I was born in Minneapolis, mostly grew up in Grand Rapids, went to college and worked for a while in Nebraska, and live in Portland. Where am I from gets so tricky.

I went to the University of Nebraska (Go Big Red!!) and then worked for the Nebraska Democratic Party for a few years. After that I drifted for a year by biking down the pacific coast, walking el Camino, and getting stuck in a town and working as a butcher for a while. Then, in search of trees and water I ended up in Portland, became a science teacher, and here we are.

I love to ride my bike, both for transportation and vacation. I have gone on bike tours with all my camping equipment loaded up through Germany (Berlin to Munich), Nebraska (Across the state), Oregon (Portland to Boise), and down the US Pacific Coast (Vancouver Canada to Tijuana, Mexico).

Love reading, the outdoors, lively discussions, a great beer, cooking, having fun, and probably more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to host people. When I was in Lincoln Nebraska I used to host all the time, but transitioning to a new career in a new city has made it rough. I want to get back into it. Time to get back in the swing of things now that I am settled.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have stayed with CSers in Kingston, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Oslo. All have been great experiences.

I have hosted numerous CSers from all over and it has always worked out well. I tell people who are dubious about couchsurfing, "Of course it always works out, the type of people who would use it are the type of people who do use it."

Interests

Reading, biking, travel, hammocks, sports, history, politics, laying on the grass with the sun in my eyes.

• politics
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• camping
• sports
• biology
• teaching
• history
• science
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Wes Anderson films are pretty neat.

Music: Dyaln, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Petty, the Kinks, Andrew Bird, Kaki King, Knopfler, Wilco, Beck, Beirut, Flight of the Conchords, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, etc.

Books: Top Authors would be Jim Harrison, Frank Herbert, Michael Chabon, and Kurt Vonnegut. I read a bunch but not as much as I would like.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Biking from Canada to Mexico along the Pacific coast.

Teach, Learn, Share

When biking in Germany, it is better to bike away from the alps. I started in Berlin and biked to Munich and it would have definitely been easier to go the other way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Germany

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States