Your Bio

A whole buncha photos from a whole buncha places I done been.

Also, please feel free to visit my blog, messiestobjects, where I describe in painful (to you, the reader, not to me) detail my traveling exploits. And I rant about stuff, too. It's fun. You'll like it. There's punch and pie.

"Where you come from, is gone. Where you thought you were goin' to, weren't never there, and where you are ain't no good unless you can get away from it."
-Ministry, 'Jesus Built My Hotrod'

Featured Galleries

My Favorite Shots : These are all photos of mine already posted in other galleries, but I've taken my favorites and assembled them here because I admit, there are an awful lot of galleries to go through, and many of my pictures are rather repetitive. So this is where I go when I want a good quick overview of my portfolio. I'll continue adding to it whenever I get new stuff in, so please check back every once in a while! If you'd like to visit my blog, where I talk about the trips I took these pictures on, go here. If not, I understand, it's ok. My feelings aren't hurt at all. sniff.

My Favorite Shots

These are all photos of mine already posted in other galleries, but I' ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2009 10:18am PST

To The Edge of the Earth from Zhukovsky Air Force Base, Russia : On November 9th, 2005, I got my Space Adventure. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND I'D DO IT AGAIN!! Wow. WOW. I got to fly in a Mig-25 to 25,000 meters, about 82,000 feet high, (25 kilometers, or about 15 miles high... woohoo!) at the top speed of about Mach 2.8 (2,131.4 miles per hour, 3,430.1 kilometers per hour... yeehaw!) ... In the gallery, you'll notice that I took a picture of the Altimeter and Speedometer every so often, But at the peak of speed and hight I did not, because that was the purest moment of Euphoria I've ever experienced... I was weightless for several seconds, I have no idea how long, really, which was caused by the arc of the Mig-25 going over it's peak, which also caused me to have a slight buzz...Looking down at the Earth and up at the Black. I was in Jerusalem five days before, but this was, BY FAR, a much Holier experience. I also flew in a second Plane, the L-39, which is a subsonic acrobatic training plane. When I say I flew it, I mean that literally! After we got to about the hight you see me in in the third picture on page 5, he gave me control of the stick. Then we did some acrobatic flips and dives and stuff. I wasn't allowed to bring my camera on the L-39, due to all the acrobatics, but there are a few pictures of me in it and the Pilot at the end of the gallery. AWESOME!!!!!! UDATE! So I got the photos taken by the Space Adventures photographer, Dimo Korotayev, and I've mixed them in this gallery with my own... pretty much any picture with me in it, he took. Most of the others are mine. I have recieved the video! I look retarded in all that get-up. I won't be handing out Michael the Space-tard videos to anyone, sorry. 2nd UPDATE! I, being technologically challeneged, just figured out how to capture frames of video as a JPEG file, and I've loaded a few such pictures from the video taken by the camera in the cockpit of the MIG-25 and the video from Space Adventures and interspersed them throughout the gallery.

To The Edge of the Earth from Zhukovsky Air Force Base, Russia

On November 9th, 2005, I got my Space Adventure. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PE ...

Updated: Jun 28, 2006 12:59am PST

Friends & Family

Around the World

Galleries

My Favorite Shots : These are all photos of mine already posted in other galleries, but I've taken my favorites and assembled them here because I admit, there are an awful lot of galleries to go through, and many of my pictures are rather repetitive. So this is where I go when I want a good quick overview of my portfolio. I'll continue adding to it whenever I get new stuff in, so please check back every once in a while! If you'd like to visit my blog, where I talk about the trips I took these pictures on, go here. If not, I understand, it's ok. My feelings aren't hurt at all. sniff.

My Favorite Shots

These are all photos of mine already posted in other galleries, but I' ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2009 10:18am PST

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA : While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an Arizona run during the few free days I had. This was a day trip to The Petrified Forest, where trees weren't so much turned into stone as they were replaced by various minerals in a very detailed manner. There were also some petroglyphs around made by the Pueblo Indians back in the day, and taking pictures of pictures is always fun.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA

While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2009 10:17am PST

Meteor Crater, Arizona, USA : While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an Arizona run during the few free days I had. This was a day trip to Meteor Crater, the site of a very large meteor impact. It was so windy I got lifted off my feet when I tried to go up to the lip of the crater. That was totally sweet.

Meteor Crater, Arizona, USA

While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an ...

Updated: Dec 26, 2008 1:15pm PST

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA : While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an Arizona run during the free days I had. I spent 3 mights at Bright Angel Lodge which is a hotel situated right on the rim of the Grand Canyon. I blogged about it here.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

While I was in Southern California for work in December '08, I took an ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2009 10:13am PST

Trona Pinnacles, California, USA : I was sent to Ridgecrest California in December '08 for work, and while there I heard that at a nearby site named the Trona Pinnacles many Hollywood movies were filmed. Most famously, the original Planet of the Apes. Don't these pictures make you think of a certain "really quite very off limits" zone? Captain Kirk rolled around in the dirt here a few times also, I'm sure. UPDATE: I visited the area again in June of '09 for work, so this time I went out at night and got some night shots of the pinnacles too. They begin on page 4 of this gallery.

Trona Pinnacles, California, USA

I was sent to Ridgecrest California in December '08 for work, and whil ...

Updated: Jun 09, 2009 6:50am PST

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA : While in Southern California for work in December '08, I went on a jaunt down to flagstaff. Saw the Lowell Observatory. Percival Lowell thought he'd discovered canals on Mars back in like 1895 with this very telescope! What a maroon. I'd loved that story since hearing about it from Carl Sagan in Cosmos, which I'd read long before seeing the TV series. Because of his mistake, he fired up many a young boy's imagination with thoughts of Mars and Martians, culminating in HG Wells' War of the Worlds. Pluto was discovered here, as well as the observation that the galaxies were receding from us very very fast which lead to the discovery that the Universe is expanding. Good scientific history. The telescope was also awesome to visit because it just looks so damn cool. Very Steampunk. Those are truck tires which rotate the roof of the observatory so that the telescope can be pointed at any direction in the sky. Stayed at the Monte Vista. Parts of Casablanca were filmed there, and it's one of those places that movie stars love to stay in. We stayed in the room Lee Marvin stayed in while filming some western or other. Wicked.

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

While in Southern California for work in December '08, I went on a jau ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2008 11:00am PST

Fiddlesticks : My Dad's band needed some shots for their new CD, so I took a fiddle out into the woods.

Fiddlesticks

My Dad's band needed some shots for their new CD, so I took a fiddle o ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2009 10:01am PST

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA : I got a paid three day trip to Las Vegas for work. You might think I'm trying to be funny by saying Ho-hum, but I'm not. I'm not a gambler (well, except for in the stock market) and I dislike the blatantly cheap flashy commercial spectacle that is Disney World for the silly grown-up people. But you know, always good to make the best of a bad situation. Got some nice shots. My full Las Vegas report can be found here.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

I got a paid three day trip to Las Vegas for work. You might think I'm ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:52am PST

Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA : So I went to Cape Cod in June '08 for a nice relaxing vacation from my stressful job. You know, I had to get away from all that constant work travel. Anyway, my family on my Dad's side is from the Cape. My Grandfather owned a grocery store in Osterville until it burned down. It was really nice to drive up the cape... Eastern Massachusetts has that incredible mix of smells of cedar pine and sea salty air blown in from the ocean. There is some truly invigorating air there. I spent the majority of my time on the Cape in Provincetown... turns out, it's somewhat of a Gay Haven up there. Didn't know that when I booked my hotel... ah well. It's a beautiful town and I'm glad I went! For the full story, check out my blog entry, here.

Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA

So I went to Cape Cod in June '08 for a nice relaxing vacation from my ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:43am PST

Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA : So I went to Cape Cod in June '08 for a nice relaxing vacation from my stressful job. You know, I had to get away from all that constant work travel. Right. But it was really nice to drive up the cape... Eastern Massachusetts has that incredible mix of smells of cedar pine and sea salty air blown in from the ocean. There is some truly invigorating air there. I stopped at Plymouth on the way up, and here are some random pix from the area. For the full story, check out my blog entry here.

Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

So I went to Cape Cod in June '08 for a nice relaxing vacation from my ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:38am PST

Chicago, Illinois, USA : I traveled to Chicago for work in May 2008. I love New York? Bah! I love Chicago! What a fun city. Clean too. Good vibes all over the place. If you're into self-flagellation, feel free to read my Chicago blog post here. Hey, I'm not judging.

Chicago, Illinois, USA

I traveled to Chicago for work in May 2008. I love New York? Bah! I lo ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:29am PST

Seattle, Washington, USA : I was sent to Seattle for work in April '08 and in September '08. I'd been there once before way back in '97 on my way to Alaska, but I didn't have time to do a whole lot then. This time I had friends there from my time in Germany, Jordan and Alison, who let me crash at their place for a few days while I saw some sights. For the full adventure, and only if you've got nothing better to do such as beating yourself with a whip coated in lemon juice, feel free to read this.

Seattle, Washington, USA

I was sent to Seattle for work in April '08 and in September '08. I'd ...

Updated: Sep 29, 2008 6:57am PST

The Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida, USA : I went to Fort Lauderdale for work in April '08, where there is nothing to take pictures of. However, about an hour south of there in the town of Homestead lies The Coral Castle. Some wackjob named Edward Leedskalnin built it for his lost love. The Billy Idol song, Sweet Sixteen, is totally based on his story, and the video was shot there. The thing about the coral castle is that nobody saw him build it, and he built it by himself. It's one of those weird mystery kinds of things. Some people think he rediscovered the secrets of the Egyptian construction guys, although apparently it's not really a secret anymore how they built the pyramids. I can't verify that, it's just something I heard. I'd go into more detail, but you know, the wikipedia page on it probably tells it better than I could. I'll just show you my pictures from my little day trip down there, how does that sound, dearie? [Granny voice] For a full atrocious accounting of my visit there, read this.

The Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida, USA

I went to Fort Lauderdale for work in April '08, where there is nothin ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:17am PST

3 Border Towns In Mexico : In December 2007 I was sent to McAllen, Texas for work, which is only about a 10 minute drive from the Rio Grande. I was really excited about this because I'd never been to Mexico, but it kind of turns out that border towns, at least in this part of the country, are mainly mostly characterless industrial areas which cater to Texan daytrippers. I visited Reynosa, Nuevo Progresso, and Matamoros. Still, it was cool. To read my sordid account of borderland, go here.

3 Border Towns In Mexico

In December 2007 I was sent to McAllen, Texas for work, which is only ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:12am PST

The Clinton Museum in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA : When I was in Neosho, Missouri back in December '07 for work, I took a day trip down to Fayetteville, Arkansas. There wasn't really much there, except the Bill Clinton Museum! It's in the house which Bill bought for Hillary as an engagement present. I miss Bill.

The Clinton Museum in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

When I was in Neosho, Missouri back in December '07 for work, I took a ...

Updated: May 22, 2008 9:07am PST

St. Louis & Hannibal, Missouri, USA : I was sent to Neosho, Missouri for work in November/December '07 for two weeks. I had more fun there than I would have thought, but I was still glad to leave! I got to take a few days to drive up to St. Louis and then to Hannibal, the town where Mark Twain grew up and where he got much of the inspiration for Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn from. In St. Louis, mostly the photos I got were of the Gateway Arch, so be ready to get overarched. It's a good thing it looks different in different kinds of light and from different angles. It's pretty much the only interesting thing to look at there, though it did seem like a fun city and I wouldn't have minded another day or two to look around in. Oh well, maybe next time. For the full hot aired regaling of my trip, read this.

St. Louis & Hannibal, Missouri, USA

I was sent to Neosho, Missouri for work in November/December '07 for t ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 9:08am PST

Neosho & Branson, Missouri, USA : Let me just say right off that this gallery is a tad sparse. I was sent to Neosho, Missouri for work in November/December '07, and there's really not much in the area. I wouldn't even have created this gallery at all, except that, in the otherwise dull "Las Vegas of the Christian midwest", Branson Missouri, I found Yakov Smirnoff! I'd wondered where he'd got to. And just outside of Neosho, there was the George Washington Carver museum, which was erected on the site of the farm he grew up on. It was pretty cool, actually. I wanted to go because I felt that I owed him a visit to pay homage to the man who invented peanut butter, considering how much of my life's diet has consisted of the food of the Gods. For the full, possibly sort of kind of interesting account, read this. Oh, and this, sorry. Thanks.

Neosho & Branson, Missouri, USA

Let me just say right off that this gallery is a tad sparse. I was sen ...

Updated: May 22, 2008 9:06am PST

Atlanta, Georgia, USA : I was sent to Atlanta for 2 weeks in October 2007 for work. Most of my time was spent in a hotel room staring at computer screens, but the few times I was able to get out went pretty well. I visited the Aquarium, and saw the Dalai Lama give a speech in the Olympic park! That was sweet, but for the rest of it, Atlanta is pretty damn dull. For a fuller account of my run-in with His Holiness, please go here.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

I was sent to Atlanta for 2 weeks in October 2007 for work. Most of my ...

Updated: Oct 27, 2007 2:50pm PST

The Space Coast, Florida, USA : My job sent me to Orlando for a week in September '07 to do about 3 days worth of work. So I had around four days worth of free time, and I toured a bit of the Space Coast. I went to Kennedy Space center, Cocoa Beach, took an Air Boat ride on the St. John's river, and took the plunge and hit the Magic Kingdom for the first and last time in my life. Extra extra, read all about it. Work work work.

The Space Coast, Florida, USA

My job sent me to Orlando for a week in September '07 to do about 3 da ...

Updated: Oct 27, 2007 2:46pm PST

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA : I spent a few days in July '07 in Martha's Vineyard just because I wanted to. It may look all rich and snooty, but that's only because it is. But it also has a seedy underbelly...

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

I spent a few days in July '07 in Martha's Vineyard just because I wan ...

Updated: Oct 27, 2007 2:40pm PST

Los Angeles, California, USA : I went to Orange County, CA in July 2007 for work. I took a day off and went to LA... man, what a shithole.

Los Angeles, California, USA

I went to Orange County, CA in July 2007 for work. I took a day off an ...

Updated: Oct 27, 2007 2:38pm PST

Wyoming, USA : I was sent to Wyoming for work in June '07, and had loads of free time to go run around and see all the good stuff... in Wyoming, there is a whole mess of empty space to run around in, too. My favorite part was Devils Tower, of which I took far too many photos. I actually didn't even post most of them here. I also visited Yellowstone and Sundance, and got to drive through the beautiful Bighorn National Forest. For my usual hot air, feel free to visit my blog entry.

Wyoming, USA

I was sent to Wyoming for work in June '07, and had loads of free time ...

Updated: Jun 26, 2007 8:18am PST

South Dakota, USA : I was sent to Wyoming for work in June '07, and had loads of free time to go run around and see all the good stuff... I had time to make a brief foray into South Dakota where I got to see Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood. For my usual hot air, feel free to visit my blog entry.

South Dakota, USA

I was sent to Wyoming for work in June '07, and had loads of free time ...

Updated: Jun 26, 2007 8:27am PST

Washington D.C., USA : I went to D.C. in eary March 2007 to tie up some loose ends with my former company in Iraq, and took advantage of some extra time to have a look around. Federal architechture is insipidly dull and uninspired, but I did the best I could.

Washington D.C., USA

I went to D.C. in eary March 2007 to tie up some loose ends with my fo ...

Updated: Mar 12, 2007 10:37pm PST

Ruins of Angkor, Cambodia : Siem Reap, which means Siam defeated, is the name of the small town just outside the main area of Angkor. There are over a thousand ruined jungle temples in the area, including Angkor Wat, the mother of all temples and a potential new Wonder of the World. You could spend weeks and weeks trying to see them all. I spent about a week there in February '07, and have no words to express the awesomeness of it. And photos... they really can't help, either. I nearly wept in frustration at not being able to capture it properly. Heh, I said wept. Anyway, maybe at least the pictures will make you want to go there yourself, which I 100 % recommend. For a feeble attempt at a description of the place and my visit there, visit my blog. And get ready for loads of pictures here of ruined temples and trees. Incredibly awesome trees. Cambodia has the best trees ever.

Ruins of Angkor, Cambodia

Siem Reap, which means Siam defeated, is the name of the small town ju ...

Updated: Feb 27, 2007 2:14pm PST

Phnom Penh, Cambodia : After getting Lasik surgery in Bangkok, and being told I couldn't swim or scuba dive for a month, I decided it was worth distracting myself with a trip to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. But first, I spent a few days in Phnom Penh, which had some very interesting sights indeed. But really, two days is more than enough. My blog entries from the month I spent there and in Thailand will flesh out the effulgent details more.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

After getting Lasik surgery in Bangkok, and being told I couldn't swim ...

Updated: Feb 27, 2007 7:49am PST

Bangkok, Thailand : I went to Bangkok in February '07 primarily to visit Bumrungrad Hospital in order to get Lasik surgery after spending 10 days down south in Ko Lanta. Of course, I also got to get out a bit and see some of the vibrant street life and awesome Wats, (Wat means Temple) and I got loads of pictures of insane Asian architecture, because it's the first time I've seen alot of this kind of stuff up close and personal, so I was rather wowed. Lots of pictures of Monks. I know I know... they're easy shots, but very hard to resist! For my blog entries on the whole exciting trip, visit here.

Bangkok, Thailand

I went to Bangkok in February '07 primarily to visit Bumrungrad Hospit ...

Updated: Feb 25, 2007 9:06am PST

Ko Lanta, Thailand : Ko Lanta was exactly what I was looking for when I decided I wanted to take my very first actual tropical vacation. It was the first leg of my Thailand/Cambodia month-long trip, and it was perfect. I stayed in an awesome little hotel right on a remote beach with no crowds. When I got tired of beach life and Thai massage, Ko Lanta had plenty of other opportunities for fun. Scuba Diving, snorkelling, caving, eco touring in the mangroves, a Sea Gypsy villiage... good times. There seem to be alot of pictures of tiny little crabs here. I apologize in advance for that, but crabs are really just a bunch of obnoxious camera hogs, so what can you do? For my very interesting and not at all snoozerific self-important account of my fun, visit me over here.

Ko Lanta, Thailand

Ko Lanta was exactly what I was looking for when I decided I wanted to ...

Updated: Feb 24, 2007 8:10am PST

Krabi, Thailand : Krabi is a rather uninteresting little town in the south of Thailand. The first two pictures here are from the town itself, and I was really reaching to have something from town here as you can see. The rest are from the Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple) monastery just outside of town. I was only in Krabi for a day, but it was a cool spot to start my Thailand vacation off on.

Krabi, Thailand

Krabi is a rather uninteresting little town in the south of Thailand. ...

Updated: Feb 17, 2007 5:34am PST

Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA : Creepy Christy, Scott, Miss Luongo and I took a day trip on Martin Luther King day (Jan. 15 2007) to Centralia, PA. It's the town that the video game and subsequent horror film, 'Silent Hill', were based on. It was a thriving anthracite coal mining town when in 1962, a trash fire inadvertently set off a vein of exposed anthracite, starting an underground fire which has been burning for the last 45 years, and could continue to burn for another 250! It's essentially a ghost town, with 12 die hard residents still remaining. Sink holes, noxious gases, and spooky atmosphere abound. As usual, for more details on our intrepid adventure, please feel free to visit my blog.

Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA

Creepy Christy, Scott, Miss Luongo and I took a day trip on Martin Lut ...

Updated: Jan 16, 2007 1:50am PST

Egypt : Egypt was great! I spent about 4 days there on a hypertrek with the supreme hypertrekking counsil members Nimmer, Matt, and Scott. There are way too many shots of Pyramids and hieroglyphics. Enjoy. For the usual blow by blow account of the trip, Go here

Egypt

Egypt was great! I spent about 4 days there on a hypertrek with the su ...

Updated: Dec 15, 2006 1:56pm PST

Krampus Fest 2006 : This was the Grand High Hypertrekking Counsil's 2006 trip to Berchtesgaden, Germany for Krampus fest, which is a big drunk Bavarian party where their sick and twisted idea of St. Nick is this guy who looks more like the pope, and he leads a large pack of scary looking demons (who are actually drunk Bavarian neanderthals in disguise, and I'm not sure what's scarier) into town. Something new this year was that we were there early in the day and saw Knecht Ruprecht... he apparently doesn't show for the nighttime festivities, only the mid-day opening ceremony. He's a friend of St. Nick, to whom he apparently owed a favor, and so every year he lends the crazy Bavarian Santa his Krampus demons. They carry really painful whips made of tree switches and proceed to beat the sins out of anybody they catch, men, women, children, even poodles, so that they are good enough for St. Nick to bless them on Christmas day. It is a savage, brutal festival, and it is some of the most fun I've ever had in my life. It would never fly in the States, because Americans are whiny sue-happy milquetoasts when it comes to real fun. For my blow by blow account of this year's shenanigans, Go Here

Krampus Fest 2006

This was the Grand High Hypertrekking Counsil's 2006 trip to Berchtesg ...

Updated: Dec 07, 2006 11:40am PST

Rome, Italy : Rome is probably the most crowded city I've ever been to, tourist-wise. Every site was packed like a chicken truck with those damn tourists. It made trying to take photos not only difficult, but rather depressing as for every photo I wanted to take, there were 10 guys who just finished taking the exact same shot from the exact same angle, and 50 more lined up waiting for me to get out of the way. Kind of killed the whole thing where you take yourself too seriously when it comes to trying to get that one of a kind photo... Otherwise Rome was a pretty neat city. Very beautiful, very dirty, very crowded, and ultimately you feel very worn out but that it was worth it. For a fuller description of my trip to Rome, go here.

Rome, Italy

Rome is probably the most crowded city I've ever been to, tourist-wise ...

Updated: Dec 07, 2006 12:35pm PST

Budapest, Hungary : Budapest, the city that named itself for it's opinion of the Buddah. No eastern philosophy to be found here, no sir. Right. Well, it's a dumb joke. I don't have a whole lot to say about Budapest, that's why I had to do it. But it's a nice city, really. I was only there for three days and I walked. Alot. Budapest has alot of the following three things: Statues, Antique Book Shops, and Chinese Buffets. I didn't buy any antique Hungarian books, but I ate a tuk-tuk load of Chinese buffet and took a crapload of pictures of statues. I can't share the Chinese buffet with you, but here are the pictures.

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, the city that named itself for it's opinion of the Buddah. N ...

Updated: Nov 30, 2006 4:50am PST

Ruined Aegean Civilizations, Turkey : This gallery is chock full 'o pix I took the whirlwind 4-day tour I stupidly signed up for while suffering a minor bout of ennui in Istanbul. Don't get me wrong, I saw and shot alot of cool stuff. It's just that I really really hate organized tours, and I don't know what I was thinking. Plus I got really sick. Anyway, you may, if you're feeling in the mood for a little masochism, read my longer account of the trip right here. Oh, and be warned, I saw way too many colliseums on this trip, and therefore so will you if you continue through this gallery. It includes shots from Priene, Miletos, Didyma, Ephesus, The Temple of Artemis, The House of the Virgin Mary, The Cave of The Seven Sleepers, Pergamon and Asclepius, Hieropolis and Pamukkale.

Ruined Aegean Civilizations, Turkey

This gallery is chock full 'o pix I took the whirlwind 4-day tour I st ...

Updated: Nov 21, 2006 4:36am PST

Cappadocia, Turkey : Cappadocia is totally where Hanna-Barbera got the idea for the Flintstones. It's an area of Turkey south-east of Ankara which has very odd rock formations formed by lava a real long time ago. All manner of people hung out there and dug caves and underground cities; Hitites, Persians, Christians, and now Turks, who still build, use, and live in caves today. Stylin' caves, though.

Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is totally where Hanna-Barbera got the idea for the Flintst ...

Updated: Nov 20, 2006 2:02pm PST

Istanbul, Turkey : So Istanbul is a pretty cool city. It's fairly large and there's a lot to see. For an overall description of my trip to Turkey, please feel free to go here

Istanbul, Turkey

So Istanbul is a pretty cool city. It's fairly large and there's a lot ...

Updated: Nov 29, 2006 11:35am PST

Kurdistan, Iraq : I took a three day weekend in September 2006 to invade my Iraqi friend's family vacation in Kurdistan. I flew from Baghdad to Erbil, where they met me and drove me to Shaqalawa, a touristy waterfall, NOT Halabja, and Sulaymaniyah. I've written a long-winded description of my trip here.

Kurdistan, Iraq

I took a three day weekend in September 2006 to invade my Iraqi friend ...

Updated: Sep 18, 2006 5:21pm PST

Baghdad, Iraq : I lived in the Interzone in Baghdad from August 14th, 2003 until October 31st, 2006, over three years. Most of these pictures are from my first few months there, when everything was still new and fun. There are a few later additions, but pretty much the glow had worn off by the end. When you barely look up from your work when you hear an explosion that could be 100 yards away, you've settled in. So anyway, enjoy these snapshots from the most dangerous city in the world. They don't really describe anything, but it's a glimpse. For many painfully long tales of any misadventures I may or may not have had in Baghdad, please feel free to visit my incredibly narcissistic blog, messiestobjects. Be sure to visit the archives, as I haven't actually written about Baghdad in a while since I no longer live there. P.S. Please forgive any light-heartedness, sarcasm or snark in the captions of many of these photos; back in the early days when things in Baghdad seemed as though they could potentially go either way, it was much easier to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Nowadays, with things deteriorating so rapidly and all of the anguish, pain and bloodshed going on, and most Iraqis blaming it on the utter incompetence of the American administration, many of these comments of mine seem callow to me now. But I will keep them up because I don't wish to censor the way it all felt to me at the time. Posterity and all that.

Baghdad, Iraq

I lived in the Interzone in Baghdad from August 14th, 2003 until Octob ...

Updated: Jun 10, 2007 8:15am PST

Blackhawk Ride to Balad, Iraq : This day trip was so cool it deserved it's own gallery... My boss sent our head engineer, Ion Irimescu, & I to Camp Anaconda outside of Balad to do a site inspection on May 15th, 2005. All I really cared about was the helicopter ride there and back, a half hour each way. Awesome! I wanna grow up to be a helicopter pilot now. Anyway, the experience also afforded me the opportunity to get some nice shots of the Iraqi countryside...

Blackhawk Ride to Balad, Iraq

This day trip was so cool it deserved it's own gallery... My boss sent ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2006 3:20am PST

David Leeson In Iraq 2003 : Here are some photos I found on an unmarked CD in the International Zone. I had originally posted them in the 'Baghdad Found Photos' gallery, where I have a note asking for the person who took these photos to contact me so I could give proper credit. Thanks to TF I found him, and his name is David Leeson. He is a professional Photojournalist who was in Iraq during the invasion in 2003, and he considers the photos which he took there to be among the best of his career. It is therefore with great generosity that, after I contacted him, he wrote back and allowed me to keep his pictures on my site. Not all of the photos in the found photos gallery were his, apparently, and being a stand-up guy, he provided a list of the ones which were his so as not to take credit for someone else's work. If you would like to further explore his amazing work, his website is davidleeson.com and you can also visit his blog here.

David Leeson In Iraq 2003

Here are some photos I found on an unmarked CD in the International Zo ...

Updated: May 13, 2006 10:36pm PST

Baghdad Found Photos : Here are some photos I found on an unmarked CD. They were mixed in with photos belonging to David Leeson, whom I've made a separate gallery for. I have no idea who took them, but they're obviously professional, or taken by soldiers with a good eye. Really good stuff. If you are the photographer, or know the photographer in question, please contact me so I can either give proper credit or remove them from my site if desired.

Baghdad Found Photos

Here are some photos I found on an unmarked CD. They were mixed in wit ...

Updated: May 13, 2006 10:31pm PST

Transylvania, Romania : Transylvania... the land where the decendants of the children led off by the Pied Piper of Hamelin settled, climbing down out of a cave with no knowledge of their history. And also where that other guy, Gary Oldman, comes from. Anyway, these are shots from my 3 day jaunt there from Bucharest... There are no pictures from Bucharest, though, because it's not an interesting city. At all. Brasov was really dull too. But the castle at Sinaia, the castle at Bran, and the city of Sighisoara (ssiggy-sow-are-ah) made great camera fodder. For a brief description of my time here, read this.

Transylvania, Romania

Transylvania... the land where the decendants of the children led off ...

Updated: Mar 29, 2006 1:28am PST

Mont St. Michel, France : Way back, when I first went to Germany and bought my first car there (around February of '98, maybe...) I bought a European road atlas, because I had all these big plans to drive all over the place. I did pretty good, actually; I went on several roadtrips. But anyway, on the cover of the Atlas was this picture of this awesome lookng place, which I knew I had to see... but the Atlas didn't say where the picture was from! I asked a number of people if they knew what the picture was, but nobody could tell me, which is actually sort of pathetic, because as it turns out it's a famous place in Europe, a Unesco World Heritage site. But I got discouraged after awhile, and just carried the Atlas around in my car for 3 years (3 different cars, actually) hoping someone would comment on it eventually... no one ever did and I put it out of my mind... so much so that it's a good possibility that a few years later I may have inadvertently heard what it actually was, and it didn't register in my tiny little brain! I say that because, when I saw a picture of it in the lobby of the hotel I stayed at during my 2nd visit to Paris, I instantly knew that it was, in fact, in France... Northern France, in Normandy; Mont St. Michel. Ahhhh.

Mont St. Michel, France

Way back, when I first went to Germany and bought my first car there ( ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2005 6:20am PST

Paris, France : Hey. It's Paris. I bet you've never seen photos of any of THIS stuff before.... anyway, I've just completed my 2nd trip there and added a few new photos.

Paris, France

Hey. It's Paris. I bet you've never seen photos of any of THIS stuff b ...

Updated: Nov 17, 2005 6:57pm PST

St. Petersberg, Russia : I had 2 extra days to kill, so I hopped a night train to St. Petersberg. Once again, I took way too many shots of the local big onion dome church... I didn't have a guide and I couldn't even find the proper name online, actually I found several different names, so until I get the correct name, it shall be known as the copycat church, because the one in Moscow is cooler. And again, I took way too many photos of it. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, St. Petersberg was a cool city... everybody says how pretty it is, but it was cold windy and wet most of the time I was there, so perhaps I didn't get the most out of it. At any rate, I got to practice more black and white photography.

St. Petersberg, Russia

I had 2 extra days to kill, so I hopped a night train to St. Petersber ...

Updated: Nov 13, 2005 5:19am PST

Moscow, Russia : So after being in a Communist Rally, and flying to the edge of the Earth in a Mig-25, regular 'ol Moscow pictures just aren't as exciting... But Moscow was really neat to walk around... actually I didn't stray too far from the center of town; Most of the city is very ugly. But the Red Square area is amazing, and you'll notice that I took way way way too many shots of St. Basil's Cathedral. It's one of those buildings that demands it... you can't ever get enough angles on it. I also started doing Black & White shots alot here... for some reason, Russia looks pretty good in B&W.

Moscow, Russia

So after being in a Communist Rally, and flying to the edge of the Ear ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2005 7:54am PST

To The Edge of the Earth from Zhukovsky Air Force Base, Russia : On November 9th, 2005, I got my Space Adventure. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND I'D DO IT AGAIN!! Wow. WOW. I got to fly in a Mig-25 to 25,000 meters, about 82,000 feet high, (25 kilometers, or about 15 miles high... woohoo!) at the top speed of about Mach 2.8 (2,131.4 miles per hour, 3,430.1 kilometers per hour... yeehaw!) ... In the gallery, you'll notice that I took a picture of the Altimeter and Speedometer every so often, But at the peak of speed and hight I did not, because that was the purest moment of Euphoria I've ever experienced... I was weightless for several seconds, I have no idea how long, really, which was caused by the arc of the Mig-25 going over it's peak, which also caused me to have a slight buzz...Looking down at the Earth and up at the Black. I was in Jerusalem five days before, but this was, BY FAR, a much Holier experience. I also flew in a second Plane, the L-39, which is a subsonic acrobatic training plane. When I say I flew it, I mean that literally! After we got to about the hight you see me in in the third picture on page 5, he gave me control of the stick. Then we did some acrobatic flips and dives and stuff. I wasn't allowed to bring my camera on the L-39, due to all the acrobatics, but there are a few pictures of me in it and the Pilot at the end of the gallery. AWESOME!!!!!! UDATE! So I got the photos taken by the Space Adventures photographer, Dimo Korotayev, and I've mixed them in this gallery with my own... pretty much any picture with me in it, he took. Most of the others are mine. I have recieved the video! I look retarded in all that get-up. I won't be handing out Michael the Space-tard videos to anyone, sorry. 2nd UPDATE! I, being technologically challeneged, just figured out how to capture frames of video as a JPEG file, and I've loaded a few such pictures from the video taken by the camera in the cockpit of the MIG-25 and the video from Space Adventures and interspersed them throughout the gallery.

To The Edge of the Earth from Zhukovsky Air Force Base, Russia

On November 9th, 2005, I got my Space Adventure. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PE ...

Updated: Jun 28, 2006 12:59am PST

November 7th, 2005 in Moscow, Russia : I arrived in Moscow on the evening of November 6th, and pretty much crashed right away. The 7th was my first day in Russia... and a Communist Rally broke out! Capital City, National Holiday, Communist Rally. MAD POINTS!!! I can't begin to express how much fun I had... I had no idea what anybody was shouting, or what exactly the point of the whole thing was, but I was in something that looked like it came right out of Stalinist Russia. I stayed for 3 hours and took alot of photos. Anyway, as it turns out, November 7th is a double bill holiday. In 1917, it was the day Lenin and his baddie buddies took power, and in 1941 it was the day the secret rally took place during which the decision was made for Russia to enter World War II. And in 2005, President Putin Declared that November 7th no longer existed as a holiday, and that it would be replaced by the People's Unity Day on November 4th. Only, nobody seemed to buy it, and everybody showed up on the 7th in front of Karl Marx's statue just outside of Red Square to march and protest and rally and call shame on Putin! So it was apparently the funnest November 7th ever for the Communists. For me too, definately.

November 7th, 2005 in Moscow, Russia

I arrived in Moscow on the evening of November 6th, and pretty much cr ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2005 3:38pm PST

Star City, Russia : My guided tour of Star City, where Yuri Gagarin and all other Russian Cosmonauts train. All Cosmonauts headed to the International Space Station also come here to train... There were 2 Americans training in a Soyuz while I was there, not to mention the 4th Space Adventures ISS candidate, Daisuke Enomoto, or Dice-K as he calls himself. The difference between an Astronaut and a Cosmonaut is that A Cosmonaut spends an extended time in Space... I don't know if there is an official amount of time at which an Astronaut ranks up, but I think that they're thinking of weeks, rather than days. The Apollo mission guys were Astronauts... the guys that spend weeks on the ISS are Cosmonauts.

Star City, Russia

My guided tour of Star City, where Yuri Gagarin and all other Russian ...

Updated: Nov 08, 2005 3:28pm PST

Bethlehem, Palestine : Mad Hypertrekking Points! I met a guide in the square of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was 3:00pm... I asked him if I had a chance of making it to Bethlehem before dark... he hesitated a second, looked at his watch, and said, "Normally, no way. But you are lucky today: I have a cousin in Palestine. He has a car. We will go to the border and sneak around the guards, hop in my cousin's car, and he will take you to the Church of the Nativity, then bring you back." Boo-Yah! Saw the whole Nativity thing, and still made it back to Jerusalem in time to watch some guys with funny hats bang their heads on the Wailing Wall. Here's a link to my Jerusalem & Bethlehem story: Holy Claptrap & Good Hypertrekking Points.

Bethlehem, Palestine

Mad Hypertrekking Points! I met a guide in the square of the Church of ...

Updated: Nov 07, 2005 1:48pm PST

Jerusalem, Israel : Jerusalem was really interesting! I wish I had more time there, but I hadn't even planned on going in the first place; I was in Jordan and had an extra day, got bored, and decided to borderhop for some mad hypertrekking points. Got some pictures, too. Here's a link to my Jerusalem & Bethlehem story: Holy Claptrap & Good Hypertrekking Points.

Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem was really interesting! I wish I had more time there, but I ...

Updated: Nov 08, 2005 10:07am PST

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan : I've just completed my 2nd trip to Jordan, and I think I did everything there was to do this time around, except Wadi Rum, where both Lawrence of Arabia and Peter O'Toole, pretending to be Lawrence of Arabia, hung out. Next time. Anyway, enjoy the new photographs... I took a few too many landscape shots at Ajloud, and some shots of crumbling Roman stuff at Jerash, but afterwards there are some shots of a muddy hole to look forward to!

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

I've just completed my 2nd trip to Jordan, and I think I did everythin ...

Updated: Nov 06, 2005 9:00pm PST

Switzerland : I'd been to Switzerland before, but only for a day and a bank card was eaten stranding me and a friend there with 10 dollars. That sucked. I wrote this whole disaster email about it, but that was like 6 years ago. At any rate, it was very cool being there with money this time.

Switzerland

I'd been to Switzerland before, but only for a day and a bank card was ...

Updated: Mar 25, 2005 4:25pm PST

South Africa, Swaziland, & Lesotho : So here are some pictures from my trip. Be warned, there are many animal pictures. You know. Africa. On this trip, I also did a tandem skydive over Cape Town, went cage diving with Great White Sharks, and learned how to drive on the left side of the road in the right side of the car, like Brits... Of the three, the mirrorland car thing was probably the most dangerous.

South Africa, Swaziland, & Lesotho

So here are some pictures from my trip. Be warned, there are many anim ...

Updated: Jun 10, 2007 8:08am PST

Morocco : It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... actually, it was the most annoying of times. Man, these people need to sell you something, or they'll die! Here's a link to my cynical little story about the trip: Moroccan Kamikaze Hospitality.

Morocco

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... actually, it wa ...

Updated: Jul 11, 2004 9:14am PST

Kuwait City, Kuwait : I only spent two days in Kuwait, and on top of that, there isn't much there that's photo-worthy. but here's what I got.

Kuwait City, Kuwait

I only spent two days in Kuwait, and on top of that, there isn't much ...

Updated: Apr 17, 2004 5:22am PST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates : Dubai has a similar problem to Kuwait. It's not very photogenic. The difference is that where Kuwait is just plain uneventfull and mostly unattractive, Dubai is busy and colorfull, yet it's essentially a big shopping mall and hotel strip. It looks alot like what I'd imagine would happen if Las Vegas moved to Florida. Keep the neon, lose the fun.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai has a similar problem to Kuwait. It's not very photogenic. The d ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2004 1:04pm PST

Nimmer's Great Northern Europe Tour 2003 : The Nimmertour 2003! Cappucino points! Capital city points! Border hopping points! Concert points! ... You'd think that a trip where so many points are involved would be from some sort of stupid new MTV reality show or something, but you'd be wrong. Nimmer did it first, Nimmer did it worst. This trip rocked. For more details on these pictures, go here: Nimmer's Great Northern Europe Tour 2003.

Nimmer's Great Northern Europe Tour 2003

The Nimmertour 2003! Cappucino points! Capital city points! Border hop ...

Updated: Mar 09, 2005 9:45am PST

Bled, Slovenija : Nice little lake town. Has alot in common with Chiemsee, actually. Big lake, castle (or big church) on an island on the lake, resort town...

Bled, Slovenija

Nice little lake town. Has alot in common with Chiemsee, actually. Big ...

Updated: Sep 02, 2004 8:13pm PST

Ljubljana, Slovenija : Very neat city. Totally laid back. Cool Dragons. Wished you were there.

Ljubljana, Slovenija

Very neat city. Totally laid back. Cool Dragons. Wished you were there ...

Updated: Sep 02, 2004 7:36pm PST

Croatia : I can't remember the name of the town we're in, here. Croatia is another one of those places where everything is in some sort of funny moon-man language. The beaches were either rocks or concrete, but the water was beautful and the scuba diving was awesome! -P.S. I looked it up. This was on the island of Krk in a town called Punat. See? Moonman language!

Croatia

I can't remember the name of the town we're in, here. Croatia is anoth ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2004 1:56pm PST

Liechtenstein : Smaller than Rhode Island, bigger than a potato chip, yes, it's its very own Country!

Liechtenstein

Smaller than Rhode Island, bigger than a potato chip, yes, it's its ve ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2004 9:13pm PST

Salzburg, Austria : Salzburg is a really beautiful city which is really fun to go to three or four times, but is too small to sustain much excitement after that. Unless you're into some weird stuff like, you know, classical music and art and junk.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is a really beautiful city which is really fun to go to three ...

Updated: Jul 11, 2006 12:10am PST

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic : Cesky Krumlov is the Czech Republic's favourite little hide-away. Neat Meideval town, not too well known and therefore not very touristy at all. There are some serious zoning laws here ensuring that it will never be overrun by billboards or mass retail. Great food and relaxing atmosphere abounds here. (Abounds?! Sheesh.)

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Cesky Krumlov is the Czech Republic's favourite little hide-away. Neat ...

Updated: May 24, 2004 2:34pm PST

Prague, Czech Republic : Prague is so much fun. If you ever go, and take huggy's pub crawl tour from the Traveller's Youth Hostel, ask him about the time his buddy met Liv Tyler. Hee Hee! Man that's a funny story.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is so much fun. If you ever go, and take huggy's pub crawl tour ...

Updated: Jul 11, 2006 9:41am PST

Venice, Italy : I've been to Venice on several occasions, I think maybe about seven times throughout my six years in Europe., so this is rather a mishmash of photos. I really love this city.

Venice, Italy

I've been to Venice on several occasions, I think maybe about seven ti ...

Updated: Jul 10, 2006 2:07am PST

Berlin, Germany : Berlin. Beerlin. Beer. What was I talking about? Ich bin ein Beerliner.

Berlin, Germany

Berlin. Beerlin. Beer. What was I talking about? Ich bin ein Beerliner ...

Updated: Apr 25, 2005 8:24am PST

German Towns Galore : So here are alot of pictures that I took during hypertreks to the smaller variety of German towns and cities. Some good stuff here, but perhaps mostly only interesting to the random Deutchephile out there. Hi Jeff!

German Towns Galore

So here are alot of pictures that I took during hypertreks to the smal ...

Updated: Apr 24, 2005 11:44am PST

Krampus Festival, Berchtesgaden, Germany : This is a big drunk Bavarian party where their sick and twisted idea of St. Nick is this guy who looks more like the pope, and he leads a large pack of scary looking demons (who are actually drunk Bavarian neanderthals in disguise, and I'm not sure what's scarier) into town. They carry really painful whips made of tree switches and proceed to beat the sins out of anybody they catch, men, women, children, even poodles, so that they are good enough for St. Nick to bless them on Christmas day. It is a savage, brutal festival, and it is some of the most fun I've ever had in my life. It would never fly in the States, because Americans are whiny sue-happy milquetoasts when it comes to real fun.

Krampus Festival, Berchtesgaden, Germany

This is a big drunk Bavarian party where their sick and twisted idea o ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2004 8:13am PST

King Ludwig's Castles, Germany : Mad King Ludwig had some money, e-i-e-i-oh! And with this cash he built some castles, e-i-e-i-oh! With a quack quack here and a bankrupt Bayern there, There's a lake, push him in But now the State rakes in the dough, Mad King Ludwig had no honies, e-i-e-i-oh! (Okay, so I'm not a poet. Beat me and drown me in a lake already.)

King Ludwig's Castles, Germany

Mad King Ludwig had some money, e-i-e-i-oh! And with this cash he bu ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2006 11:56pm PST

Hamburg, Germany : Hamburg is so so cool. Yes, I went to the infamous Reeperbahn, but only for the articles, I swear. And because it's a famous stop on the Beatlemania trail.

Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg is so so cool. Yes, I went to the infamous Reeperbahn, but onl ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2004 11:51pm PST

Munich, Germany : I have been to Munich countless times over a period of six years and had so many good times there that I feel stupid for not having at least a thousand pictures. But here's what I got. This city is awesome!

Munich, Germany

I have been to Munich countless times over a period of six years and h ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2006 10:00pm PST

Chiemsee, Germany : I miss Chiemsee so much. I had what I'm sure I'll always think of as many of the best days of my life here.

Chiemsee, Germany

I miss Chiemsee so much. I had what I'm sure I'll always think of as m ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2006 10:57pm PST

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany : I lived here for 3 and a half years. I really miss it. I would love to live here again.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

I lived here for 3 and a half years. I really miss it. I would love to ...

Updated: Sep 11, 2006 11:40pm PST

Edinburgh, Scotland : I actually had more pictures than this, but it was in the very early days of my European travels, (the first few, actually) and I'm not sure what's happened to them. There are also no survivors from my London or Amsterdam trips, which makes me sad.

Edinburgh, Scotland

I actually had more pictures than this, but it was in the very early d ...

Updated: Jul 08, 2006 10:50pm PST

Petersburg, Alaska, USA : Talk about ancient history! These pictures are from '96 & '97. Alaska is where my travels all started. I worked in a fishing cannery and crab boat for two summers to make enough money to go to Europe. Also, I made detours to Juneau and Anchorage at some point, but few pictures from there survive, to my great disappointment.

Petersburg, Alaska, USA

Talk about ancient history! These pictures are from '96 & '97. Alaska ...

Updated: Jul 07, 2006 8:21am PST

messiestobjects' messy photographs

"Where you come from, is gone. Where you thought you were goin' to, weren't never there, and where you are ain't no good unless you can get away from it." - Jesus Built My Hotrod