After having been on expeditions to Nepal and having climbed, hiked and skied all over the world, I’ve come full circle with the realization that there is no place on the planet with the canyons, peaks, deserts and absolute stunning beauty of the western US.
I was fortunate in that I sold a technology company I founded to a company in Silicon Valley and part of the deal was that I would learn to fly and would pilot my own plane to San Jose for work. Thus I ended up with a pilot’s license, a small Cessna plane and a growing desire to explore the west. For the next two decades - as my kids grew from toddlers to adult-hood – we hiked, climbed, skied, muled, biked, boated and had a great time exploring the west. My career morphed into mergers and acquisitions in the western US, so even my day job was flying around the west in my plane, often stopping and exploring places (two seats pull out, making a comfy bed). Betsy and I added an "adventure-van" outfitted Sprinter and finally a 4x4 customized Tacoma. So we are pretty much set for adventuring in the west.
After the success of my first book “Fifty Classic Destinations for Pilots” and encouragement from readers of my blog, “West Coast Flying Adventures”, I decided to write the book that I know many families would appreciate and one that doesn’t underestimate what an active family can accomplish. I found myself in the unique position of being able to assess, compare and describe all the adventures firsthand, and frame them for doing them as a family.
You don’t need an airplane, though that would be helpful if you wish to do all fifty in two decades. I did leave one true “flying adventure” in the book, requiring a charter of a bush plane in Montana.
I've enjoyed the journey - I hope you enjoy the book! (when published)
- Ney Grant
For more about me, you can listen to an interview I did with the podcast, "Everyday Heroes"
You can contact me at "ney @ fiftyclassics.com".