Why am I wandering?

I’m an environmental science professor at Westfield State University in Westfield, MA.  One overriding theme in all my classes is that I encourage students to get out in the world and “get it on you.”  After all, the environment is out there, not in a classroom.  As such, I want to take my own advice.  The environment is undergoing extreme changes occurring at unprecedented rates in association with Global Warming, population growth, globalization, commercialization, and our new administration.  As a result, our country is rapidly changing.  Some iconic features are disappearing, such as the glaciers at Glacier National Park, while others are occurring for the first time, such as drying lake beds in the West that bear evidence of a 1,200-year record drought.  This spring, my wife and I are on sabbatical from teaching and will be wandering the country for ten weeks, documenting as many of these as we can. 

         

In particular, we plan to reach the four corners of the United States including:  Key West, FL; San Ysidro, CA; Blaine, WA; Madawaska, ME; and points in-between.  This is a classic motorcycle tour developed by the Southern California Motorcycling Association – but Karin and I will be doing the trip in our pickup truck towing our Airstream camper.  We hope to complete this 10,000 + mile journey in mid-May.  Along the way, I’ll be visiting sites of environmental interest that my students have identified, and sharing those experiences with them (and hopefully you) via this blog.