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The Mission of VirtualBigBend.com
My love of the
park began in 1991 when I was 20. I was working in a one hour photo lab while attending the Texas State Technical College School of Visual Arts (AVP). One of my customers brought her rolls
of film in for developing after Spring Break. The pictures were AWESOME! Of course, these pictures were of Big Bend National Park. Three months later, my father and I made our first trek to the park
in June 1991. I took 20 something rolls of film on that trip and so began the obsession. Since then, I have taken countless trips to the park.
In 2002, I was sitting in my little cubicle at work, missing Big Bend, and I came up with a great idea. I could publish views of the park using interactive panoramas, a technology that I had been researching for some time. This would be a way for me to see the park when I was homesick. On my next trip I would take the first panoramas for the new site. For about 4 months, the site was strictly my own. Then, someone had found it online and sent me an email telling me how wonderful it was. I thought, why am I being so selfish? So
My mission is to photograph every inch of the park in this way. It may take me a lifetime, but that's ok. Not only do I want this site (and the future release CD-ROM) to bring the park home to the elderly, disabled,or the just plain lazy, I want it to show how beautiful the place is! I can't believe how many people I hear say, including in my own family, "Big Bend? Why Big Bend? There's only an ugly desert out there!" Really? Only a desert? Well, I beg to differ. And I am confident that after you visit this website, you will see what I, and others, know! Also, the park is getting very old, very fast, by building this website, I want to preserve its majesty for future generations.
In my panoramas, you will not see any people, signs, cars, etc. I will photograph the absolute far reaches of the park. Places that even the most die hard "Big Bender," will not go. I have big plans for the website,
so stay tuned and be sure to keep informed of the changes!
 PS-This website is dedicated to the memory of my loving, supportive wife, Rhonda, without whom VirtualBigBend.com would not have existed.
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