So, what's this whole blog...

About

This blog is simple. As a guy who likes to travel, I often cary along the cameras (my Nikon and smart phone) to capture what seems interesting to share with others and to have to when looking back on past journeys. Writing the details also sort of serves as an exploration journal of sorts. I especially enjoy sharing information that viewers may find useful when planning a similar trip of their own. It is my hope for this content to be helpful.

Every now and then, with a little luck, I may snap a photo that others find valuable enough to use for their own website, as art to post at their business - or whatever. While I'm not interested in monetizing this, I've discovered an opportunity to grant photo usage licenses in exchange for licensees making donations directly to certain qualified 501(c)(3) charities.

So, having a difficult time finding (or confirming) a royalty-free photo for your website, business, or other organization? Concerned about paying someone for licensing? I invite you to explore these galleries, pick out what you like and let's get you licensed to use it - all you'll need to do is directly support one my charity partners (see link at bottom of page to inquire).

A page featuring charity partners coming soon.

Mission

With a focus on trail art - original photos of the American trailscape, the mission of TrailVane Americana is to inspire new expeditions while supporting awesome charities through travel photography.

Why an old-school blog?

Why not? Just like the lost art of sending post-cards from new places visited, I like to keep it some somewhat nostalgic. I've been documenting trails to explore since the time I was a kid - making, compiling and sharing ATV maps of the southeast US. In my younger days as a part time licensed ATV safety instructor and formed a trail club founder, those maps and write-ups were reportedly helpful by those using them. So perhaps, this is sort of an extension of that approach.

While technology's advanced tremendously over the past 20 years with mapping apps, videos, and so forth, I still think there's value in documenting adventure by way of blog. I know I've always enjoyed reading travel blogs and I suspect at least some others do too. And for me, this isn't a numbers game. If only two or three people find this interesting, that's quite alright!

Sure, there's a plethora of videos and social media platforms where people now share every detail of their journey. For me, this travel-blog approach skips like a stone across a pond. It's a way to combine photography with adventure, creating an art of trail, invoking a sense of wonder.