About the Author John Riha was born and raised in the Midwest. He migrated to the West several times and finally resolved to stay there, in the big mountains and clear rivers. He is married to a beautiful, funny woman he doesn't deserve, and he is father to two sons who certainly must have done something right to deserve such a generous, understanding, and doting father. From the author: I've always been into writing, nature, and some form of carpentry. I grew up with lake houses, summer places which, as a small boy, balanced my suburban life with a magical universe full of waves and seaweed and tadpoles and rowboats, and where all things that mattered existed. Both my parental grandparents… were carpenters, and I inherited the gene, and have always been fascinated by wood and making things with my hands. I have built and remodeled houses but always have had a fondness for fine woodworking, for cabinet-making and furniture-building, for watching a single piece of raw wood become a thing of accomplished beauty. In this capacity, as construction aficionado, I've built a career, and parlayed my building experiences into journalism. I've been an editor on several national magazines, and I've authored many books and articles on home improvement and maintenance. One of the best things about the West is that it's indescribable. Perhaps that's what makes it so intriguing for the writer. The scale, the raw beauty, the promise. This is my first book about the West, and I don't think it will be the last.