Author Description

The diary starts with watercolors Richard (Dick) W. Pike did in high school of his sports heroes in the early 1950s. When he was in the army in France, he traveled extensively during his tour of duty. Dick had an interest in photography. An army buddy carried a sketchbook instead of a camera when he traveled. Included in this diary are watercolors of Paris, Rome, Venice, and the Bavarian Alps from his army travels.A decade later Dick started using both a camera and a sketchbook on family camping trips. They camped in the mountains, learned how to canoe camp, and the young family visited 31 states. Sketches from national and state parks from the Pacific coast to Maine; and from national and provincial parks in Canada.The Sylvania Recreational Area of Upper Michigan was a favorite canoe camping location. Dick and his wife Jean winter camped and also had a bear-shortened canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota and Canada. This book combines Dick's photography with pencil, charcoal, crayon, acrylic, and ink sketches of the family trips.