My first post.  Woo-hoo!  Why a travel blog?  Well folks, I hope to share interesting things I learn related to travel.  A bit about me so you can see from my perspective.  I'm in my late 50's.  I'm retired military and am an investigator by trade.  I'm a close-up magician by hobby.  I speak West Virginian primarily, followed by American English, and passable Korean and German.  I'm currently learning Italian.  I write like I talk so apologies in advance to strict grammarians.  Last kid is leaving the nest in May of this year so my wife and I will finally be free to travel--within budget constraints of course.  Like my grandfather who was a hobo during the Great Depression, I have wanderlust which must be satisfied from time to time.  I have met interesting folks during my travels and as an investigator.  I hope to post some interviews with them for a broader travel view.  As I age, I find some physical things become more difficult and I must confess to paying more attention to comfort than when I was younger.  So I plan to do reviews on gear I have found to be useful.  In that vein, I'm fast becoming a fan of the hiking ultralight movement and gear.  I like to do research on places I want to travel to so I plan to provide interesting links when I find them.  Ya'll are welcome to come visit me here on the blog and join the discussion.  Let's explore together!