Tim D's Home Page!

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Tim's Web Page

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I've always been a big adventure and travel nut! As a kid I spent many hours with the family camping down in the Florida Keys and the Florida Everglades, and in fact we lived one hour from both of them!. We did long camping trips from Florida up to Canada almost every summer. I worked three jobs simultaneously one summer in order to take my first major roadtrip up to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island with Brad when we were both still teenagers. I learned that summer that life is short and when an opportunity arises, you gotta "go for it". Four years later I got married and spent two months on a honeymoon tour circumnavigating the perimeter of the USA, visiting in Yellowstone, The Tetons, Grand Canyon, etc. After finishing my undergraduate degree and being overwhelmed with career options, I needed to think about where I really wanted to be in 20 or 40 years, so I headed out for my first solo Three Month Roadtrip all across America! But that incredible adventure only opened my eyes to the possibilities of what one lifetime on this awesome planet might hold for those who forego the accumulation of excessive materialistic 'things' (the one who dies with the most toys wins?) and instead really seek out true happiness and love and beauty. I took another 5 month 1990-roadtrip, three more months for the 1992 Rock-Climbing tour with Ricky, then 4 months again in 1994. After hearing the hundredth traveler say "Why do you leave beautiful New England in Summer, then stay there in the freezing wet cold and snow all winter?", I decided to adjust my timing and the departure strategy. So in winter of 95-96, I took a four month backpacking trip throughout Central America. I hitched and rode the bus all around Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Wow! Was that ever an eyeopener to how good we have it here in the USA, even though so many of us here seem unable to find true joy and happiness. At the Panama Canal, a bunch of the folks I was with at the time were headed south, but I needed to go home and work for awhile..... until the following year when I took another trip; four months to check out South America, including the Galapagos Islands, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Lake Titicaca, etc. Seeing the world and its people is awesome, so I'll continue with trips like the two-week "Tropical Marine Field Biology" grad course in the Bahamas that has made education, learning, travel, and meeting new people such an enjoyable part of life!

I would guess that spending free time at the ocean, in the mountains, and outdoors in general have been the major influences so far on my health, and my journey through life. Like many of my friends, I used to be seriously out of shape, smoke too many cigarettes, watch too much television, drink too much beer, work too many hours, etc. Heck, half of my old friends are still like that (they need to "kill their television"). In the mid 80's I got into simple hiking and backpacking in a big way. That is why I did the 3-month 1987 Roadtrip, since most of that trip was just week-long backpacking jaunts and wilderness ocean treks through all the different National Parks. Places like the Grand Canyon, Mount Hood, the Grand Tetons, the Olympic Peninsula, the Southwest Four Corners area; you could spend a lifetime exploring these regions. Throughout the northwest the Glaciers and the old dormant (and sometimes active!) Volcanoes, as well as the climbs leading to them are spectacular! Up around ten thousand feet the Alpine Meadows are wild! Nowadays I'm much more into pleasant dayhikes than hard-core backpacks. Often I stay at 'youth' Hostels; if you are looking to meet cool travelers that are open for new adventures (and if you like staying somewhere with a real bed, a hot shower and kitchen for fifteen dollars a night) these are the places to head for.

New England is truly a outdoor enthusists' paradise!

I've summitted 64 of the 65 highest peaks in New England, and some peaks I seem to climb 4 or 5 times a year. Mount Washington is an awesome peak, especially if you skip the last 500 feet to the summit and just hike around on the upper plateau just below the summit cone. The spring skiing in Tuckerman Ravine is incredible even for spectators. Mount Monadnock is the best climb for the effort anywhere, but go up the rarely-used trails or during lousy weather to avoid the crowds. Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park in Maine are two of my favorite destinations if I have time for the 6-hour drive. I think we have all done big chunks of the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. I can walk from my house to Mount Watatic, and I've seen a hundred sunsets from its excellent summit. I can also walk from my house along the Midstate Trail to Mount Wachusett, which contains the largest known Old-Growth Forest in the state. One September I backpacked most of the Long Trail in Vermont; it is a three hundred mile ridgeline trail from Massachusetts to Canada, with cabins and lean-tos about every three hours. For those living in Beantown, the Boston Harbor Islands are in your back yard. Jump on the ferry and go see what you are missing! Out west HotSprings were always a favorite hiking destination; I've soaked for many hours in dozens of natural hotsprings. I sure wish there were some hot springs here in New England to soak in after an outdoor winter weekend!

In the late 1980's I took some instruction courses with the Appalachian Mountain Club and got heavily into Rock Climbing and Whitewater Kayaking. The AMC is an excellent place to begin learning these skills. When we were both really in prime shape, Ricky and I spent a whole summer rockclimbing all across America! A couple years ago I roped up and climbed up to 19.000 feet on the Cotopaxi Volcano in Peru just for fun! A few years ago I finally bought a Mountain Bike to go with the road bike, and cycling has become my main summer exercise. I'm definately not a hardcore, I'm just out for exercise and fun, so it is usually not difficult to keep up with me unless you are way out of shape and never get much exercise.

Living in a small cabin in the forest on a pond for 15 years, my decision every afternoon was always whether to canoe, kayak, bike or hike for sunset and twilight!

New England has it all, so get outside and enjoy!

Being an outdoor and Environmental junkie, I've always been into Wetlands. Nothing beats watching the salamanders heading for the Vernal Pools during the spring migration. Locally the beavers are creating all kinds of new wet areas and fascinating ecosystems,which I love to explore! It seems like I've almost always lived on a lake, which is a wee bit like living on the ocean, but for a fraction of the cost. Recently I've been into studying the aquatic insects that are found in the waters. Every spring I find huge piles of shell middens from freshwater mussels around the edge of my pond. I belong to a bunch of the Massachusetts River Watershed Associations, and if you have time and energy to volunteer, these are great places to meet like-minded folks. Endangered and Exotic Invasive Species seem to be spreading and taking over a lot of our outdoor environments; something we should be aware of. Maybe global climate change is responsible to some degree; I'm seriously into studying the weather, marveling the spactacular skies during the day, the sunsets and twilights, and the moon, stars and planets at night. It seems I always know what the moon phase is, and am out most evenings in the few days before it is full taking advantage of its contribution to the beauty of the twilight! I catch most of the Full Moons via canoe or a short hike to the peak near my house, and am always amazed at the beauty of the free show that a great sunset followed by a spactacular full moonrise provides!

Cape Cod is a vacationland, and I make sure I get there at least two or three times every summer. Camping or the youth hostels are definitely the way to go. The bike trails in the sand dunes near Provincetown are awesome! Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are just a relaxing ferry ride away, so I get to them both at least once a year. Block Island is magical; I've recently discovered a driftwood beachshack built into the cliffs at one of the incredible remote beaches there that is calling for me to do an overnighter at. I'm waiting for a night of building seas, pounding surf, and nearly Full Moon! The tides in New England are wonderful, and some careful planning can allow us to partake of some excellent tidepooling, salt marsh exploration, or walking way out on the mudflats or sandbars! My mudshoes are always drying in the sun, waiting for the next extereme low tide! So get out there and have some fun!Explore the world while you are still able. Kill your television and get out there and "do" stuff every chance you have; it would be the best move you could ever make!

You are visitor #

Beantown Sports (Celtics--Patriots--RedSox--Bruins)
Photos of Dad & Mom

USGS

Billy Ward Pond Bare Hill Pond
Tim's Music Links

FIND your IP Address
*
Kayaking * Mountain Biking * SCUBA (in Fla.) * Rock&Ice Climbing

Photo Pages:


PhotoPage #1	#3 Various pics	#4 '87 Roadtrip		#9 Fishing Pics

Cool photo pages


Colombia; Tayrona Nat'l.Park '97 (Beauty photos!)	Baxter State Park; Maine (Great pics!)	Grand Canyon 1994	Ice Climbing (Me & Ricky)

SEARCH - the Ultimate "All-in-One" Search Page
Commonwealth of Massachusetts DEM * DEP * DFW * EOEA * MWRA
Fitchburg State College *

A few countries I've traveled to:


Belize	Costa Rica	Ecuador	Colombia	Guatemala	Panama
Honduras	Nicaragua	Peru	Venezuela	Galapagos	Canada

Some Other Pages:

Astronomy

Great Backpacking Info!

Garlic (my favorite "food")

HomeBrewing

Youth Hostels (best places to stay in America)

Ipswich River

Lighthouses of New England

Outdoor Science Schools

Tuckerman Ravine (ski it if you're nuts!)

Mount Wachusett

Mount Watatic (my backyard romp)

Rails-to-Trails

1992 Climbing RoadTrip

HealthLinks

My Favorite Volcanoes

Randolph Mountain Club

Pages soon to be....

Everglades N. P.	South America Trip
1987 RoadTrip	1990 RoadTrip
National Parks	Grand Teton N.P.
Smithsonian Trip	HOTSPRINGS

Network Diagnosis (check your connection HERE)

Bahamian Field Station for Marine Biology

Remember Folks, these pages are just for fun! This site began as a simple page of links from my BOOKMARKS/FAVORITES folder. A page of online links made it easier to find what I needed from either school, work, home, vacation, or anywhere, using any browser. It has slowly expanded to include other topics that interest me. Websites come and go, change locations, die, etc., so you'll likely find many redirected or dead hyperlinks here. Also, most of the images on these pages are borrowed, but all of them should link back to the source of the image.
DISCLAIMER: The content of and any views expressed in the following pages of this Web site are those of the author. This website does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of anyone except the author; all rights reserved; you may freely link to this site but you may not make a profit from it; no substitutions allowed; website is provided "as is" without any warranties; reader assumes full responsibility; some illustrations are slightly enlarged to show detail; terms are subject to change without notice; this website is void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted; an equal opportunity website; read only with proper ventilation; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; prices slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii; hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat; do not bend, fold, or mutilate; your actual mileage may vary; for a limited time only; quantities are also limited while supplies last; read at your own risk; keep away from sunlight, pets, and small children; limit one-per-family please; no money down; no purchase necessary; you need not be present to win; some assembly required; batteries not included; action figures sold separately; employees must wash hands before returning to surf; please dispose of properly; for occasional use only; no preservatives added; slippery when wet; sealed for your protection, do not read if safety seal is broken; not liable for damages arising from misuse or abuse; for external use only; if rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, discontinue reading; avoid extreme temperatures and read in a cool dry place; keep away from sparks and open flames; avoid contact with eyes and skin and avoid inhaling fumes; do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit; do not place near a flammable or magnetic source; smoking this message could be hazardous to your health; no salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added; surfing this site may impair ability to drive a car or operate heavy machinery; do not use bleach; if ingested, do not induce vomiting, and if symptoms persist, consult a physician; possible penalties for early withdrawal; lay on ground, light fuse, get away; do *not* hold in hand; offer valid only at participating locations; allow four to six weeks for delivery; tax and title extra; disclaimer does not cover misuse, neglect, or damage from improper surfing; do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law; other restrictions may apply, see webmeister for full details.

Remember Folks, these pages are just for fun! This site began as a simple page of links from my BOOKMARKS/FAVORITES folder. A page of online links made it easier to find what I needed from either school, work, home, vacation, or anywhere, using any browser. It has slowly expanded to include other topics that interest me. Websites come and go, change locations, die, etc., so you'll likely find many redirected or dead hyperlinks here. Also, most of the images on these pages are borrowed, but all of them should link back to the source of the image. DISCLAIMER: The content of and any views expressed in the following pages of this Web site are those of the author. This website does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of anyone except the author; all rights reserved; you may freely link to this site but you may not make a profit from it; no substitutions allowed; website is provided "as is" without any warranties; reader assumes full responsibility; some illustrations are slightly enlarged to show detail; terms are subject to change without notice; this website is void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted; an equal opportunity website; read only with proper ventilation; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; prices slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii; hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat; do not bend, fold, or mutilate; your actual mileage may vary; for a limited time only; quantities are also limited while supplies last; read at your own risk; keep away from sunlight, pets, and small children; limit one-per-family please; no money down; no purchase necessary; you need not be present to win; some assembly required; batteries not included; action figures sold separately; employees must wash hands before returning to surf; please dispose of properly; for occasional use only; no preservatives added; slippery when wet; sealed for your protection, do not read if safety seal is broken; not liable for damages arising from misuse or abuse; for external use only; if rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, discontinue reading; avoid extreme temperatures and read in a cool dry place; keep away from sparks and open flames; avoid contact with eyes and skin and avoid inhaling fumes; do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit; do not place near a flammable or magnetic source; smoking this message could be hazardous to your health; no salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added; surfing this site may impair ability to drive a car or operate heavy machinery; do not use bleach; if ingested, do not induce vomiting, and if symptoms persist, consult a physician; possible penalties for early withdrawal; lay on ground, light fuse, get away; do not hold in hand; offer valid only at participating locations; allow four to six weeks for delivery; tax and title extra; disclaimer does not cover misuse, neglect, or damage from improper surfing; do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law; other restrictions may apply, see webmeister for full details.

Site Created by timd

January 1997 (updated; 4/10/09)