This website illuminates my life and adventures. My longing for freedom has led me to over 2450 of the world’s 3978 provinces, to every country on earth and to the summit of the highest peak on each continent (thank heaven for good weather!). In my travels, I learned to respect the intelligence and ingenuity of people of all races and callings both past and present. Come see the world as I see it: as a peaceful place, full of nature and beauty. With the right spirit and intent, we can make our world a virtual Garden of Eden.
DISTINCTIONS: BBC 2017 Travel Pioneer • Journal Articles • Explorer’s Club Flag Expeditions
World Parks Project • Walk Across South America • Jeff Shea Travel Map
Bangladesh, Kishorenganj Prov, Trishaw-
Papua New Guinea, East New Britain, General of the Revolutionary Army of West Papua, Seth Rumkorem, 1983 - In Rabaul on the island of East New Britain in the country of Papua New Guinea, I met Seth Rumkorem and his men. They were the nucleus of the Revolutionary Army of West Papua. They had traveled across the ocean 800 miles in a motorized outrigger dugout canoe from Irian Jaya, Indonesia (i.e., West Papua) to seek political asylum. They asked me if I was a reporter. I fibbed and said I was. They gave me a copy of what was essentially their Declaration of Indepence, along with convincing evidence that their right of self-determination had been tampered with by the Indoneisan goverment.
Seram, Pisang Bakar, 2006 - Pisang Bakar means Grilled Banana. This species of banana in Seram can be simply thrown into the fire, then eaten, once cooked. It tasted like warm pudding. For days I had felt drained from the exertion of walking in the rain forest. But after eating this, I felt reinvigorated.
Congo Zaire, Mt. Hoyo Waterfall, 1984 - My girlfriend Gabrielle and I took an excursion to Mt. Hoyo in eastern Zaire partly because we were told there was a beautiful waterfall here. It was beautiful but small. More interesting were the pygmies.
Slovenia, Cerkvenjak Prov, Coat Of Arms
Cars Being Brought from Europe to Niger for Sale, 1988 Niger, some point between the Algerian border and Agadez
Solomon Islands, Umbuni, 1982 - The area of the world known as Melanesia had the most profound impact on me of all my travels. From the moment I arrived, I began to see the world differently; the people lived in a society with such different values than the ones I had previously been exposed to. Here, life was hard and men lived boldly. Umbuni was the chief's son. To reach his land, the Kwaio, I sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, traveled to Malaita by local boat, took a truck across the island, then caught a ride with Fred Billy Akwafaasie across a large stretch of ocean in a motorized canoe to Sinalagu Bay. Fred Billy was a Christian. He walked Kelly Soma and I up the steep bush track to the frontier of the Kwaio. Fred Billy's village had been converted to Christianity by missionaries, whereas Umbuni's people rejected conversion. On the way up the bush track I asked Fred Billy if he still believed in the old ways. At first he flatly denied it, but then he revealed that traditional beliefs linger for a long time. He said, "No, I don't believe in the old ways?but sometimes at night, you can feel the spirits of the ancestors." Ancestors were worshipped in the Kwaio in skull houses, where the skulls of their forefathers resided. I asked Umbuni what would happen if I entered his land without his father's permission. Umbuni, a gentle and kind man, stated his case simply and without aggression: "I would kill you."
Turkey, Nevsehir Prov, Cappadocia Goreme Wall Relief
Yonica in Doorway, 2006
Cape Verde Islands, Praia Province (Concelho) South Atlantic Voyage 2006
Norway, Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Skyline, 2007 - The first time I went to Longyearbyen, I came and went without any real understanding of the wonders of Spitsbergen. The second time I went there, I camped by the airport. Even close to town, I learned there was a lot of wildlife. Later, flying over west Svalbard, I was amazed at the stunning landscape, as you can see in other photos in this section. This photograph was taken from near the old mill on the road to the camping site.