deshutes River, or hiking in the Cascades. As always, I'll be packing my camera for these trips and will share the results on my return.