Having grown up in Eastern Washington, I was struck deeply by the rich green of the western sides of both Oregon and Washington. I spent far too much time exploring backroads of both states, Eastside and Westside. After meeting my wife in Eugene, I was (willingly) dragged off to Chicago for a dozen years, where I complained far too much asking to be back amongst my rivers and mountains. After we had our daughter, we moved back to give her a bigger playground. This limits my choice of playground, somewhat, but I love that the entire family wants to explore with me.