"Frank's knowledge comes from experience, what he calls 'the school of hard knocks.' As a younger man, working first in the West Virginia oil fields and then in construction, he traveled throughout the West Virginia, Virginia and D.C. area for work. Often, he slept where he was, in a hotel or on the job site or  - as he preferred - outdoors in his tent.  Free time was spent exploring the regions around the job locations, taking photographs and meeting new people.

Raised in the West Virginia hills at the head of a hollow, Frank is the one who knows which wood is the best firewood, the science of packing a vehicle for travel, knot-tying, weather-proofing, the challenges of survival in nature. He identifies paw prints in the path, knows the sounds of the night woods, the signs and signals of the weather. He's an environmentalist, with special interest in watershed environments. He also serves as my sense of direction, my experienced driver, and he makes great camp coffee in the morning.

I can honestly say, 'Frank Minney has never met a stranger.' He's the one who so easily meets new people. He's so relaxed, friendly and truly interested in other people. While I tend to be destination driven, Frank has no problem learning about the guy next to him at the gas pump, the flood history of a river or stream, the folks in line at the bath house. We'd miss out on so much if the "conversating" (a Frank-ism) was left up to me.

Frank's memory works like a digital recorder and he has an eye for details. He examines everything around him. At each location, he studies traffic, signage, access, map accuracy, mileage. He looks at campsites and cabins with the eyes of an architect, an engineer. He's at home at the river, on the mountains, in the rain and snow. 

As a travel partner, research assistant and photographer, Frank's skills are essential - especially in the "rough" or on extended getaways. He is a true West Virginia "Mountain Man," and the lay of the land runs in his blood. No matter where we go, or what challenge or adventure lies before us, Frank is prepared.

"Everything Lisa does is related to written words. The daughter of a college English professor, she was -- and still is - naturally surrounded by books, and magazines and papers. A life-long learner, she reads and writes as much as she breathes and eats it sometimes seems.

After graduating from college with degrees in Written English and Journalism, she found work in the world of marketing and public relations -- writing and designing catalogs, brochures, product packaging.  That was a challenge for her -- all the computer skills  -- she had to teach herself. Still, she created a full photo catalog with complete descriptions for 3500 magic tricks - something no one in the magic wholesale world had done yet in those days. She ghost-wrote two books, 101 Tricks with a Svengali Deck, and 101 Tricks with a Stripper Deck, which sold over 10,000 copies each worldwide. All that within her first year using a computer.

Lisa has side little projects going all the time. She designed the online Virtual tour for Gilmer County, and she recently directed the development of Encounter Calhoun County, a print and online magazine to promote tourism and recreation in Calhoun County. Both of those projects were "the first ever" type of thing - again. Now she has an online store at cafepress, runs a blog, and is studying the nooks and crannies of West Virginia recreation.

Lisa also works for The Calhoun Chronicle, a weekly typical small town newspaper - if you want to call our area typical.  In addition to covering events and meetings, taking photos and writing news articles, she also maintains their web site, and has a regular column, which received two awards from the West Virginia Press Association this year, and first place in its first year.

Of course, Lisa is 'The Writer.' She's the research, planning, networking, drafting, photo editing, e-mailing side of this traveling pair. I haven't sent an email in nine years, and I have only sent six in my whole life. Without Lisa's writing and computer skills, I'd still be some mountain man with a camera in his hands and photos piling up all over the place.

And of course, we enjoy traveling together."