In many travelogues, there is a section where you can find out more about the writer.  I don't see a need for that.  I think who I am is pretty well covered in the stories themselves.  However, somebody asked me, "What is this Mr. Moose thing all about?"  That I will tell you about.  Mr. Moose is sort of my alter ego.  It isn't related to Bullwinkle, though maybe a little bit to Mr. Moose of Captain Kangaroo.

My family bought a resort in northern Minnesota (about 150 km. south of the Canadian border).  One of my parents was more enthusiastic about it than the other.  My mom said, "Well, we're moving to northern Minnesota.  Nothing up there but a bunch of moose turds."  And so it became my motto, "Peace Through Moosepoop."  If everybody adopted this as a way of life, the world would be a better place.

I started mountain bike racing about two years later and did so well in my first race that I started racing expert class in my second race.  In my fourth race I placed fourth among the experts.  Later that day I went to see some of my friends who worked at a restaurant.  They said to the owner, "Hey John, he placed in expert class.  Why don't you sponsor him?"  John asked me a few questions about racing.  I thought he was just curious about it.  He then said, "Ok, I'll sponsor you!  Go out and get yourself a shirt made."  So I did.  I got a custom airbrushed jersey that had the Team Moosepoop emblem pictured above emblazoned on it.  I wasn't sure how he would react to his business being associated with moosepoop.  He loved it.  And so it entered the pages of history.

At this very moment, you may well be thinking, "Uh...thank you for sharing that."