I have travelled in my life; to Washington D.C., to NYC, to California, to Oregon, to Florida, to South Carolina. Never out of the country.

All the journeys have been interesting. There is something about the seashore, any seashore, that calls out to one. There is something about climbing a mountain, any mountain, that gives one perspective, how small one can be...and yet how it can be conquered by the smallest of beings.

My father travelled a lot. He had to, in his job. Yet he was always happiest when he came home.

Past that, I really don't have much urge to travel. I'd like to see the Pyramids and the Sphynx, and I wouldn't mind visiting France, where my sister is, or the green hills of Ireland. Yet...I'm not really in any hurry to go to any other lands. My sister is the globetrotter in the family, and has seen much of Europe and a little of Asia.

And yet...

I've been places that can only be visited by those who deign to read.

I've walked the forests of Lothlorien and Mirkwood, or trudged through the devastation of Mordor towards Mount Doom.(Tolkien.) (I am going to have to get some of those Lord of the Ring toys at Burger King.)

I've sailed on the Dawn Treader and seen the end of the world.(C.S. Lewis.)

I have seen the Night Lands at the end of time.(William Hope Hodgson)

I have scampered down the crumbling immense castle called Gormenghast.(Mervyn Peake.)

I have seen the massive city-planet called Trantor.(Asimov.)

I have walked the Ringworld.(Larry Niven.)

I have voyaged to Arcturus and been on the planet Torrance, and seen colors that do not appear on Earth.(David Lindsey.)

I have walked not one, but several different places called Mars; Barsoom; Macalandria.(Burroughs and C.S. Lewis.)

I have woken up with the dead on Riverworld.(Philip Jose Farmer.)

I have flown with the Ythri.(Poul Anderson.)

When I got old enough, I created worlds to travel with on my own. That is, in essence, what I'm doing in PATHS OF DARKNESS. What I have done in previous fantasies and science fiction writings. Right now they're in the middle of a rather horrific journey---and the picture above is of Chisus, one of the more interesting characters the protagonist's encountered...

Still, I haven't lost interest in other fantasies. Today I didn't go anywhere...physically. Yet I've been in the world of Tad Williams' somewhat-derivitive yet still-entertaining world of MEMORY, SORROW, AND THORN.

Don't tell me I don't like to travel. It's just that where I like to go, it's hard to get a booking through a travel agent...

Yet I've enjoyed every inch of the journey...

In my armchair.