Hi there! I'm a high school educator living in Portland, Oregon. I was born here, but grew up mostly in the Yacolt, Washington area. My hobbies include exploring historical or abandoned sites, photography, cycling, hiking, playing music, repairing mechanical and electronic stuff, painting, and reading.
I take road trips through the US whenever possible, and consider myself extremely well-traveled in the West. I collect books on ghost towns and Western US history, and visit such places whenever possible. I have a particular love for old timber/mill towns in the Pacific NW.
I enjoy contributing through writing and research when I have an interest in a subject, but I'm also big on cleaning up, regardless of the topic. These efforts are usually targeted through maintenance categories. If I've edited an article of personal interest to you and you're not a fan of the results, please feel free to let me know on that article's talk page. I watch every article I make substantial changes to, so I'll see it and make efforts to address your concerns.
These highlights are chosen based on what I enjoyed working on the most, not by the largest or most important (although the Naito Parkway and New Columbia articles are certainly my largest contributions so far). Adding to articles of personal interest is always more fun than adding material to some awful-but-notable band's article in the name bettering coverage and removing a template.
Sometimes, my focus on articles is influenced by my travel experiences. I've created linked maps for Oregon and Washington, as I travel enough in those states to justify mapping things out. Other places I've recently gone are listed below the maps.
.jpg){kind=small}
